Chapter Text
Luke was glad for Percy.
He really was happy that Percy was happy, that Percy was having a good time, and that Percy was managing to make his relationship work out.
That didn’t mean he necessarily enjoyed being around them.
Right now, he’d taken the two to the park so that they could have their little date. That meant he had to stay around until they were done so he could bring them back either home in Percy’s case or to camp in Drew’s case.
Of course, that also meant he had to stick around to watch their new relationship blossom, and if he could pick anything in the world to never have to sit through again, it would be this.
At least he could stay decently far from the pair and not have to hear their attempts at flirting. Luke had to stop himself from shaking his head when he heard Percy say that he’d pick Drew to screw his head back on right when the subject of the automatons came up. He understood that they were kids, not really savvy in the art of flirting yet, but it was painful to watch.
Drew had blushed and leaned her head on his shoulder then, which Luke figured was fine enough, but it did make him wonder if he’d actually been that bad at flirting when he was younger.
Then again, he hadn’t exactly been one for dating when he got to camp. By the time he’d sorted out his emotions and settled in at camp, the only one who was around his age was Thalia. Everyone else was either too young or had already left, and he hadn’t left camp in years before Percy showed up.
Safe to say, flirting wasn’t exactly high on his priority list.
Still, he had been around the older campers when he got there long enough to know what good flirting looked like, and this wasn’t it.
I’ve eaten hamburgers that can flirt better than that kid.
Still, it was nice to see him happy. Less nice was when he turned to try and find Drew and Percy and found them lightly making out under a nearby tree.
He dutifully turned his head upward, looking directly at the sky rather than seeing his little brother getting past first base.
Ah, yes, the sky is made of sky. I should probably tell Thalia about that.
He remembered the first time he caught someone close to him making out with his boyfriend. He wondered how Jacob was doing. The son of Apollo was the one who took Luke under his wing when he first got to camp and they hadn't really spoken much since he left.
He was shaken out of his thoughts by Percy, quite literally in fact. “Hey, Luke, you alright?”
Luke turned to the two and immediately cursed his training. Normally, noticing the slightest details is what kept him alive, but right now, that meant he immediately picked up on Percy’s tousled hair that was wilder than usual, Drew’s slightly flushed cheeks, and a red mark on Percy’s neck.
He decided to ignore all that. “Yeah, I’m fine Perce,” he lied as easily as he got dressed in the morning.
Percy frowned, clearly knowing something was up but not being able to figure out what. Luke smiled and ruffled his hair a bit, getting a smile out of the kid. “I’ll be alright, Percy. Don’t worry about me.”
“If you’re sure,” he turned to Drew then and Luke couldn’t help but notice how soft his eyes got when he looked at her. They’d been together for about a month and he could tell they were having the time of their lives. “Ready to go, Dee?”
She smiled and kissed him, prompting Luke to turn away again. He heard her speak up after a moment. “Let’s go, hon.”
With that, Luke got up and got ready to continue playing chauffeur to the two until their date was done. Considering this was the first time they’d seen each other in about a week, Luke had a feeling he’d be here for a while.
Then again, looking at the light in Drew’s eyes and the happiness on Percy’s face, he figured it’d be fine.
Percy really owed Luke big time.
He was walking out of the movie with Drew, who had her arms around his waist and her head on his shoulder when he saw Luke looking completely tired, sitting alone in a nearby coffee shop.
“We really dragged him around a lot, didn’t we?” Drew noted with sympathy.
“Yeah,” as much as he wished this day wouldn’t end, he knew he couldn’t keep dragging Luke around.
They went up to Luke who had his assignments with him, which made Percy feel a bit better knowing he hadn’t cut into Luke’s studying time. “Hey, Luke.”
He turned to Percy with a smile. “Yeah, kiddo?”
“You wanna leave?”
Luke thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. “I gotta finish this up real quick. Why don’t you two order something and we can head off when you’re done; I should be done with this by then.”
They nodded and went to a nearby ice cream cart, getting one chocolate and one vanilla, and took their time walking back to Luke.
On the way, Drew turned to Percy with a smile. “I had a lot of fun today, Percy.”
“Me too,” sometimes, he couldn’t believe he was actually dating Drew Tanaka. “I wish we could do this more often.”
She smiled and leaned up to kiss him. He found himself trying to focus on not dropping his cone but it was hard to think.
She pulled back and Percy’s brain was slowly rebooting as she looked at him with warm eyes. “You know where to find me.”
“Yeah.”
When they finished their ice cream, they made their way back to Luke, figuring it was time to leave. Before they got there, Percy grabbed Drew by the wrist, turning her to give her a proper kiss. He wasn’t sure how long they spent like that, but it was perfect.
She pulled back and shook her head. “You’re getting bold, Jackson.”
“I don’t hear you complaining.”
She leaned in and stole a quick kiss. “Never said it was a bad thing.”
They made it back to Luke who was just wrapping up his work. He looked up at them when they got close. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah.”
They dropped Drew off at camp, with her kissing Percy one last time before rushing off. The drive back home was thankfully quiet, though he just knew Thalia and his mom would be ready to embarrass him when he got back.
When they got home, before they walked in through the door, Percy tugged on Luke’s arm. “Hey, Luke.”
He turned to Percy with a hint of concern in his eyes. “You good, Perce?”
“Uh, yeah, just,” he shifted nervously. “Thanks for driving us around.”
He didn’t know how to put into words what he felt. He knew Luke was busy and yet he’d taken his time to make sure Percy was happy. He wasn’t used to that, and he didn’t know what to think.
Luke seemed to understand that as his eyes went soft and he tugged Percy into his arms. “I’ll do anything for you, Percy. Always.”
Percy was starting to believe that.
Thalia couldn't believe the sheer amount of bullshit that Luke had to go through in this section of Tartarus.
Maybe she was being a bit dramatic, but it turned out college was a lot more mundane than she’d thought. At least, it was mundane when it was a good day. On bad days, she almost wished she was back in Medusa’s garden.
She didn’t understand why this much work was necessary. It didn’t help that none of her professors were worth a damn when it came to teaching, holding the students’ attention, grading, understanding that they were dealing with other people, and many other problems.
She was starting to understand how Luke managed to bond with Brianna and Daphne; if it were this much of a headache, it’d be easy to make friends through shared trauma.
She was being overly dramatic and she knew it, but she didn’t care. She was dealing with that professor Luke was complaining about last year and he was genuinely worse than Alabaster. The guy was slow, monotonous, boring, and self-righteous with a hint of sexism thrown in because he wouldn’t be complete without that.
So when Luke and Percy got back home, she didn’t even have the energy to tease Percy for his date. “Hey.”
Luke looked at her with understanding while Percy looked concerned. “Math test?”
She groaned and figured that was enough of an answer. Percy made a small sound of understanding and said he was headed for his room, giving Luke and Thalia some privacy.
“I don’t know how you managed to deal with Highfucker the way you did. I’m close to zapping his ass back to the Jurassic period.”
Luke laughed and she couldn’t stay annoyed. He just had a way of cheering her up even when he wasn’t trying. “When’s the test?”
“Tomorrow,” she leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling, exhaustion catching up to her. “I can barely look at the page without the numbers flying off. I’m gonna fail.”
He quickly put a hand on her shoulder and she turned to face him, seeing the determination in his eyes. “You are not going to fail. You’ve been studying for this for a week now and you know the topic better than Hightower thinks you do. Now, what’s giving you so much trouble?”
She pointed to the sheet and Luke picked it up, grimacing as he saw the topic. “Limits, huh?”
“Mhm.”
“If it helps, it’s Hightower’s weakest topic.”
She gave him a look that told him how much that helped. He laughed that stupidly cheering laugh of his and she couldn’t stay angry.
“Alright, let’s start from the top,” they sat there for a few hours, Luke helping her work through the problem sheet and giving her a push whenever she was struggling.
By the halfway point, she was starting to breeze through the problems, able to understand everything she was working on. Luke explained it like it was actually easy, and she was starting to believe that.
After about three hours, she was done, feeling confident in her ability to take the test.
Luke looked over her answers and a smile grew on his face. “I’m proud of you, Thalia.”
She didn’t bother hiding how happy that made her feel; Luke would have been able to see through it regardless. “Thanks, Luke. For everything.”
He shrugged, putting the sheet down. “I’ve got your back, Thals. You’d do the same for me.”
She looked at him for a moment, thinking about all the years they’d known each other. Very early on, she knew that Luke had her back and she had his, but she hadn’t realized that it would last this long or that it would never fade.
She always had his back, just like he always had hers.
“Don’t know where I’d be without you, Luke,” she said quietly.
He gave her a smile. “You won’t need to worry about that, Thals. You and I are a team after all.”
She nodded and leaned in to hug him. The two of them had taken some time before they started being this casually affectionate with each other, not really hugging until after their first meeting with Kelli, but since then, it was easier than breathing.
He wrapped his arms around her, not nearly as awkward as he used to be and not even as awkward as he tends to be with others. She always loved being in this position, feeling the stress and exhaustion of the day fade away.
She hoped that feeling never faded away.
Silena was itching for Drew to get back to camp.
Her baby sister had been out on a date with her new boyfriend and she needed to know how that went. Clarisse had poked fun at her for it, but this was important. She’d been rooting for the two to get together and she needed to know that it went well.
Of course, this wasn’t their first date technically with the two having had a lot of smaller meetups over the past month, most of them being at camp with Percy visiting over the weekends, but this was the first date they had outside of camp.
She had to know how it went.
So, when Drew made it to the Aphrodite cabin, big smile on her face, Silena couldn’t contain her excitement.
“You’re coming with me,” she got up and all but dragged Drew to her bunk, sitting next to her. Normally, she’d be shooting back with quips or complaints, but she just sat down, still smiling, and leaned on Silena’s shoulder.
“Someone’s happy.” she couldn’t help but note.
Drew nodded. “It was perfect. He took me to the park, to the movies, and we had ice cream at the end. He kissed me when they dropped me off, I-” she sighed happily. “It was perfect, Sil.”
Silena smiled and kissed the top of Drew’s head. “I’m glad you had fun.”
“Is it always like this?”
Silena considered that. She’d been on a few dates before; nothing too serious, just a few campers asking her out here and there. The most recent had been Travis Stoll the summer before Percy got to camp but nothing had really come of that.
She remembered what her older siblings used to say about dating; how the initial glow faded after a while and it became too mundane sometimes. And yet, she also remembered some saying that the fuzzy feelings never faded, that things would always work out.
She knew what to tell Drew. “Sometimes it isn’t, but a lot of times it is. It can be the best thing you ever experience, and it’ll always be worth it.”
Drew nodded, smile never leaving her face. “I want to feel like this forever, Sil. He’s amazing.”
Silena squeezed her shoulder. “I hope so too.”
“What about you?” She sat up and looked at Silena with a smirk. “Anything new with Charlie ?”
Silena blushed. “Shut up,” she pushed her sister and Drew laughed. Silena had been trying not to think about Charlie for the past few weeks, not since the last time they spoke.
“It’s… I dunno,” she shrugged, Drew sitting up, shuffling closer to Silena. “One moment I think we’re making progress then the next he just pulls back again. At this rate, I’m starting to wonder if he really does like me.”
Drew frowned and leaned her head back on Silena’s shoulder. “Give it some more time; maybe he’s just nervous.”
“You think so?” If it were that simple, Silena could wait as long as she needed.
“Percy told me he’d been nervous because he wasn’t sure how he felt at first, and then he was scared of rejection. Maybe that’s it.”
“Maybe,” Silena hoped that was it, but she couldn’t shake the feeling there was more. “Doesn’t matter right now. Any idea if Percy’s coming by tomorrow?”
Drew shrugged. “He said he’d try, but he might not be able to make it,” she frowned a bit. “I hope he does. I want to see him more.”
Silena nodded. “I think he’ll be here. If nothing else, I’m sure he misses you as much as you miss him.”
“You think so?” She sounded hopeful.
“I know so.”
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Luke and Percy's relationship? What about Drew and Percy's relationship? Anything on Drew and Silena?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 2: Settling In
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Roman training was much more strenuous than Reyna had expected.
They drove her into the ground and kept going until she couldn’t go anymore, gave her a small break to get her breath back, and then went back to the training.
It was harsh but fair she supposed. It was better than how she was treated on Circe’s island; she could build herself up on her own and fit in with the rest of the Legion. And she couldn’t deny the results.
Everyone had been impressed with how quickly she and Hylla improved, quickly rising up the ranks of skill in the Legion, so much so that many of the legionnaires were starting to complain that the two should be in a better cohort.
She’d been sparring with Jason, one of the few who could still outpace her at this point, and she asked during their break. He sighed and looked into the distance, eyes much older than his face.
“You noticed the eagles each cohort carries?” He asked almost casually.
She nodded. “Yeah,” it was hard not to. “The Fifth doesn’t have one though. Guessing it’s lost?”
He nodded, expression not changing. “Back in the eighties, one of the praetors of the time, Michael Varus, went on an expedition to Greece. He went alone, against all our laws, and took the eagle with him. He never came back.”
“And the fifth’s been shamed ever since,” Reyna concluded. It made sense in a twisted way, but it also wasn’t right.
Jason nodded. “I’ve been trying to make the Fifth more respectable since I joined it, but it hasn’t been easy.”
“I can imagine,” she could see how much that weighed on Jason, how much the responsibility seemed to be trying to crush him. “I’ll help you then.”
He turned to her in shock. “You don’t have to.”
“I want to.”
Since she’d joined the Legion months ago, Jason had been by her side. He’d shown her around, helped her integrate among the legionnaires, and had become her friend. She wanted to repay him for all that.
He stared at her for a moment before nodding, his eyes lighting up even though his face remained impassive. He was good at hiding his emotions, but he wasn’t perfect.
And she knew how to read people. Despite how hard he tried, Jason couldn’t hide completely from her.
“I think that’s enough of a break,” he picked up his sword and turned to her with a feral grin. “Round two.”
He pressed her harder this time, making sure to keep her on her toes. They kept sparring for what might have been hours before they were interrupted.
“Ah, so this is the new recruit,” the interrupter was a bit on the taller side, with blond hair and clear blue eyes.
“Ah, Octavian,” Jason turned to Reyna with a polite smile. “Reyna, this is Octavian. He’s a part of the First Cohort; his family is on the older side of Roman families.”
“We’ve been members of the Legion for over a hundred years now,” he said with a hint of pride mixed with something Reyna couldn’t quite put her finger on. Almost something resembling stress.
Looking at Octavian, she almost saw him as a sort of mirror to Jason. He was taller and a bit on the scrawnier side but his eyes held a level of intelligence that almost reminded her of Circe. He didn’t seem malicious though, so that was a plus.
“I’m Reyna,” she extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
He shook her hand, nodding as he did. “I am glad to see we have a promising recruit for the Legion. I will be seeing you later, Reyna.”
She blinked as he left them. Jason sighed and turned to her with a serious look. “You’re gonna want to be patient around Octavian. He’s a good guy, but he can get a bit in his head sometimes about the glory of Rome.”
Reyna shrugged. “I can work with that.”
There was absolutely no way Octavian could be any worse than Circe or any more frustrating than Percy, Thalia, and Luke. She could manage just fine.
Jason raised an eyebrow at her and shrugged. “If you say so. Now come on, we should get some lunch.”
Thalia felt she needed to apologize to Luke right now.
She’d poked fun at him for how much he complained about being around Percy and Drew over the past month and a half, making it sound like it was the worst thing he’d ever had to do.
He made it sound like it was worse than fighting Kelli, Medusa, Kronos, and whoever else he brought up. She’d figured he was exaggerating, he had to be. There was no way they could be that bad.
She’d never been more wrong in her life.
Watching those two brought back memories of Jacob and Austin. Those two were also all over each other and disgustingly sweet, but at least she could avoid them. With Percy and Drew, she had no escape.
Right now, Luke was busy with a project he had, so Thalia was the one who was driving the two around. She almost wished she wasn’t, but she couldn’t say no to the kid.
They were at Burger Heaven right now, the two of them wanting to eat something before going back to camp, and Thalia was grateful it was a slow day. It meant she was able to stay far away from them.
As she was starting to lose hope that she’d be able to stay quiet when the two started feeding each other their meals, a hand on her shoulder caught her attention. “Rough day, Thals?”
She turned and saw Luke standing next to her and she finally felt like she could relax. “Those two are just the worst.”
He gave them a quick look and grimaced. Thalia didn’t want to know what they were doing. “Yeah, they are. I’m glad they’re happy, but…”
“Mhm,” she’d almost rather get hit on by her classmates again.
He sat down and she noticed the exhaustion in his eyes. “Project’s that bad, huh?”
He nodded. “Alex spent most of the time chatting with his girlfriend on the phone so Audrey and I had to do most of the work.”
Thalia grimaced. “Can’t you tell your professor?”
“We’re planning on it,” Luke sighed. “I don’t like doing it but this is too much, you know?”
She nodded. It made sense, but she had a feeling there was more to his exhaustion than that. “What else is going on?”
Luke looked at her and smiled. “I really should stop trying to hide things from you.”
“Thought you’d know by now,” she reached out and squeezed his hand. “Talk to me, Luke.”
He sighed. “Chiron called me when I was done. He said we need to be ready for anything; he’s got a bad feeling.”
Thalia nodded, trying to keep her worry from showing. She didn’t think Luke would be fooled, but she didn’t want to bother Percy or Drew.
Chiron’s feelings were rarely ever wrong. The last time he had a bad feeling, the Bolt was stolen soon after. Olympus had been warned, but it hadn’t mattered. Chiron’s feelings were never exact, they just warned of trouble coming soon.
“We’ll need to keep them safe,” she said, sneaking a glance at Percy and Drew, grimacing as she caught them kissing.
Luke nodded. “We’ll make sure of that. They don’t need to go through this.”
She nodded, feeling much older than she was. She lowered her voice to make sure Percy didn’t hear her. “What do you think Annabeth’s up to?”
Luke shrugged. “We got her spy and we’ve got a good defense set up, so it won’t be a direct attack. Probably something to do with us.”
She nodded. “She did look annoyed when Percy didn’t join her. You think she thinks she can get him on her side without us in the picture?”
“She seems arrogant enough to try that,” Luke called the waitress over to order. Thalia had to suppress a scowl as she flagrantly started hitting on Luke who looked clearly uncomfortable with it.
Then again, it was clear to her, so maybe she shouldn’t be that mad at the waitress for not noticing; Luke was good at hiding his emotions. She just couldn’t help it. She didn’t know why, but seeing Luke that uncomfortable was among the most annoyed she’d ever been.
The waitress saw her glaring and gulped, turning back to Luke with a now polite smile on her face. Luke gave his order and she ran off to get the food.
He turned to her with a smirk. “You know, you can stop glaring now.”
She huffed. “Don’t like it when they make you uncomfortable like that.”
He softened. “It’s fine, Thalia. I can handle it.”
She sighed. “I know; doesn’t mean you have to.”
He smiled and glanced behind her at the happy couple. She chanced a look and saw an admittedly cute sight. Drew was leaning on Percy’s shoulder as he was telling her something to make her laugh. Percy kissed her forehead then and she beamed at him.
Thalia turned back before it could get more sickeningly sweet, not feeling like seeing that at the moment. “They always like that?’
Luke nodded in exhaustion that didn’t hide the smile in his eyes. “Nah, they’re usually worse.”
She sighed but smiled too. “I’m glad they’re happy. They deserve this.”
Luke nodded. “Could do without having to see that all the time.”
“Definitely.”
Percy was getting tired of switching schools.
Despite what happened at Merriweather not being his fault, he wasn’t invited back. Something about Matt’s dad being a big shot in the city and pressuring the school to kick Percy out.
Merriweather never expelled anyone, so they waited until the summer to let him know he wouldn’t be allowed back. He didn’t particularly care all that much, he hated Merriweather after all, but he just wished he could stay in one place.
This new school, Tompkins Square Middle School, was a relatively new one but Percy found himself enjoying it well enough.
To be fair, he didn’t exactly like school in general, but this one wasn’t all that bad. He hadn’t run into any teacher who gave him a hard time for his dyslexia or ADHD so far, they had a space after school to help him work on his homework, and they even had a dojo he joined for fun.
He did need to make sure not to hurt the other students there, but it was a fun after-school activity for a change.
Most of his classmates weren’t too bad to deal with either. He stopped getting picked on over the past year, which Thalia said was because he was starting to grow bigger and stronger and he had a harder look in his eyes than before. He wasn’t sure he liked that, but it did come in handy sometimes.
Where it didn’t come in handy was when everyone attracted to guys started hitting on him. Half the girls in class and half the guys for that matter started giving him looks, though the guys were more discrete for some reason.
Some of them were not too annoying about it, just asking him out and backing off when he said he had a girlfriend. Others didn’t seem to take no for an answer.
He asked Luke who sighed and patted his head. “I know what you mean, Percy.”
He was considering inviting Drew to school one day just to see what would happen, but Mom talked him out of it.
“It’ll just get you both in trouble if you do that, baby,” she didn’t stop calling him that even though they were the same height now. “Just ignore them. They’ll get the hint eventually.”
“Aren’t you the one who told me some people won’t take no for an answer?” He tilted his head and she sighed.
“Just give them a look that shows you’re getting annoyed. If you’re anything like your Father, it’ll work.”
Percy tried it one time and it worked. He’d even say it worked too well considering no one would get close to him anymore. The only one who did was Jaime and that was only because he’d already become Percy’s friend before that incident.
He asked Thalia one day if he was scary and she shrugged. “I didn’t realize I was that scary until Clarisse flinched when I glared at her.”
He grimaced. “Don’t like that.”
She sighed, knowing why he felt like that. “I get that, but it doesn’t make you a bad person. Didn’t you say you made a friend?”
He nodded, perking up at that. “Jaime’s been great.”
“See. Just because some people are scared of you doesn’t mean everyone is,” she smirked. “Is Drew scared of you?”
Percy blushed. “Shut up.”
She just laughed and ruffled his hair. “You’re a good kid Percy. Doesn’t matter what you do.”
He felt better after that.
He did also ask Jaime if he was scary and he just nodded. “Oh, man, it’s awesome! Like, you’re a pretty chill guy, but when you get mad it’s amazing.”
Percy blinked. “Amazing?”
He nodded vigorously. “Yeah! I dunno how to explain it, but you just look like a warrior from old times or something.”
Percy smiled, shaking his head. “Warrior from old times? Come on, you can do better.”
“You look like a demigod dude!” Jaime was excited to say that and Percy had to try not to laugh.
He wondered if Luke or Thalia ever got told that.
He shook that out of his head, turning back to Jaime. “You really think so?”
“Totally man!”
He was glad he’d met Jaime. He didn’t have too many friends before, and most of his friends since he’d learned he was a demigod were all from the mythological world, so he was glad to not be completely cut off.
Sometimes it got too much.
A demigod’s life wasn’t easy and Percy knew that well. As much as he appreciated knowing about all the weird things going on, and as glad as he was to meet everyone he did, it was also a bit much at times.
It didn’t help that her words kept echoing in his head. He didn’t want to end up forgetting about his humanity, but he didn’t know how to.
He figured he was on the right track, but he was worried he’d stray from it. He didn’t know what to do.
He was shaken out of his thoughts when Jaime waved his hand in front of him. “You alright man? You spaced out for a bit.”
Percy nodded. “Yeah, just… thinking.”
Jaime frowned but didn’t push. He did change the subject though. “Tell me about her.”
Percy blinked. “Who’re you talking about?”
“You said you had a girlfriend, right? Let’s hear about the girl who made the infamous Percy Jackson reject even Ashley Smith.”
Percy shoved him and laughed. “Oh, shut up.”
He did tell him about Drew though and it made Percy happy. Talking about his girlfriend always did.
He was glad for his friends and family. He wasn’t sure where he’d be without them.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Thalia's experience with the happy couple? What did you think of our sneak peek at the Romans? What do you think Chiron's feeling is going to lead to?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 3: Heads in Asses
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Silena loved her sister.
She really did. Drew was one of her favorite people on the planet, up there with her dad, Percy, and Charlie, and there wasn’t much she wouldn’t do for her.
But at the moment, there wasn’t much she wouldn’t do to get her to stop gushing about her relationship with Percy.
She was happy for her, more than that even. She was rooting for them so much before they got together, but now that they were, it felt like a Monkey’s Paw situation. She’d rather be facing Lamia right now than be listening to this.
Maybe she was exaggerating, but hearing Drew go on about how great Percy was while Charlie was still dancing around the subject was starting to get to her. She didn’t want to bother Drew with this, not wanting to make her sad, but it was starting to get too much.
“His school’s hosting a party this weekend and he invited me to go,” Drew suddenly turned a bit shy. “I said yes, but I don't know what to do about it.”
Silena brightened up a bit hearing that. She could help Drew prepare for it. She hoped that would distract her enough for the time being. “What’s the party about?”
“It’s a costume party. I don’t really care about it too much about parties I won’t lie, but I do want to go with him.”
Silena nodded. Mortal parties weren’t something most year-rounders cared about, but it was different when going on a date.
“We’ll have to get you two matching costumes. Is he here?” She asked hopefully. If Percy were here, she’d be able to talk to him too. Maybe he could give her an idea of why Charlie was being so confusing.
Drew shook her head. “He’s coming later today but he has a few things he needs to wrap up first.”
Silena nodded. She could definitely work with that.
Drew looked so happy. Silena only hoped that could be her too soon.
She wasn’t going to force Charlie to be with her just because she liked him, but she’d like it if he were clear with her. Everyone said he liked her back, but he was pulling away more day by day.
“I’m going for a walk,” she stood up, needing some space. “You know where to find me if you need anything. Let me know when Percy gets back.”
“I will!”
Silena stopped to kiss the top of Drew’s head before she made her way to the Arts and Crafts cabin. She needed to clear her head.
She got to work, losing herself in whatever bust she was making. She tried to make one of her Mom, at least what version of her Mom she saw. She liked to think she got pretty close this time, managing to get the warm eyes, kind smile, and welcoming demeanor that she always saw whenever she went to Olympus.
She missed her Mom even though she knew Aphrodite was always with her. She wondered what Mom would say about Charlie right now. She prayed that it would work out.
She wasn’t sure how long she spent making these busts, but she’d made a decent amount before someone interrupted her.
Normally she’d be annoyed if someone tried to talk to her when she was busy, but she recognized that voice.
“You should try selling those; might make more than the strawberries do.”
She turned, smile wide on her face. “Percy!”
He opened his arms and she rushed into them, hugging him tight. He’d grown taller over the past few months, making it so that they were still the same height despite her growing a bit too.
“Miss me?” He said with a light chuckle.
“So much,” he tightened his grip around her and she felt herself relaxing. His hugs were some of the best she’d ever had.
He pulled back after a moment, suddenly looking concerned. “Drew told me you’ve been here for three hours.”
Silena blinked. She hadn’t realized she’d been gone that long. “Oops?”
Percy frowned, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Sil, what’s wrong?”
She sighed, grabbing Percy’s hand and leading him to a nearby bench. She laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist, grounding herself as she began to talk. “It’s Charlie.”
“Do I have to beat him up?” Percy didn’t waste time making jokes.
“No, it’s just… I thought he liked me back, everyone thinks he likes me back, but he’s been pulling back from talking to me the past few months. I don’t know what I did but it’s been driving me crazy.”
Percy hummed, rubbing her back gently. “I think he’s just nervous, not sure how to let you know he likes you.”
“You think so?” Silena hoped he was right.
“I know so,” he dropped his head on top of hers and she felt herself relaxing again.
She leaned up to kiss his cheek. “I’m glad you’re here Percy.”
He squeezed her shoulder gently and she felt happier than she had before. “I’ll always be here for you, Sil.”
She was starting to believe that.
Percy had one goal in mind now; find out why Chuck was pulling away from Silena.
She didn’t ask him to, and he wasn’t going to try to force them together. If he didn’t like her back, that was fine, but he needed to make sure everything was alright.
Last time they spoke, it sounded like he really liked her, and now he was pulling away? Percy needed to know what was going on.
Normally, he’d be worried that Chuck wouldn’t answer or that he’d try to deflect, but Percy knew him well. Chuck wasn’t one to mince words or hide what he was feeling, so he had a feeling this talk would go well enough.
He found Chuck in the forges as expected, working on a new automaton to help the Hephaestus cabin out with their chores.
“Isn’t that against the rules?” Percy couldn’t help but ask.
Chuck looked up at him and smirked. “First rule of camp, Percy. There are no rules.”
“Pretty sure Chiron would argue with you on that.”
“Don’t tell him I said that and I’ll make one for you.”
“You got yourself a deal.”
Percy went to the side and watched as Chuck finished up the automaton. He knew from experience that he wouldn’t get an answer before he was done, so he figured it wouldn’t hurt to wait.
After a few minutes, Chuck was done. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and turned to Percy with a welcoming smile. “So, what’s up?”
Percy figured it was for the best to get it over with and just ask him directly. “What’s going on with you and Silena?”
Beckendorf’s face dropped and he sighed. “I had a feeling you’d ask me about that eventually.”
“You two were so close. I’m just worried,” Percy could tell this had been weighing on Beckendorf’s mind for a while now.
He sighed and turned to put his tools away. “She doesn’t like me back, so I figured it’d be better for both of us if I stepped away and tried to get over it.”
Percy blinked. “What?”
He nodded, looking dejected. “I’ll get over my crush eventually and we can go back to being friends, but I can’t do that if I keep talking to her.”
Percy shook his head, utterly confused. “Dude, she likes you back. Like, a lot.”
Beckendorf didn’t look convinced. “I get that you think that, but there’s no way she likes me back.”
He really looked like he believed that and Percy couldn’t understand why. “What makes you say that?”
“She’s always nice to me,” he said with such confidence that Percy was starting to wonder if Beckendorf really was a genius.
“I- what?” Percy got closer to him as he tried to process that. “What do you mean that’s how you know she doesn’t like you back?”
“It’s true!” Beckendorf started growing confused with Percy and Percy didn’t understand what was going on. “When a girl tries to kill you, that’s how you know she likes you. And Silena’s always nice to me, so there’s no way she likes me back.”
Percy took a moment to reboot after hearing that. When he did, he couldn’t keep his confusion hidden. “What the fuck?”
Beckendorf looked at him with wide eyes. “What?”
“Who told you that?”
“It was the last Hephaestus cabin counselor. He had a girlfriend who loved him but also tried to kill him a bunch so I figured-”
“That’s it,” Percy grabbed his arm and started dragging him. “You’re coming with me.”
“What, Percy! Dude, come on, what’s wrong?” Beckendorf didn’t fight back, apparently too confused to. After a bit, Percy let go and let him just follow instead. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” Percy made his way to the Zeus cabin, figuring Thalia would be able to help. She, Percy, and Luke were visiting this weekend and he was glad for it. Something like this needed the three of them.
When they got to the cabin, he knocked on the door and Thalia answered quickly. She gave him a quick smile before her expression shifted, noticing the look on his face. “What’s up, Kelpy?”
“Is it true that a girl only likes a guy if she tries to kill him?” He knew the answer to that, but he figured that would be a better way to gauge it.
Thalia’s eyes widened in shock. “Who told you that shit?”
Percy gestured at Beckendorf next to him. “Casanova over here.”
Thalia turned to Beckendorf who was looking increasingly flustered. “I mean… it’s what Mike told me.”
Thalia slapped her forehead and groaned. “That idiot was in the single worst relationship I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen my mom with the parade of fuckboys she brought in.”
Percy held in his laugh and turned to Beckendorf after that. “You know how Drew and I are dating, right?”
Judging from the look on his face, he hadn’t. “I thought it was a sort of casual thing.”
“Casual thing?” Percy didn’t understand what he meant but it seemed Thalia did.
“Don’t worry about it, Percy. But what made you think that?” She turned to him with a frown on her face.
“Well… Drew was always nice to Percy and-”
“Oh for fucks sake!” Thalia cut him off and started moving towards the Hermes cabin. “Percy, you got this? I need to talk to Luke real quick.”
“Will do!” Percy turned to Beckendorf then and had an idea. “Come with me.”
They made their way to the Aphrodite cabin and the son of Hephaestus blanched. “Dude! What’re you doing?”
“Just trust me,” he knocked on the door and thankfully, it was Drew who answered.
Her expression brightened when she saw him. “Percy!”
He smiled at her and almost forgot why he’d come here, really wanting to ignore everything and spend his time with Drew. He collected himself though, figuring they could do that when they were done. “Hey, Dee, you like me right?”
She blinked, suddenly confused. “I mean, yeah? We’re dating hon; figured that made it obvious.”
“But you never tried to kill me,” Percy managed to hold his laugh back but couldn’t hide it from his eyes. Drew noticed this and grew even more confused.
“What’s that got to do with anything?” She tilted her head.
Percy gestured behind him. “Chuck here told me that’s how I know a girl likes me; when she tries to kill me that means she likes me. And I’m sure he’s an expert in all things romance.”
Drew looked completely unimpressed when she turned to Beckendorf, who started shifting awkwardly. “Are you serious?”
He nodded sheepishly and Percy took over from there. “I just figured he knows, you know? He heard it from his old counselor who had a girlfriend, so of course he’d-”
“Oh, shut up you,” she cut him off and leaned in to kiss him and Percy forgot everything for the moment. He wrapped his arms around her gently and melted into the kiss, forgetting where he was, what he was doing, and who was with him. When he pulled back and regained his senses, he saw Drew giving him a warm smile. “You’re such a dork, you know that?”
He leaned in and stole another kiss. “Yeah, but I’m your dork.”
She leaned her forehead against his. “I think I can live with that.”
A cough broke them out of their moment. He looked towards where it came from and saw Silena standing behind Drew with a glint in her eyes. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
Percy shook his head and gestured to Beckendorf to come closer and he did, looking nervous the whole time. “Chuck here has something he wants to tell you.”
She looked at Beckendorf with a hint of hope mixed with nerves. Percy figured they needed their privacy for this. “Wanna go to the docks, Dee?”
She kissed his cheek and smiled. “That’s a great idea, hon.”
As they made their way back, Percy couldn’t help but ask. “You think they’ll be okay?”
Before she could answer, they heard a cheerful laugh coming from behind him. When they turned, they saw Silena laughing her head off, looking happier than she had since Percy got to camp. Beckendorf looked completely embarrassed but he was smiling. After a bit, Silena collected herself enough to lean up and kiss Chuck.
He turned to Drew who just smiled. “Yeah, I think they’ll be alright.”
Luke had his head in his hands by the time Thalia finished telling them what happened.
He’d been at the Big House, trying to figure out what to do with Connor’s prank on the Ares cabin when she strolled up to them. Connor was the one who noticed her, looking relieved, figuring this meant he’d be safe.
He wasn’t, of course, considering the first thing Thalia did was ask what was going on. She then helped them come up with a suitable punishment for him. Luke loved his brother, there was no question about it, but he couldn’t let something like this slide.
After deciding he’d be cleaning the pegasus stables for a week, Luke turned to Thalia. “So, what’s wrong?”
When she finished explaining, Luke felt a strong urge to go punch Mike and his girlfriend in the face.
Connor frowned in confusion. “I’m pretty sure Phoebe doesn’t have a crush on me. How can anyone think that?”
Chiron sighed. “Best you not think of it, my dear Stoll.”
Luke was glad Chiron was there to handle it because he wasn’t sure how to explain to Connor about Mike’s relationship. To say it wasn’t the best would be an understatement.
“Alright,” Connor looked confused but didn’t question it. “Can I go now? I’m supposed to go see Travis in a bit.”
Chiron waved him off. “Of course. Do not forget your punishment starts today.”
Connor sighed and went off. Luke wasn’t sure why he kept getting into trouble like that. Pranks were fine, but breaking the Ares cabin’s weapons was a bit too much.
With Connor gone, Thalia sat right next to Luke and he sighed in relief. He’d been hoping to talk to Chiron about his bad feelings and he felt safer with Thalia around.
Chiron seemed to know what was on Luke’s mind and he sighed. “I suppose we should just get to the point then?”
Luke smiled. “How do you always know what’s on our mind?”
Chiron shrugged. “I simply pay attention. Now then, I will not insult you with false platitudes and reassurances. Something is coming and we must be prepared.”
Thalia nodded, taking over the conversation this time. “Any idea what it could be?”
“Not quite yet I am afraid,” Chiron said. “My intel is not at the point where I have full knowledge of the internal workings of our enemies, but I have received information that they are moving soon.”
“When?” Was all Luke asked.
“Within the coming few months, my boy,” Chiron said gravely.
Luke turned to the distance, seeing everyone at camp getting to just act like kids. Percy was walking arm in arm with Drew while Silena was kissing Beckendorf. Connor and Travis were running from Katie Gardner who looked like she was laughing, and the newer kids, Mikey and Jean, were sitting at the hearth in the center of camp, Lady Hestia giving them the attention they needed.
“We’ll have to tell them,” Luke decided. He didn’t want them to be blindsided by the Titan army coming in, but he wasn’t sure how to go about it.
“Leave that to me, Luke,” Chiron assured him and Luke relaxed. He trusted Chiron and he knew everything would be handled.
That didn’t stop a pool of dread from forming in his stomach.
Thalia noticed this and reached out to squeeze his hand. “Wanna spar?”
He looked at Chiron who simply nodded, already moving to prepare for the announcement. Luke turned back to Thalia with a smile. “Sure.”
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Silena and Percy? What did you think of Beckendorf and Silena? How do you think the Titans will act?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 4: Honeymoon Phase
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Luke found himself hanging out with Daphne today.
With Brianna dealing with an exam and Thalia trying her hardest not to kill her teammates for that English project she had, that left the two alone, studying together for each of their exams.
“Kinda sucks we couldn’t find anything we could take together,” Daphne said when they were halfway done.
Luke nodded. “It would’ve been cool. But I guess we’re a year apart, right?”
She sighed and nodded. “You’re a sophomore and I’m a junior. I think we’ve got a few things we can match with next semester though, so there’s that.”
Luke perked up at that before deflating. “I’m guessing Thalia can’t be in the same class.”
Daphne shook her head with a strange look on her face. “She’s still a freshman. You’ll have to wait till next year before you can match up.”
He nodded, sighing at the thought. He was glad Thalia was in college with him; it meant the two of them could hang out more often than not, and the work-study program helping them pay for their tuition gave them common ground more often than not.
Still, he would have liked to have a class or two in common with her. He had a feeling it would make a lot of things easier.
Daphne continued, not having noticed his internal thoughts. “You and Thalia are really close, huh?”
He nodded. “We met when we were younger. I was like fourteen and she was about thirteen,” he leaned back in his chair, reminiscing on their time on the streets. It wasn’t great but she’d been the first friend he’d made that understood him. Who didn’t leave him. “We’ve been close ever since.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I noticed how close you two are.”
Luke didn’t fully understand what she meant but he also didn’t want to. He’d dealt with enough of those weird looks from camp and he didn’t exactly want to open up what that might mean just yet. “She’s my best friend; that’s enough for me.”
Daphne looked at him for a moment longer before shrugging. “It’s cool that the two of you managed to stay friends this long.”
He nodded, grateful for the subject change. He had a feeling if they went down that rabbit hole that he didn’t want to go down. “It wasn’t easy I’ll admit,” there had been more than a few rough patches between the two, mostly after their first quest together. “We fought a bit a few times in our early days. It was touch and go for a while, but we made it past.”
“And now, you’re closer than ever,” Daphne ended that with a smile.
Luke nodded. There weren’t many people in this world he loved dearly, and of all of them, Thalia was rivaled only by Percy at this stage.
“We should get back to work,” she told him then and he sighed and tried to focus again.
It wasn’t easy, but after a few hours, they managed to wrap up each of their ends. They went out of the library and back onto campus, both of them hungry.
“Wanna grab something to eat?” She asked him.
He shrugged. “Sure; wanna see what the cafeteria has?”
They stared at each other for a moment before they both broke out laughing.
He shook his head. “Almost couldn’t go through with that with a straight face.”
She laughed a bit more before shoving him lightly. “Dumbass.”
He composed himself soon after and gave a serious suggestion. “Burger King?”
She shrugged. “Works for me.”
While waiting for their order to finish, Luke turned to Daphne. “Say, I never asked. How did you and Brianna meet?”
She looked at him with a frown. “We never brought it up?”
“Not that I can remember.”
She shrugged. “Just checking; we usually talk about it quickly. It was in Hightower’s class.”
Luke grimaced. “Ah; guessing he gave you common ground?”
She snorted. “Oh yeah. That old bat was the biggest pain in our ass we ever had to deal with. She sat next to me on the first day and by the end of it, we were just begging for him to shut up. Few sessions in and we were fast friends. After that, between study dates and just hanging out, I knew I liked her. Ended up asking her out and she said yes. Been going steady ever since.”
“That’s pretty sweet,” Luke had to admit, it did sound like the picture-perfect love story.
Daphne gave him a sad smile. “Yeah, it is. Just wish more people thought that.”
Luke grimaced. He’d grown up at camp where no one really cared who anyone dated as long as they weren’t too far apart in age. When he learned that many people didn’t accept relationships like Jacob and Austin’s or Daphne and Brianna's, he’d been irritated but sadly not too surprised.
He’d learned early on that people tended to hate anyone different from them. He’d thought that was a mortal-exclusive thing before. But looking at Dapnhe, he knew that it went further than that.
“I’m sorry,” he couldn’t think of anything else to say at that moment. Nothing could really fix this.
She shrugged. “Not your fault. I think our food’s done.”
He went and paid, grabbing their order and finding a table for them to sit on. They ended up changing the subject and found something better to talk about, namely more dunking on their professors.
She was in a better mood by the end of it, brightening up even more when Brianna texted her saying she was done. He looked at the time and figured Thalia would be close to done by now as well.
Either that or she would have killed her teammates. One or the other really. He figured he’d learn soon enough given they both left after that.
“Later Luke!” Daphne flashed him a wide smile as she went to see her girlfriend. He was glad she was happy again.
Reyna was getting tired of the Senate.
She’d only been to one meeting so far, being called because she was going on her first quest today, but she was starting to wonder if all this was really necessary.
She understood part of it; the Senate would decide what supplies to give them, who would be most qualified to go on the quest, make sure the proper procedure was followed, and many other things she didn’t entirely understand.
She didn’t see why debating on whether someone from the Fifth should be getting a quest was that necessary. Of course, she couldn't speak out just yet, not with how little influence she had in the Legion.
Jason could, however, and he made sure to let his thoughts be known. “In case you’ve forgotten, Senator Marcus, I am a member of the Fifth. Do you doubt my ability?”
Marcus looked like he’d swallowed a lemon whole. “I- Jas- legionnaire Grace, I only meant that perhaps the Fifth’s training, in general, may have been…” he trailed off, swallowing the rest of his words before he shoved his second foot into his mouth.
Jason didn’t seem to care though, glaring harder and scaring the Legacy of Mercury. “I can assure you that I handled Legionnaire Reyna’s training personally. She is well prepared for a simple scouting mission, and I will be there alongside her myself as well as Centurion Jackson.”
That had been one of the stipulations for her going on a quest. She needed to get an experienced member of the Legion alongside her, and while Jason was younger than anyone else currently in the Legion barring her, he was the most experienced in the junior division. Coupled with Centurion Jackson, who was twenty-five and had been a part of the Legion for seven years now, she had no doubt this would go smoothly.
The quest was barely even a quest, more a training simulation for Reyna to be prepared for when she officially joined the Legion’s junior division and later on when she was drafted to the Legion proper. Jason had told her that they wouldn’t be expected to be a part of the army until they were sixteen at the earliest, but the junior division was made to prepare them in a controlled environment.
It made her wonder about Luke, Percy, and Thalia. The three of them were clearly fighters, but Percy was barely her age. What made them so different from the Legion?
The Senate was then dismissed, finally freeing her. Hylla was set in the Legion proper, she was currently stationed at one of their outposts, learning on the field, so Reyna was left with no one other than Jason who she trusted.
When they walked out, she turned to Jason. “They always like that?”
Jason shook his head. “They’re normally worse. At least this time, they didn’t go on for an hour about not shaming the Legion.”
“What?”
“Don’t ask,” he sighed. “It’s not worth the headache.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
He smiled then and she couldn’t help but notice how much younger he looked when he did. He actually looked his age for once.
“Hey, Jason?” She figured it would be a good idea to ask this now.
“Yeah?” Jason turned to her, welcoming any questions.
“Is it possible for a demigod to be going on quests outside the Legion?”
Jason didn’t dismiss her outright, so she figured her question did have some merit. “In a sense, though it’s rare. There are some who like to go out on their own and end up going on quests issued directly by Olympus, but they tend to not make it far. Why?”
Reyna shrugged. “Ran into some demigods before getting here. None of them were parts of the Legion but they were obviously trained.”
“Self-trained most likely,” Jason decided. “They tend to learn in the heat of battle, which can be effective but tends to be more dangerous.”
“A trial by fire?”
“Exactly.”
She figured that was enough for now. She might have trusted Jason but there was something keeping her from telling him about Luke, Thalia, and Percy. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt like she should keep that to herself for now.
As it stood, she got ready for her scouting mission. Jason told her it would be a week-long affair, so she packed accordingly.
She hoped it went well, if for no other reason than to shut Marcus up. She would not allow herself to fail.
Percy never grew tired of Drew’s kisses.
They always made him feel warm all over, whether it was on the cheek, forehead, or what she liked to call a ‘real kiss’, they always made him short-circuit for a moment.
Right now, they were at his place, originally curled up and watching a movie but they long since shifted their attention to each other.
Luke was in the other room so they weren’t alone. That had been Mom’s first rule for whenever Drew was around; they needed adult supervision. He didn’t really get why, but given she was a lot more lenient than some parents he’d heard of from school, he didn’t mind it too much.
Not when it meant Drew could be right next to him, kissing him until he forgot his name.
She threaded her fingers through his hair and he brought his hands to frame her face. She pulled back for a moment to smile at him. “Having fun, Perce?”
“Uh-huh,” he thought he got out though it could have been a mumbled response.
She laughed and leaned back in, pausing when she was an inch away. “You’re cute.”
And her lips were back on his, and Percy couldn’t think anymore.
They didn’t split up again until a voice cut them off. “Having fun you two?”
The two tensed immediately and Percy turned to see his mom standing in the doorway. She had an amused smirk on her face and Percy almost would have preferred her to be angry.
She walked in casually, smirk never faltering. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything. Don’t let me ruin your fun.”
Percy had to use all his willpower to not just bolt out the door. “Hi- Mom. How’re you doing?”
His voice cracked as he spoke and he cringed. Meanwhile, Drew hadn’t moved since they were caught.
Luke ended up walking into the living at that exact moment, the situation quickly going from bad to worse. “Everything alright, Sally?”
She nodded, turning to him with an amused glint in her eye as Percy buried his face in his hands. “Oh, just fine. Just found Percy and Drew here making out on the couch.”
Percy groaned and he felt Drew slump into his side, hiding her face in his shoulder. Luke just sighed. “They’ve been like that since they got together. It’s honestly annoying.”
“I think it’s cute,” that was his mom and Percy didn’t even bother holding back his groan. She continued as if nothing happened. “My little baby’s growing up.”
“That’s it,” Percy got up, grabbing Drew’s hand who got up with him. The two quickly made their way out of the house, ignoring the laughter behind them.
They didn’t talk again until they got to the bottom of the elevator, Drew turning to him with a mortified look on her face. “That was awkward.”
Percy nodded. “I don’t think I can ever kiss you in my apartment again.”
Drew looked at him for a moment before leaning in, not caring who was watching. After a moment, Percy didn’t care either.
She pulled back and smiled at him. “Still think you can’t kiss me in the apartment?”
“If it always feels like that, I’m kissing you whenever I can.”
She smiled and grabbed his hand, leading him out of the building. “Park?”
“Yeah.”
They went to the park hand in hand, just happy to spend time together. Percy should have known nothing could be that simple.
Not long after they reached, they were attacked. It was a Scythian Dracanae he remembered learning in monster fighting.
“Got my back, Drew?” He said, pulling his sword out.
“You know it,” she had a dagger for moments like these, needing a concealable weapon for when she was out.
“The mistress will be pleased when I get you back to her,” the monster hissed out at him.
Percy froze. She wanted him captured? What for? Why would she want him captured instead of killed?
That moment of hesitation almost cost him. If Drew hadn’t been there, he would have been dead.
“Over here Snake Bitch!” She stuck her dagger in the monster’s side and ducked a swipe.
Percy shook his head and jumped back into the fight. Between the two of them, the monster didn’t last too long. Pretty soon, it was just the two of them.
Drew blew a hair out of her face as she turned to him with a frown. “What was that about?”
Percy shrugged. “No idea,” he didn’t really want to get into it right then, but he really didn’t know what she wanted from him at this point.
Drew didn’t look convinced. “You froze. Whoever this mistress is got you worried; who is it?’
Percy didn’t answer and Drew kept prodding. “Is it Annabeth?”
Percy tensed and looked away. He didn’t want to get into her right now, especially not when they were supposed to be having fun.
“Don’t shut me out, Percy, please,” Drew turned to look at him but he didn’t meet her eyes.
“I’m not,” he said. Why couldn’t she just understand he didn’t want to talk about this?
Drew sighed and nodded. “Fine. Let’s just find a place to sit.”
“Hmm,” Percy didn’t know why he was acting like this, but he was still frozen in place. What did she want with him?
“Percy, come on,” Drew was starting to get irritated and Percy knew it, but he couldn’t move. “Don’t tell me you’re letting some girl get to you.”
Percy snapped to her and she met his gaze defiantly. “ Some girl? ” Percy ground out. “That girl is the one trying to kill us, Drew. I’m just trying to figure out what her angle is.”
“Don’t take that tone with me, Jackson. I’m not the one doing all that.”
He knew that, but he didn’t like how Drew was pushing him about Annabeth.
“You don’t get it!” Percy snapped. “She’s- she’s a monster and she’s after me! I can’t just relax and forget about it!”
Drew stepped back and Percy felt his heart drop. He went to apologize when she shifted and glared at him. “You’re scared of her? Really? What’s so scary about some mortal?”
Percy had to bite his tongue before saying something he’d regret later. He glared right back at her. “You know what, Tanaka? I don’t think we should be hanging out today.”
He didn’t even stay to see her reaction, rushing back home. He ignored the tears falling down his face.
He also tried to ignore the sinking feeling that this was not something that could be fixed.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Luke and Daphne? What did you think of Reyna's time? What did you think of Drew and Percy's interactions?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 5: Complications
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Annabeth was getting really tired of Alabaster.
It was bad enough when she first recruited him and convinced him to go to that infernal camp, with him thinking himself a big-time player, but ever since the summer, he’d upped his game for whatever reason.
The problem was he sucked at playing. She was here to take apart the demigods, not flirt with that idiot, but he couldn’t get that through his thick skull.
Just today, he asked her if it hurt when she fell from heaven. Ignoring the fact that he got his mythologies wrong there, that pickup line was one of the worst she’d ever heard.
She supposed at least all he did was flirt, not trying anything else so far, but combined with his incompetence, it was too much.
“Alabaster got on your nerves again?” Will was the only one brave enough to come and talk to her when she got that angry, so she wasn’t entirely surprised he was at the door to her office.
“Who else?” She huffed, figuring she had nothing to lose by telling him. “It’s getting harder and harder not to kill him.”
“We’re still trying to get Hecate on our side, don’t forget,” he reminded her. “We can’t kill that idiot.”
“I know; that’s the only thing keeping her alive,” she turned back to her plans. “It doesn’t matter that much right now I guess. We’ve got to figure out what to do next.”
Will went up to her side and took a look at the papers in front of her. One of them was a letter from their California branch, telling them that it was almost time to move along with Kronos’s latest idea.
“So, I take it we’re really doing this then?” Will asked her.
She sighed. “Doesn’t seem like we have any other option. Atlas will be very useful to have on our side.”
She knew that was an understatement if ever there was one. She’d only met Atlas once before and she’d been terrified. He was still under the sky at the moment, which meant she knew she was safe, but the Titan was strong, imposing, and intimidating. She’d heard that even chained, Atlas still scared the Olympians when screaming and she could believe that.
He was unlike anyone she’d ever seen. He could probably even cancel out Alabaster’s incompetence.
She looked up and saw Will grimace. “I don’t like this, Annabeth. Atlas is too dangerous to set free.”
She shrugged, unable to argue. Before she said anything, a heavy presence filled the room.
The last time she’d felt this, she was cornered by Chiron in the summer. She almost managed to kill Percy that day, which she was glad didn’t work. She’d need to adjust her strategy, but she was going to get him on her side.
That didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was that she focused on the Presence in the room with them. “Lord Kronos.”
Will sucked in a breath and tensed, his posture shifting from casual to reverence. She didn’t know him well enough to decide whether he was genuine with it or not, but it didn’t matter right now.
“You are correct in saying Atlas is dangerous, William,” Kronos’s voice filled the room but also sounded like it came from within her head. The Titan of Time was all around them and also nowhere to be seen. If Atlas was scary, Kronos was terrifying.
She could understand why Kronos was King of the Titans.
“However, that is exactly what we need. We need to be at full strength, and thus, Atlas needs to be freed.”
Annabeth took a deep breath and straightened her back. Kronos had no use for cowards. “When do we start?”
She knew how that would be done, but she needed to know when. Kronos answered her quickly. “December; I want Atlas free and ready to fight at the Winter Solstice. He must be ready.”
“It will be done, Lord Kronos,” Annabeth assured.
“See to it that it is,” with that, they were alone again.
Will took in a deep breath like he was remembering how to breathe. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”
“Me neither,” she leaned against the wall and collected her thoughts. They needed to move soon and make sure they didn’t fail.
From the reports she had of the demigods, she knew they were relaxed now, not preparing for an attack. At least, the majority of them were. She had to strike soon before they got ready.
She also needed to make sure her personal plan worked out. She just needed to get past Chiron.
Will made his way to the door then. “I’m gonna check with the others. Good luck.”
She nodded absently and went back to her papers. This would work and by the end of the year, Percy Jackson would be on her side. She’d make sure of it.
Travis was just trying to enjoy his time when Drew ran into camp crying.
He’d been at the edge of camp, trying to figure out how to ask Katie Gardner out when Drew came rushing past him, tears in her eyes, and running straight for the Aphrodite cabin. He sighed, getting up to go find Connor and make sure he didn’t do anything stupid again.
He knew his brother wasn’t intentionally cruel but he had a habit of picking the worst times or people for pranks which tended to lead to him getting hurt one way or another.
Travis could never forget the night Malcolm Pace burst into the Hermes cabin screaming bloody murder at Connor because of a spider put in his bunk. It’d taken Luke and Thalia’s combined effort to convince him not to kill Connor, but he’s held a grudge since then.
Travis found Connor sitting on his own in the Hermes cabin, staring blankly at the wall.
“You good, Con?” Travis approached his brother slowly. The last time he was like this was when Annabeth left camp, and he had a feeling he knew why he was acting like this.
Connor turned to him with wide eyes before he forced himself to relax. “Yeah, what’s up?”
“You looked a little down just now.”
Connor nodded and turned back to the wall. “I’m fine, Trav.”
“You know that doesn’t work on me, right?”
He sighed and shook his head. “Yeah, yeah I know.”
Travis went to sit next to him on his bunk, just having their shoulders touch. “So, what’s up?”
Connor was quiet for a moment before he spoke. “I met Annabeth for the first time four years ago today.”
Travis nodded, remembering that day quite well. It ended with many cabins burning down apparently due to one hunter who was quickly kicked out. They’d believed for a long time that it was done by all of the hunters though and that it went unpunished, one of Annabeth’s plans to keep them at odds. “I remember; why’re you thinking about it?”
“Just thinking how much changed since then,” he said and Travis nodded.
“Things were easier back then, weren’t they?” Travis said with a hint of nostalgia.
Connor finally smiled and looked at him. “Just you and me earning our title of prank kings of camp.”
“Watching the chaos.”
“Running before we got caught.”
“You pissing off Malcolm.”
“You dared me to!”
“I didn’t think you’d actually do it!”
Connor shoved him so naturally Travis shoved him back. It ended with the two on the floor and Travis pinning his brother to the ground.
“I win,” he smirked and got up.
Connor just shook his head as he stood. “I’ll get you next time.”
Travis reached out to ruffle his hair. Connor batted his hand away but didn’t bother hiding his smile. “Dick.”
“You know you love me, little brother.”
“Oh, shut up.”
Travis laughed and sat at the foot of the bed with Connor sitting opposite of him. “So, Trav, any reason you came here or you just wanted to see me?”
Travis sobered up and grimaced. “Drew ran into camp crying; just wanted to make sure you didn’t plan on pranking her today.”
Connor’s eyes widened. “Wait, crying? Wasn’t she supposed to be out with Percy?”
Travis nodded. “I dunno what happened, but it can’t be good.”
Connor grimaced. “You think he’s alright?”
Travis nodded. “He can take care of himself. I’m sure he’s fine.”
“I hope you’re right,” Connor turned to the door. “I don’t want to know what I’d do if something happened to him.”
“You won’t have to,” Travis felt confident saying that. Percy was many things, but easily beaten wasn’t one of them.
He didn’t know what caused Drew to run into camp crying, but he knew it wasn’t good. Whatever it was, he hoped it was solved soon.
He didn’t want to know what would happen if this ended badly.
Percy spent half an hour crying into Sally’s shoulder.
Luke didn’t know what happened between Percy and Drew yesterday, but he knew it couldn’t be good. Percy came home angry last night and quickly went into his room, only coming out for dinner. He looked heartbroken but he didn’t say a word.
When he woke up the next day, he rushed immediately to Sally, crying his eyes out. Luke stood nearby as Sally guided him to the couch and held him gently.
Thalia woke up sometime soon after and sat on Percy’s other side, rubbing his back gently as he tried to compose himself.
Luke knew it probably wasn’t all Drew’s fault, but seeing his little brother cry, he couldn’t stop a twinge of irritation at the thought of her. He pushed it down, figuring it would be better to wait and hear what happened before he made any decisions.
When Percy calmed down, he didn’t move from his place on Sally’s shoulder. She held him gently as she spoke. “What happened, baby?”
When Percy explained, Luke had to hold a sigh back. It was just like Annabeth to ruin things even when she wasn’t around. Thalia squeezed Percy’s shoulder as Sally kissed the top of his head. “Oh, baby.”
“It’s my fault,” he whispered sadly. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
Thalia sighed. “A little, yeah. She didn’t exactly handle it well herself, though.”
Percy pulled back and Luke could see the heartbreak on his face. “It’s over, isn’t it?”
Sally shook her head. “It doesn’t have to be. What happened between you two was bad but it’s fixable.”
He sniffled and Luke remembered then just how young he was. “How?”
“You’ll have to talk to her, baby,” Sally told him. “You’ll have to tell her what happened and why it happened like that. I’m sure she’ll understand.”
Percy nodded, looking scared. “Do you… do you think it’s too early for me to go now?”
Luke stepped in at that point. “If anything, you won’t want to wait too long. It’ll take us about an hour to get to camp and I’m pretty sure she’s already there and talked to Silena. It’s already been a day now”
Thalia stood then. “I’ll call Sil and see how it goes on my end. Luke, you got the car?”
Luke grabbed his keys and went to start up the car. Percy went with him, staying close without saying anything. Luke put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. “It’ll be alright, Perce. I promise.”
He closed his eyes and leaned onto Luke’s shoulder. He’d grown tall enough to do that, which tugged a bit at Luke’s heart. The kid was growing up.
They waited for Thalia to get to the car in silence, Percy looking like he was deep in thought. Luke hoped that this went well for him; he didn’t want to see the kid hurting for too long.
When Thalia hopped in, she turned back to Percy with a gentle smile. “I talked to SIlena; she said Drew’s in the Aphrodite cabin. The two of them talked; it’ll be alright, Percy.”
He nodded and Luke drove as quickly as he could. He knew it wasn’t that urgent, but the quicker they were done with this the better it was for Percy.
Luke met Thalia’s eyes at the intersection and he saw that she wasn’t worried. He relaxed, glad that things were in fact going to work out.
When they got to camp, they went directly to the Aphrodite cabin, telling Connor to let Chiron know they were there. He had a feeling they’d be spending the day here, so he figured it would be best to let Chiron know. Gods know he already dealt with enough as it was, he didn’t need any random surprises.
Silena opened the door and welcomed them in. “Hey, Drew, there’s someone here for you.”
Luke saw Drew lying on the bed face down. He heard Percy’s breath catch as she shifted to turn to them. ‘Tell them I’m not here-” she cut herself off when she saw Percy.
He stood there motionless as Drew slowly got to her feet. For a moment, Luke was worried they’d continue their fight, but the two just rushed, throwing their arms around each other and holding each other close.
“Let’s give them some privacy,” Silena whispered as they left the cabin, ignoring the muffled crying that came from the two of them.
Silena sighed when they got a decent distance away. “It’s a good thing you showed up when you did. Drew was crushed.”
“Percy told us what happened,” Luke said. “He made it out to be his fault.”
Silena sighed. “Drew said she shouldn’t have pushed him; that she knew he was scared and she knew he didn’t want to talk about it but she tried to anyway. She made it sound like it was her fault.”
Thalia shrugged. “It’s either both their faults or neither one of their faults. It’s a fight, shit happens.”
Luke nodded. “You wouldn’t believe how many times Thals and I fought when we were that age.”
Silena nodded, a glint in her eyes. “I can imagine.”
Luke nodded, deciding not to try and figure out what was on Silena’s mind. “I’m gonna check on Connor real quick.”
Thalia nodded. “Mind if I tag along?”
“Course not,” Luke couldn’t think of a time when he would ever say no to Thalia tagging along with him for anything.
Percy lost count of how many times he and Drew apologized to each other.
Soon after they embraced, they moved to her bunk to sit, not letting go of each other the whole time. That was when the apologies started flowing out.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” after a while, he wasn’t sure which one of them was saying that. He just knew he was glad she didn’t hate him.
After what could have been minutes or hours, Percy pulled back just a bit and looked at Drew. She looked exactly like how he felt; heartbroken, relieved, and guilty. He didn’t know why she felt guilty, but he understood how it must feel.
She leaned in and kissed him and he felt himself relax, bringing his hands to hold her face gently. The kiss grew a bit heated the longer it went, but Percy didn’t mind.
They pulled back after a bit and Drew brought her head back onto his shoulder, with him mirroring her. “We need to talk.”
He nodded. “I know. Is it a bad talk?”
She was quiet for a moment before kissing the side of his neck. “I don’t want it to be.”
He tightened his hold around her for a moment before shifting them so they sat a bit more comfortably, his arm still around her as she leaned into him. “You were right.”
“About what?”
“I’m scared of Ann- her ,” Percy didn’t like admitting it, but he had nothing to lose.
“Why?” She didn’t sound condescending, which was good. She did sound worried though.
Percy then told Drew her reasons for joining Kronos. How she wanted to destroy the demigods for how they treated mortals, how she said he was being corrupted by camp, and how his fight with Matt was involved in all this.
By the end of it, he could tell Drew was mad. “I’m gonna kill her.”
He sighed. “Drew-”
“No, listen to me,” she got up and grabbed his shoulders, looking him in the eye as she spoke. “I know the others probably already told you this, but she’s wrong. I know camp isn’t the best with mortals, but that doesn’t give her the right to say or do anything she does. If I ever get my hands on her, I’m tearing her apart.”
Percy nodded, not wanting to fight again. Besides, he wouldn’t mind if Drew tore her apart. “I’m sorry I snapped at you yesterday.”
She softened and leaned in to kiss him gently. “I’m sorry I pushed you so hard.”
“It’s okay,” he leaned back in to kiss her again, and this time, he didn’t pull back.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Annabeth and Will? What did you think of Connor and Travis? What did you think of the resolution between Drew and Percy?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 6: Red Lines
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Percy spent most of the day with Drew, trying to make up for yesterday’s mess of a date.
The fact that she refused to be away from him helped with that too. She stuck by his side the whole day, only leaving when there was no other option.
The one time they were apart was after lunch, needing to go to at least one activity while at camp and not being able to synch them up, with Drew going to wall climbing and there not being any room for him to join at the moment. He used that time to catch up with Connor who was over with the Hermes cabin in swordfighting.
“Percy!” Connor slapped him on the back when he got to the arena. “Everything alright man?”
Percy nodded. “It’s good to see you, Con.”
“You too. What happened yesterday?” He asked as he turned to the weapon rack. “Trav told me Drew came to camp crying.”
Percy grimaced, not happy with the fact he’d caused that. “Drew and I had a fight. We worked it out.”
Connor turned to him with a frown. “Do I need to prank her?”
“Dude, no,” he did appreciate that Connor was willing to have his back, but he didn’t need that now. “We’re good, I promise.”
Connor nodded. “Alright, good. Guess I’ll just focus on the Demeter cabin this time.”
“You really don’t learn, do you?”
“Who, me? Never.”
Percy snorted. “I have no idea if you realize what that means.”
“Oh, I know exactly what that means, Jackson,” Connor turned to him with a smirk.
“Whatever man,” Percy shook his head. “You’re just crazy.”
“And don’t you forget it!”
Percy couldn’t hold his laughter in anymore and he didn’t want to. It felt good to laugh like that after all that had happened, and he knew he could count on Connor to get that out of him.
“I don’t think I can,” he said, finally catching his breath. Connor smirked and pulled out a sword.
“Good; now, let’s see what Luke and Thalia taught you.”
It turned out, he’d learned a lot over the past year and a half. Connor didn’t really stand a chance against Percy, getting finessed, outsped, and was beaten pretty handily. By the end of it, Connor huffed in frustration and called Travis to help.
“You really can’t win alone, Con?” Travis stepped by Connor’s side regardless, ready to help him out.
“He’s got that Big Three bullshit with him. I’m gonna need your help,” he stretched a bit as they prepared for round two.
Travis did make a difference in that Percy finally felt like he had a bit of a warmup. This kept going until Connor and Travis couldn’t take it anymore and called the rest of the Hermes cabin to help them out.
Percy looked around and picked up a bottle of water nearby, dunking it on his head while waiting for them to form up. He quickly felt the energy flowing through him and he was ready for the fight.
Calling it a fight was generous though. When boosted by water, there were few who could really beat Percy, and none of the Hermes cabin were them. It did help that he was only facing about five at the moment with the rest being either back at home or having joined the Titans over the past few months.
Besides, after sparring with Luke and Thalia almost exclusively for the past year and a half, everyone else felt a little slow.
“I’m starting to understand why children of the Big Three were considered too strong,” that was Cameron, one of the older campers. As far as Percy remembered, he was about fifteen.
“You should see Thalia,” Connor shook his head. “The only one who can keep up with her is Luke, and when she mixes her powers into the fight, it’s game over.”
Percy wasn’t too sure about that. He’d seen the two spar before, and while Thalia would win while using her powers, Luke always had a way to make her work for it. If Percy hadn’t known Luke was his brother at this stage, it would have been a little terrifying.
Speaking of terrifying, Percy felt something in the air shift. Something had changed and he wasn’t sure what it was.
For a moment, he thought that she had found another way into camp, but this didn’t feel like her. There was a shift in the air like the earth itself had changed.
There was only one person at camp besides Dionysus he knew could do something like that. He rushed to where he felt it coming from, which apparently confused everyone around him.
“Dude, what’s wrong? You’re acting like the world’s ending,” that was Travis, who followed him quickly, easily keeping pace with him.
Percy didn’t answer, going forward until he found the source of the feeling. Standing at the edge of the forest was Thalia with what looked like a bunch of wires around her. She had her eyes closed, focusing purely on what she was doing. Luke was nearby, watching her with a mix of wonder and annoyance.
He figured it would be easier to get answers from Luke right now, so he went to him. “What’s going on?”
Luke looked at him with a slight frown, but he answered him regardless. “Thalia’s training a few of her more bullshit powers. Right now, she’s trying to make a magnetic field around her. Why’re you here?”
Percy shrugged. “I felt something shift in the air like the earth was changed around here. I wasn’t sure what happened, so I had to figure it out.”
Luke nodded, looking slightly worried. “You probably felt Thalia creating the field, though I don’t understand how. I can’t feel it and I’m standing next to it.”
Travis popped up next to Percy and nodded. “Yeah, none of us felt it either. Is it a Big Three thing?”
Percy shrugged. “No idea; I’ll have to ask Chiron later I guess.”
He turned back to Thalia in wonder. He didn’t know what the upper end of the powers was at this stage, but to think she was creating a magnetic field on her own was insane. He hadn’t taken it in too much detail, but he had a feeling it was a big deal.
It helped that Luke made it sound like this would be a good thing for Thalia to have. He wasn’t sure what it could do to people, but it should help.
He got his answer when Travis started looking a little green. “I don’t feel too good.”
Luke nodded. “That’s the nausea; tends to happen when she ramps up the intensity.”
Percy didn’t feel too different, though he could feel it was getting stronger. He felt it slowly increase in strength until it reached a point it was getting a little uncomfortable for him. Luke was holding his head now next to him and Travis looked ready to throw up, but Thalia stopped right then.
“New record,” she said out loud, smiling to herself and turning to Luke, eyes widening when she saw him and Travis standing there. “Percy! Travis!” She rushed to the two of them, taking some Ambrosia out of her pocket to hand it to them. “You two alright?”
Percy nodded, handing the Ambrosia to Luke. “I’m fine, Trav got a little sick.”
She gave him a quick look over before nodding. “Big Three kid alright. Why’re you here?”
“Felt the field you were making; got a little worried. Had to see what was going on.”
Thalia sighed and nodded, accepting his answer. “We’ll have to check the fact that you felt the change out later. For now, why don’t you tell me how sparring went.”
“He beat the five of us at once,” Travis cut in, looking a bit better after the Ambrosia.
Thalia smirked. “Good job, Kelpy. Proud of you.”
Percy couldn’t help but feel a little giddy hearing that. Thalia’s pride wasn't easily handed out.
He turned then to Luke who looked equal parts proud and just done with them. “Did you use any water?”
“When the five of them came together, yeah, I poured a bottle of water on me,” Percy smirked. “That alright?”
“I’d say it is,” Thalia shrugged. “You’re just using your advantages.”
Luke looked like he was remembering something with that but he just shook his head. “You two just enjoy being a pain in my ass, don’t you?”
Percy shrugged, not admitting to anything. His thoughts were cut off by Drew making her way towards him.
Percy blinked, remembering that they were supposed to meet up after their activities again. He ran towards her, ready to apologize, when she just hugged him.
“You alright, Percy?” She pulled back and looked at him closely.
He nodded, pulling her back in. “Yeah, sorry I didn’t find you. Felt something weird here and came and saw Thalia doing a training thing.”
She nodded into his shoulder and pulled back, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the docks. “Well, there are still some things we need to talk about and also a few… let’s call them traditions couples have when they have a fight.”
Percy had a feeling he’d enjoy those traditions.
“Those two are so sweet, I’m about to get tooth decay.”
Luke couldn’t help but laugh at Thalia’s way of putting things. “At least they’ve fixed things; can you imagine if they were still fighting?”
His headache had faded a bit and the Ambrosia had done wonders for his nausea. Thalia was already a menace, but with this new power, Luke knew she’d be close to unbeatable.
Travis had gone back to the rest of the cabin, he and Connor had taken over counselor duties since he joined Percy and Sally. He was proud of how far they’d come, even if they did have a habit of getting themselves into trouble.
Or, well, at least Connor did. Luke had been worried at first that he’d go too far one day and do something he couldn’t take back, but Connor had proven he could be trusted not to do that. If only he could stop causing a mess every time, Luke would be happy.
“Good point,” Thalia turned to him with a frown. “You alright?”
“Doing better; that field of yours is getting stronger.”
“I don’t like it when you get hurt from my powers,” she’d been saying that ever since she started practicing this. “And I know what you’re going to say, ‘it’s not my fault’, and on some level I know that. Doesn’t change it though.”
He got up and wrapped his arms around her. She relaxed, holding him tight as he felt even better now. “I know, Thals. I know.”
They stood there for a bit before breaking apart. “It’s the Fifth,” she said, looking sad.
Luke nodded. “I know. We missed going last time; think he’d mind?”
“He wouldn’t,” she sighed. “He was always too nice for his own good.”
“Think we can make it today?” He asked. “I’d rather not miss a whole year.”
Thalia paused for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I think we can. Maybe after lunch, we can head off with Percy.”
They packed up the area and waited for around lunchtime to go find Percy. They would have sparred, but Luke was not in a position to do that now; Thalia’s training had drained him to a point where he couldn’t exactly fight at her level.
When they went to find Percy, he and Drew were engaging in the post-fight makeup tradition, which happened to involve oral communication. Luke was glad they were happy, but he could have gone his whole life without seeing them make out again.
“Hey, lovebirds!” Thalia called to them as Luke dutifully stared at a nearby tree, observing its bark as closely as he could. “It’s lunchtime, and I don’t think each others’ tongues counts as food.”
Luke was torn between being mortified and laughing, but he settled for laughing when he turned and saw Drew and Percy’s faces flush bright red as they broke apart.
“I take it you two made up quite well?” Luke couldn’t help but say.
He was rewarded with dual groans and Percy telling him to shut up, at which point he figured he’d done his job.
“Come on, let’s get some lunch,” Thalia said, steering the conversation away. “Luke and I are going to see Grover when we’re done; wanna come with us Perce?”
Percy thought about it for a moment before nodding and turning to Drew, who just gave him a smile. “I’ll just hang out with Silena; she’d been meaning to tell me about her and Charlie’s relationship.”
Percy smiled and gave her a quick kiss before they made their way to the pavilion. Luke couldn’t deny that they were cute together.
After lunch, the three made their way to Grover’s Columbine. Luke couldn’t help but wonder what Grover would say about them now; he knew he’d like Percy, even if the age gap might have made complete hanging out a bit harder to do.
Grover had been thirty-two when he found Luke and Thalia; he’d be about thirty-eight and a half today if he’d survived, or about nineteen as an equivalent to human years. He deserved to live, he should have lived.
He'd be younger than they were.
He still didn’t know how Grover died, but he had a feeling Annabeth was involved in it. It made sense for her to do if she wanted to demoralize camp, and she did seem to hate him the one time he saw the two in the same place.
It didn’t matter now he supposed; what did matter was that they got to his flower and saw him. Maybe he could catch Grover up on his year at college.
When they got to the site, Luke felt something was off. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something was very wrong.
He turned and saw both Thalia and Percy look apprehensive, which made him even more tense. Just what could have happened to make the three of them so worried?
They slowly made their way to where Grover’s Columbine was supposed to be. He could recognize it any day of the week with his eyes closed, and he knew exactly where it was.
He heard Thalia snarl as Percy gasped, but he was silent. Luke couldn’t make any sound as he looked at the spot.
The Columbine had been trampled, with only one petal still on it. Satyr flowers had natural protection around them so they wouldn’t be trampled or eaten, and most people would unconsciously avoid them as a result.
Someone would have had to know about that to trample it. Someone would have to know that this was Grover’s flower, and there weren’t many people who fit that profile.
Luke felt it then, rage unlike any he’d ever felt. He wanted to hunt her down, damn the consequences, and rip her apart. At this moment, he could see a possible dark fate that his Dad mentioned.
He felt angry enough to tear the world apart just to take her down, and he wasn’t sure what to do with that.
He turned to Thalia, who was sparking as Percy took a few steps away. Their eyes met and he knew Thalia felt the same.
Percy looked terrified, and that snapped him out of his rage. “What’s wrong, Perce?”
Thalia turned to him then, shelving her anger to focus on him. Percy shook his head and looked at the flower. “ She did this, didn’t she?”
Thalia nodded. “There aren’t many others who could.”
He nodded, not saying anything else. He and Thalia each stood at one of his sides, holding him gently as they led him to the car. He didn’t know what to do next, but he did know one thing.
Annabeth had crossed a line, and now she was going to pay.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Percy and Drew making up? What did you think of Thalia's powers? How do you think Grover's trampling will go over?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 7: Atlantic City
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Luke and Thalia ramped up their aggression in their missions in the past two weeks.
Percy understood why; after he saw what happened to Grover, he felt a certain level of hate towards her and he felt the need to take her out, but he was getting worried.
If they kept going at this rate, he had a feeling they’d end up either running themselves into the ground or worse, and he didn’t want to think of what could be worse.
Instead, he focused on what he could do, which was focus on his missions.
He’d been sent on a few here and there, mostly with Luke and Thalia, and he needed to make sure they all went well. Things were escalating and Percy knew he had to be ready.
That was how he found himself in the Big House, waiting to see what his next task would be.
He didn’t have to wait long before Chiron walked into the room he was in. Trotted was probably the correct term given he was in centaur form, but Percy didn’t think it mattered much.
“It is good to see you here, Percy,” he smiled slightly. “Let us wait for your partner to arrive; I will brief both of you then.”
Percy nodded, trying to relax a bit before it was time to go. It wouldn’t do them any good if he went on the mission stressed already.
Which meant, of course, he couldn’t calm down or relax, because that would have been too easy.
He wondered what might go wrong on the mission, who could show up, if she showed up, what would he do? That last part especially worried him because depending on who was with him, she might be a bigger threat than normal.
His thoughts were interrupted when the door to the room opened, and he shot to his feet.
“Drew!” He ran directly to her and threw his arms around her. It had been about a week since they’d seen each other for anything longer than a few minutes, so he was very excited to see her.
She put her hands on his shoulders, pushing him back a bit so she could give him a quick kiss. “Miss me?”
“So much,” he turned to Chiron who was watching with a gentle smile on his face. “She’s my partner?”
“That is correct, Percy. The two of you will be investigating the monster activity in New Jersey; you are to report your findings and only exterminate them if you find yourselves able to. We suspect this is a level seven threat with the potential to be a level eight.”
They nodded, understanding the danger behind this. Percy could handle himself well enough against anything that was a level six or below and could get a victory against a level seven if he played his cards right. A level eight would need him to play everything perfectly to win, and even then, it’d be very close.
He did have Drew backing him up though, so he figured he could manage. He knew each individual Fury was a level eight, and while he could fight them one-on-one, he knew he couldn’t beat them easily.
The last time he’d faced anything above a seven, he had been backing up Luke and Thalia. This time, he was the one with quest experience.
He turned to Drew with a smile. “This counts as a three-month anniversary date, right?”
She shook her head laughing. “If that’s your idea of romance, I might need to reconsider my options.”
She still kissed him, so he figured he was fine.
“I trust you two will be able to focus on the mission at hand despite your arrangement?” Percy turned to see Chiron’s eyes twinkling with mischief and he blushed.
“We can focus on the mission,” they could keep their heads in the game. He saw Drew nod from the corner of his eyes.
“Good; I would hate for a repeat of the last time I sent an established couple on a mission such as this,” Chiron’s expression shifted to annoyance.
“Do we want to know?” Drew asked as she laced her fingers through his.
“Best you not. It is an irritating story at best,” he then muttered something about Drakon feed and annoying campers, which made Percy wonder just how bad it must have been.
“Anything else we need to know before going?” Percy figured it’d be safe to change the subject.
Chiron took in the question for a moment before nodding. “There is a nearby mercenary camp you can hire if need be. A mythical mercenary camp, so no need to worry about keeping up appearances with them. You will find demigods who honed their craft outside of camp’s borders there. You will find them with Ancient Greek text written near their name.”
Percy nodded, filing that under the list of information he might use. He turned to Drew and smiled. “Ready to go, Dee?”
“Always.”
They didn’t deal with too many issues on the way to New Jersey.
Sure, there were a few monsters here and there, most notably a Laistrygonian or two that Drew managed to handle on her own.
She was beautiful in combat. He found himself just staring at her as she danced around the monsters like she was born for it. The way her face scrunched up in focus and the way she stayed collected the whole time was amazing.
She was a natural, and she made fighting look good. The way she fixed up her ponytail when she was done was also perfect.
Percy might have been a little whipped.
She caught him staring a few times and shook her head. “Close your mouth, hon, you’ll catch flies like that.”
He shook his head and brought his hand to cup her face. “You’re beautiful.”
She flushed and smiled, leaning in to kiss his cheek. They got on the next bus after that.
It wasn’t until they crossed the state border that things started to ramp up. More monsters attacked, though no more than they could handle. It kept getting worse and worse until they reached Atlantic City, where the monster activity was the largest.
From what he understood, the Titan army was using one of the casinos there as cover, making money off of it as well as using its underground as a base of operations. They just needed to find out which casino it was and get out.
That was easier said than done given they weren’t allowed in the casino, but every other adult demigod was dep[loyed at the moment, so they were the only ones available. He’d also learned that while demigods can survive into adulthood, it wasn’t all that common, so they didn’t have any adults on hand besides Luke and Thalia at the moment.
The two of them were currently on a mission in Texas, with the two of them being the only ones trusted to go there and be able to come back. Something about Texas being a natural monster hub that normal demigods couldn’t make it out of.
“Think we can pull off acting older than we are?” Drew asked.
Percy frowned. “I don’t think we can pull off twenty-one, especially not with the casino we’re looking for being a monster one.”
She nodded, trying to come up with an idea. “Maybe we can sneak in then? Find a way in through the vents or something.”
“That might work,” he paused to look around, trying to see if he could get a feel of where the monsters would be. He tried to see if he could pick up on anything that might help, but he found nothing.
“We’ll have to look around each casino,” he frowned. “How many casinos are there in Atlantic City?”
“I heard someone say there were eleven and they were expanding quickly,” she noted. “Maybe we can find the one that’s expanding the fastest and work from there?”
“We’ll need to check the mercenary camp,” he said. “We won’t be able to get any information otherwise.”
They looked around for anything written in Ancient Greek, hoping it would be nearby. Chiron had given them the standard thirty drachma each before they left, so they should hopefully be able to cover any expenses.
They found it near a hotel that someone told them was called the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. Percy could immediately feel the charged air when they walked into the makeshift mercenary camp.
It was inside what passed off as a liquor store, and the clerk’s eyes immediately shot to them. He didn’t kick them out though, eyes immediately catching going to their pouches. “Demigods?”
Percy blinked. “How’d you know?”
“I can sense drachmas; Steven Bridge, son of Hermes, at your service,” he moved out from behind his desk and flipped the sign at the door to say closed. “Let’s take this inside; don’t want anyone spying in on us.”
He led them to the back, down a stairwell, and into a sort of bunker where they saw all sorts of weapons on the sides. Some were bronze, some were steel, and very few were Celestial Bronze.
Percy hadn’t had the time to notice the differences between Celestial Bronze and regular bronze before, but looking at them side by side, Celestial Bronze looked shinier and sharper and also seemed to radiate divinity.
The weapons were from all sorts of eras too; he saw a Greek Xiphos, a curved sword, and a Nordic battle ask side by side. He also saw a few rifles here and there.
“Are those-”
“Civil War-era rifles, yeah,” his face didn’t give away anything. “It’s the furthest we’ve managed to push Celestial Bronze bullets to, but it helps.”
Percy nodded then turned to the automatic rifles. “And those?”
“That’s for when we need to fight other demigods or similar threats. Pure mortal steel,” Steven said casually.
“Do you fight other demigods a lot?” Percy knew that not all fighting was against monsters, but he had a hard time imagining he’d run into too many. As for the similar threats, he felt like he didn’t want to know.
“Not too often these days. Used to be worse before; World War Two was a shitshow from what I heard,” Steven pushed open a door and stood to the side. “Come on in; we’ll talk in detail in here.”
Percy saw two other people inside what looked like an office. They turned to look at him and Drew impassively, not giving anything away.
Steven handled introductions when they got in. “That’s Wallace, son of Hecate. He’s the second in command here. Behind the desk is Cynthia, daughter of Demeter. She’s the boss; anything you want to negotiate, you’ll have to run through her.”
Percy nodded, looking directly at Cynthia. She didn’t seem hostile but she wasn’t welcoming either. “And who might you two be?”
“I’m Percy, ma’am, son of Poseidon,” he heard an intake of breath from Steven but he kept going. “And this is Drew, daughter of Aphrodite.”
Cynthia’s eyes were a little wider than they were at first. It wasn’t easy to notice, but Luke had drilled into Percy’s head the importance of noticing every minute detail. They seemed surprised to hear he was Poseidon’s son, but he didn’t know why yet.
“So the rumors were true,” Cynthia stood up slowly, regarding Percy with what looked like intrigue. “Poseidon also broke the Oath.”
Percy raised an eyebrow. “Rumors?”
“Past year and a half, we’ve heard chatter about another child of the Big Three making rounds,” Steven explained. “Last time something like that happened, it was the daughter of Zeus. Didn’t really believe she was around till we met her.”
Percy nodded, not sensing any lie from him. “How’d it go?”
“We almost lost our base when David pissed her off,” Wallace huffed out. “He was kicked out soon after.”
That sounded real enough, and Percy didn’t feel any lies coming from them. Either they were exceptionally good at it, or they were telling the truth, and he doubted they were better at lying than Luke was.
“So, Percy,” Cynthia took over, looking a bit more relaxed now. “How can we help you?”
“We’re on the lookout for monster activity here,” Drew took over from there. “Something about the Titan army having a base in a casino.”
Cynthia frowned, nodding seriously. “We heard of increased monster activity, but we hadn’t heard of any Titan army.”
Percy grimaced, wondering how to explain this. He didn’t have to as Drew continued without a care in the world. “The Titan King is rising and gathering power. We’re trying to stop that.”
Cynthia nodded, her demeanor shifting entirely. “That’... troubling. What do you need?”
Percy stepped in. “Right now, we need information and maybe some help getting into the casino. We need to know where they are and get as much information about them as we can.”
Cynthia nodded, seeming to consider something before leaning forward. “It’ll be five drachma total, for both the information and help getting into the casino as well as as general help while you’re in there.”
Percy considered that for a moment before asking. “How much help would that be?”
“Steven here would join you for as long as you’re in there, giving you advice and some help moving around.”
“If we give you fifteen plus a third of whatever we end up looting from the casino, would that be enough to cover all three of you being with us while we’re in there?”
Steven and Wallace gaped while Cynthia’s eyes widened. She nodded quickly. “Uh, yeah, yeah, that’d do it.”
Percy had a feeling Chiron wouldn’t mind the extra expenditure as long as they got the job done. Besides, if this went well, he could always loot a bit of extra from the casino. They might have a few drachmas in there too if they were lucky.
“So, any idea where that casino is?” He pulled out the money and handed them eight drachma. When Cynthia raised her eyebrow, he shrugged. “You’ll get the rest when we’re done with the mission.”
She raised an eyebrow and smirked. “You’re smarter than you look.”
“Had a good teacher.”
“I’ll bet,” she went around and picked up an assault rifle and a can of pepper spray and turned to them. “We’re headed for the Hilton Casino. It’s not too far from here.”
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Percy and Drew's interactions? What did you think of the mercenary camps? How do you think this mission is going to go?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 8: Underground
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Cynthia wasn’t lying. It only took them about seven minutes to get there.
“Damn traffic,” he heard Wallace grind out. “Could’ve been there in half the time.”
“It ain’t that bad; just relax,” that was Steven, smirking at him. “Too much frowning’ll ruin that pretty face of yours.”
Wallace grumbled but stayed quiet. Percy turned to Cynthia who just shook her head. “You don’t want to know, kid. Trust me.”
“Not my fault he’s so insufferable,” Wallace said without any heat.
“You know you love me, Wally!”
Percy decided to take Cynthia’s advice. He just hoped these two weren’t as dense as Luke and Thalia were.
He leaned closer to Drew and pointed at them. “They together?” He kept his voice low so they wouldn’t hear over their bickering.
Cynthia did though and she was paying close attention to what they were saying. Drew just nodded. “Oh yeah, they’re together.”
Cynthia hummed quietly. “Not bad, kid.”
Drew preened and Percy had to stop himself from swooning. She looked unfairly pretty when she was happy.
Soon enough, they made it to the casino, Steven and Wallace’s bickering finally stopping.
Thank Olympus.
The plan was simple; Steven and Wallace would go in through the front of the casino, acting as friends going in to gamble, try to keep everyone’s attention on them, and see if they can get any information from above while Cynthia took Percy and Drew in through the sewers. Once they were inside, they’d get any information they could and get out.
It was simple in theory, but Percy knew that things can always go wrong on any quest. Murphy’s Law applied to demigods more than any other law in the universe, including the laws of physics after all.
They found a nearby manhole cover and opened it, using a rope to rappel down into the sewers. Percy had to stop himself from complaining about the smell.
Drew didn’t look any happier about it and he couldn’t exactly blame her. The place smelled awful. It was a mix of rot and the last time Percy went to the bathroom after too much curry. It made him wonder if this was even worth it.
He shook his head; they needed to get in and out. The sooner they did, the sooner they could leave. He turned to Cynthia, who masked her irritation at the smell well enough.
“So, where to now?” He asked, hoping the way wasn’t long.
“Shouldn’t be too far to get to the base,” she said as casually as she could. “It’s not right under the casino but it’s close. Follow me.”
They walked in relative silence, each one of them more focused on getting used to the smell than they were on trying to make conversation. Drew reached out and grabbed Percy’s hand about halfway through, squeezing it gently. He wasn’t sure how she managed to be a bit romantic when they were trudging through the Hilton’s sewage, but she managed it.
After he got a bit more used to the smell, and after trying to remember if the sewage went into the ocean or not, he asked something that had been on his mind for some time. “How do you know which way to go?”
Cynthia shrugged. “When we first got here, we scanned every entrance and exit of the area, including the sewers. You never know when that kind of information might be useful.”
“Is it just the three of you?” Drew asked.
Cynthia was quiet for a moment before nodding. “Just us. We were part of another group over in Philly, but we ended up splitting away when we got into some… irreconcilable differences let’s call it.”
Percy figured that made enough sense and decided to change the subject, figuring they weren’t getting anything else out of her. “How long you been fighting?”
“Long as I can remember,” she said casually. “Quiet down; we’re close.”
They turned a corner and found nothing new. Cynthia walked to the middle of the tunnel and pushed a loose brick in, opening a secret door.
“Come on in, kids; smells better in here.”
It did in fact smell better on the inside.
“Where is this?” Percy asked quietly.
“Secret underground extension to the casino,” Cynthia started moving and they followed her carefully. “It’s not officially a part of the casino; any monster activity will be in here.”
Percy could see that. His senses were going into overdrive, picking up a general feeling of danger. He was in enemy territory and he knew it.
They were in a hallway of sorts, white and blue walls on either side. There seemed to be a room at the end of the hall, with one door on the side about halfway through. They were at the entrance of the base.
They moved towards the door, it being the only way forward, when Percy felt something was wrong. He couldn’t see or hear what it was, but he had a feeling something was coming, and he didn’t like it.
He got his answer soon enough.
“Someone’s coming,” Cynthia whispered and the three of them rushed into the door on the side, which turned out to be a stairwell leading down.
“Let’s go,” Cynthia led them down and they didn’t look back. They’d come back up later if need be, but for now, this was the best way forward.
“Any idea who was there?” Percy asked when they were far enough.
Cynthia shook her head. “The footsteps were definitely human, but not anyone I recognized.”
Percy frowned. “Who could you recognize from here?”
He didn’t think Cynthia was working with the Titans; she didn't give off any feeling that made him consider that. He wouldn’t say he felt exactly safe around her, but he didn’t feel like she’d betray them.
“Few weeks ago, three demigods walked into our spot and tried to recruit us,” she explained with a hint of annoyance. “One of them, a brown-haired shithead with green eyes, said we should be honored to join their cause. He didn’t say who he was working with of course, and he felt like a bitch, so I told him to shove it.”
Percy snorted. “Was his name Alabaster by any chance?”
Drew groaned quietly as Cynthia turned to him. “I take it you know him?”
“Wish I didn’t,” he answered to a quick laugh. “He’s working with Kronos.”
“Why?”
“I dunno. Never listened to him when he gave a reason,” Percy couldn’t even remember if he gave a reason.
Cynthia shook her head. “No, I meant why did Kronos agree to have that idiot in the Titan army?”
Percy shrugged. “He’s a son of Hecate I think; probably wants to keep his magic or maybe something else.”
Cynthia smirked. “Can’t wait to tell Wallace that little prick was his brother.”
They made it to the bottom of the stairwell soon after and walked into the basement. It was darker in there than the outside, lit only by a dim red glow that made it almost feel like a morgue.
Then again, Percy had never been in a morgue before, only having seen one when Luke was playing Hitman Blood Money and it didn’t look like this. He just couldn’t shake the feeling of death that was in this place.
“We gotta stay close to each other,” Cynthia told them. “No splitting up; understand?”
They nodded and followed her, making sure to scan the room for anything that could be of use. Percy found a few weapons, loose drachma he made sure to loot, and what looked like a love letter of sorts, but nothing too important yet.
Drew stayed close to him, which made him feel a bit safer. She had her eyes peeled on everything, grabbing whatever she felt was important too. Cynthia was at the front, ready for a fight.
Percy couldn’t shake the feeling that they weren’t alone though. He had no proof of it, but it felt like there was someone down there with them.
He shook his head, trying to focus again. He wouldn’t help anyone if he got lost in his own head.
“Hey guys, come check this out,” Drew said from a bit to the side.
Percy frowned, not having noticed her leave his side. She could be really quiet when she wanted to be.
He went up to her, Cynthia following close behind, and saw what Drew had found.
“What is that?” Percy couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something wrong with the sword they were looking at. It definitely wasn’t Celestial Bronze, radiating cold and big as a surfboard. Percy didn’t mind the drop in temperature too much, but his companions were shivering.
“That’s no normal sword, kid,” Cynthia said through gritted teeth. “It’s a Titan weapon.”
Percy tensed, not sure what to do now. It would be better if they took it with them, depriving the Titans of one of their weapons, but he didn’t see how they could carry a sword this big out without issue.
It didn’t help that it was so cold, it’d be a beacon to any monster nearby that they were walking through.
Before he could make up his mind about what to do, they heard footsteps coming from behind a door on the other side.
They shared a quick look and quickly made their way to a nearby storage room, quietly closing the door as they tried to calm their breathing.
They heard two voices coming from the other side, and they were arguing about something.
“I’m telling you, those two are trouble,” that was definitely Alabaster. Only he could make a normal statement sound so whiny.
“For the last time, kid, those two are just here to gamble. What harm can they cause?” Percy felt the voice was familiar, but he couldn’t place his finger on it.
“They’re part of the mercenary camp that opened nearby!” Alabaster kept pushing his case. “They could be here on a mission!”
“And?” The other voice spoke calmly. Whoever it was didn’t sound too worried. “There’s nothing they can get up there, and if they had any backup snooping around, they won’t make it out. All we’ll get is fresh meat for the drakon.”
Alabaster laughed at that. “Never thought you’d be so bloodthirsty, Alexander.”
Percy’s eyes widened as he held in a gasp. If this was the same Alexander Luke and Thalia introduced him to, they were in big trouble.
Alexander scoffed. “Not bloodthirsty; merely efficient. Any enemy body is good meat and we need to keep that drakon fed. Now, is there anything else you want to tell me?”
“Nothing that comes to mind now, boss,” Alabaster got out. “As long as you know what you’re doing.”
“I didn’t make it to twenty-six by accident, kid,” Alexander said in frustration as he walked to the other end of the room. Percy heard a door open as he continued talking. “The sooner you learn that, the better it’ll be for all of us.”
He shut the door and his footsteps grew further away. He looked at Drew who looked confused but she didn’t say anything. Alabaster was still in the other room after all.
Percy turned to Cynthia who frowned. “We gotta take care of that idiot out there,” she kept her voice so low, Percy almost didn’t hear her.
She slowly opened the door and pulled what looked like a pack of seeds out of her pocket. She carefully opened it and put some seeds in her hands. She focused a bit and the seeds started growing into a plant with a blue sort of flower at the top.
Cynthia grabbed the seeds from inside the flower and tossed them into the trail mix Alabaster was eating. He grabbed a fistful and tossed it in his mouth, and a few moments later, he’d dropped to the floor.
“What was that?” Percy whisper shouted.
“Few years ago, I managed to breed a special type of fast-acting Lathyrus sativus,” she said quietly with a smirk. “Without getting into too much detail, the flower has seeds in it that have a neurotoxin that can paralyze you from the waist down. This one lasts about ten minutes and acts really fast.”
Percy nodded. “So we’ve got time?”
She wiggled her hand. “It also loosens the bowels, so he’ll be shitting himself soon. We’ll want to get out to avoid the smell.”
Percy nodded, trying to hold back a laugh. He walked out slowly, ignoring Alabaster’s declarations of revenge on whoever did that to him, and went to the door that Alexander came in from.
Near it was another door with a safe inside. He turned to Cynthia. “Think you can open this?”
She smirked. “Steven isn’t the only one good with safes. Give me half a minute and I’ll be done.”
Percy stepped back and moved next to Drew who was keeping an eye on Alabaster. She had her hand on her dagger as she charmspoke Alabaster to sleep.”
“All good here?” He asked as she stood up.
She smiled at him and nodded. “He’s totally out.”
He nodded, taking a good look at Alabaster. He didn’t look like he was moving at all, which was good. They’d need all the time they could get.
A moment later, Percy picked up a disgusting smell. Drew took a few steps back as Percy went to Cynthia quickly. “Alabaster just shat himself.”
She nodded, focusing on the safe. She didn’t seem any closer to cracking it than she was at the start. “Know what, fuck this.”
She pulled out another pack of seeds and dropped them on top of the safe. She cupped her hands over them and they slowly started growing until they sprouted a small tree.
She smirked. “Japanese Pagodas have some of the strongest roots in the world. Just need to work it a little carefully and,” Percy heard the sound of metal breaking. “Voila!”
She pulled the tree off and it took the top of the safe with it. Inside was a whole lot of drachma and what looked like a bunch of letters.
Percy snatched everything and shoved it into his bag. “Let’s get out of here.”
They made their way up the stairwell they went down carefully. Things were almost too easy, and Percy had a feeling it wasn’t going to last.
He was proven right when the alarm system went off.
“There goes the stealthy approach,” Drew said as she pulled out her dagger.
“Stealth’s overrated,” Percy uncapped Riptide and started running up the stairs.
Cynthia laughed and ran up behind him. “I like the way you think kid.”
They burst through the doors at the top and heard footsteps rushing towards them. They ran directly for the sewers, figuring it’d be better to fight there.
“After them!” Percy heard someone shout behind them but he didn’t turn to check.
They ran through the door to the sewers and turned to see there was a small strikeforce right behind them. Laistrygonians with smaller hellhounds ready to hunt them down.
“No running away for you, demigods!” The leader snarled.
“Works for me,” Percy smirked. It had been a while since he had a good fight.
He was going to enjoy this.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Steven and Wallace? What did you think of Alabaster? What did you think of Alexander coming back?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 9: He Is Mine
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
This group was way easier than the last time Percy fought Laistrygonians.
Granted, a good part of that was probably that these were weaker than the others he’d faced, but he liked to think he was getting better at fighting.
He could hear Thalia telling him not to let it get to his head, and he had to hold back a laugh as he killed another one of them. He was almost having fun at this stage.
His body went on autopilot as he looked around. Cynthia had a spear out, taking out any monster that got too close. She almost reminded him of Clarisse with how she fought, but her moves were more refined. She wasn’t as good as Thalia or Luke, but she was well above most fighters at camp.
And then there was Drew. She weaved around the monsters, not getting hit once. She threw in charmspeak as she did, confusing the monsters on top of just outskilling them.
Percy felt himself falling for her even more than he already had while watching her take the monsters apart. She was a natural.
He was taken out of his thoughts by a growl. “I will have you for dinner, demigod!”
He turned with an unimpressed look on his face. “Can’t come up with anything better than that?”
“Gah!” He lunged, and Percy ducked and slashed him in half. When he got up, he looked around and found that they’d killed them all.
“Don’t get too comfortable, kid,” Cynthia huffed out. “I can hear more of them coming.”
Percy turned to the door and heard them, too. They had to get out of here, but they’d be caught. He wished there was water nearby.
Wait…
Percy’s face scrunched up in focus as he called gallons of sewer water to them. Drew gave him a look before her eyes widened. “You’re not-”
“I am!” He ground out. “Get back to the manhole; I’m gonna flood the place!”
They ran as quickly as they could, and Percy hoped it would be fast enough. He stood his ground, waiting for the other monsters to show up.
His eyes widened as he realized he called more water than he’d wanted. He knew this would be enough to take them all out, but he worried he’d strained himself more than he should have. He’d figure it out when he got out.
It didn’t take long before they made their way out of the door, all of them snarling at him. “Demigod! Prepare to-”
Whatever the monster was going to say was drowned out, literally, but the flood of sewer water washing him away. Percy barely had enough time to make sure he’d be dry before he was swept away with the rest of them.
He tried to focus his swimming to get to the manhole, which he was approaching faster than he could have by walking there. He made his way to the top of the tunnel and saw an open hold.
He willed the water to push him up, and he flew out, hoping he wouldn’t be splashing anyone nearby. He let the water go, and it went back into the sewers, thankfully not flooding the streets.
He looked around for Drew and Cynthia and found them standing a little far away from the entrance to the sewer, near the Hilton Casino.
Drew saw him first. “Percy!”
She rushed towards him, pausing for a moment to check that he was dry before throwing her arms around him and kissing him with all she had. He lost himself for a moment before she pulled back. “What were you thinking? "
He shrugged. “I wasn’t.”
She shook her head. “It’s a good thing you’re cute.”
He smiled and stole a quick kiss before turning to Cynthia. She looked impressed. “That was quite the idea you had there.”
Percy shrugged, not thinking much about it. “Had to stop them from coming.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure they won’t be coming back from that.”
“So, we’re done?” Percy asked.
Cynthia nodded. “We just gotta wait for Wallace and Steven to meet up with us at the car. I sent them a message, we should be good.”
Percy nodded, and they all made their way to the car. On the way, Percy couldn’t shake the feeling that this had been too easy. The mission went off without a hitch for the most part. Sure, there was a small fight about halfway through, but that was it.
Did they really win here? Did they really make it out in one piece? This felt too good to be true.
Cynthia didn’t seem too worried, and Drew looked relaxed. Was he looking too much into this? Was this really just an easy mission?
He’d heard horror stories from Luke and Thalia about everything going wrong as soon as a mission or quest started. Just last week, they had to fight off an entire horde of monsters on their way back to camp, and yet here, they were fine.
Were they just let go? If they were, why? There were too many questions, and Percy didn’t know where to start with them.
Steven and Wallace made it back to the car without much issue, which made Percy feel even more tense. Drew picked up on that and grabbed his hand gently, giving him a smile, and he felt himself relax. They’d figure it out when they were back at camp.
The trip back was more of the same as the trip there. Wallace and Steven kept bickering but this time, Percy wasn’t paying attention. He was counting the drachma they looted for one, and it totalled about fifty ,which meant they managed to make up for how much they spent on this trip and then some.
He passed half of them to Cynthia, who looked a bit surprise,d but she took them. He then looked at the letter again. He hoped Chiron could decode it; he had a feeling it was important.
The mercenaries dropped them off at the train station, and they said their goodbyes. He wanted to ask them if they would help them out with the war, but he had a feeling that would need to be negotiated by Chiron or maybe Luke and Thalia. He saw the look in Drew’s eyes and knew they were going to talk when they got on the train. He didn’t want to repeat what he did last time, so he was going to try and listen.
When they got in their booth, she sat right next to him. She looked nervous about it, which didn’t sit right with him.
“What’s wrong, Dee?” He grabbed her hand gently, and she gave him a small smile.
“Just trying to figure out how to bring this up without fighting again.”
She sounded so small when she said that. “We can talk, Drew. I won’t push you away again.”
She leaned on his shoulder, and he put his arm around her. “You looked tense when we left the sewers. Wanna talk about it?”
He sighed. In truth, he didn’t know whether he wanted to bring it up or not, but the last time he'd held back, it'd ended poorly. “This all felt too easy.”
Drew frowned. “What do you mean?”
“We didn’t face too many monsters, just a few near the end. We looted the safe and got the information we needed, we figured out what they had in the casino from weapons and funding, and we found out that Alexander’s a traitor. It just feels like… it feels like we made it out too easily.”
Drew nodded. “I guess I get what you’re saying. I can’t remember the last time things went well on a quest.”
“Yeah, it just feels too good to be true.”
She wrapped her arms around his midsection and closed her eyes. “We’ll talk to Chiron about it. He’ll figure it out.”
Percy sighed and rested his head on Drew’s, holding her gently. They managed to sleep the rest of the way back, waking up when the train stopped at the station near camp.
Luke and Thalia were waiting for them at the border of camp.
“You look like you’ve got demigod news,” Thalia said when she saw them.
Percy frowned. “Demigod news?”
“It’s when the news is theoretically good, but there’s also a whole lot of bad news that comes with it, so it ends up being demigod news,” Luke explained. “Thalia’s idea.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Percy shook his head.
“Come on, let’s get to Chiron. He’ll want to hear from both of us.
The briefing was informative, to say the least.
Luke and Thalia went first, explaining how no one was left in the monster den they went to clear. Thalia used her magnetic field to destroy the place from what she explained, and Percy couldn’t believe how much destruction she could cause.
When they went to briefing, Percy started by showing the letter. Chiron frowned at it and shook his head. “It is an older language, the one that Gaea spoke to the Elder Titans. I had not thought it would be available in the written form.”
Percy sighed. “There’s no way to figure it out then?”
“Oh, I did not say that, my boy,” Chiron smirked. “Given time, we can decipher what the letter says, but it will take longer than usual. Now, what else do you have to report?”
Percy explained how the quest went. He told Chiron about the mercenaries, about the Titans having a base in the Hilton Casino, the drachma they looted, and the fact that Alexander was there.
Chiron frowned at that last bit. “That is troubling news indeed. To think that Alexander would join the Titans…”
Luke and Thalia looked shocked. “You sure it was him, Percy?”
Percy nodded. “I wish I were wrong, but it was him, alright. He was arguing with Alabaster,” Thalia scoffed out a ‘big surprise’ that Percy ignored. “And he sounded… he sounded evil. He said something about feeding enemy demigods to a drakon.”
Drew’s eyes were the only ones that didn’t widen at that. “You are certain he said that?”
Percy nodded, and Luke cursed. “That no good, backstabbing, piece of-”
“Language, Lucas,” Chiron interrupted him. “There are young ears present.”
Luke grumbled but nodded. Thalia frowned, putting a hand on Luke’s back. “So they have more drakons then. That changes things.”
“Indeed,” Chiron stroked his beard and sighed. “You may go to your cabins; I must confer with Lord Dionysus. He is currently speaking with all those unaffiliated with Olympus. Gods, neutral Titans, and other immortal spirits,” he answered Percy’s question before he’d managed to ask it. “He will return soon, but this task is of utmost importance.”
Percy hesitated before leaving, which Chiron picked up on. “Is there anything else you wish to speak of, Percy?”
He nodded, shifting a bit before he spoke. “It felt like the mission went too well.”
Chiron nodded. “Some missions simply go well. There is no need to dwell on it, my boy; I heard your debrief, and I can not pick out anything strange in it.”
Percy relaxed a bit, but he wasn’t fully convinced. “I thought Alexander was a great strategist. How did he miss us?”
Chiron shrugged. “Hubris, most likely. Many children of Athena are plagued with it, with some even dying as a result.”
Percy nodded, fully relaxing at that. Maybe they’d gotten some actual luck for once.
He went back to his cabin and went to sleep, finally getting the chance to let the exhaustion from controlling the water take over him. He had a dreamless sleep, which was almost worse than dreaming.
The letters never stopped coming after the first one.
Sally didn’t know what to do about them. She had no idea how they were getting to her in the first place, and even if she did, she knew she had no one to report. As far as anyone was concerned, Annabeth was long dead, and most of her army didn’t exist.
And even if they did legally exist, what could any mortal do against them? Most of that army was made of monsters and demigods, all of whom were leagues above even the most trained mortal. And for all she spoke of being mortal and doing this for mortals, Annabeth wasn’t a normal mortal.
So, all Sally could do was dispose of the letters whenever they showed up. It wasn’t like they said anything useful, just an assortment of threats and warnings that didn’t make any sense.
“You will know pain.”
“Your family will burn.”
“Your son’s life is forfeit.”
That last one especially got her as it was directed at her. Whatever Annabeth was doing, it wouldn’t be good.
What she didn’t understand was why she was being targeted as well. It made no sense to her that the Titan army would set their sights on her. As far as any of them should be concerned, she’s just Percy’s mother, so why did they care so much?
She didn’t know, and that was what scared her.
That was why when she went to pick up the mail, she was nervous. She didn’t know whether she’d get another threat or not. She hadn’t told anyone about them, figuring her children had enough to worry about as it stood, so she was grateful they spent a lot more time at camp these days.
It gave her the chance to dispose of the letters in secret.
She sifted through an assortment of junk mail and random ads until she found an unmarked envelope. She took a deep breath as she opened it, preparing herself for whatever the letter could say.
She almost dropped the letter when she read it. She didn’t understand what it meant, but she knew it couldn’t be good.
Two words were all it had, and yet they were two words that chilled her to her soul. She quickly grabbed a lighter and burned the letter. She needed to get the words out of her head.
And yet, try as she might, she couldn’t forget them.
“He’s mine.”
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of the fight? What did you think of Percy and Drew talking? What do you think that last letter meant
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 10: Let's Dance
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Percy was in Arts and Crafts when he was called to the Big House.
They were visiting camp to keep morale up, and Percy found himself slotting into his familiar routine, going through all his activities as if nothing had changed.
It helped take his mind off of everything that was going on over the past few months, so he wasn’t complaining.
That day, he found himself trying to make a bust that looked like Poseidon, but he kept failing as usual. Drew had her arms around him from the back, whispering encouragements as she pressed her lips to his shoulder whenever he failed.
It turned out to be a lot of times, but he didn’t mind. He could see Silena smirking at them, and he tilted his head.
“Something you got to say, Sil?”
She just shrugged. “Oh, not much. Just that the two of you are absolutely adorable.”
He smirked and shared a look with Drew. “And what about you and Charlie ?”
She shook her head and walked up to the pair. “Don’t let him hear you call him that. He only likes it from me.”
Percy nodded and turned back to the latest bust, sighing as it turned out to look more like Arnold Schwarzenegger, so he tossed it to the side.
Drew hadn’t let go of him, so he twisted in her arms to look at her face. “Having fun, Dee?”
“Oh, so much,” she leaned in and kissed him. He heard a sigh of annoyance from Silena, but he didn’t care. The two of them kissed a lot; he figured everyone at camp would have been used to it by now.
They broke apart around the time they heard a pointed cough. Percy turned to see Thalia staring at them with an amused look. “You two done?”
Percy nodded, not quite caring enough anymore to be embarrassed after everything camp put them through. “Yeah, what’s up?”
“Chiron’s got a mission for us.” She turned serious at that point. “Something about Luke finding two powerful demigods in Maine.”
Percy turned serious. “How powerful are we talking?”
“No idea, though Luke mentioned getting the same feeling he had when he met you at that boarding school,” Thalia said with a frown.
“Big Three kids?” Percy couldn’t help but ask.
Thalia shrugged. “Maybe; there are some demigod anomalies born at the level of Big Three kids without being ones, but they’re extremely rare. And even then, they usually aren’t as powerful in the long run if they stick to normal demigod routines.”
Percy nodded, getting worried about what was coming. “Just you and me going?”
She shook her head. “Sally’s gonna be dropping us off. It’ll take us somewhere around twelve to fourteen hours one way, though depending on traffic and monster attacks, it might take longer.”
“Can we get some backup?” Percy tried to ask casually, but Thalia just laughed.
“Yes, Percy, Drew can come if she wants.”
He turned to Drew, who just shrugged and smiled. “I’m with you, Percy.”
The three of them made their way out of camp, where Percy’s mom was waiting for them.
“Hey, Mom,” Percy waved casually. He wasn’t exactly thrilled that she was the one taking them on a quest; he didn’t want her getting involved in all this, but he knew this was the best choice they had.
It didn’t hurt that he’d get to see her a bit before the quest happened.
She opened her arms and hugged him quickly before doing the same with Thalia and Drew. She already saw Thalia as her own kid, even though they weren’t that far apart in age, and she and Drew had gotten pretty close over the past few months.
Percy smiled as he saw the sight, though he couldn’t help but notice his mom was tense. He figured she was worried about the quest, so it wasn’t too surprising.
He just wished he could reassure her, but he didn’t know how. They both knew how deadly the life of a demigod was, and going on a quest just made things worse.
“You gonna be okay driving us there, Mom?” He couldn’t help but ask her.
She didn’t untense but she did smile at him. “Of course I am, baby.”
Percy blushed a bit at that, given it was in front of Drew, but no one said anything, so he ignored it. They got in the car and got ready for a long trip.
His mom and Thalia took turns driving the rental car to the school in Maine while he and Drew mostly just talked or slept. It was a long drive, so they’d need to rest up when they could.
They stopped at a few stores and one gas station along the way, needing to stock up for the trip. There was only so much food they could bring with them before going.
Thalia explained a bit more on the way there about what they were getting themselves into. “Luke said it’s a military school; he’s been there for about two weeks now, and he said there’s a powerful monster there.”
“Any idea what the monster is?” Drew asked while Percy noticed his mom tensing even more. She kept her eyes on the road, though, no one else really noticing.
“He didn’t say,” Thalia frowned. “Which isn’t like him. It’d need to be a powerful or skilled monster for him not to figure out what it was, so we’ll have to be careful.”
Percy nodded but didn’t take his eyes off his mom. It was almost like she was talking to him again with how tense she was, and he didn’t like it. He’d need to talk to her at their next stop.
In the meantime, he tried to distract himself by pointing out different landmarks, talking to Drew, and trying to see if Thalia had anything else they could use.
It wasn’t until they stopped to refill their gas on the trip, something about the rental car not being refilled this time, that he had the chance to talk to his mom.
Thalia handled refilling the tank, and then she took Drew to the nearby store to restock on snacks, which left the two alone.
He decided to just cut to the chase, knowing how both of them can get. “What’s wrong, Mom?”
She tried to give him a comforting smile, but it was too tense for him to buy. “What do you mean, honey?”
“Mom, you know I know you better than that; what’s wrong?” He shifted so he stood next to her, still not fully understanding how the two were the same height now.
She looked at him and sighed. “You always were too smart sometimes.”
She smiled at him, and this time, it was tinged with sadness. She opened her arms, and he didn’t hesitate to walk into them. “What’s wrong?”
She sighed, not letting go of him as she spoke. “I’m just worried, Percy. Ever since you were born, I’ve known you’d have a hard life. I wished I could give you a normal enough one, but that seems to be off the table. And now, with- with her involved, I can’t help but worry.”
He understood what she meant. He knew things were even tenser now than she’d thought they’d be and that any mission he took could be his last. Still, he knew his limits, and he knew who he was with; the chances of things going horribly wrong were slim.
“We’ll be fine, Mom,” he whispered, trying to keep his voice even. “We’ll come back from this.”
She pulled back slightly to look at him before shaking her head with a smile. “You’d better, or you’ll be grounded, young man.”
“Not sure how that works,” he couldn’t help but say as she laughed.
She held his face and brought his head down a bit to kiss his forehead. “You’re growing tall,” she said with a hint of marvel in her voice. “But you’ll always be my baby boy.”
He didn’t have it in him to feel embarrassed this time. He just wrapped his arms around her again and waited for Thalia and Drew to get back. They still had a long road ahead of them.
Percy was shaken awake when they reached the school.
He’d fallen asleep on Drew’s shoulder near the final stretch after she’d napped on his, which meant both of them were rested enough.
When they got out of the car, Drew scoffed as she looked at the school. “Looks like a haunted mansion mixed with a boot camp.”
Percy snorted. “Beat me to it.”
She turned to him and smirked. “Did I hear that right?”
“Oh, don’t start,” he shoved her playfully, and she laughed.
“That’s enough, you two,” Thalia said calmly, switching into quest mode. Percy turned to her and saw her studying the school closely. She frowned and shook her head. “Doesn’t look like they have any unusual defenses installed on the walls.”
That was a relief. He turned to his mom, who was getting out of the car to check on them one last time and to move to the driver’s seat. “You’re all ready to go?”
“We’ll be fine, Miss Jackson,” Drew told her. “We’ve got everything we need.”
She nodded, trying to hide how scared she was. “I’ll be at the White Pines Inn not too far from here. If you need anything, just call me, okay?”
They all nodded. “We’ll keep in touch, Mom,” Thalia said before her eyes widened.
She was wrapped in a hug before she could say anything. “Be careful, okay, honey?”
Thalia relaxed and nodded into Mom’s shoulder. “I will.”
She hugged Drew next and then turned to him, holding him a bit longer than the others. “I’ll be fine, Mom.”
She sighed and let him go, giving him a quick smile. “I’m sure you will be.”
She got in the car and drove off, leaving the three of them in the snow.
Thalia sighed. “Well, no sense in pushing this any further.”
They went up to the school gates, and Percy couldn’t help but think it looked like a prison. “What’s the school called again?”
“Westover Hall,” Thalia told him. “Act natural.”
He wasn’t sure how they’d do that, considering they needed to open the doors before getting in, but just as they were about to think of a way to break and enter, the doors swung open, inviting them in.
“This has The Titan King written all over it,” Thalia said in a low voice.
“Yeah, but what choice do we have?” Percy asked.
“None; that’s the problem.”
They walked in, Drew grabbing Percy’s hand. Or did he grab her hand? He wasn’t exactly sure, but they were tense while walking down the hall.
Running into two teachers wasn’t part of the plan, but things never went well.
“Just what are you three doing here?” The woman scowled at them. She was dressed very formally, in a sort of military uniform, and her brown hair tied up in a bun. “You are not a part of this school.”
Thalia stood in front of them and snapped her fingers. “We are. These are Percy and Drew, remember? They’re in the eighth grade.”
The man standing next to her didn’t look too impressed. He had a buzz cut and mismatched eyes filled with malice and suspicion. “I do not believe-”
“I- yes, of course,” the other teacher frowned. “Percy, Drew, just what are you doing away from the dance?”
Percy stepped up and gave her a polite smile. “We were just making sure those troublemakers coming to crash the party were gone. You told us to go make sure they were handled. Thalia here was just escorting us back.”
The teacher frowned and nodded. “Yes, Thalia… you are one of the chaperones, yes?”
The Mist seemed to be working overtime to help the two spin their web of bullshit. Luke had helped Percy improve how he could sweet-talk people since they met, and Thalia had learned how to control the Mist over the past six months. The two of them working together would get through most people as a result.
“I am,” she said with a smile. “Luke should be in there; he’s the one who’s holding things down while we were out, and he’ll probably need my help considering how wild those kids can get.”
The man looked even less impressed. Worse than that, he looked like he recognized Thalia, which didn’t bode well. “If you think-”
“It’s fine, Dr. Thorn. They can pass.” The woman gave them a stern look. “You’d best run along now.”
They went down the hallway, making their way to the gymnasium entrance where Luke was waiting for them.
He didn’t need to turn to know they had made it. “Took you long enough.”
Percy shrugged. “Ran into some trouble on the way in.”
Luke nodded. “Thorn?”
“Yep.” Percy scanned the room for anything that might stand out. “He’s the monster?”
Luke grunted. “More powerful one than I’d like.”
Thalia hummed. “We’ll deal with him later. Where’re the kids?”
Luke nodded towards a pair of kids who looked like siblings. “Nico and Bianca di Angelo. They’re our demigods.”
Drew hummed in thought. “They’re related?”
“Brother and sister,” Luke said. “They’re pretty inseparable too, so we’ll have to consider that.”
“How old are they?” Thalia asked.
“Ten and twelve,” Luke said quietly. “Too young to get mixed up in all this.”
Percy nodded, remembering when he was twelve. He looked at the other end of the gymnasium, barely suppressing a scowl. “Guys, Thorn, twelve o’clock.”
He was stalking around where the di Angelos were, keeping an eye on them as well as Percy and his friends. He was going to be a problem.
Drew cursed under her breath. “What now?”
“We can’t take them out safely right now.” Thalia took charge as she normally did. “Drew, Percy, you two will have to blend in. Act like you’re students here, dance, hang out, make friends, whatever. Luke and I will split up and act like chaperones,” she then frowned. “Who the fuck picked Hillary Duff?”
Luke finally smirked. “I did.”
Thalia turned to him, looking even more unimpressed than Thorn had. “You think you’re being cute?”
“Bitch, I’m adorable.”
Luke was just about the only person Percy had seen getting away with talking to Thalia like that. She just shook her head and turned to the crowd. “I’ll get you back for this.”
“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t,” he took off as he and Thalia split up.
Drew looked at them in exasperation. “If those two don’t start making out soon, I might just rip my hair out.”
“I wouldn’t blame you, but please don’t,” Percy told her.
She turned to him and raised her eyebrow. “Why? You like my hair?”
He shrugged, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious. “It’s pretty.”
She smiled at him and grabbed his hand. “Come on, loverboy; we should start dancing.”
Percy didn’t really know how to dance, but it didn’t matter much to him. A slow song just showed up, and he followed Drew’s lead, putting his arms around her waist as she threw hers around his neck, and they swayed gently to the music.
She turned them around slowly as they talked. “How’ve things been going?”
He shrugged. “As good as they can be. Saved a weird bull-snake thing last week. Also, got people to stop hitting on me at school.”
She frowned. “Bull-snake? Know what, don’t answer that. I’m just glad you’re alright. And good. Every time you brought it up, I was considering going up to them and having a few words.”
He had a feeling those words would have been a bit more than just a few. “I considered it, but Mom said it’d be more trouble than it’s worth.”
Drew sighed. “Why does that have to make sense?”
He shrugged and laughed as she pouted. “You’re cute, you know that?”
She smirked. “Just cute?”
He blushed and shook his head. “A lot more than that.”
She smiled and leaned in to kiss his cheek. They kept their eyes on the di Angelos as they turned, making sure they had a good moment to approach them, but they couldn’t with Thorn still there.
Drew sighed. “You’d think he’d get bored or something.”
“Maybe he gets paid to stand there?”
She snorted. “That’d be one way to make a living.”
Percy nodded and then tensed. “Hey, Drew?”
“Yeah?”
“I never asked about your family. You know, your mortal one. And, I guess, I just wanted to know a bit about them.”
She was quiet for a moment, and Percy wondered if he should have asked before she sighed. “They’re… well, my dad’s not exactly the caring type. He didn’t know he was with Mom until after I was born, and he’s resented that ever since. He didn’t really take it out on me, but he didn't pay much attention to me either.”
Percy frowned at that. “He’s a dick.”
She laughed. “Yeah, he is. I don’t like thinking about him too much.”
“We can stop then.”
She smiled and shook her head. “I’ll tell you more when we’re back at camp.”
He nodded and turned them around to check on the kids, only to freeze. “They’re gone.”
Drew cursed. “What now?”
Percy wasn’t sure. They needed to get Thalia and Luke, but they couldn’t leave the kids alone with Thorn. He set his back and started pulling away from Drew. “You get Thalia and Luke and tell them what happened. I’m gonna go through the hallway where we saw Thorn and see if I can find them. Please hurry.”
She nodded and leaned in to kiss him. Pulling back, she gave him a smile. “For luck.”
He nodded and ran after the kids, hoping to find them before it was too late.
The hallway was long and empty, giving it an unsettling feeling that Percy couldn’t shake. He didn’t like the way this was going.
He hoped the others would be here to back him up soon; he didn’t like the thought of going up against a monster that could keep what it was hidden from Luke.
He carefully made his way down the hall, checking each room on the way, to no avail. He hoped he could find them soon.
A few doors down, Percy opened a door and found the kids standing in the back, looking terrified.
“Hey, I’m Percy; I’m here to help.” he hoped they’d relax a bit, but they still looked terrified.
He noticed it wasn’t him they were scared of, and the older one, Bianca, was staring at a spot behind him.
Percy quickly uncapped Riptide and slashed at spikes that were flying towards him, dodging the next two that came his way. He barely had enough time to stand before one last spike hit him in the shoulder, burning it intensely.
Thorn walked out of the shadows with a cold smirk. “I will admit, not many can withstand an ambush from me as you did, but it matters little. You will come with us, Percy Jackson, or I will show you how accurate I can be.”
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What do you think of Percy and Drew being adorable? What do you think of Luke and Thalia? How do you think this rescue mission's going to g
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 11: Diverging Courses
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
They trudged through the snow for what felt like ages.
Percy knew it was most likely only minutes, but between his throbbing shoulder and the di Angelos being in danger, he felt as if time slowed down.
He had to think of a way to get out of this. At least stall for time until the others could catch up to them. He knew they’d make it soon; as soon as Drew got to Thalia and Luke, they’d be running towards them, and Luke was one of the best trackers at camp, so it shouldn’t be long before they had backup.
What mattered now was making sure they weren’t taken away before that happened.
“What’s going on?” Bianca whispered to him.
“That’s a monster,” he said, trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder.
“Ok, how do we kill it?” He’d give her this much, she was brave.
“I’m trying to figure that out,” he said. “For now, we need to stall for time until my friends get to us.”
She nodded, not arguing with him. He was grateful for that; he wasn’t sure how many other people would just accept all that at face value.
Soon after that, he stumbled, hoping Thorn would buy it. He turned to Percy and frowned. “What is the matter with you?”
“The pain. Too much. Can’t walk,” he panted as he spoke, hoping it would sell the pain.
“Bah.” Thorn looked even more unimpressed. “My poison is made for pain, not killing. Walk.”
There goes that idea.
Percy hated smart monsters. They were always more annoying to deal with.
They walked a bit further, going through the woods near the school as Thorn led them forward. There had to be a cliff at the edge of it, as Percy could feel the ocean at the bottom.
“Bianca,” he whispered. “If it comes down to it, we’ll have to jump into the ocean.”
She turned to him sharply. “ What? ”
“Just trust me,” he hoped she would. She had no reason to, but they might have no other choice.
She nodded hesitantly, deciding to trust him over Thorn, though it didn’t matter too much. “You can certainly try to jump, demigods, but I guarantee you will not make it to the water below.”
Percy glared at his back. “Just what do you want with us?”
He laughed darkly. “Oh, I want nothing to do with you, boy. It is the General who has need of you three.”
“Who? You’re not making any sense!” Bianca looked even more terrified than she had before.
“Be quiet, you insufferable girl,” Thorn snapped at her and turned to glare at them.
“Don’t talk to my sister that way.” Nico’s voice was shaking, but he was brave, Percy had to admit.
Thorn growled at them and moved behind them to push them forward. “Move.”
They walked until they reached the cliff’s edge, Thorn giving them one last shove before pulling out a phone. “Our ride will be here shortly.”
Percy looked at the siblings, and he felt his heart tug. Bianca was trying to hold it together, grabbing Nico’s free hand, the one without the figurines, as she tried to comfort him.
Nico, on the other hand, was shaking. “I’m scared.”
“Quiet, boy,” Thorn growled. “Face me, all of you.”
They turned and saw his eyes glinting with even more malice than before. Percy could see what looked like a tail floating behind him, and another spike shot towards him. He barely managed to dodge it.
“You are more trouble than you are worth, demigod,” Thorn scowled at him. “Why the blond girl wants you alive, I will never know.”
Percy tensed. “You work for her .”
Thorn frowned in distaste before snarling. “I do not work for that upstart. We merely share an employer.”
Percy tensed. This meant Kronos was involved directly. That couldn’t be good.
“Ah, our ride has arrived.”
Percy turned his head to see a helicopter making its way towards them. He felt his hope dwindle the closer it got, knowing they were running out of time.
“You three will be part of something much greater,” Thorn smirked. “You will be a part of an actual war, unlike those dolls the child plays with.”
“They’re not dolls; they’re figurines,” Nico shot back. “And you can take your war and stick it up your-”
“That is enough from you, child,” Thorn spoke as if Nico were nothing more than an ant. “It is time to go.”
They probably would have, too, if it weren’t for a flying dagger almost nailing Thorn in the side of the head.
“What the-” he barely had enough time to react before he jumped back to avoid a spear slash.
Thalia stood in between them and Thorn, shield and spear at the ready, and she looked ready to rip him a new one.
Thalia ran as quickly as she could.
Drew had rushed to her first, telling her about Percy and Thorn, and Thalia immediately rushed to Luke. He led them out after that as quickly as they could go without causing a panic with the kids before rushing out of the school.
It had taken Drew a few minutes to get to them, so they were already behind. Drew couldn’t keep up with them. “Go! I’ll catch up with you!”
She didn’t need to tell them twice. They started running as fast as they could, Thalia just barely lagging behind Luke as he led her to the edge of the cliff. He turned and led her down the cliff’s edge, and it didn’t take long for her to see them.
Thorn was standing there with a smirk on his face. Percy was hurt, the kids were scared, and a chopper was making its way towards them. She couldn’t let them get hurt.
Luke threw a dagger right at Thorn, distracting him for a moment as she leaped in, hoping to kill him, but he dodged and jumped back. She stood in between him and the kids, glaring a hole through the monster.
“Ah, the daughter of Zeus joins the fray,” he spat out, though she could see the uncertainty in his eyes. She’d built up a bit of a reputation among the monsters, and it seemed this one knew about it.
She didn’t bother with taunts, talking, or anything else. He’d hurt Percy; he was going to die.
“For Zeus!” She yelled as she launched herself at the monster, Luke rushing in to help.
He did better than she expected.
Between her and Luke, most monsters would be taken down in a matter of seconds, but this one managed to survive against them long enough for the helicopter to make it to them.
“You will pay for this, girl.” Thorn shifted and turned into a big monster with a human-like face, the body of a lion, and a spiked tail that kept launching missiles at them.
“A manticore!” She heard the kid, Nico she thinks, scream out from behind her. He said something about attack power, but she didn’t think much about it.
The manticore is a high nine, stronger than any monster they’d dealt with. On his own, he was about as tough to deal with as the Furies put together, maybe even tougher. She didn’t like fighting him with the kids around.
He used that to his advantage too, launching spike after spike at them to distract her and Luke from the fight. He didn’t land a hit on them, and she’d block every hit, making sure it didn’t hurt the kids, but it made the fight harder than it had to be.
“You will not win, demigods!” Thorn yelled out. “Even now, you are outmatched!”
He had a point there since the chopper had made it to them and started shooting at them.
“Duck!” Luke yelled out as he lunged at Thorn, keeping him out of the fight as Thalia rushed to protect the kids.
She could see the bullets making their way to them in slow motion. Percy was going to activate his shield that Tyson had given him for his birthday, but he was too slow. He’d be shot and killed before he could open it. He seemed to realize that as he pushed the di Angelos away, not wanting them to get caught, and he fell to the floor, exhausted.
Thalia wasn’t sure how she did it, but she put herself in between him and the chopper, turning her shield to block all the bullets. The machine gun had fired at them very quickly, quicker than she liked.
Percy got to his feet and looked at her for a moment before getting out of the way. That let her move out, too, keeping her shield up to block the bullets.
She turned to see Luke fighting Thorn one-on-one. He was handling himself well enough, but his split attention slowed him down a bit.
It didn’t help that Percy was now fighting off a hellhound that had shown up to help Thorn. Whatever Thorn did to him was slowing him down too much, and he could barely keep up with it. They were in a bad spot.
The shooting stopped for a moment, and she lowered her shield to see what was going on. Her eyes widened as she saw another chopper approaching fast, this one a full attack helicopter instead of a general one with a machine gun mounted on it.
The attack helicopter fired a few missiles at them, and Thalia barely had the time to call out lightning strikes from her hands to knock them away. The missiles blew up in mid-air, thankfully far enough away from the cliff’s edge to not hurt anyone.
“You can not win this fight!” Thorn yelled out. “You’d best surrender.”
He was right. Percy was still busy with the hellhound, and Luke couldn’t beat Thorn quickly enough. She couldn’t do much with the choppers ready to shoot at them, and the kids weren’t trained to fight. They were backed into a corner.
That was when a hunting horn sounded off, and Thalia had to suppress a groan.
“The Hunters!” She supposed at least Percy sounded excited, though she couldn’t say the same herself.
She saw Thorn’s eyes widen in fear as three arrows lodged themselves in his shoulder. The hellhound was made quick work of, too, and she saw two hunters and Drew rush toward Percy.
“Penelope! Hippolyta! Drew!” He sounded happy to see them. She kept her eyes on the helicopters still hovering behind everyone. They weren’t attacking yet, but she couldn’t be too careful.
She heard Thorn say something about direct interference being forbidden and how this was unfair. She would have rolled her eyes at how childish he sounded if she weren’t more focused on the choppers.
“The hunting of wild beasts and monsters falls under my domain.” Thalia barely managed to hold in her shock as she heard Artemis speak. “This does not violate the Ancient Laws.”
“Permission to kill, My Lady?” That was Zoe, and Thalia was hopeful this would end well.
“Granted,” Artemis said calmly, and Thalia braced herself for it to all be over.
“No,” Thorn said. “I will not be taken down like this!”
She heard him move and barely had enough time to turn around and see him lunge at her.
“No!” Percy screamed out and jumped on the monster’s back, trying to pull him away from her.
“Percy!” She and Luke screamed out as one. She wanted to jump in to help, but that was when the choppers turned and fired at the di Angelos and all the hunters near them.
She jumped in between them, shield up and ready to block the bullets. She had to throw a few minor lightning strikes, too, to take care of the missiles.
“Kill the monster, but be careful not to harm the demigod!” Artemis’s orders were clear as day, so she hoped the hunters would follow them.
What she didn’t account for was that Thorn would make getting a clear shot too hard. What she didn’t account for was him jumping off the side before any of the hunters could do anything. What she didn’t account for was that she’d be pinned by the choppers, blocking the bullets and the missiles, unable to do anything.
What she didn’t account for was Luke jumping after them the moment Thorn threw himself.
“Luke! Percy!” She was frozen in shock for a moment, shield still up, blocking the bullets.
Nothing felt real; it was like she was a stranger in her own body. They couldn’t be gone. There was just no way.
The helicopters shooting at her broke her out of her stupor. She felt herself getting angry; if it weren’t for them, she could have done something, anything to help.
She called to her powers, a storm raging inside her reflecting in the world around them. The choppers stopped shooting, and she lowered her shield to see one of the pilots looking confused.
Those two were the reason her family was lost. They would pay.
She roared at the top of her lungs and called the most powerful bolts of lightning she ever had, directing them at the helicopters. They both got damaged beyond repair, and she saw the top half of them was shaved off as they fell to the ocean below.
It didn’t make her feel any better, but at least they were dealt with.
She turned to the others and saw the Hunters staring at her in slight fear while Bianca and Nico just looked confused. Drew was frozen in place, and Lady Artemis looked at her impassively with a hint of sympathy, but it didn’t matter.
Luke and Percy were gone, and she couldn’t do anything to save them.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of the Manticore? What did you think of Percy and Luke? How do you think this is going to go now?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
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Chapter 12: Fallout
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Drew was in shock.
She’d been fighting off a hellhound after she told Luke and Thalia to go ahead without her when the Hunters came in to help. She didn’t exactly like the hunters all that much, but she knew this at least would make things easier.
When they got to the fight, she saw Percy was hurt. She’d rushed to him, followed by the two hunters Percy made friends with who hadn’t betrayed them and they started tending to his wounds. She thought they’d won when Artemis told Zoe to kill the monster.
And then Percy went off the side of the cliff.
She was frozen in place, Thalia needing to move her to a nearby boulder so she could sit.
How had this all gone wrong?
The di Angelos stayed near them, looking scared and confused. She understood how it felt, but she couldn’t say anything. Not yet.
Thalia stood by the three of them, putting on as brave a face as she could, but Drew could tell she was hurting. Her family was gone; Artemis had confirmed that they weren’t in the sea.
Bianca bumped her shoulder against Drew’s and she felt herself slowly regaining control of her body.
“What’s up?” her voice sounded hollow, even to her, and Bianca noticed this.
“You’ve been like that for thirty minutes. Thalia’s with Artemis now; she asked me to check up on you after a bit.”
She almost laughed at the thought. “Percy and Luke are gone; I don’t think anyone can expect me to be alright.”
“I don’t,” she said quickly. “I just… I don’t know what’s going on and-”
Drew sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry it turned out like this.”
Bianca nodded, her hand not letting go of her brother’s. Nico looked sad, staring at Bianca like he hoped she’d tell him this was all just a bad dream.
“They’ll be okay, right?” Nico asked timidly.
She forced herself to smile at him, hoping it looked genuine enough. “I’m sure they will be, Nico. Don’t worry.”
He nodded and turned back to his figurines. If she’d been in a better headspace, she might have asked him about them, but she could barely muster the energy to think at the moment.
Percy was gone.
Artemis had said he was alive but Drew didn’t think that made it any better. If anything, it might make things worse with what that could mean.
If Annabeth got her hands on him, who knew what she’d do?
She was pulled out of her thoughts when she saw Thalia making her way towards them, trailing behind Artemis and Zoe.
She didn’t look any happier than she had been when she was called, but no fight broke out and no one was smote, so she figured things were going fine.
She made her way to Drew and explained what happened. “I told Artemis about Thorn and everything I saw. Percy probably knows more, but I relayed what Bianca told me before I was called in. Artemis is gonna take care of that; we can focus on Percy and Luke.
Drew nodded. “What now?”
Thalia turned to stare at the horizon, looking pensive. “I asked Artemis to help me with an Iris Message to Sally. She deserves to know what happened.”
Drew grimaced. “How’d it go?”
“Bout as well as you’d expect,” Thalia said without a hint of a smile on her face. “She held it in and told me they’d be alright, but she looked about ready to break. She said she’d make her way back to New York as soon as she manages to sleep, though it might take some time now.”
Drew nodded. “Anything else?”
Thalia sighed. “We’re waiting for Lord Apollo to show up and take us all to camp. The hunters are coming with us.”
Drew had to stop herself from sighing in frustration. She hated it when the hunters came over. Sure, she’d learned that most of the problems between campers and hunters were instigated by Annabeth, but that didn’t mean all of them were. They’d already been at camp a year and a half ago, and now they were coming back again.
“Yeah, I’m not thrilled about it either,” Thalia said. “But we don’t have much of a choice. Hopefully, it’ll be better this time.”
Bianca shifted nervously. “Um, what’s wrong with the Hunters?”
Thalia looked at her and sighed. “I’ll tell you on the way; it’s a bit of a long story.”
She nodded and brought Nico closer to her, shooting the hunters cautious looks. Seems she saw how some of them looked at Nico; Drew wasn’t exactly happy about that herself.
She supposed at least they didn’t cuss them out or shoot at them when they met up. She wouldn’t put it past them to do that.
They went over to the cliff’s edge, watching the sun rise over the horizon. They had to look away soon after as the sun started to show.
Drew saw Artemis watching the horizon with an impassive look. She showed no emotions at the moment, merely a blank face.
After some time, the sun seemed to be getting closer. Drew could feel the heat ramping up a bit and she knew Apollo was near.
“Avert your eyes,” Artemis instructed. “Do not look until I tell you to.”
Drew turned away and she heard something land. A few moments later, Artemis told them they could look, and Drew turned to see Apollo standing in front of them.
He was tall, blond, and appeared as an eighteen-year-old more or less. He looked incredibly serious, which made Drew immediately stand at attention. His hair was long, reaching about upper back length.
Any gym rat would have been incredibly jealous looking at Apollo. She didn’t think a definition like that should be possible, but then again, Apollo was a God.
She couldn’t deny it; Apollo was hot.
She could almost feel Percy nudge her with a smirk and say well, he is the Sun God.
She felt her heart drop again as she thought of Percy. He’s alive; we’ll find him.
“Brother,” Artemis spoke up, drawing her away from her thoughts. “Thank you for coming.”
“You asked me to, sis,” Apollo gave a genuine smile, which looked more natural. “What’s the problem?”
“These demigods need to get back to camp soon; my Hunters do as well.”
Apollo scanned them carefully, eyes lingering on Thalia. “Little sister.”
“Lord Apollo,” Thalia lowered her head slightly and composed herself admirably, even though Drew knew she was in pain.
“Your friends still live; it is not hopeless,” Thalia didn’t relax at that, but she did nod. Apollo turned to the rest of them, pausing for a moment at Bianca and Nico, spending a bit longer on Nico specifically.
She leaned into the hunter near her, Penelope, remembering this was one of Percy’s friends. “Why’s Apollo looking at Nico like that?”
Penelope shrugged. “He’s the protector of young boys, much like Lady Artemis is the protector of young girls. Probably has something to do with that.”
Drew nodded and turned back to Apollo, who was changing the sun car, a Ferrari not unlike the one her dad’s rival had, and turned it into a bus.
“We’ll need this so all of you can fit,” Apollo turned to them and gave a small smile. “All aboard.”
The trip to camp was uneventful; Nico was talking to Apollo at the front of the bus, but Drew wasn’t paying any attention. She couldn’t, not after what had happened.
Thalia sat opposite her, sitting next to Bianca and just barely managing to explain everything. She caught the basics of the relationship between the Hunters and campers and how it was rough even after they learned why it existed. She figured Thalia had this so she went back to staring at the distance.
She didn’t know how Thalia did it. Losing Percy like that carved a hole in Drew’s heart that she didn’t know how to manage. She didn’t know what to do at this point.
She wasn’t sure how long the trip to camp was, but she had to be shaken out of her stupor when they landed.
“Come on, Drew; we’re here,” Thalia’s hand was gentle on her shoulder and she gave Drew a weak smile. “We’ve got to get to Chiron.”
She nodded and got up, grateful that Thalia was holding it together. She must have been hurting even more than Drew was considering she’d lost both Percy and Luke, and yet she was the one comforting Drew.
She reached out and grabbed Thalia’s hand gently, meeting her eyes when she turned to look at her. Thalia nodded and turned to the door, walking out with Drew close by.
“Nico, Bianca, follow us will you?” Thalia told them. “We’ll be taking you to Chiron; he’ll handle the rest.”
They nodded and followed the two closely, not asking much despite the fact that Drew knew they had to be curious about everything. She probably would have been a better guide in a different time, but she couldn’t muster the energy.
They made it to Chiron who smiled at them. “Ah, Thalia, Drew, it is good to see you back. I take it these are the ones Luke told us about?”
Thalia nodded and gestured for them to go forward. Chiron smiled at them gently. “Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, children. This is Gleeson Hedge,” he gestured at the old satyr standing next to him and Mr. D. “He will be giving you a tour of camp and explaining everything you need to know.”
“Come on, kids,” Hedge grunted out. “We’ve got a lot to cover.”
The di Angelos followed the satyr, leaving Thalia and Drew with Chiron and Dionysus. Chiron’s face turned serious. “I take it there is bad news as well?”
“Luke and Percy are captured,” Thalia took over explaining what happened, telling Chiron about the Manticore, the mortal choppers, and the General being involved, whoever that was. Chiron’s face at hearing about this General was enough to terrify her.
“You are certain that is who we are dealing with?” Dionysus was the one who asked, eyes glowing purple.
She nodded. “Bianca said she heard about the General from Thorn. Not exactly sure who they’re talking about though.”
Chiron and DIonysus shared a look and Drew felt her heart drop into her stomach. It seemed the General was even worse news than she’d thought.
“It matters not now, children,” Chiron said. “Go to your cabins; we will deal with this soon.”
Thalia scowled. “We won’t be playing against the Hunters. Not after what happened.”
“I would not ask you to my dear,” Chiron reassured her. “If the Hunters wish for a physical activity, they are welcome to test their luck against me.”
Drew’s eyes widened, mirroring Thalia’s. They just nodded and went to their respective cabins. Drew hoped Silena was there; she needed her sister right now.
She found Silena alone in the cabin. Paris had left sometime in the summer, leaving a note saying he and Bently found somewhere to be over the year. She was worried about him, but there wasn’t much she could do about it.
Besides, he and Bentley could take care of themselves, especially if they were together. She didn’t have to worry about them.
Silena sat up when she walked through the door and smiled at her only for her smile to melt off when she looked at Drew. “Oh, honey, what happened?”
Drew shook her head and rushed to Silena, tears filling her eyes. Her sister stood up and caught her, holding her gently as she whispered gently, trying to console her, but nothing worked. It didn’t matter what she said.
Percy was gone, and there was nothing they could do about it.
Thalia didn’t go to her cabin.
She had too much on her mind to try and sit with whatever campers were sent there for the moment, worried she’d lash out at them. She needed to fight something.
She couldn’t go to the arena; too many people would come to see her and some might try to fight, and none of them could keep up with her, so she went to the woods instead. There were enough minor monsters there kept as training for the campers for her to get a bit of a warm-up in.
Hopefully, that would be enough.
She saw the first hellhound in the forest and rushed at it, not even thinking about it. The hellhound actually hesitated before lunging at her, but it didn’t matter. It was dead within seconds.
She ran through the woods, cutting through monster after monster, ripping them apart with little to no effort. Some she killed with her spear, some with lightning, some with her magnetic field.
By the end of it, she’d covered the ground with monster dust so thick it looked like sand. The dust was carried away with the wind. She’d need to let Chiron know to restock the woods.
She trudged her way out of the forest, going through the rest of the day on autopilot. Everything felt wrong.
She couldn’t give combat lessons without thinking of Luke, she couldn’t go to arts and crafts without thinking of Percy. She couldn’t look at the cabins without thinking how she failed them both.
The fact that they were still alive was only a minor comfort. They’d be prisoners of that bitch Annabeth, and who knows what she’d do to them.
The day ended and nothing changed. The Hunters steered clear of her, with only Penelope and Hippolyta talking to her. They told her that the rest of the hunters wanted nothing to do with her, which was fine by her. She wasn’t in the mood to talk to them.
They also told her that as soon as they could, they’d leave camp and look for Percy. She appreciated that to an extent, but she didn’t have it in her to say much. She just nodded and hoped they’d leave her after that.
She wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone.
She went back to her cabin in silence, finding it completely empty. It was almost as empty as she felt, so she figured it was fitting.
She collapsed on her bunk and went to sleep, hoping her head would clear and she’d be able to think of a way to fix this.
Her dreams, of course, were far from restful.
She found herself near the top of a mountain, staring at what looked like a storm making its way down to the peak. Over the side, she could see a large body of water, and on the other side she saw a familiar city.
She was on Mount Tamalpais, staring out at San Francisco.
She was also near the remnants of Mount Othrys.
She wasn’t sure why she was brought here, but she knew it couldn’t be good. She’d learned how to manage her dreams over the years, so she didn’t get hijacked as frequently as Percy did, but when it did happen, it was always bad.
She found herself walking down the path, making her way to the Garden of the Hesperides. It was beautiful and deadly. The tree that was gifted to Hera was littered with golden apples, each one looking better than the last. But it was guarded by Ladon, a monster even Heracles couldn’t beat.
She was pulled out of her thoughts by a familiar voice sounding off in the distance. “Are you sure this is gonna work, princess?”
That was Alabaster alright. He sounded just as insufferable as ever, which meant at least some things didn’t change.
He was talking to someone he called a princess, which meant only one thing.
“For the last time, Torrington, it will,” there she was. Annabeth strolled into the Garden looking frustrated and Thalia wished she could blast her out of existence. “I’ve thought everything through, and we have exactly what we need.”
Thalia didn’t know what the bitch was talking about, but she didn’t like the sound of it. She didn’t like the fact that she didn’t seem to like her plan either; given what her plans were before, she didn’t want to know what this was going to be.
Alabaster didn’t seem to either. “What use could he even be to us?”
“He’s ten times more competent than you’ll ever be, Torrington,” she said with a scowl. “And at least he won’t oggle me every other minute.”
Alabaster didn’t look too put out by that. “Come on, princess; it’ll be easier if you just accept that you like me.”
She snarled at him and he laughed. “If Kronos didn’t want you alive, I’d rip your balls off and make you choke on them you piece of shit.”
He smirked at her, clearly not having any regard for his physical health. “Whatever you say, princess. I’ll get you one day.”
He sauntered off as she fumed, watching his retreating form while gripping a dagger at her waist tightly. She sighed and let go of it, turning behind her. “About time you showed up.”
Thalia’s dream shifted then and she found herself staring down a deep cavern.
“Tartarus,” she whispered.
“Yes, dear granddaughter,” Kronos’s voice filled her senses and she struggled to stand. This was just like in the summer when Chiron was about to kill Annabeth. He was all around her, too powerful for her to fight. “It seems you and your cousin have a habit of seeing things you should not be allowed to.”
Thalia shook her head, not saying a thing in response. She had to stay steady; she couldn’t waver. Not now.
“You are more resilient than most,” Kronos said curiously. “It seems to be a trend among children of my sons; you get that from me of course.”
She bit her tongue, waiting for the dream to be over so she could leave. She tried forcing herself to wake up, but it didn’t work. Kronos’s grasp on her was absolute.
“I must say, I do not normally need to expend this much effort to hold someone down. You would do very well working with us, Thalia,” Kronos sounded amused and Thalia couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“I’ll never join you!”
Kronos laughed. “You are a feisty one, I will give you that, but what reason do you have to fight for Olympus? You are only allowed to live because you are useful, because you can serve well. Look at anyone who isn’t a child of the Twelve, look at your cousin after he was claimed, look at yourself before you went on all your little quests.”
She hated how much sense that all made, but she couldn’t falter. She wouldn’t turn on her family; she wouldn’t turn on her Father.
“You will see sense soon enough; I am sure your friends will as well.”
Before she could say anything about that, she was ejected from the dream, waking up in a cold sweat in her cabin.
She looked out of the window, finding it was morning already. She shook her head, trying to process what she’d seen in her dream.
Kronos seemed sure that Luke and Percy would turn on camp. She wanted to ignore that because she knew they wouldn’t, but it also meant something else.
It meant Kronos had plans for Luke and Percy, and she needed to save them before it was too late.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Drew's reaction? What did you think of Thalia's dream? How do you think Percy and Luke will handle being captives?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 13: The Titan's Curse
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Percy was scared.
In truth, he’d been scared since he jumped on the Manticore. He’d seen how fast he was moving, and as good as Thalia was, she wouldn’t have reacted in time. Not then.
He couldn’t let her get hurt.
Of course, he couldn’t do anything besides jump on the monster’s back, which left him at its mercy. He knew the Hunters were there, and he thought they could do something about it.
They didn’t.
He fell off the side of the cliff, saw someone falling towards them, then things went blank for a while. He wasn’t sure where he ended up, but when he woke up, he’d been alone.
Alone in a garden, surrounded by music, it seemed. It sounded almost like a funeral march, like whoever was singing was serenading his death.
He didn’t like that.
He got up and wandered around, finding a lake, a tree with golden apples, and what looked like a hundred-headed dragon guarding it.
He figured it was best he not go that way.
He went up the other path, the only one he had, feeling dread build up inside of him. Just where was he anyway?
He didn’t know, and that was almost worse than the fact he was alone.
He stopped in place, the reality of the situation settling in. He was completely alone, with no one to help him. No Luke, no Thalia, no Drew, no Silena, no Chiron. All he had was his own skills and his sword.
He didn’t know if that would be enough.
He knew he was good; he had to be after a year and a half of training under Luke and Thalia, but he knew there were a lot of things he wasn’t good enough to handle on his own yet. And he had a feeling Thorn had brought him to something like that.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Panic wouldn’t help; besides, he could be in a situation he could get out of. What mattered now was moving forward.
One foot in front of the other, Jackson. You have to get out of this.
He moved forward, making his way up the path, finding forming ruins and old carvings he didn’t understand. He kept moving, not pausing to wonder too much. It wouldn’t help him at all at the moment.
He continued forward, reaching the top of the path and finding a horrifying sight.
For one, the sky seemed to be barrelling towards the earth, almost as if it were going to crash and destroy the area around him. He hadn’t realized how close it was to him, almost like if he jumped, he’d be launched into space.
He’d heard of this before; Luke had explained to him that when the first Titan War ended, Atlas was placed under the sky, holding it up so Ouranos wouldn’t come to the earth and ‘embrace’ Gaea ever again. At least, that’s how he understood it.
And now, he was at the meeting point of the sky and the earth, and that was terrifying.
But the worst part was seeing who was at the meeting point. It would normally be Atlas, holding up the sky with infinite strength, a feat only ever replicated by Heracles, and even then, it was only for a few minutes at most.
Instead, he saw someone he’d never wanted to see again. “Annabeth.”
She was struggling under the weight of the sky, barely able to hold it up. He wasn’t sure how she was still alive, never mind holding it up for any period of time.
He cautiously made his way towards her, wary that it might be a trap. No one jumped him, so he figured it might be alright.
“Annabeth!” He had to yell to get her attention. She barely moved her head to look at him, looking completely out of it.
“Percy,” her voice was weak, and Percy had a hard time hearing her. “You’re… here…”
She looked shocked and scared, though Percy wasn’t sure why she would be. “What happened?”
He wasn’t sure why he bothered asking. He should have turned and left her there; he should have run away. But he had nowhere to go, and she wasn’t a threat to him now.
“Turned… on me,” she got out. “Trapped me… here. Please- help,” she barely managed to say the words, each one sounding like it pained her to get out.
Percy wasn’t sure what to do. She was struggling, and she was clearly hurt, but he didn’t know what to do.
“Why should I trust you?” He got out, the hurt of her betrayal bleeding through.
She teared up, though whether it was from grief or from pain, he didn’t know. “You shouldn’t. But if you… don’t help, I’ll die. Please, Percy- please !”
She meant it. She was begging him for help, and he could see she was scared. He shouldn’t trust her, he knew he shouldn’t. She’d hurt him before, tried to turn him against his family, and tried to kill him multiple times.
And yet, she’d also been one of his best friends. She’d been kind to him when very few others were, and she’d been by his side when he needed her before.
She’d betrayed him, but they’d betrayed her now. Maybe she could be brought back; maybe they could be friends again.
He got down on one knee next to her and threw his hand up, finding where the sky was and pushing up.
Immediately, he felt the entire weight of it dropping on him. It was heavier than he could describe, and it felt like someone had taken a soldering iron to his spine.
Annabeth dropped to the floor next to him, looking relieved. “Thanks, Percy. I knew I could count on you.”
“Annabeth! Help!” He called out as he felt the pain get to him.
She stood up on shaky legs, giving him an apologetic look. Or at least, what he thought was an apologetic look. The world was starting to blur. “Can’t do that, Seaweed Brain. Don’t worry, though, help is on the way.”
She said a few more things, but he could barely hear her. The world blurred into a single dot, and his ears started ringing like sirens were in his ears. There was nothing but the pain.
And Percy had to try not to die.
Silena barely managed to hold herself together.
When Drew told her Percy was missing, she’d almost shut down. It was only the fact that her sister was crying and losing herself that she managed to hold it together.
She held Drew all night long, letting her sleep in her bunk. She’d said it was to comfort her, but in truth, she needed it as much as Drew did.
Percy was captured at best, dead at worst, and there was nothing they could do about it.
She wished she’d been there with them. She didn’t know what she could have done, but she wished she could have done something to help. Percy was her best friend, and knowing he was in trouble while she couldn’t do anything about it was the worst feeling she could think of.
It didn’t help that the hunters were here, too. She felt herself getting angrier and angrier as the day went by, with Charlie needing to stop her from getting into fights with them. If he hadn’t, things would have gotten very ugly.
She saw Thalia moving around camp with a blank stare. She didn’t seem to lose a step in her day, still carrying out her role at camp to perfection, but she showed no emotions when she did so. It was like she’d suppressed everything, and Silena couldn’t blame her.
Charlie was the only person she let herself cry in front of. He’d held her gently, telling her things would be okay and that they’d find Percy and Luke and everything would work out.
She believed him. She had to; if they didn’t get them back, she wasn’t sure what she’d do.
She needed to distract herself, so she ended up showing the new kids, Nico and Bianca, around camp. Hedge had given them a bit more of a general explanation of where they’d be staying and how monsters would come after them, so she needed to go over the facets of camp with them.
Bianca was a bit more wary of everything around her, watching everyone with a bit of suspicion before she started to open up. Nico, on the other hand, was a little nervous for all of three minutes when meeting someone new before opening up and becoming a hyperactive ten-year-old.
She had to admit, she enjoyed spending time with the siblings. They were just what she needed to get her mind off of what had happened.
“You guys fight and stuff?”
“We train in the arena; it’s right there. We’ll need to find you a weapon that suits you best.”
“What kind of summer camp needs weapons?”
“The kind where the campers need to fight.”
“Like the guy who tackled the Manticore?”
She pretended not to hear that.
“That’s where we eat,” she said instead, hoping they’d drop the subject.
Bianca seemed to get the message and nudged Nico before asking her question. “Wouldn’t it rain on you?”
“We’ve got magic around camp,” she explained. “The weather doesn’t affect us unless we want it to. Or, more accurately, Chiron and Mr. D do.”
They walked a bit more, passing by the Arts and Crafts cabin, the climbing wall, and the woods. “Normally, we have a lot of monsters in there for training - low-level ones, of course. Right now, we need to restock them. Thalia killed them all.”
Bianca’s eyes widened. “How strong is she?”
“She’s the strongest demigod at camp,” Silena said, forcing a smile on her face. “There aren’t many things she can’t handle.”
The fact that she couldn’t handle Thorn easily hung over that statement like an executioner’s blade. She hadn’t been able to handle that situation on her own.
Silena shook those thoughts out of her head; she had to focus on the kids now.
“Come on, it’s almost lunchtime.” She guided them to the pavilion, trying her best to keep a positive outlook on the situation.
She found herself struggling with that more as time went on.
Will didn’t exactly have faith in this plan, but it wasn’t like anything of value would be lost.
Best best-case scenario, they’d get a few new powerful recruits to their cause. Worst case scenario, they’d get two dead demigods from the enemy side. He didn’t see how they’d lose anything with this.
There was the slight issue that the demigods might break and the sky would crush Mount Othrys, destroying the entirety of North America in the process and maybe even parts of Europe and Asia, depending on how strong the blow would be, but they had prepared contingencies for that.
For one, they’d removed Othrys from the same plane of existence as the rest of the earth for the moment, only connecting them when they absolutely had to. Will wasn’t sure how this was done, but Kronos was more powerful than he’d originally thought.
Either that or Kronos asked Gaea for a favor, one or the other, really.
And more importantly, Will would stay behind to make sure that the sky was always held, one way or another.
As it stood, they needed to get Percy out from under the sky. That kid wouldn’t be able to hold the sky up for much longer, and Will quite liked living.
Thankfully, they got their replacement quickly. He could hear the cursing from a mile away, and he knew he’d need to be careful.
Luke Castellan was glaring a hole through everyone around him, and the only reason they were alive was the fact that he was bound in Celestial Bronze chains. If not for that, Will had no doubt they’d all be dead within a minute.
As it stood, Paris and Bentley dragged him together, barely able to keep him steady, while Annabeth marched behind them, a determined look on her face.
Luke glared at Will and opened his mouth to speak, but he turned behind the son of Apollo, and his eyes widened. “You sick bastards .”
Will shrank at the look in Luke’s eyes. He’d been prepared for him to be angry, but he hadn’t realized just how intimidating the son of Hermes could be.
Annabeth didn’t seem too worried. “You can curse us out all you want, there’s only one way you can help him now.”
Luke turned to her and outright growled at her. She took a step back and eyed him warily. “You won’t get away with this.”
Annabeth smirked, but she looked uneasy. “Oh, my dear Luke, I already have. Now, are you going to take his place, or are you going to leave him there?”
Will knew there was no real choice for Luke. “Cut my chains.”
Bentley stood back and swung his sword at Luke’s hand cuffs, breaking the chain in between them and letting him free. He shuffled next to Percy and lifted the sky off his shoulders, taking the burden as the son of Poseidon dropped to the floor in a heap.
“Well, seems like Sunshine’s out,” Paris said with a smirk. “What now?”
Will saw Bentley open his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by strong footsteps. “What now indeed.”
Atlas walked up to them, and Will saw everyone tense. Everyone but Annabeth, who was hovering over Percy with an odd look on her face.
Atlas looked at Luke with satisfaction. “You have done well, demigods. With one of that infernal camp’s pillars incapacitated and another one to be dealt with, it will only be a matter of time before one of those blasted Olympians comes to get them.”
Will knew that Luke and Percy were Hermes and Poseidon’s favorite children. If they kept them here long enough, the two Olympians wouldn’t care about the Ancient Laws anymore and would come to personally get them back. Atlas was confident in that. He also fully believed they’d be easy to beat.
Will wasn’t sure about that. He knew Atlas was powerful, but so was Poseidon. Maybe this plan would work, maybe it wouldn’t. Either way, if they played their cards right, maybe they could put Poseidon or Hermes under the sky instead of Luke. That would be a real victory.
“Now then,” Atlas said, turning to Annabeth. “You said you had plans for the son of Poseidon?”
She had her hand on his cheek, cradling it gently. It made Will sick. “Yes. Leave him to me; I’ll break him and mold him back up as someone worth our time.”
Atlas nodded. “Very well, but I expect results.”
He left them then, and Annabeth tried picking him up. She grunted. “He’s heavier than he looks.”
“Let me help you with that, darling,” Paris went in to pick Percy up with Annabeth. He was insufferable, but he did get results.
At least he’s not Alabaster.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Percy under the sky? What did you think of Silena showing the di Angelos around? What did you think of Luke scaring the demigods
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 14: So It Begins
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Lunch was very tedious.
Thalia was already at the end of her wits with all this; she’d been waiting for Chiron to come up with something to save Percy and Luke, but he hadn’t told her anything.
She didn’t know what she was going to do if they didn’t think of something soon.
She’d already torn her way through the restocked monsters, Chiron upping the difficulty this time so she could get a bit of a challenge, but it didn’t make a difference. She tore through them like they were nothing, and she still felt like she’d done nothing.
Everything was too loud, too quiet, too much, and too little. Nothing made sense, and yet she knew what happened. She understood what happened, and yet she didn’t know what to do.
For the first time in a long time, she was lost.
She hadn’t been apart from Luke since they met back when the two met each other, and Percy had wormed his way into her heart over the past year and a half. And now they were gone.
She needed to do something, but she couldn’t do anything at the moment. And that was what got her.
She found herself sitting at the docks, trying to come up with something she could do. She wasn’t one for waiting around on a good day, and this was definitely not a good day.
She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, but Drew ended up finding her and sitting next to her.
Almost instinctively, she reached out and threw an arm around Drew’s shoulder. The kid was about as lost as she was, and she was a lot younger than Thalia. On top of that, this was probably her first major time feeling any sort of grief like this, so she couldn’t blame the kid for being lost.
Drew didn’t say anything, only leaning into Thalia’s embrace. They sat there for some time before Drew broke the silence. “We’ll get them back, right?”
Thalia sighed, not letting herself think of the worst possible outcome. “We will; we have to.”
Drew nodded, sniffling a bit, and Thalia turned to hug her fully. “I miss him, Thalia.”
She nodded, choosing to ignore the fact that she’d only said him. She was a kid; Thalia wouldn’t hold it against her. “I know, Drew. I know.”
The two weren’t exactly close, but Thalia couldn’t let her deal with this alone. She knew what this kind of grief could do to a person, and she wasn’t about to let it happen again.
“We’ll get them back,” she said. “I promise.”
Drew pulled back, and Thalia saw the tears in her eyes. She also saw a hint of fire in them, and she knew that Drew was ready and willing to rip apart anyone who got in her way.
That was fine by her; she felt the same way.
“Come on,” Thalia said, staring out into the distance. “It’s getting late; we’d better get ready for Chiron’s announcement.”
Chiron had told everyone he planned on making a grand announcement or something before dinner. She hoped it had to do with how they were going to get Percy and Luke back. She might just level camp if it’s not.
She went to the pavilion with Drew, Silena joining them soon after. Not too long after, the entire pavilion was filled to the brim, and Chiron stomped on the ground to get everyone’s attention.
“Heroes! As you all know by now, Percy Jackson and Luke Castellan were captured by the Titan army. Lord Dionysus has managed to confirm that the two are alive but captured, and we will do our utmost to get them back.”
That got everyone’s attention, and the campers started murmuring with each other. Thalia saw Connor especially look relieved and hopeful, and she felt her heart squeeze a bit. Luke loved his brother, and he and Percy were very close. She hadn’t even thought about Connor this whole time.
She’d check up with him after this announcement. It was the least she could do.
“As you also know, the Hunters are here.” That got a lot of grumbles while the hunters all looked annoyed. “It is likely we will need their help in the following task, so I expect you all to behave.”
That got a lot of muted grumbles, but everyone nodded. Thalia wasn’t exactly happy about it, but she’d swallow it for the sake of getting the mission done more easily.
“Finally, I have some grave news.” Chiron’s face was like stone, and Thalia didn’t like that. “We have reliable intel that the Titan Atlas has escaped confinement from underneath the sky.”
If a pin had dropped, it would have deafened everyone in Manhattan. Thalia didn’t know how to process that. He was the deadliest warrior the Titans had. If Atlas was now free to roam the country, they’d have to be at the top of their game.
It also didn’t help that Thalia saw Zoe go completely still. She looked terrified, and Thalia didn’t like that. For all she and Zoe didn’t get along, she knew the hunter was tough as nails.
She didn’t like the thought of something that could scare her that much.
“I know this is cause for panic, but do not despair. We will handle this immediately.” Chiron was about to speak, but his face went slack, and he cut himself off. “Impossible.”
She followed his gaze, and her eyes widened. The Oracle of Delphi was standing behind them all, and she was staring right at Zoe.
Zoe stepped forward after the Oracle spewed green mist. “What must be done?”
Thalia wished she hadn’t been there to hear the prophecy.
Five shall go west for the heroes’ plight
Rage shall cloud the chosen’s sight
The Bane of Olympus shows the trail
Campers and Hunters combined prevail
The Titan’s Curse one must withstand
And one shall spurn an enemy’s hand
The Oracle then froze in place, standing in front of all of them like it had been there for ages. Thalia stared at it, heart dropping down to her feet.
She knew things were going to be horrible; this quest would be unlike any she’d ever been on, but she knew one thing.
She was going on that quest, and no one was stopping her.
“This is pointless!”
Zoe seemed to be in one of her moods. Drew didn’t understand what was wrong with the old hunter, but it was clear she had issues.
After the Oracle gave out the prophecy, Cameron and Justin were given the task of carrying it back to the attic while all the cabin counselors and Gleeson Hedge were taken into the meeting room to discuss. When Zoe questioned why Drew was there, Thalia just shot her a glare that made the lieutenant flinch. “She stays.”
That was the end of that conversation.
After that, Zoe tried to demand that discussing the prophecy would do them no good and that they needed to go west and put Atlas back under the sky.
“And what’s your plan exactly, Nightshade?” Hedge raised his eyebrow at her. Phoebe had tried to question why he was there, with her answer being to try and tell him to leave if she wanted.
“It’s simple.” speaking of Phoebe, she stepped in at that point, nose up and condescending look primed. “We take five hunters and go west.”
“Seems you’re forgetting something, Phoebe,” Thalia said so coldly, Drew felt she was back at the casino. “The prophecy says that campers and hunters combined prevail .”
Zoe glared at her then. “We do not need your help! We can manage on our own.”
“Is that why I kicked your ass so hard you couldn’t move last time?” Thalia raised her eyebrow, and Zoe grimaced. “Besides, while you might have gotten the prophecy, you don’t have as many stakes in this as we do. We both need to put Atlas back, but it’s our leader and friend who are lost, and we’ll find them west.”
Zoe huffed. “And how do you know that for sure?”
“Because the prophecy said the heroes’ plight is in the west, moron!” Drew couldn’t hold in her anger anymore. “The prophecy told us everything we need to know, and you’re trying to fight it! You should know better than all of us what happens when someone fights a prophecy.”
Zoe turned to her with a vicious glare that would’ve made her shrink back if Thalia hadn’t been at her side. “She’s right, Nightshade. You’re trying to fight a prophecy after thousands of years of seeing what happens when you do that. Shouldn’t you know better?”
Zoe growled in frustration but nodded. “Very well; who goes on the quest then?”
“Two campers and two hunters,” Chiron stepped in, causing even Mr D. to look up. He’d come back to camp after Chiron relayed the prophecy and sat there in case things went wrong.
Zoe turned to him with a frown. “That makes it only four; the prophecy says six.”
Chiron nodded. “That is because I will accompany you on the quest, along with Gleeson.”
Drew felt herself straighten in her seat. Chiron only ever stepped in on quests when he absolutely had to. The last two summers would have been times he’d go, but he was needed elsewhere each time.
On the one hand, this meant the quest was very likely going to be a success, especially if Coach Hedge was on the quest too. On the other hand, it meant this quest was on a different level of danger if they felt they both needed to go.
Everyone else looked shocked, and all Zoe could do was nod mutely. Even she wasn’t bullheaded enough to argue with Chiron. She thought she saw a smirk on Mr. D’s face, but she decided not to think about it too much.
“Very well, who will be the two campers then?” Zoe asked, sounding a bit more subdued now.
“I’m going,” Thalia said, her tone not allowing for any argument.
Phoebe turned to her with a sneer. “Of course you are; you never did know when to let boys go, did you?”
Drew saw Zoe facepalm as Thalia shifted next to her. She didn’t need to look to know that Thalia was giving Phoebe a death glare that would paralyze a Drakon. “Say what you want, hunter; you mean nothing to me. I’m going on this quest whether you like it or not, and if you have a problem with that, you’re free to take it up with me in private.”
Phoebe tensed up and looked like she was about to dig her own grave when Zoe grabbed her arm and shot her a look. Phoebe sat down after that with no issue. “I see. Who is the other camper then?”
“Me,” Drew stood up. “I’m going on the quest.”
Zoe gave her a look she didn’t care for, but then her eyes moved over to Thalia. She grimaced and nodded. “On our end, I will be going on the quest alongside Phoebe.”
Chiron hummed in consideration. “And why would you be taking Phoebe on this quest, Miss Nightshade?”
Zoe turned to Chiron and stiffened up. “She is our best tracker and the most experienced hunter we have. She will be essential on the quest.”
Chiron nodded. “And I trust she will not cause us any problems, yes?”
Zoe shot Phoebe a look before she could talk and nodded. “I guarantee she will behave, Chiron.”
“Good; I would hate for something unfortunate to happen while we are on the quest.” he gave Phoebe a smile that promised pain if she messed around. “It is good to know that she will behave.”
“Now that we know who’s going, what about the prophecy?” Thalia mentioned. “We’ll need to make sure we know what we’re getting into.”
Chiron nodded. “Indeed; I believe the first line is evident enough. Six shall go west to save Luke and Percy, as well as return Atlas under the sky.”
“But the second line is cause for worry,” Zoe mentioned. “Who is the chosen, and what rage will cloud their sight?”
Drew couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Thalia. If anyone could get so angry, they’d lose sight of what they were doing at the moment, it was her. Still, she trusted that Thalia would manage her anger well enough for what was coming.
“It matters little,” Chiron decided. “There are any number of people, demigods or otherwise, who could be considered the chosen, and we all know how to manage our rage well enough.”
Connor Stoll stepped in then, face grim. She didn’t like him exactly, but she couldn’t deny that he was probably hurting inside. “What about that line about the Bane of Olympus? Who could that be?”
Dionysus stepped in to explain then. “It could mean any number of beings. Typhon is an option, as is Keto, but we would know whether it was one of those two. It would need to be something more subtle, less evident, small enough to escape our sight while being deadly enough to be considered our Bane. There aren’t many monsters that applies to.”
Chiron nodded grimly. “We will need to be on the lookout for anything that might count. The remaining issue comes from the last two lines.”
Drew grimaced at the thought of those, and she felt Silena put a hand on her shoulder. There weren’t many Titan curses she knew of, and the ones she did made her skin crawl. For someone to have to withstand it made her worry about who it would be.
If it had to be Percy, she didn’t know what she’d do. She couldn’t lose him, not like this.
And then there was the spurning of an enemy’s hand. Who out of them would do that? It’s not like they were being targeted for recruitment.
“It doesn’t matter,” Thalia said. “The prophecy makes no sense until it comes to pass. We have enough information now; we should get ready to go.”
Chiron sighed and nodded. “We will leave at daybreak; hopefully, we will be done by the Winter Solstice. That gives us approximately one week starting tomorrow. Meeting dismissed.”
Everyone got up and left, at which point Drew made a beeline for her cabin, needing to sleep after all that. She dropped onto her bunk and tried to rest up for the next day. She knew it was going to be rough, and she’d need every last minute of sleep.
Of course, that didn’t mean her dreams were restful.
She found herself in a closed room with no windows, what looked more like a prison cell than a room. It was gloomy, oppressive, and lonely. This wasn’t meant to hold someone, it was meant to break their spirit.
There was only one bed inside it, looking more like a sponge being placed on a slab of concrete. There was no way it could be comfortable.
But worst of all, she saw who was on the bed, and it broke her heart.
“Percy!”
He didn’t react to her, of course, sleeping like a rock, unmoving. She was worried he was hurt, but there was nothing she could do. She wasn’t really there, and he wouldn’t react to her if she tried anything.
Looking at him more closely, she noticed he was in bad shape. If she had to guess, he wouldn’t have reacted even if she had been there. He had a grey streak in his hair too, one he didn’t have before. She knew how he looked very well, and that was a new part.
“What did they do to you, Percy?”
Her question went unanswered. She tried to will herself to move towards him, but she couldn’t, finding herself rooted in place.
Just as she was wondering why she was brought to this dream, the door opened, and she turned to see the last person she wanted around him.
Annabeth, the former hunter turned traitor, walked into the room and observed Percy with a hint of admiration on her face. Drew didn’t like where this was going.
“He’s been out for three hours now,” she said with a frown. “Shouldn’t he be awake by now?”
“I mean, considering what you did to him, darling, I’d be surprised if he woke up at all.” She recognized that voice, and her stomach dropped to her feet.
Annabeth turned to give Paris a look. “Maybe, but he’s proven more resilient than most. He should have woken up by now.”
Paris shrugged. “Maybe he needs true love’s kiss to wake him up?”
That was such a Paris thing to say that Drew almost cried. It was him on the Titans’ side.
Then, the thought of Annabeth kissing Percy entered her mind, and she felt herself boiling with rage. If she dared put a finger on him, Drew would rip her apart.
Annabeth just gave him an unimpressed glare. “Even if such a thing as true love existed, I doubt a kiss would wake him up.”
She turned to Percy, and her gaze softened and shifted into something that made Drew shiver. “Besides,” she said as she brought her hand to thread her fingers in Percy’s hair. Drew had never wanted to rip someone to shreds more than she did then. “We’ve still got time.”
She let go of Percy and walked out of the room, sparing him one last glance before closing the door. Drew turned back to see that Percy looked like he was untensing slightly, and she almost cried.
“We’re coming, baby,” she found herself saying. “I promise, we’re coming.”
She woke up soon after that, finding it was still the middle of the night. She rushed into the bathroom and locked the door, trying to come down from that dream.
She didn’t know what she was going to do, but she knew she was going to save Percy no matter what it took.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of the dreams? What did you think of the new quest lineup? How do you think this quest will go?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 15: Departures
Chapter by undeath230
Notes:
Hi, hello, forgot yesterday, whoops, uh, here you go?
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The last person she expected to see was Connor Stoll.
Drew had woken up early and packed everything she could think to pack before heading to the border. It was about half an hour before daybreak, so she knew she’d be waiting for the others to show up.
Most of the others, at least, considering Thalia was already there before Drew even made it. She was staring out towards the distance with a pensive look on her face, probably due to a mix of the fact that Percy and Luke were in trouble and the fact that they needed to work with the hunters.
Drew wasn’t exactly thrilled about that herself, but she couldn’t just leave Percy like that.
Thalia turned to her when she got close and frowned. “You had a demigod dream, didn’t you?”
Drew decided not to ask how she knew that. It probably showed on her face. “Yeah, I’ll let everyone know when we all get together.”
She nodded and turned back to the distance. Drew figured it would be for the best to not ask anything else.
That was when Connor ran up the hill and made his way to the two of them, looking nervous. “I’m glad I made it in time.”
“What’s up, Connor?” Thalia took over, turning to him then.
He shifted a bit before sighing. “Just… please get them back. I know I don’t need to ask you to, but I just-” he cut himself off and turned away, blinking away tears. “Please get them back.”
Drew couldn’t help but frown. She took a step forward, putting a hand on his arm, surprising both of them. “We’ll get them back.”
The two of them never really got along, not since Connor first started pranking her four years ago, but she knew he was being genuine here. It was her boyfriend she was going to save, but it was also his brother and his best friend stuck in enemy territory.
She’d keep this promise no matter what.
He met her eyes for a moment before nodding. “Thanks.”
He brought his hand up to shake hers, and then he left, rushing back to his cabin, tense the whole way.
“Think he’ll be alright?” Drew found herself asking.
Thalia shrugged. “He’s stronger than any of us give him credit for; here’s hoping it helps.”
She nodded and went back to waiting. She knew from Percy that anything could go wrong on a quest, but she didn’t know what to expect. She didn’t think she’d get any good answers out of Thalia at the moment, and the only other quests she’d gone on had been minor missions that just went well.
She had no way to predict what she’d need to be ready for.
And yet, she knew she had to be on this quest. There was no way she’d leave Percy in the Titans’ hands, and she wasn’t going to leave him with Annabeth.
As the sun started to rise over the hills, the others started making their way towards them. Chiron and Gleeson made their way calmly while Phoebe and Zoe looked agitated. They kept shooting Thalia looks like she was going to blow up and kill them for some reason.
Then again, she didn’t look at Thalia last night, so maybe the look she’d given the two was particularly deadly. Drew didn’t know, nor did she care. As long as they didn’t cause them any trouble, she’d be fine with them.
“Are we all ready now?” Chiron asked when they were all together.
He got a series of nods, with no one in the mood to say anything. At least Drew knew she wasn’t. They’d packed everything, including prisms for iris Messages, and they needed to move now. “Good, let us be off then.”
Drew’s explanation of her dream left Thalia seeing red.
“She did what ?” Was all she could think to say when she heard the dream.
Everyone besides Chiron leaned away from her, but she was too angry to care. She’d already had enough of Annabeth, and now she’s treating Percy like he’s some sort of pet? She was going to blast that girl back to the Salem Witch Trials.
“We get that you are angry, Thalia, but perhaps you could try not to fry the van’s engine if you would be so kind,” Chiron spoke up from the driver’s seat.
They’d taken one of the camp vans that had a compartment in the driver’s seat for Chiron to slide into, and he’d taken over. Zoe tried arguing that she could drive, but he’d shot her a look that told her all she needed to know.
Thalia took some breaths as she tried to calm her powers. She looked up and looked directly at Drew. “You’re sure that’s what you saw?”
Drew nodded. “I wish I hadn’t, but that’s what she did.”
Thalia turned to the hunters in the van with them, and for once, she only had to deal with Zoe. “What’s wrong with her?”
She meant that in a lot of ways, but what she needed to know was why Annabeth would be doing any of this.
Zoe looked at her nervously, but she didn’t seem too scared. “There are many things wrong with her. While she was well-liked by most of the Hunt, I always held my suspicions towards her and saw what was for who she was, and she is… she is obsessive. Percy has likely done something to get her attention, and now she has grown obsessed with him.”
Thalia growled and sat back up straight in her seat. She didn’t like the sound of that, but there was little she could do now. “Where did you say we had to go?”
“The Smithsonian, specifically the Air and Space Museum,” Phoebe said, a bit subdued. “My tracking spell leads there.”
Thalia nodded, deciding to trust the hunter for once. She had just as much to lose as Thalia did on the grander scale, so she knew she wouldn’t be playing them.
She also never got the same feeling from her as he did from Annabeth. She wouldn’t be a traitor. That didn’t mean Thalia enjoyed being around her. Sure, Annabeth had been the hunter Thalia hated the most, but Phoebe had been a close second.
Zoe, on the other hand, was a strange case. In the past, Thalia had hated her with a burning passion going beyond just their first meeting where she said Luke would betray her. Thalia had refused to join the Hunt, and Zoe had taken it personally, attacking Thalia over and over again whenever they saw each other, but it went beyond that.
When Thalia heard what would happen at camp whenever the hunters showed up and how bad they used to get, with the fact that Zoe was a big reason why they wouldn’t get punished for it made her blood boil. She’d thought that Zoe would be the one lying to Artemis and playing up how bad the campers were to get away with all of it.
Learning that the hunters were punished for the more serious things they did and that Annabeth was the reason for most of those things helped cool Thalia off. That was the only reason she was alright with going on a quest with the lieutenant. If things hadn’t gotten less tense between them, she knew that they would have gotten on each other’s nerves too much to have a healthy quest.
Still, that didn’t mean Thalia was enjoying herself. She knew she was glaring from the fact that many monsters ran away as soon as they saw her, not even getting to see Chiron or Hedge. Though, only part of it was because of the hunters with them.
She was going to gut Annabeth when she saw her, and there was no one stopping her.
They made it to the Museum quickly, Chiron driving at top speed while manipulating the Mist to keep the authorities away from them. Getting out, Phoebe broke off to check where they needed to go next.
Drew stayed near the bus, not looking like she wanted to talk at the moment. Thalia got that, which made the fact that Zoe went up to her and seemed insistent on having a conversation especially annoying.
“You are on this quest for the son of Poseidon and the son of Hermes.” She might have meant it as a question, but it came out as a statement.
“What of it?” Thalia shot back, not in the mood for Zoe’s bullshit.
“They will fail you, you know. Men always do.” The way Zoe spoke gave her pause. Normally, she’d write this off as Zoe being Zoe and probably get angry, but she said it like she’d dealt with it before.
Any other time, she might have been curious or felt a level of sympathy towards her. As it stood, she just grunted and turned away.
“I know you do not want to hear it and that you’ve made it this far without it, but I can guarantee that it will happen. I have not met a single man who has been a good one; it would be smarter if you-”
“Leave me,” Thalia said, tone not offering any room for disagreement.
Zoe stayed for a moment, clearly weighing her options, before she left. Thalia heaved a sigh of relief; she was not in the mood to get in another fight with Zoe.
She knew it was coming; there was no way Nightshade would leave it, but as it stood, she was glad she’d pushed it.
She stood silent for a while, staring at the Smithsonian and wondering what she was going to do when they got to Mount Tam. She didn’t even have any proof that Percy and Luke would be there, only a feeling that they would be and Drew’s dream to go off of. She didn’t have a guarantee that they’d still be there when they made it.
And yet, she had no other option. She couldn’t leave them alone; she had to save them.
She didn’t know what she’d do if she didn’t.
You might not make it in time. A voice in her head said.
At first, she thought it might be Kronos trying to get to her, but she knew it wasn’t. It couldn’t be; this was just her catastrophizing. It had to be.
You know better than that. The chances of finding them both alive and well are slim to none.
“ Shut up, ” she ground out, trying to keep her voice low to not be overheard. Thankfully, the thoughts stopped there.
She was broken out of her thoughts by Chiron. “Thalia! We have our direction; come with us!”
She turned and saw the others ready to go into the Air and Space Museum, with only Chiron staying nearby. She went up to him with a blank face. “You been calling me for a while?”
“Approximately five minutes, I believe,” he said with a frown. “Are you alright, my dear?”
She shrugged. “Fine. Let’s go.”
He shot her a look that told her he didn’t believe that, and she wasn’t surprised. She would have been incredibly disappointed if he’d believed her.
Regardless, he let it drop for now and led her into the Smithsonian. They went in without issue and started looking around, keeping their eyes peeled for anything that might be of note.
That was when she noticed Thorn making his way to the Air and Space Museum. She froze, almost attacking the bastard on instinct. She only stopped because Drew grabbed her hand.
“That’s him,” she said with a hiss. “What do we do now?”
Thalia didn’t know. They needed to follow him, but they had no way of staying hidden.
She turned to Zoe. “Got any way to follow him quietly?”
Zoe nodded with a frown. “I know a spell that lets us remain untracked. We will not be invisible, but we will be difficult to find.”
Thalia nodded. “Works for me; you and I are going.”
Zoe looked at her tensely, weighing her thoughts. She finally nodded, leading Thalia to the Manticore.
They followed Thorn into a room that said something about being closed. Thalia didn’t really pay attention to the phrasing. The two took the high ground to stay as far away from the monster as possible.
They followed him until they reached a guarded door, and Zoe knocked out the guards on the door to the balcony within the room Thorn walked into. When they got in, Thalia noticed they were in a sort of open-roof general room with a sort of garden in the middle.
The two stood on an upper balcony that Thalia knew was new. The last time she’d been here it was on a quest with Luke that went somewhat poorly, with this entire section of the museum needing to be remodeled. She was glad it had been; if nothing else, it meant that people could go back to enjoying their time here.
Thalia scanned the room below and saw many faces she recognized. Alabaster was one of them, unfortunately, and he looked as smug as ever while looking at Thorn. She heard Zoe sigh in frustration next to her, and for once, the two were in agreement.
Before Alabaster could say a word, though, a powerful presence approached. Thalia felt her throat close up as her heart sank into her stomach. This was a Titan, there were no two ways about it.
She watched in horror as a massive figure built like granite strolled into the clearing. He was built like a truck, with muscles Thalia hadn’t even thought possible showing off. He was more than just a warrior, that was clear; this was the General that Thorn was talking about.
Thalia heard Zoe’s breath catch in her throat, turning to see the lieutenant had paled significantly. She looked beyond terrified, staring at the Titan with horror Thalia had only ever seen a few times in her life. And that thought terrified her.
“Report,” the Titan said, sitting in a throne below, voice deep as the earth. His mere presence felt like it had a gravity to it, strong enough to bend the world. Zoe started breathing hard, and Thalia put a hand on her shoulder. She’d never imagined she’d be the one to comfort Zoe Nightshade, but she supposed there was a first time for everything.
“The pesky campers have arrived, General,” Thorn said tensely, looking somewhat afraid.
“And who have they sent this time?” The General’s voice betrayed nothing. He was stoic, imposing, terrifying.
“There is an inconsequential daughter of Aphrodite among their ranks,” Thorn said dismissively, and Thalia had to resist the urge to jump in and throttle him. The General standing there was the only thing stopping her. “They also have two hunters, one of them being… the lieutenant.”
“ That one I know,” The General growled out, and Thorn stood up straight. She heard Zoe whimper, and Thalia had to resist the urge to hug the hunter. They’d have to address this later.
“Anyone else, Thorn?” Alabaster asked casually enough with a hint of nerves.
Thorn ignored him, which was very fair of him, but it did mean the General got annoyed. “Answer the question, worm.”
He didn’t yell, his voice still even, but the threat was there. Thorn gulped and nodded. “Thalia Grace is here as well,” the General grunted, while Alabaster paled slightly. Thalia couldn’t even feel smug; she needed to hear something about Percy and Luke.
Thorn looked irritated after that. “They also have the Bulldog with them.” his expression then shifted to one of fear. “As well as… Chiron.”
Chiron’s name made everyone in the clearing below shift nervously. Everyone except the General, who merely laughed. “So, the old horse has decided to get his hooves dirty. Interesting.”
He then stood, everyone straightening up. “Do you have the teeth I requested?”
Thorn nodded, gesturing for nearby mercenaries to come forward. “Yes, General. Teeth from the Isemian Dragon, which the mortals foolishly believe is a Tyrannosaurus.”
The General laughed. “Excellent; I have business I must attend to. I trust you know what to do.”
With that, the General left the area, and everyone could breathe again. Alabaster was the first to break the silence. “Still can’t believe you didn’t want the saber tooth tiger.”
Thorn shot him a dirty look that Thalia hated that she related to. “That would not provide us with the Spartoi required, fool. At best, you would get a Tabby Cat.”
She heard Zoe curse next to her. “Spartoi are the perfect hunters. If they are grown, they will hunt whatever scent they are given.”
Her voice was still shaky, but Thalia trusted her on that. “Then we can’t let them grow the teeth, can we?”
Without giving Zoe a chance to respond, Thalia brought out her spear and shield and jumped off the balcony, throwing herself into the middle of the frey.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Connor and Drew agreeing for once? What did you think of Thalia's anger? How do you think this quest is going to go?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 16: Like Fire, Hellfire
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Thalia Grace was going to be the death of her.
Zoë knew this from the first moment the two met, back when she refused to join the Hunt in favor of staying with that blasted son of Hermes, but she’d thought it would be something more direct.
She had never thought she’d throw herself into a battle to watch Thalia’s back.
Granted, it didn’t seem like she needed her back to be watched at first glance. Barely three seconds after she dropped in the middle of the monsters and mercenaries, she’d cut down three Laistrygonians and was working on a Scythian Dracanae right next to her. Thorn morphed into his Manticore form, eyeing Thalia warily as Alabaster scrambled to his feet.
“I’m not afraid of-” he was cut off by Thalia blasting him with lightning, which Zoë had to admit was quite cathartic.
That all happened as she was dropping from the balcony. Zoë knew Thalia was on another level from most demigods, but it never ceased to amaze her to see just how far above she was.
That was a feat only Zoë herself could accomplish among the hunters.
When she dropped, she loosed an arrow to deflect a spike from Thorn that was making its way to Thalia. The demigod turned to the Manticore and wordlessly launched herself at him, quickly pushing him back.
Without vulnerable demigods to target, the Manticore wasn’t anywhere near strong enough to handle Thalia alone, especially not when she was so enraged. Zoë felt something in the air shift quickly, then as her eyes widened.
Thalia was creating her own magnetic field.
The last child of Zeus to be able to do that had been a terror on the battlefield. She’d never faced him in battle, but she’d seen the aftermath of when he used it.
Mortals blamed it on the Eruption of Thera at the time.
To think that Thalia Grace could do the same filled her with dread. Just how much control did she have over this ability of hers?
It didn’t take long before Alabaster got up and started throwing up as a result of the field. It was satisfying to watch, and Zoë would have stayed and watched had she not had to fight off all the mortal mercenaries.
“Blasted demigod!” Her attention was taken by the Manticore yelling at the top of his lungs. She turned to see Thalia had cut off his tail and was not slowing down, jabbing her spear in his shoulder and charging electricity through it.
She was truly the daughter of Zeus.
The field got more intense, and Zoë could see some loose objects floating around. A pen, the dragon teeth, Alabaster Torrington.
Wait, what?
Alabaster was floating. Just how powerful was this field?
Zoë turned to see the mortal mercenaries also floating in the air, looking completely out of it. Were they dead? Were they alive? How was she still conscious?
She turned to Thalia, who had slowed down, now glaring down at the Manticore. “Where are they? Where are Percy and Luke? ”
The monster was shaking like a leaf now, but he refused to budge. “You might as well kill me, girl. I will say nothing!”
“Gladly,” Thalia growled, and Zoë felt her fight-or-flight instinct activate despite her not being the target.
Before Thalia could do anything, though, a menacing aura descended around them. He had returned.
“You are deadlier than you appear, girl.” He stood on the opposite side of the room, staring at them with a sort of amusement mortals watch hamsters. “I can see why Lord Kronos wishes for you to join our cause.”
Thalia froze and turned to her Fa- the General, with a snarl. “I’ll never join Kronos!”
He smirked. “We shall see.”
Thalia roared and called a lightning bolt to the middle of the room, destroying the ground in front of them as well as the teeth and creating enough of a distraction for her to grab Zoë, who was standing motionless, and run out of the room.
They weren’t followed, which made her more anxious than relieved. She couldn’t think of many reasons why they were allowed to get away, but it didn’t matter. They were far away from them, and that was what mattered.
She couldn’t think, she couldn’t move, she could barely breathe. He couldn’t be here. He couldn’t be. It wasn’t fair.
Why was this happening? How could this be happening? What was going on?
She distantly heard someone call her name, but she didn’t know who it was. She felt like she was under water, like she was suffocating, and there was no way for her to be saved.
“Zoë!” She felt hands on her shoulders, a firm grip getting her attention. She looked around and found Thalia looking at her with a worried expression. Why would she be worried?
“Zoë, can you hear me?” She kept her voice calm, which was nice to hear. She nodded, and Thalia sighed. “Can you list off five things you can see?”
Ah, I’m having a panic attack.
Normally, she wouldn’t be particularly happy about looking weak in front of Thalia Grace, but at the moment, she didn’t care. She followed Thalia as she guided her through the grounding exercise, and by the end, Zoë felt tired.
“What happened, Zoë?” Thalia’s voice was firm but not judging. She didn’t pity Zoë, which was appreciated, but she sounded concerned.
“He’s here. The General really is here,” she said, voice shaking.
Thalia nodded. “Who’s the General?”
“Atlas,” Zoë’s voice quivered as she answered. “The General is Atlas.”
Thalia cursed and shook her head. “Alright, we’re dealing with Atlas. I’m guessing you have a history there?”
“Please don’t make me say it,” Zoë found herself whispering. Barely a week ago, she wouldn’t have believed it if she’d been told she’d be relying on Thalia Grace for emotional support, but her Fa- the General was a sore spot for her.
Thalia pressed her lips in a thin line and nodded, squeezing Zoë’s shoulder once before letting her go. “We have to get back to the others. You good to go?”
Zoë took a deep breath and nodded. “Let’s get back to the others.”
The two made their way back to the group, hoping that things would go smoothly.
Which, of course, meant it was the perfect time to find Chiron fighting the Nemean Lion.
Thalia was getting close to just blasting the Smithsonian out of existence.
The only thing stopping her was the fact that it would mean Zoë, Hedge, and Drew would be caught in the crossfire. She had no doubt Chiron could make it out alright, and she didn’t care about Phoebe all that much. She wouldn’t have cared about Zoë either, but after their meeting with Atlas, she couldn’t help but feel slightly worried about the lieutenant.
She didn’t show it, of course, knowing it wouldn’t be appreciated, but she wasn’t going to lump her in with Phoebe of all people. Even before, she knew Zoë wasn’t as annoying as Phoebe, but now, she didn’t want to kill her anymore.
She supposed that was progress.
What she couldn’t count as progress was the fight with the Lion. Most monsters would barely register on Chiron’s radar, with even Drakons being handled easily. The Nemean Lion, on the other hand, was a beast only Heracles beat, and with the stories she’d heard, it wasn’t an easy fight.
It didn’t help that Chiron’s skillset did not help him much against this monster, with his arrows bouncing off against the Lion’s skin harmlessly.
On the other hand, it was clear the monster couldn’t do anything to Chiron either. It would swipe and claw at him, but hit nothing but air, Chiron moving around so quickly he left afterimages of himself. This was a stalemate if she’d ever seen one.
Thalia called lightning from within her and blasted it out at the Lion, sending it flying into a space shuttle, knocking it down. Chiron didn’t bother turning to her as he addressed her. “I see you are back. I am afraid we will have to wait before addressing whatever it was you saw; we have some issues that need to be resolved.”
Thalia nodded, watching as the Lion slowly recovered. “Any idea how we kill it?”
“Heracles strangled it to death, but I am afraid none of us are strong enough to do that, regardless of what Gleeson may claim,” Chiron said evenly as Thalia heard Zoë growl. “The inside of its mouth is weak, however, so one good shot there should work.”
“What’s the problem then?” Zoë asked, readying herself as the Lion roared in anger.
“The beast knows its weakness well and covers for it. It keeps its mouth shut whenever I am in position to take a shot, and Phoebe is not as good an archer as you are, lieutenant.”
Zoë sighed, muttering something about needing to up Phoebe’s training before nocking an arrow. “And the others?”
“Gleeson is dealing with an assortment of Scythian Dracanae, and young Drew handled the mortals, taking them away from the battlefield,” Chiron said with a hint of pride.
Thalia brought out her spear and Aegis once again and readied herself for the fight. “I’ll keep Garfield busy; you two look for an opening.”
She didn’t wait to hear their response, charging in and meeting the Lion halfway. The beast flinched at the sight of her Aegis, so it was good to know it still worked even against a monster of this level.
The Lion was faster than she’d thought it would be. On a normal day, she knew she’d barely be able to keep up with it, but this wasn’t a normal day. The monster tried, but it couldn’t hit her, claws bouncing off her Aegis as she jabbed at its skin, trying to rile it up.
She formed another magnetic field, not caring what it’d do to her at this stage, and the monster looked uncomfortable. It didn’t slow down, though, swiping at her like there was no tomorrow.
She knew if she ramped up the level, she could take out the monster, but she didn’t want to risk the others. Zoë managed to handle her field well enough, but Drew and Hedge were here somewhere, and she couldn’t risk them.
Instead, she switched to lightning bolts. They seemed to be the thing the Lion hated the most, as it glared at her with every blast. Thalia kept up the pressure, refusing to let up; she had to create an opening for Chiron and Zoë to kill this thing.
She would have liked to taunt the monster, but her thoughts were empty. They needed to get to Luke and Percy as soon as possible, and this thing was in the way. She stopped thinking and only fought, tearing the thing apart.
She jabbed and bashed it with her shield; she launched bolt after bolt at it, knocking it back. She’d never been as angry with any monster she fought as she was now.
The Lion was already dead, it just didn’t know it yet.
She saw a hanging capsule of sorts, not too far from them, big enough to be used as a blunt object to crush the monster. She pushed the Lion back towards it, lining it up so it was in its shadow.
The Lion stopped and glared at her. At least, she thinks it glared at her. Thalia didn’t care, sending a bolt up to the capsule to knock it off, dropping it on the Lion’s head.
She couldn’t find it in her to care that she’d just destroyed part of an exhibit. Right now, all that mattered was finding Luke and Percy; anything else was secondary.
The Lion stood from the wreckage, launching bits of it in every direction, and roared at her in anger, which was exactly what she’d hoped would happen. Seconds later, multiple arrows made their way into the monster’s mouth, surprising it long enough for even more to make their way. Soon after, the Lion was dead, and its pelt was left on the floor.
She felt nothing with this victory. Logically, she knew that the Nemean Lion was a powerful ten, one that most would struggle to survive against, never mind beat, and here she was, no worse for wear. She should feel proud of this accomplishment, but it meant nothing to her.
She knew that she should feel some sort of regret for the damage they caused, but she still felt nothing. She looked at the pelt with no emotion.
She felt someone walk up behind her, and she turned to find Zoë looking at her with a hint of worry in her eyes. She looked like she had a thousand things to tell Thalia, but she focused on the pelt. “It is yours.”
Thalia blinked. “You and Chiron killed it.”
Zoë just shook her head. “It was you who held it off so we could get the shots in. Besides, I would rather not use that myself.”
Thalia had a feeling there was a story behind that, but she decided she was better off not asking. At least for now.
She picked up the pelt and put it around her, the Mist turning it into a floor-length duster. It was light as a feather, but she knew it was impenetrable. “Useful.”
Zoë gave it a conflicted look before shaking her head. “I imagine it would be. Now come, we must go.”
Thalia nodded and followed Zoë without any question, not meeting Chiron or Drew’s eyes as she made her way onto the van. They had to keep going, but Thalia couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something she was missing.
Atlas had made it sound like she’d end up joining Kronos, but she didn’t know why. They had to have something against her, but the only thing she could think of was Percy and Luke’s status. They had to still be alive, but that didn’t mean they’d be alright. That could only mean one thing.
The Titans planned to use her family against her, and she didn’t know how. She had to get to them before it was too late.
Percy woke up in an empty room.
It was more than just empty of people, but it was completely empty. It only had one bed in it, with no tables, chairs, or even windows. It was a blank cell, made to hold someone in, not caring for their comfort.
The last thing Percy remembered was taking the sky off her shoulders and being left there. She’d said help was coming, but he couldn’t remember anything else. Considering he was now in this room, he supposed that he did get help.
He just wished he knew who it was.
He tried to get up but found he could barely move. His limbs felt like they were on fire, and his head felt heavy.
“I see you’re up,” a voice called to him, and Percy struggled to turn his head.
He saw Will Solace standing at the doorstep, eyeing him with something resembling pity. “I was expecting you to stay out for a few more hours at least.”
“How… long?” Percy barely managed to get out, not expecting an answer.
Will shrugged. “Something in the realm of five hours more or less; I’m impressed.”
Percy didn’t see how he was awake, considering what he’d done. He had many questions, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t get the answers to them.
He did get the answer to one, though, when she came behind Will. “You can leave him to me, Will. I’ll take it from here.”
Percy tensed even more than he’d already been. He flashed back to the summer when she held him, Luke, and Thalia captive. He’d been scared then, knowing they were at her mercy, but he knew Luke and Thalia were there too. They could fight their way out easily and get them out of that spot.
Now, he could barely move, he could barely think, he could barely get away from her. He was at her complete mercy, and there was no escape.
What does she want with me?
“Don’t frown like that, Seaweed Brain; your face’ll stick,” she strolled up and sat at the edge of the bed, smirking at him.
Percy didn’t say a thing, trying his best to glare at her, but he couldn’t meet her eyes. She laughed as she saw this, looking at him like he was an amusing puppy. “You’re cute when you glare, you know that?”
Percy tried to shift away from her, but he still couldn’t move. Whatever she wanted to do, he couldn’t stop her. He prepared himself for a dagger to come, for her hands to squeeze around his throat, for her to kill him right there.
What he wasn’t prepared for was for her hand to gently cup his face, for move closer to him and give him a look of hunger, for her to shift her smile to something both soft and terrifying. “You’re mine.”
Percy felt his blood run cold. He looked at her more closely and saw something shift in her eyes. The gentle hand on his face went to thread itself in his hair as Percy tried to move away.
He couldn’t.
“All of you will be mine,” she continued, playing with his hair as she saw fit. Percy shivered at her tone, suddenly terrified. He wanted to get as far away from her as he could, but he couldn’t move.
“I don’t care how long it takes, but you’ll learn,” she said, fingers tightening in his hair and pulling slightly. It wasn’t enough to hurt, but it was enough to get the message across. “I’ll make sure of it.”
She moved around so she was right over his face, looking down at him with a smile that was both soft and predatory, something Percy didn’t understand but filled him with dread regardless. “You’ll be mine, Percy Jackson.”
She leaned down, and Percy tried to run away, but he couldn't. She pressed her lips to his cheek as bile rose in his throat. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t push her away. All he could do was stay in place until she was done.
She pulled back quickly, but it was still too long. She got up and made her way to the door, shooting Percy one last look before leaving. “You’d best get used to this, Percy. You’ll be in here until you learn your place.”
She left, and Percy started crying. Try as he might, he couldn’t stop the tears. He was alone with a monster like none he’d ever met before.
And there was no one around to save him.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Zoe's thoughts in the fight? What did you think of Thalia's dominance? What did you think of Annabeth?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 17: Tensions Rising
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Thalia was starting to worry Drew before she even collapsed.
She knew why the daughter of Zeus was acting this way, but this went beyond what anyone could have expected. Thalia was tearing apart every monster she ran into with brutal efficiency and didn’t seem to care about either collateral or herself.
That last part was especially true given how she just collapsed as soon as she walked onto the bus. It seems she’d run herself ragged in the last fight; she’d never seen Thalia look that exhausted before, and it was a bit disconcerting.
And yet, she couldn’t blame her exactly. Drew hadn’t exactly paced herself at the Smithsonian, charmspeaking until her voice went hoarse getting all the mortals to move away from the area. She hadn’t wanted to resort to that, but they weren’t listening otherwise, dismissing her concerns at first until she turned up her charm.
She didn’t know what Percy would say about that. She didn’t know how she felt about it herself yet, but if it meant they could complete this quest, she supposed she could let it slide.
She’d take Percy yelling at her for using her powers like that if it meant he was safe from Annabeth.
She sat by the window, staring at the passing scenery and trying to ignore the hunters in the bus with her. Zoë had gotten better than she was before, which wasn’t saying much given she was still insufferable, but there wasn’t much she could do about that. She seemed more subdued after coming back from the Smithsonian, but it didn’t matter to her.
What did was that Phoebe was also there, and she was as insufferable as ever. She spent the whole ride up to the Smithsonian heckling her and Thalia about their reasons for joining the quest. Thalia didn’t look like she was paying any attention to her the whole time, so Phoebe ended up turning her attention to Drew.
That meant Drew spent a good chunk of this trip trying her best not to attack the redheaded hunter, which was harder to do than she’d expected. Phoebe kept telling her that she was an idiot for trusting Percy, that she should just give up because she’s a daughter of Aphrodite, and more things that just made her blood boil.
Chiron put a stop to any fighting between quest members, though, so Drew couldn’t do much more than just insult Phoebe back, but there wasn’t anything she could say that got to her. It didn’t help that her mind was elsewhere the whole time, worried about Percy.
She ended up cutting back on the jabs after they got back, though, focused more on Zoë than she was on Drew.
“So,” Chiron said as he drove them west. She didn’t notice what road he was taking, too lost to really pay attention. “Did you learn anything useful, Lieutenant?”
Zoë nodded and turned to address the others. “The General is Atlas, as I’m sure you already knew, Chiron.”
Chiron nodded, and Drew could feel him grow more grim at the news. “I had suspected but had hoped I was wrong. What else did you learn?”
“They tried growing Spartoi; Thalia stopped them.” It sounded like there was more to the story than that, but Zoë wasn’t going to reveal it.
Drew turned to Phoebe then whose face had paled significantly. The knowledge that they were dealing with Atlas wasn’t fun to say the least, but she didn’t understand why Phoebe was looking at Zoë in horror. “Are you sure it was Atlas?”
“I am, Phoebe,” Zoë said tightly. “Much as I wish I were wrong, I’m not. Atlas is here.”
“Who do they have under the sky then?” Hedge said, sounding more subdued than usual.
“I don’t know,” Zoë said with a sigh. “I get the feeling we will not like the answer.”
Drew felt a pool of dread settle in her stomach. She shifted a bit before asking the question she wished hadn’t come to her mind. “Would Atlas’s punishment count as the Titan’s Curse?”
Chiron seemed to tense up slightly as Zoë’s eyes widened. “Yes, my dear. I am afraid it would.”
She nodded, leaving it at that. She didn’t want to consider what withstanding the Titan’s Curse might mean in the prophecy, but if it meant someone had to take Atlas’s punishment…
She shook her head, throwing those thoughts out. That didn’t matter now; what did was getting to Percy and Luke and finishing this quest.
If that meant they had to fight Atlas, then so be it.
“He’s been at this for a while now, hasn’t he?”
Will nodded at Bentley as he looked at Luke with some level of renewed respect. “About six hours now. I didn’t think it’d be possible for anyone to hold it for that long.”
“It’s a test of character and will, if I remember correctly,” Paris sounded bored. “Not you, of course, Sunshine, but actual will.”
Will rolled his eyes, not dignifying Paris with a reply to that. “We’ll need to get him out of there to treat him soon. I don’t think he’ll last much longer than this.”
Paris hummed. “Then why don’t you take his spot?”
“I’m the one who’ll be healing him, Paris,” Will said in slight irritation. “If I’m under the sky, Luke won’t be able to take his spot back.”
Paris huffed. “Please, you just don’t want to take it yourself.”
Will rolled his eyes again. “Will you shut up?”
“You’re welcome to try and make me, darling.”
Will wanted to smack the smirk off his face, but he held it in. “Why don’t you bring in Alabaster to take the sky?”
They were all silent for a moment before Will shook his head. “Yeah, almost couldn’t say it with a straight face. And now that I said it, it wasn’t even that funny.”
“I’ll take the sky,” Bentley cut in before Paris could say anything.
Paris turned to him, wide-eyed. “ What? ”
“You heard me,” Bentley said stoically as he strolled up to Luke. “Someone has to do it, and it can’t be Will, so I will.”
Bentley then took the sky from Luke. Paris wasted no time and rushed in and held up the sky next to Bentley.
Will rolled his eyes as he went over to Luke’s prone body, dragging him away from the others so he could work on him. “I swear, those two are more oblivious than you and Thalia.”
Luke didn’t answer, being completely out of it at the moment, which was fine by Will. If Luke had been awake, he didn’t want to know what the son of Hermes would have done.
Will got to work on him, healing him slightly, making sure not to heal him too much. If he healed Luke enough, they were all dead, no two ways about it, but if he didn’t heal him enough, he wouldn’t be able to take the sky again.
It didn’t take long before Luke’s eyes opened again, which almost startled Will. “You’re more resilient than I thought.”
“Bastard,” Luke barely managed to get out.
Will scoffed. “That’s literally all of us. Come up with something better.”
Luke grunted but didn’t say anything. It seemed like it took all he had just to say that, which was fine by Will. It just meant he could focus on healing Luke.
Most of his old healing came from praying to Apollo, which he knew he couldn’t do now. Instead, he was using his own energy to heal Luke, which was more taxing but would be worth it in the end.
“You’re really something else, Castellan,” Will said with a smirk. “I can’t think of many who could still be conscious after all that.”
Luke glared at him, and Will couldn’t help but shiver slightly at the look in his eyes. He knew he was safe, but that didn’t make Luke any less unnerving.
“You’re not as scary when you’re on the ground like that,” Will said with a forced smirk. “Don’t forget, I’m the one healing you. And as soon as you get better, you’re going back under the sky.”
“What’s forcing me?” He already sounded a bit better, if a bit too out of breath for Will’s liking.
“We still have Percy, don’t forget. As long as you take the sky again, he won’t get hurt.”
“Why should I trust you?” Luke spat out.
Will just shrugged. “You have no reason to, but I can guarantee that Percy will die if you don’t take the sky back.”
Luke growled but seemed to accept that, which was good. Will didn’t have too many other options to get him back under there.
“You’ve always been one to care about campers,” Will said suddenly. “Problem was, you didn’t care enough.”
He wasn’t sure why he was saying any of this, but he found himself unloading as he healed Luke. “Dozens of unclaimed kids just rotting away, and you did nothing. Kids who just wanted a family, and you didn’t care. You went and found yourself a mortal family, and they stayed at camp, withering away while no one cared.”
Luke just glared at him, but he had a hint of recognition in his eyes. Will didn’t pay attention to that. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you all this. Maybe I’m hoping you’ll come around, maybe I just need to tell someone. It’s not like Chase’ll care, not about demigods.”
Luke scoffed but said nothing. Will found himself getting tired healing Luke. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been at it, but he hoped it wasn’t too long. He wasn’t sure how long Paris and Bentley could keep this up.
Strong as they were, neither one of them could hold a candle to Luke.
A few moments later, Will stepped back, and Luke stood up on his own. Will’s eyes widened as he saw that, not believing his eyes. “How are you up?”
“Fuck you, that’s how,” Luke didn’t even look at him as he marched to the sky and took it off of Paris and Bentley’s shoulders. The two dropped to the floor, suddenly exhausted.
“You two alright?” Will asked them as they struggled slightly to walk towards him.
“We’ll manage,” Bentley said, wiping sweat off his forehead.
Paris just nodded, turning to look at Luke with a level of respect Will hadn’t expected him to be capable of.
Luke just glared at all of them. “I’ll make you all regret this.”
Will had no doubt that if he’d managed to get out from under the sky, he’d do exactly that.
Bianca found herself enjoying camp.
It wasn’t perfect by any means, especially not with her tour being less than stellar, but she supposed she couldn’t really blame anyone for that. She’d been there to see what led to this, and she supposed this would count as extenuating circumstances.
Despite this, the campers still there did their best to show her and Nico around, showing them the lava wall, which Bianca had to stop Nico from rushing to climb, the arena, the pavilion, and just about everything she’d need to know about camp.
She was also shown the temples off to the side where the Olympians were honored. They weren’t exactly extravagant, but she could feel a presence in them that she had never felt before.
She didn’t feel particularly drawn to any of them, but she understood their significance. She found a lot of campers spending a lot of time there, and she had a feeling she knew what they were praying for.
She saw Connor Stoll walk out of one of the temples, the temple to Hermes, she believed it was, and he looked completely lost. He saw her and his eyes widened.
“Ah, Bianca, what’s up?” he shuffled a bit awkwardly, but she didn’t think much of it.
“Hermes cabin has archery now, but we can’t go without you,” Bianca tilted her head. “Everything alright?”
She didn’t expect him to answer her. Despite the fact that they’d gotten along well enough over the past few days, they weren’t exactly friends. It didn’t help that Connor was clearly not in any state to socialize at the moment.
“Uh, yeah, all’s good,” he gave her a tense smile that she accepted. She figured it would be best not to push him.
The two of them made their way back to the Hermes cabin to handle their activities. The whole time, Bianca noticed Connor kept shooting her looks like he wanted to say something, but was too nervous to come out with.
She didn’t know what it could be. The most she’d gotten about Connor was that Silena said he was a bit of a prankster, but he didn’t seem like he’d be pranking anyone at the moment. He looked more scared than anything else.
She went up to him after they were done with archery and tried her luck. “Something you wanna tell me, Connor?”
He froze and looked at her for a moment before sighing. “Less that and more… can you tell me what happened before they were captured?”
Bianca blinked before frowning. “Luke and the other kid, right? Percy?”
Connor nodded. “Yeah. You were there, and I don’t know if I should ask your brother, considering he’s just a kid.”
“Why?”
Connor tensed for a moment, seeming to consider something before slumping. “Percy’s my best friend, and Luke’s my brother. I just- I need to know what happened. Thalia was too busy to talk to, and Drew and I aren’t usually on speaking terms, so I was hoping maybe you could help.”
Bianca nodded, gesturing to the arena. “Let’s go somewhere more private. This isn’t something you’ll want everyone hearing.”
Connor nodded and followed her nervously. Maybe she should have been a bit more hesitant to spend time alone with him, but she didn’t feel anything off about Connor.
He just sounded worried, and she could understand that. She didn’t want to know what she’d do if Nico had been the one lost.
When they got to the arena, she was glad to find no one there. She turned to Connor then who looked even more nervous than before, standing near one of the walls. “What do you want to know?”
“What happened? How did it happen? Why did it happen? Just-” he took a deep breath and slumped against the wall, dropping to the floor. “Why them?”
Bianca went and sat next to him, not touching him in any way but hoping it would help provide some form of comfort. He seemed to relax slightly, which was good. “I didn’t really understand what was going on, but Percy jumped on the monster’s back when it lunged at Thalia. When the monster jumped off the cliff, Luke went right after them.”
He nodded, hugging his legs and resting his head on his knees. “Anything else happen?”
She tried to remember if there was anything worth mentioning before nodding. “Yeah, Thorn said something about a blond girl wanting Percy alive.”
Connor tensed for a moment before scoffing. “Of course she would.”
“What?” Bianca felt a bit curious.
Connor paused for a moment before he turned to her and shook his head. “Nothing too important, I guess. Just a crazy girl we’re fighting. Probably wants him alive because she thinks she can get him to join her.”
Bianca nodded, hesitantly putting a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure they’ll be fine.”
He looked at her for a long moment before sighing. “I don’t think fine’s the word for it, but you’re right in a way. They’ll be back, and we can go from there.”
Bianca stood up then, extending a hand to help Connor up, too. They made their way back to the cabins when Bianca noticed some of the hunters were shooting her looks. “What’s up with them?”
Connor scoffed. “Probably mad you’re hanging out with me.”
Her eyes narrowed at the hunters then. “Why would they be?’
“Didn’t Thalia tell you about them?”
“Not too much,” Bianca shrugged. “Just that you guys don’t get along with them, they hunt monsters, and are immortal.”
Connor nodded. “All that’s true, I guess, but they can also be vindictive and petty. Past few years, we were at each other’s throats because of her , but things are still pretty tense. They also love recruiting girls from camp into their ranks, and some of the older hate it whenever they’re rejected.”
Bianca frowned. “But they didn’t extend an offer to me.”
He shrugged, shooting the hunters a quick glare. “I don’t know what they think half the time, but maybe they were planning on it after this whole mess was over. Seeing you walk out with a boy probably won’t help your chances.”
“Would joining them be worth it?” She had to admit, it sounded almost appealing.
Connor tensed for a moment before shaking his head. “I’m not the guy you should be asking. Chiron once told me I hate them too much to be the guy to give someone advice about joining the Hunt, so you’re better off asking someone else.”
Bianca nodded, deciding to shelve that for later. Then again, Thalia didn’t seem to like them much either, and Luke trusted her.
Luke had looked after her and Nico at Westover for a few months, and she grew to trust him, and if he trusted Thalia, she figured she could trust her too. She’d wait until Thalia came back and ask her for advice on the matter.
She just hoped Thalia did come back.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Drew's resolve? What did you think of Luke's? Any comments on Bianca at camp?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 18: This Fire in my Skin
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Reyna was getting tired of guard duty.
She understood it was important, but wasn’t there anything else she could be doing? She wasn’t made for standing for hours on end just watching a whole bunch of nothing.
She supposed Jason being there helped a bit, but it wasn’t exactly fun, especially when they ran out of things to talk about.
Which wasn’t to say Jason was a bad conversationalist; he was decent enough on a good day, but he had a habit of being so focused on his orders that he got a bit tough to talk to.
She didn’t get much out of him besides a few hums and grunts, so she decided to stop trying.
At least until he started talking to her. “You look worried.”
She hadn’t noticed she was starting to frown. She couldn’t explain why, but she felt something was wrong, like something bad was happening.
“Just a feeling,” she said, hoping he’d drop the subject.
He did, though he didn’t stop talking, which she did appreciate. “Tell me a bit about those demigods you ran into.”
She hummed quietly, wondering how much she should tell him. She didn’t think she should tell him everything, but she figured it wouldn’t hurt to tell him a bit about Percy at least. She did need to know one thing first. “Keep this between us?”
He smiled at her. “It’ll be our secret.”
“One of them was about our age,” she said, shifting her gaze to the horizon. “He’s strong but kind, and a bit crazy,” she tilted her head as she turned back to Jason. “You kind of remind me of him in a way.”
Jason raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
“You’re both strong, kind, a pain in my ass,” Jason laughed and Reyna found herself smiling. “You both have leadership qualities in different ways. Not really sure how to explain it.”
Jason shrugged. “I’ll take it. You worried about him?”
“I haven’t heard from him in months,” she said with a shrug. “He can take care of himself, but I guess I can’t help it.”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Jason gave her a smile, and she found herself believing him.
Whatever Percy was going through, she was sure he’d be alright. She just hoped he wasn’t suffering too much.
“You have really pretty eyes.”
Percy woke up to her hovering over his bed again.
“My own Helen,” she said with a smile, bringing her hand to his hair. “Except I’ll turn anyone who tries to take you from me into another Paris of Troy.”
He was able to move this time, trying to shove her away, but she just grabbed his arms and pinned them over his head.
“I’ll give you this much, you’re more resilient than you look,” she smirked at him as he barely managed to struggle against her grip. “Anyone else would’ve still been catatonic right now.”
“What did you do to me?” It took everything he had just to say that, but he managed to get it out clearly.
She didn’t lose her smirk as she shifted her face to be right above his again. “Just a little something to make sure you can’t be difficult.”
She brought one of her hands to trace a finger down his cheek, her other hand holding down his arms in their place. “You’ll be nothing more than a mortal with that in your system. It was something I made to be an equalizer of sorts, something to weaken your camp last summer, but I couldn’t get enough of it done. I’d say it’s doing its job well, though.”
She pulled back then, letting him go and moving away from his field of view. Percy struggled to sit up, just about managing to push himself up and leaning against the wall next to his bed. It took him a few minutes he thought to manage it, so by the time he did, Annabeth was already leaning against the wall near the door.
She clapped slowly, giving him a smile that chilled his soul. “Not bad, Percy. You’re more than you look.”
She walked back to him and stopped at the edge of his bed. “What do you want with me?”
“Same thing I wanted last summer and the summer before that,” she said quickly. “And, I want you to be all mine.”
She didn’t hide what she wanted, but that made her terrifying. “Please, I just want to go home. Please, don’t hurt me.”
She frowned and made her way closer to him, sitting right next to him as he tried to move away. Quicker than he could react, she’d grabbed him and held him tightly, not letting him move. She moved closer to his ear and whispered lowly. “I don’t want to hurt you, Percy, but you’ve left me no choice.”
He whimpered and tried to struggle in her grip, but she was stronger than he was at the moment. She brought a hand to his back and rubbed it gently, and Percy tried his best not to throw up. “It doesn't have to be this hard, you know? You can just join me, and it’ll all be over.”
He didn’t answer, too scared to open his mouth. She pulled back and let him go, giving him a disappointed look.
“You really like making things hard for me, don’t you, Seaweed Brain?” She sighed and gave him a look of disappointment. “Why do you keep doing this to yourself?”
“You’re just as bad as them,” he whispered, hoping she’d hear him, knowing she’d understand what he meant.
Her glare intensified, and her hand quickly made its way across his face.
His head snapped around, and he felt the sting on his cheek burn. He slowly turned back to her, and she hadn’t stopped glaring at him.
She grabbed his shirt then and pulled him close so her face was barely an inch from his. “You ever compare me to a demigod again, and I’ll make you regret every being born.”
She pushed him back, and he dropped onto the bed, hoping she’d leave then. When he didn’t hear any footsteps, he shifted around, hoping he’d be able to see what was going on.
Unfortunately, he found her standing right over his head. “You’ll learn your place, Jackson. I’ll make sure of it.”
She then turned and stormed out of the room, leaving Percy alone again.
“Luke, Thalia, please help me,” he whispered out to the room.
But no one came.
Thalia missed the bus.
It wasn’t long after she woke up that they had to leave it to get away from the mercenary helicopters after Chiron told her she couldn’t blast it in the middle of the city, with the resulting collateral being too much.
Instead, they took multiple subways and made it to the middle of nowhere. It was the middle of an industrial area with only an empty railway track nearby. It had taken them the entirety of the day and most of the night to get there, which was annoying.
They were stranded with no way forward, and it made Thalia angry. They had to keep going, but they had no other way than walking at this point. There was nothing they could do, though.
She almost lost it right then and there.
Percy and Luke were held captive by that girl, and she was wandering in the cold and snow, not doing anything to help. They could be tortured, they could be…
Get out of my head! She refused to believe that they were gone. She’d find them again if it were the last thing she did.
They took a break for a few hours, having spent over a day just moving. Thalia used that time to rest as best she could, knowing that things were going to get much worse going forward.
They got up after and trudged through the snow, hoping to find a moving train, but all they could see were empty cars covered in snow. Those wouldn’t be any help.
It wasn’t until they found a homeless guy sitting in front of a trash can on fire. He turned to them with a smile that showed exactly three teeth. “Come on over, strangers. There’s enough fire to go around.”
Thalia didn’t see any reason why she should say no, so she just plopped next to the fire as everyone else looked more wary. She then saw Chiron’s expression shift from wariness to a mix of relief and a completely unimpressed look, so she figured they were fine.
“What do we do now?” Drew asked miserably. Thalia rested a hand on her shoulder, and she huddled closer to the daughter of Zeus. Out of everyone on this quest, she was the least prepared for one and probably the most terrified, and Thalia couldn’t blame her.
This was her first major high-stakes quest. If she’d been any less afraid, Thalia would have been worried about her mental state.
“We must find a way forward,” Chiron said. “Luckily, I believe we might just have a way.”
Thalia was about to ask when the homeless guy laughed. “Yeah, I think you might have a way. You lot going west?”
Thalia turned with a frown. “Yeah, how’d you know?”
He ignored her and pointed to the freight train nearby. “That train’s a one-way trip west. You’ll want to be fast about it though, it’s leavin’ soon.”
Thalia turned and found it was free of snow. She blinked before shrugging. “Better than nothing. Thank-” she cut herself off when she noticed the homeless guy was gone. She frowned and turned to Chiron. “Can we trust this gift?”
Chiron nodded with a smile. “I doubt Lord Apollo would steer us wrong on this quest.”
Thalia hid her shock as she heard Zoë give out a soft ‘oh’ at the thought that the homeless guy had been Apollo. She wasn’t sure why Apollo stepped in to help, but she wasn’t going to say no.
The group all made their way to different cars on the train except for Chiron. He stood in an empty spot where a car could fit instead, keeping an eye out for any monsters that might be on the way.
She might have counted eighty arrows being shot as they made their way west, and those were just the arrows she had the time to see. She had no doubt that many more were already dead.
Drew and Gleeson sat in one car while Phoebe and Zoë took another, leaving Thalia alone in what looked like a sports car. She imagined Luke would know the model and the year it was made, but she’d never paid too much attention herself.
She sighed as she thought of Luke. He’d been her best friend for years now, and he’d never failed her. She couldn’t help but feel that she was failing him this time around, a feeling that had haunted her since seeing him fall off the cliff. She’d never felt so lost before.
She didn’t understand what she was feeling at the moment either. She knew she was lost because Luke was gone, but there was something else she didn’t entirely recognize, and it was driving her crazy.
A knock on the window across from her pulled her out of her thoughts. She turned and saw Zoë Nightshade standing there, silently asking for permission to enter. Thalia figured she didn’t have anything to lose and unlocked the door, letting her in.
“What’s up?” She hoped she sounded casual enough, but judging from Zoë’s face, she didn’t.
“I wanted to check up on you,” Zoë said with a frown. “You looked a bit out of it back with Lord Apollo.”
Thalia bit the inside of her cheek; apparently, she hadn’t hidden her emotions well enough. “I’m fine. He always been like that?”
She hoped Zoë would change the subject, not exactly in the mood to talk about the whirlwind she was feeling. Zoë gave her a look but just shook her head. “He’s been… different ever since the Oracle was corrupted.”
“How so?”
“Before that, Lord Apollo was a bit more relaxed. He had a habit of making jokes, being more playful around the Hunt, annoying Lady Artemis to no end.” Zoë sounded nostalgic about that time. She hid it well, but it was clear she’d give anything to see Apollo act like that again. “And yet, everything changed at the end of World War II.”
Thalia nodded. “What happened?”
“No one knows,” Zoë sighed, turning to look at the moving scenery outside her window. “He’s refused to tell anyone what happened, even Lady Artemis. She’s been worried ever since.”
“Weird,” Thalia wondered what could have happened to block the Oracle like that. Whatever it was had to be big if it affected Apollo that much. “He’s helping us now.”
Zoë nodded. “He is, yes.”
“Any idea why?”
Zoë just shrugged. “My best guess would be Lady Artemis asked, or perhaps Lord Hermes. His son is the one we are going to save after all. And with how dangerous… Atlas is, it is in Olympus’s best interest to interfere.”
Thalia nodded. “Gonna have to set aside a big offering when we get everyone back to camp.”
Zoë turned to her with a sad look that Thalia didn’t have the energy for. She would have told Zoë off, but she was too tired at the moment. “You do know it’s highly unlikely that we will find the two boys alive, don’t you?”
Thalia glared at her but couldn’t muster her usual fire. It still had her flinching. “ Luke and Percy are two of the strongest demigods I know. We’re getting them back.”
Zoë didn’t look like she believed that, but she didn’t insult them, so Thalia decided to take that. “You truly care for them, don’t you? Even after everything I’ve said.”
“You won’t turn me against them, Nightshade.” Thalia turned away from her then. “Doesn’t matter how much you try.”
“I was like you once, you know?” Zoë said with a sigh. “Before I joined the Hunt, before Lady Artemis gave me a home, I had one that I lost.”
Thalia frowned but didn’t look at Zoë. She’d listen to her story, but she wasn’t about to change her mind. “I was… cast out of my home for trusting the wrong man. I gave him everything I had, and he repaid me by casting me aside when he didn’t need me anymore.”
“That’s awful,” Thalia turned to Zoë then. “But that doesn’t mean he should represent every man out there.”
Zoë nodded. “I know that. He wasn’t the only one who took advantage of me, however. After getting cast out, I spent years trying to rebuild my life. I found someone I thought I could build a future with, but he only stole my livelihood. Then, the king of Mycenae at the time exiled me for refusing to sleep with him, and on and on it went.”
Thalia shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts before talking. “Zoë… that’s awful.”
“I know,” she said with a sigh. “After all that, I had lost more hope with men than I thought I ever had. Lady Artemis gave me a home in the Hunt, and I lived for millennia afterward, seeing the rise and fall of many empires. I have seen a few decent men in that time, I will not lie, but for a long time, all the men I knew were awful creatures. I don’t want you to make the same mistake I did.”
Thalia hummed in thought. She wasn’t convinced, but she found herself understanding Zoë’s thoughts more than she had before. “Luke and Percy aren’t like that; they’re good people, and I’m not turning against them.”
Zoë looked conflicted, and for once, Thalia didn’t feel too annoyed with her. “I hope you are right about that, Thalia. I hope you are right.”
“Why the sudden change of heart?” Thalia couldn’t help but ask. “Last time we saw each other, I put you in the infirmary, and every time before that, we were always at each other’s throats.”
“Annabeth,” Zoë said with a sneer. “After you refused our offer, she kept stirring the pot, making sure I never forgot your rejection. She kept saying how you thought you were making a better choice than all of us did, making sure I always hated you.”
Thalia scoffed. “She’s been playing us against each other since day one, huh?”
“She has,” Zoë’s face shifted into a subdued look. “When she was revealed as the Lightning Thief, Lord Zeus was enraged. He collected his thoughts and turned to Lady Artemis in disappointment, not happy that She had missed a traitor in the Hunt.”
“I’m guessing that changed how you guys acted for a bit?”
Zoë chuckled. “If we’d had to go to camp during the past year and a half, I can guarantee we would have been much more subdued than normal. It wasn’t until now that we started to regain our morale.”
Thalia nodded, not adding anything to that. Zoë turned back to her with a frown. “I suppose I only wished to make up for our past meetings. Maybe we won’t be friends, but that doesn’t mean we have to be enemies. Annabeth’s defection made me consider a lot of what I had originally thought, and I wanted to get that off my chest.”
Thalia nodded. “Thanks for telling me that. We can check again when we’re done with the quest.”
Zoë nodded and left the car silently, giving Thalia room to think.
It didn’t last long as the seat next to her was filled soon after. “You’ve grown, Thalia.”
She turned and saw Apollo sitting next to her, not in any disguise. She lowered her head quickly. “Lord Apollo.”
“There’s no need for that now, little sister,” He said calmly. “I’m not here for long, and we need to talk.”
She looked up and nodded, waiting for Apollo to lead the conversation. “The Chariot will not be your way to your destination, but it will cover a good chunk of the country. It’s almost sunset, so you’ll have to get off soon.”
Thalia nodded. “Any idea where we’ll end up?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“Any idea where Luke and Percy are?”
Apollo sighed. “I’m afraid I can’t help you with that. They are hidden from my sight, so it must be some sort of Titan stronghold, and there is only one in the west.”
“Othrys,” Thalia whispered. Even with Apollo next to her, far away from the Titans’ home as she was, the mention of that mountain brought a chill into the chariot.
Apollo looked tense but nodded. “You will need to make your way there as quickly as you can. Time is running out for your friends.”
Thalia stiffened at that. “You know anything about them?”
“Not in any detail, I’m afraid, but Hermes and Poseidon are both growing more tense by the day, Hermes especially. Your friends are not in a good position at the moment, Thalia.”
“Why are you helping us?” She couldn’t help but ask. She knew that all on Olympus would have a reason to help them, but she had a feeling there was something else here.
“Hermes asked me to,” Apollo said. “He’s worried about Luke. He’ll likely do much more to help than just this.”
She nodded. “Alright, thanks for the heads up.”
“May Olympus guide your way, Thalia Grace,” Apollo said with a smirk.
She didn’t have it in her to make a joke about Apollo already doing that. He disappeared, and she tried to sleep, hoping for things to be simpler when she woke up.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Reyna's time on guard duty? What did you think of Annabeth? How do you think Thalia is going to act soon?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 19: Difference in Love
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
They left the train at sunset.
A sign nearby said they were in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, bringing them closer to their goal but still too far from it.
Drew had managed to get some sleep on the ride here, but she was still exhausted. Chiron had told her it was likely the stress of the quest on her body, but she had a feeling it was more down to the dreams she’d been having.
All of them were about Percy, trapped in that room with her hovering over him. She saw the blond menace hit Percy, pull his hair, kiss his cheek, and so much more. The only solace she had was that she didn’t seem to go further than that, which didn’t mean much.
She could see the fear in Percy’s eyes whenever she walked into the room. Drew didn’t know what would happen when she saw Percy again, whether he’d be willing to stay with her or not.
She decided it didn’t matter. She’d go with whatever he needed after this, no matter what.
They kept walking for a while before stopping. She looked around and found they were near a convenience store. “I’ll go there and check if we can get anything out of it.”
She rushed in before anyone could say anything, hoping to get away from the hunters there. As much as they weren’t as annoying as usual, she still didn’t feel like spending an extended amount of time around them.
She found it didn’t matter, as Zoë Nightshade followed her to the store. The lieutenant looked something like eighteen, so she supposed that would help, but she would have preferred Thalia be the one to follow her.
Still, she supposed it could have been worse. She could have been accompanied by Phoebe. Or worse, Alabaster.
She scanned the aisles to see if there were any snacks they could pick up for the road when she saw Zoë walk up to her.
“What do you want?” She wasn’t in any mood to talk at the moment, never mind talk to a hunter.
Zoë raised her eyebrow and shook her head. “You really are ferocious. I’m impressed.”
Drew looked at her for a moment before turning back to the aisles, hoping Zoë would leave her alone.
She didn’t, of course. “I know you’re on this quest for Percy Jackson.”
“He’s my boyfriend, what about it?” Drew spat out.
Zoë shrugged. “Nothing much, really. I just can’t help but notice you are very protective of him, considering you can’t have been together for long.”
Drew frowned. That was one thing she knew they had against them; she and Percy had only been together for about six months now, and everyone kept saying they acted like they’d been together for longer.
“He’s more than just my boyfriend, you know?” She found herself saying out loud. She wasn’t even talking to Zoë at this point, more just getting all this out to the world. “He’s one of my closest friends, one of the kindest people you’ll ever meet, and he doesn’t deserve being stuck with her .”
Zoë hummed in consideration, and Drew turned to her then. Zoë looked at her with a frown. “And just what is Annabeth doing to him at this point?”
“Torturing him,” Drew said shortly. “She’s hitting him, locking him up, feeling him up, and who knows what else.”
Zoë grimaced before shaking her head, looking like she was clearing out memories. “She must be stopped.”
Drew frowned but didn’t ask. It wasn’t her place to after all.
They went to the cashier, and Drew asked the guy if there was any way to get a ride around here. He told them they’d need to call a cab and hope there was one that’d make it out at this time of night, and even if they found one, it’d take hours and hundreds of dollars, so they were a bit out of luck.
They left the store and went back to the others, who looked like they had no good news.
“Any way we can get a ride?” Thalia asked, looking dejected.
“Not as far as we can tell; most cabs wouldn’t come up here at this time of night, apparently, and they’d be charging a lot.”
Chiron nodded, frowning. “I suppose we will have to find another way down.”
Hedge looked like he wanted to say something before he froze. He stood up straight, smelling the air before his eyes widened. “It can’t be.”
“Coach, what’s wrong?” Thalia turned to him, looking worried.
Chiron grabbed her arm. “No need to panic, Thalia. You will see what Gleeson is feeling shortly. Let us go forward now.”
Thalia nodded, and Drew frowned. She didn’t like how cagey Chiron sounded, but she supposed it was something that needed to be seen and not told.
They went down the road, with Chiron and Hedge killing any monster that came near them. Phoebe looked annoyed at something, so everything was as it normally was.
They stopped at the end of the road, and Chiron hummed in thought. “Phoebe, you are the Hunt’s best tracker, yes?”
The hunter straightened her back and nodded with pride. “I am.”
“Good; which way are we supposed to go now?”
Phoebe dropped to the floor and threw a few marbles to the floor before she started chanting. It was apparently a tracking spell.
The marbles started moving around slowly, almost forming an arrow. They started shifting around, pointing towards the side when they stopped moving.
“Is that the way to go?” Thalia asked uncertainly.
Phoebe shook her head. “I- no, no it isn’t. The spell stopped working; I don’t understand what happened.”
Hedge scoffed and looked like he was about to say something when he froze. His nose went up, and his eyes widened. “No… it can’t be.”
Before she could ask what was going on, something changed in the air, and the earth started shaking. She turned to see a massive figure rushing towards them, and it looked angry.
“Scatter!” Chiron yelled out as everyone moved aside. Hedge seemed slower than normal, and Drew had to tackle him to the side.
“Coach! What’s wrong?” She looked up and saw everyone had gotten into battle stances already. She knew she was out of her league on this quest, but that hammered it home entirely.
“Blessing of the Wild,” Gleeson said, shaking his head. “He spoke to me. Why now? Why this?”
Drew shook Gleeson by the shoulders. “Snap out of it, Coach! We need you!”
“He’s here,” he wasn’t listening.
Drew hated herself for this, but she turned up her charmspeak. “Coach, snap out of it!”
His eyes glazed over for a moment before he shook his head again, eyes clearing. “You charmspoke me?”
“I’m sorry!” She got out quickly. “I didn’t want to, but we need you!”
He nodded, turning to the fight, which was going poorly for the others. Chiron’s arrows were bouncing off the boar’s hide, and Thalia’s spear didn’t hurt it. It didn’t look fazed as it swiped its tusks around, knocking the others aside.
“What’s going on with them?” Drew asked in horror.
Hedge set his jaw and stood up straight. “Blessing from the Wild. It’s protected from any of our direct attacks; we’ll need to stop it in its tracks.”
“How?” Drew stayed close to Hedge as the boar charged at Thalia, who managed to jump over it, flipping around and bashing it over the head with her shield. It didn’t do much besides annoy the monster, but Drew couldn’t believe the height Thalia got.
“Heracles used a patch of snow to slow it down, then he carried it away.” Hedge looked around and pointed in the distance. “We’ll need to lead it that way. I want you to charmspeak it along the way, try to calm it down, or keep it moving. That’s gonna be our ride.”
Drew didn’t question that, nodding in agreement. Hedge rushed over to Chiron and told him something quickly before turning to the monster. The two of them worked together to push it towards the snow, with the others catching on to the plan.
Drew ran up to Thalia to tell her the plan, and she nodded. “We’ll keep that thing’s attention off you, won’t we, Zoë?”
“You can count on us,” Zoë nodded, shooting Phoebe a look as she started to open her mouth.
The three of them helped Chiron and Hedge keep the boar moving forward whenever it veered off to the side. All the while, Drew was talking the boar down, and she saw some results.
“Hey, big guy, lovely day we’re having, isn’t it? Say, you look a little tense; don’t you want to just relax? Maybe take a few minutes off, smell the roses and all?”
The boar looked like it was slowing down as it ran, but it kept going. Drew wasn’t sure how she kept up with it, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting the boar to stop.
It took some time, but eventually, the monster was stuck in the snow, and Drew continued the charmspeak. She charmed the boar for what felt like hours, but eventually, Hedge went up to talk to it and turned to them with a smile.
“Hop on, everyone! We’re taking the express route west.”
The trip was uncomfortable, but it was fast enough. Hedge didn’t look like he wanted to talk about what happened, so no one asked him.
Chiron galloped next to them as the boar took the others west, going past houses, lodges, and what seemed like an endless desert until it stopped in the middle of nowhere.
It moved over to start eating cacti, at which point Hedge told them to get off. “It won’t be going any further west than this, and we won’t want to be on it when it leaves.”
He was right, as it immediately started moving back the way they came as soon as they got off. That left them moving on foot once again.
It was deep into the night, somewhere around midnight probably, and the stars were shining above their heads. Drew found herself looking at them, listing off all the constellations she and Percy had learned in her head.
She found Perseus, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, and a lot of others.
“I wish Percy were here,” she said out loud. “He’d have loved to see this.”
“He likes the stars?” Zoë asked curiously, and for once, she didn’t sound condescending when talking about Percy.
“Kid loves them,” Thalia said softly. “He’d spend hours just learning each constellation, and then he’d try his hardest to see them all at night. He can only see so many from Manhattan.”
“Pollution has covered the stars,” Zoë said with a hint of annoyance. “You should have seen them back before all this; the sky would be littered with thousands upon thousands of stars. Entire constellations have disappeared since then.”
Drew turned to see Zoë with a nostalgic look on her face. “Percy would have loved to see that.”
She turned to Drew with a small frown. “I suppose he can have decent tastes.”
Thalia turned to Zoë with a raised eyebrow. “Now, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you just complimented him.”
Zoë shrugged. “I can acknowledge his tastes are adequate. It changes nothing.”
Drew could tell that was a lie, but she didn’t push. She didn’t care enough about Zoë to ask anyway.
They trudged a bit further before deciding to camp for a bit. They’d been on the road for a long time and were getting tired.
They all slept while Chiron kept watch, and Drew was blessed with a dreamless sleep this time. On the one hand, she was glad for it, but it meant she didn’t get any information she could use.
She woke up much later, some time around dawn, to the sound of an engine switching off. She quickly got to her feet and saw that the others were up, staring at a long white limo that had stopped in front of them.
The back door opened, and a big, strong man walked out of it. Drew looked closer and saw that this wasn’t a man, but a God. He had a crew cut and more scars than she could count, and sunglasses that she recognized.
“Lord Ares,” Chiron bowed as the others followed suit.
“At ease,” Ares said, turning to Thalia and Drew. “I’m here for you two.”
Drew tensed, and Thalia put a hand on her shoulder. “What for?”
Thalia sounded tense, and Ares smirked at that. “Still cautious from our last meeting, are you? Smart, but there’s no need. I’m myself at the moment. You two are wanted inside the limo, with you first, girlie.”
Drew bristled slightly but nodded. She felt a hint of nerves as she walked up to the limo, barely hearing Ares telling the others to go get food at a nearby store.
If Ares was here with someone in a limo, there weren’t many options for who it could be, and Drew was really hoping she was right.
When she got into the limo, she felt her heart leap in her chest. She was wearing a red dress that fit perfectly, with shoulder-length black hair falling in ringlets. Her face was perfect in every sense, makeup done to perfection, and eyes boring into Drew’s soul.
She trembled as she situated herself, barely holding in her tears as she looked upon the most beautiful smile she’d ever seen. “Mom.”
Aphrodite reached forward and pulled Drew into a hug that had her crying her eyes out. “Oh, my darling, it’s alright. Let it out, love; let it out.”
Drew wasn’t sure how long she spent crying in her Mother’s arms, but she didn’t care. Aphrodite held her the whole time, whispering reassurances into her hair and pressing a loving kiss to the top of her head. Drew felt hope for the first time since she left on this quest.”
“Mom,” she got out, not moving from her spot, voice still trembling. “Mom, I-”
“Shh,” She stroked Drew’s hair gently and rubbed her back. “It’s alright, darling. Everything will be alright.”
“But Percy-”
“Is still alive, sweetheart, and you will find him. I know you will.”
Drew nodded, shifting around a bit so she could look at her Mom’s face. She gave her a gentle smile and stroked her hair. “I’m proud of you, Drew. So very proud of you.”
“I haven’t done anything, though,” Drew couldn’t help but feel like she was dead weight on this quest. Everyone else was providing something, while all she did was round out the numbers.
“And who was it who calmed the Erymanthian Boar down? Who kept the mortals safe in the Smithsonian? Who’s the one keeping Thalia from losing it entirely?”
Drew flushed under the praise and nodded shyly. Hearing praise from any Olympian was one thing, but hearing it from her Mother was something Drew could have only dreamed of before now.
“And, you’re on this quest for love, just like Thalia is.”
Drew found herself reddening a bit more but not too much. “I don’t know if I love Percy just yet.”
“Maybe not that kind of love, but you do care for him deeply, don’t you?” Drew nodded. “There are many kinds of love, you know. And all of them are more powerful than many give credit for.”
“I know,” Drew leaned in, taking what comfort she could get from her Mother before her time was up. It wasn’t every day she could get this luxury.
“You must hold strong, darling. When you find Percy again, he will need all the support you can give. That girl…”
Drew looked up at Aphrodite with pain in her eyes. “Do you know what’s wrong with her, Mom?”
She grimaced and nodded. “She loves him in a sense. It’s a twisted, corrupted form of love if I’ve ever seen one, but it’s a form of love nonetheless. The girl will do whatever she thinks will work to get him to join her because she thinks she needs him, even if she doesn’t fully understand it yet.”
“If she loves him, why’s she hurting him?” Drew couldn’t help but ask.
“Some people are cruel, darling. No matter what they do, no matter what they feel, they will hurt those around them, even if they care for them. That girl is cruel, maybe even evil, at this stage. It doesn’t matter how much she cares for anyone, she will hurt them one way or another.”
Drew straightened her back then and nodded. “Then I’ll have to get Percy away from her as soon as possible.”
Aphrodite smiled at her. “That’s my girl. Now, I think our time is almost up. Can you ask your friend to come in when you get out, darling?”
Drew nodded, slightly disappointed that she couldn’t get more time, but she knew it wouldn’t have been long. She perked up before asking the question that burned in everyone’s mind at camp. “How are they so oblivious?”
She chuckled slightly. “Oh, they are far from the worst I’ve seen, my dear, but they do like taking things at their own pace. There are many reasons for it, but trust me, it’s better for them to go at their own rate than get forced into it.”
Drew nodded. “But you’re gonna talk to Thalia about that, right?”
“Oh, definitely. Just a few helpful nudges is all I’ll do, but rest assured that it will be a useful talk.”
Drew nodded, eyes tearing up again as she got ready to leave. “I love you, Mom.”
Her eyes softened. She brought Drew in for one last hug and kissed the top of her head gently. “Oh, my darling. I love you, too; I love all of you. Never forget that.”
Drew stiffened for a moment and asked what she’d hoped she wouldn’t have to. “What do I do when I see Paris?”
Aphrodite was quiet for a moment before sighing. “I won’t interfere with whatever you choose to do, darling. But whatever happens, know that I love you and that will never change.”
“Even if I fight Paris?”
“No matter what.”
Drew found herself believing that.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Drew's concerns? What did you think of Zoe warming up to Percy? What did you think of Drew's talk with Aphrodite
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 20: All Too Hopeless
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Thalia almost started pacing while waiting for Drew to finish up.
She figured she’d be talking to Aphrodite when she got in that limo, and she didn’t know what the conversation could be about.
It didn’t matter at the moment, she supposed; Aphrodite was here and could maybe help them, which was good.
She just wished she didn’t have to wait outside with Ares.
Now, Ares wasn’t the worst company on most days, but Thalia was also not one who could do small talk on a good day, and this was very much not a good day. So she ended up deciding to stay quiet rather than end up with the most awkward conversation since Chiron tried giving her The Talk.
It didn’t help that Ares was smirking at her the whole time. “You’ll wear a hole in the ground at this rate, Thalia.”
He never did call her by her last name, which she appreciated. Didn’t mean she was happy. “I don’t think I need to explain why.”
Ares nodded, turning serious. “Hermes mentioned that Castellan kid being taken. He sounded distraught and angry.”
Thalia could imagine. She knew that Hermes loved Luke a lot, so with Luke gone and who knows what was being done to him, she could only imagine what Hermes was thinking.
“Any idea what’s happening to Luke?” Thalia hoped she’d get an answer.
“Not in the slightest,” Ares frowned. “Hermes just knows that the kid’s hurting bad, but nothing else. You’re on your own there.”
Thalia nodded, cursing her luck. She didn’t know what she was going to do then.
A few minutes later, Drew got out of the limo, eyes red with a smile on her face. “Your turn, Thalia.”
She sounded wistful and happy, and Thalia had a feeling that her conversation with Aphrodite went well. She only hoped that hers would go just as smoothly.
When she got in the limo, she saw that Aphrodite looked the same as always. Blond hair and blue eyes, just like Eros, with a slightly mischievous smile. For years, she couldn’t help but notice how uncanny it was that Aphrodite looked like a female version of Luke.
For the first time, though, she started to think of what that could mean. And she had a feeling she should have known a long time ago.
Aphrodite laughed as Thalia sat more comfortably. “I see you’re starting to get to your conclusions then?”
Thalia shook her head. “Not the time for that. You wanted to talk to me?”
Aphrodite smiled and nodded. “Oh, yes, my dear, I did. There are many things we need to talk about. For one, your reason for coming on the quest.”
“Luke and Percy are in trouble. I don’t need more reasons than that to go.”
“Ah, yes, your family is taken, and you need to save them. But I’m sure there’s more to it than just that.”
Thalia grunted. “Doesn’t have to be,” not now at least.
She looked disappointed but nodded. “I suppose everything can come in due time. Besides, it’s not just your love life that’s interesting at the moment.”
“What do you mean?” Thalia frowned.
“Let’s just say I have plans for young Percy, plans you might enjoy down the line.”
Thalia bristled. “What plans?”
Aphrodite frowned at her, and Thalia immediately felt herself getting on edge. A heavy feeling draped over her, and she felt herself shivering. She could also tell that the feeling could have been much worse. Thalia knew in that moment she’d crossed a line.
“It’s only because of your current state that I’ll let that slide, but do be careful to watch your tone with me, Thalia Grace.”
“I’m sorry, My Lady; I’ve been a bit tense past few days.”
“It’s forgotten, child,” Aphrodite assured her before continuing. “You will appreciate my plans for young Percy when they come to fruition. You two will be closer than ever with it.”
Thalia didn’t know what that meant, but she nodded. She figured she’d know eventually. “Any plans for me?”
Aphrodite just laughed. “Oh, darling, my plans for you have been executed for a while now. You’ll know eventually.”
Thalia nodded and figured this wasn’t the time to think about it. “Is there anything else we need to know?”
“You’ll want to avoid the junkyard here. My husband is very protective of everything in it, and you’ll only get in trouble if you take anything from it.”
Thalia nodded. “Thank you, My Lady.”
Aphrodite smiled at her and gestured to the door. “May Olympus be with you. And stay strong; you may not like what you will see when you get to your destination.”
Thalia had figured that, but hearing it confirmed didn’t do her any favors. She nodded and stepped out of the limo, finding Drew standing next to Ares, looking anxious.
When she saw Thalia, she rushed and hugged her tightly. “You’re alright.”
Thalia quickly wrapped her arms around Drew and frowned. “Of course I am; what’s wrong?”
“She felt Dite’s anger and freaked out,” Ares said with a frown. “I’m surprised you managed to get out of that alright.”
“She said my state gave me a pass and warned me to watch my tone.”
“I see,” Ares said. “That does make some sense. Dite isn’t one to let disrespect slide normally.”
Thalia nodded. “She made it pretty clear.”
“Well, don’t let me keep you from your quest,” Ares gestured towards the junkyard. “Quickest way’s through there, but be wary of taking anything from it. I don’t know what Hephaestus will have installed to defend it, but it won’t be easy to handle.”
Thalia nodded, and suddenly, she felt like the world was taken away from under her feet. When she knew where she was again, she found herself in the middle of the junkyard, her quest mates with her.
Zoë was the first to notice her. “Are you alright?”
Thalia blinked and nodded. “Yeah, Aphrodite just wanted to talk.”
Zoë grimaced. “That is not as reassuring as you think it is.”
“She just gave me some advice and tried to prod into my love life. She said she wouldn’t need to interfere.”
Zoë relaxed and nodded. “Good. The last thing you need is Aphrodite’s direct attention.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Drew shot Zoë a glare, and Thalia had a feeling this wouldn’t end well.
“That is enough, you two,” Chiron stepped in before things could get ugly. “We will need to get out of here quickly.”
They all quieted down and moved carefully, making sure not to take anything. Zoë suddenly froze and made her way to a seemingly inconsequential part of the yard.
“What’s wrong?” Thalia followed her carefully, pausing as she saw Zoë with a hairpin in hand. “What’s that?”
The hairpin turned into a bow, and Zoë admired it carefully. “An old Hunter’s bow. I’m not sure what it’s doing here, but it’s…”
“It’s what?” Thalia saw Zoë turn it back to a hairpin and stare at it almost longingly for a moment before she put it back in its place.
“It doesn’t matter,” Zoë said, turning back to Thalia with a blank look on her face. “We have to keep going.”
Thalia nodded, filing that for later. They kept going forward, running into large metal toes. Chiron looked at it grimly. “Talos.”
Thalia saw Phoebe and Zoë pale intensely. She frowned. “Talos? As in Jason and the Argonauts Talos?”
Chiron nodded grimly. “Indeed. I am afraid my skillset would not do us well should we need to fight it.”
Thalia nodded cautiously. “Let’s not wake it up then.”
“Agreed.”
They went far around the creation, trying as much as they could not to wake it up. Thalia knew she could probably take it out, but one of Chiron’s first lessons was to not waste time with a fight if it could be avoided, even if you know you’d win when you have more important things to do.
She took that lesson to heart, but she had a hard time following it now. She was itching for a fight, and a giant robot sounded like the best way to go about it.
She knew it wasn’t a good way to cope, but she didn’t care. She was angry, she was sparking, and she needed to take it out on something. Talos was just the most convenient target at the moment.
She snuck a glance at the body of Talos and made a decision. Without anyone noticing, she swiped a figurine that caught her eye and put it in her pocket. If Chiron noticed, he didn’t say anything. He didn’t even make any moves that showed he noticed.
It didn’t matter. If no one stopped her, she’d get her fight as soon as they stepped out.
They walked out of the junkyard soon after that, and she heard Drew give a sigh of relief. “I’m glad that’s over.”
She’d have to make it up to her later.
The ground started shaking as she turned and saw Talos standing up. She heard someone curse out loud, but she didn’t pay attention to who it was.
She had her fight, and she was going to enjoy it.
“Chiron,” she said calmly. “Get everyone out of here. I’ll handle this.”
She heard Chiron sigh as Talos seemed to fully wake up and turn to them. “Give her space; she will join us soon enough.”
That was all the permission she needed. She heard the others start to move away as Talos looked down and seemed to zero in on her.
Good.
As long as the giant automaton was focused on her, she’d be fine. She jumped to the side as it tried to stomp on her, and she called a lightning bolt to the robot’s head. It staggered backwards as she continued the onslaught.
She sent bolt after bolt at the giant, pushing it backwards as she kept going forward. She felt a storm forming above them as lightning kept making its way down to the earth.
She relished this fight.
She was glad the others had stepped away; it meant she could cut loose completely. She called a more powerful bolt and shaved part of Talos’ head off, opening it so she could see some sort of control room on the inside. It stopped moving as fluidly after that.
Thalia smirked. She had it now.
She ran and climbed up the leg, using the wind to push her up to stand on its outstretched hand, springboarding up to the open head. Normally, she’d be hesitant to be this high up, but at the moment, she didn’t care.
She imagined the automaton was Annabeth, and she felt a rush of anger fill her system. She jumped into the head where the control room was and started bashing it in with her shield. She smashed everything around her, destroying it all.
Talos stopped walking, but it was still twitching, so she called the biggest lightning bolt she could down to her.
It vaporized Talos in only moments.
Thalia hovered down to the floor after that, her powers over the wind coming naturally to her. She hadn’t considered how high she’d been before that, and she only just realized she was using the winds.
She made her way to the others, who all gave her looks of varying shock and fear, with only Chiron looking more resigned than anything else.
Thalia didn’t care, though; she didn’t think she’d care until they got Luke and Percy back, and that didn’t scare her nearly as much as it should have.
Percy lost track of how long he’d been here.
He knew he'd woken up five hours after he passed out and that she would come check on him every once in a while. She said it was once an hour, but he didn’t know if he could trust that.
It definitely felt both longer and less than that somehow.
The only other person he saw was Will, who’d checked on him twice since he woke up, making sure he was alive and well, not even getting him anything to eat.
She was the one to do that.
He wanted to see his friends. He wanted to see Connor, he wanted to see Travis. He wanted Luke and Thalia.
He wanted to see Drew again.
Percy didn’t know if he’d been here for hours or days. It didn’t help that every time he tried to sleep, he’d get Kronos in his dreams, and that was almost worse than having her in the room with him.
He almost laughed hysterically at that. He was more scared of a former hunter than he was of the King of the Titans. He was sure everyone back at camp would have a field day with that.
He had to find a way out of this place. He didn’t know if he could wait for anyone to show up and help him, even though he knew Luke and Thalia were coming.
It didn’t matter what she said. He knew they were on their way to get him.
She hadn’t shown up yet, which made Percy tense. Just what was she planning?
He didn’t want to stay and find out. Cautiously, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand. He just about managed it, needing a moment to balance himself. He carefully put one foot in front of the other until he got to the door, finding it was unlocked.
He frowned, not understanding why it would be. Maybe they didn’t expect him to be able to walk, or maybe they didn’t care enough to make sure he stayed in the room.
To be fair, it wasn’t like he could escape on his own.
He checked the hallway just outside his room and found that it was empty. He made his way down the hall, checking left and right for any way out, but he found nothing. He wondered if this was just an endless hallway with only his room at the end of it.
He got to a door and walked through it, finding himself on a mountain. He looked back and found the hallway extended over to the horizon, seeming to float above the earth. He looked around and found a familiar path.
He was near the garden he’d first woken up in, and the dragon was still there. Turns out, they didn’t move him too far away.
He looked back and found no path other than the hallway and the way to where he'd found her before she tricked him. He hadn’t had the chance to explore that area much last time, so he figured it’d be a good idea to check it out.
Maybe there was another way out.
He made it up the path slower than he had last time, his legs still not working as well as they should, and he froze as he reached the top.
There, where she had been the last time he was here, was his brother.
“Luke!” Percy ran, tripping over his own feet and dropping to the floor. He didn’t let that stop him as he got back up and stumbled his way over to where Luke was struggling with what looked like the world on his shoulders.
Luke looked like he was in pain; he was shaking, his face tight, his hair half grey. Percy tried to raise his hands to help him with the sky, but it felt farther away than it had before. He couldn’t reach it.
He dropped his eyes towards Luke, finding him straining more. He dropped his hands, and Luke seemed to relax slightly.
“Oh, Luke,” Percy felt himself tearing up. I’ll do anything for you, Percy. Always.
Luke was pushing the sky further away from him.
“Percy,” Luke muttered, though he didn’t seem to realize it. “Thalia, Percy, Thalia.”
He was muttering their names under his breath.
Percy choked out a sob, wrapping his arms carefully around Luke’s midsection, crying into his shirt. Luke’s arms didn’t come around him, Luke didn’t say anything to comfort him. All he did was mutter his and Thalia’s names over and over again.
Percy shook as he cried. “Mom, Dad, Thalia, Drew, please, someone, anyone! Please, someone help us!”
No one answered.
Percy cried even harder as he prayed to whoever would listen to come help them, but no one came.
“Lord Hermes,” he found his voice was shaking. “I’m sorry, please, help. Save him, please. Please.”
No one answered. He was alone on the mountain top, crying into Luke’s shirt, surrounded by enemies.
And no one came.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Thalia and Aphrodite's talk? What did you think of her fight with Talos? What do you think of Luke and Percy's situation?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
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Chapter 21: Mounting Fear
Chapter by undeath230
Notes:
Normally, I can edit the chapters, but seeing as my laptop's busted, this chapter has no editing done besides minor formatting. If you find any spelling mistakes, no you didn't.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Drew was shaking as Thalia hotwired a truck for them to take.
She remembered when she first got to camp, a few of the older kids had told her to be careful around Thalia, that she was a daughter of Zeus, a child of the Big Three, and she was dangerous.
At first, she’d been wary, then she relaxed over the years. Thalia hadn’t done anything to scare her and she used her powers to protect camp. And when Percy came around, she found herself trusting Thalia even more.
He was another child of the Big Three and he wasn’t scary, not by a long shot. She didn’t understand why everyone was scared of them.
Thalia’s actions in the junkyard showed her exactly why.
She wasn’t scared of Thalia; maybe she would have been before, but after getting to know her, she didn’t think she ever could be scared of her. But looking at what she’d done in the junkyard, she was starting to understand why Big Three kids were considered too powerful.
She’d taken on Talos without any issues. She’d torn it apart, vaporizing it and dropping like it was nothing. That had to be a ten that she handled without even breathing hard.
Zoë was standing next to her, looking just as tense. She looked like she was remembering something she’d rather forget, and that scared Drew just a bit.
“We can move now,” Thalia said stoically, a complete turn from how she was acting in the junkyard. Drew had a feeling this would continue until they found Percy and Luke again.
They all hopped onto the truck, with only Hedge feeling brave enough to ride in front with Thalia. Drew, Phoebe, and Zoë all stayed in the back while Chiron galloped next to them.
One upside to all this was Phoebe was a lot less willing to run her mouth at the moment. She was staring at Thalia in fear, huddling close to Zoë for protection.
“What was that?” Drew kept her voice low, hoping Thalia wouldn’t hear her. Thankfully, she seemed more focused on the road ahead of them and whatever it was Hedge was saying.
Zoë kept her eyes towards the distance as she spoke. “That is what happens when a child of the Big Three loses control.”
Drew shuddered. “Is that… normal?”
“More so than you might think,” Zoë grimaced. “I’ve seen many who’ve destroyed entire cities, erupted volcanoes, and caused widespread death unlike any you’ve ever seen. Children of the Big Three inherit their Fathers’ powers and temperaments to an extent. Lord Zeus can be destructive when angered and Lord Poseidon’s wrath is legendary.”
Drew nodded. “I see. What about Lord Hades?”
Zoë sighed. “His children are slower to anger, but they can hold grudges unlike any you’ve ever seen. They tend to take after Lord Hades in that regard.”
“I thought Hades was infertile though.”
Zoë shrugged. “Chthonic deities tend to be. Whenever Lady Persephone has a demigod child who is more inclined to the Underworld, Lord Hades claims them as a sort of protection as far as I understand. It is an agreement between Them.”
Drew fidgeted with her camp necklace, looking over at Thalia nervously. “What can we do with her then?”
“Nothing until she gets what she’s looking for,” Zoë said. “All we can do is stay out of her way and pray we can minimize the destruction she causes.”
Drew wondered if Percy would be capable of doing this, and what it’d take for him to get to that point. She knew Percy was a gentle soul, taking after his mother in that regard, but he’d told her about the fight he had with that bully at school.
She knew he could get incredibly angry when he was pushed, and when he did it wasn’t pretty, but she’d never thought of him as the type who could get scary.
“You aren’t scared of them, are you?” Zoë looked at her with a frown. The sentence started off as a question but it didn’t stay that way, with Zoë already knowing the answer.
Drew shook her head. “It’s hard to be when I know them both that well.”
She looked at Drew for a moment before nodding. “I see,” she didn’t say anything else after that.
Drew focused back on the road, hoping they’d make it out of this quest in one piece. She was worried about Thalia, but she knew she’d be alright.
She had to be. Drew wasn’t sure what she’d do if she wasn’t.
“Sunshine sure can get loud, huh?”
Will turned to frown at Paris. “What did you expect? You and Bentley were dragging him back to Annabeth’s clutches.”
Paris just shrugged. “Just doing what I had to. I’m sure you know what that’s like.”
Will glared at him and turned back to look at Luke. “It’s time to heal him.”
Paris huffed over to the side. “I still don’t know how he manages it. Bentley and I together almost collapsed holding that thing up.”
Will had a feeling he might know what the answer was, sick to the stomach as it made him.
When he came to check on Luke, he’d found Percy crying into the son of Hermes’s chest. It might have been sad in a way if Will didn’t know exactly what Annabeth would do to him if she found him there. Also would have been sad if Will remotely cared about the kid.
He’d quickly gotten Bentley and Paris to get him back to his room, which wasn’t easy. He scratched and clawed and tried his best to stay there, which was admirable in a way, but would only lead to things being worse for him.
He told himself it was better this way, that it would be better for Percy to be in his cell when Annabeth came back from her trip to check on him.
Bentley came back then, having stayed behind for a bit longer to make sure Percy was situated in his room. “He won’t be leaving his room any time soon.”
“How’d you convince him?” Will couldn’t help but ask.
“I didn’t. Annabeth showed up a bit after I threw him in.”
Will grimaced as he felt a bit of pity building up for the son of Poseidon. “She know?”
“Not in the slightest,” Bentley said. “She’s just doing more of the same. Let’s get this over with.”
Bentley marched up to the sky with Paris right behind him, the two of them pushing the sky off Luke’s shoulders. They looked like they were struggling a lot, which made Will wonder just how strong Luke really was.
“You really are something else, aren’t you Castellan?” He muttered as he got to work on Luke. “I have to say, I’m impressed.”
Luke’s glare was only half what it was before. This was the eighth time they took him out from under the sky and he’d slowed down a lot.
He didn’t speak, he didn’t move, he just laid there as Will worked on him.
“You really love that kid, huh?” Will said as he drained himself slowly to keep Luke alive. “I can’t imagine this would be anything else. Looks to me like you’d burn yourself out for him.”
Luke stayed still, not bothering to answer. Will had a feeling it was to preserve his strength for the sky, which he couldn’t help but grimace at. He was glad he didn’t have to be the one carrying that thing.
He wasn’t sure how Luke did it.
“If only you could’ve channeled that energy into looking after the unclaimed kids a bit more,” Will said bitterly. “You could’ve done so much more. Do you know what it’s like? Sitting in the infirmary when another unclaimed kid walks in after getting injured trying to impress a parent that doesn’t care about them? Do you? ”
Luke’s expression never shifted, but Will didn’t care. He had years of frustration and he was going to take them out. “You could’ve done so much, but instead, you focused on some kid you barely fucking knew! Dozens of kids who’d been at camp for years and you left it all to go live happily ever after with Grace of all people. All because a little shit from Poseidon’s dick decided to smile at you!”
Will’s hands stayed steady, not wavering as he spoke. “And to top it all off, you have the audacity to look at me like I’m the one in the wrong! You make me sick, Castellan.”
Luke didn’t say anything. He just got up after a moment, struggling to get to his feet, and trudged his way to take Paris and Bentley’s spot again. Will watched with a hint of amazement, much as he hated that he was impressed, as Luke took the sky once again, struggling to keep steady.
Pars and Bentley collapsed to the floor then, barely able to move. Will let them recover on their own, unable to help them even if he cared enough to.
When they got up, Paris looked especially troubled. “How dangerous is he?”
Will shrugged. “Doesn’t matter; he’s stuck there.”
“And how dangerous is Thalia?” Bentley asked.
Will tensed at that question. They knew Thalia was on her way here. It was such an obvious fact that Annabeth didn’t even bother trying to convince Percy that she wouldn’t be coming.
That meant they’d have to deal with her when she got here. And Will was not looking forward to that.
Thalia parked the truck at the bottom of a waterfall.
There was a nearby canoe rental shop that they borrowed from so they could get upstream. Gleeson had suggested they climb the cliff but Thalia wasn’t in the mood to entertain that.
He and Chiron ended up climbing the cliff while she, Drew, Phoebe, and Zoë had to borrow the canoes. Gleeson convinced the local naiads to give them a ride upstream and they were happy to help, which left Thalia with a lot of time to think.
She ended up riding upstream with Zoë, Phoebe taking the canoe with Drew. The two of them were quiet, so Thalia didn’t have to worry there.
Instead, she got to worry about what Zoë was going to talk to her about. Thalia knew her stunt back in the junkyard scared them, and she knew she wasn’t in the best place at the moment, so she had a feeling Zoë would try to address that.
She wasn’t disappointed. “How are you holding up?”
“Shit,” Thalia said shortly. “What did you think would be my answer?”
Zoë shrugged. “Exactly that. You took something from the junkyard, didn’t you?”
Thalia nodded, taking the figurine out of her pocket. She’d seen Nico playing around with similar ones and her heart clenched a bit. Would Jason have done the same if he’d lived?
Zoë looked at it for a moment before sighing. “You know that could have gone badly, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“The quest could have been put in jeopardy. Luke and Percy would not be saved then.”
“I know.”
“Thalia-”
“What do you want me to say, Nightshade?” Thalia cut her off, glaring at the floor of the canoe. “I know I messed up, I know I shouldn’t have done that, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to fight something; better it be that than one of you.”
“You think you’d hurt us as you are now?” Zoë sounded like she didn’t believe that.
Truth be told, Thalia wasn’t sure. She knew her temper was bad when she was younger. She’d gotten better at managing it, but when it flared up, it was bad. There were times she worried she’d turn into her mother and take it out on those she loved.
“You wouldn’t,” Zoë seemed to understand without Thalia saying a thing. “The fact that you took on Talos says enough of that.”
“Could’ve hurt you with that,” Thalia whispered, looking up to find Zoë looking at her in concern.
“But you didn’t. You focused on keeping it away from us as much as possible. Just make sure you don’t lose sight of who you are.”
Thalia wasn’t sure she’d be able to do that, but she’d try.
The naiads didn’t seem too happy with Zoë though. As soon as she stopped talking, they splashed her.
Zoë cursed under her breath. “Damned naiads.”
“They’re just playing,” Thalia said with a raised eyebrow.
“They hate me,” Zoë insisted. “They have for ages now.”
“Does it have anything to do with men?”
Zoë scoffed, looking away. “Only one man.”
“Who was it?”
Zoë shook her head. “The one man all boys seem to idolize for whatever reason.”
Thalia narrowed her eyes. “Heracles?”
Zoë’s lips curled in disgust as Thalia said his name. “You guessed quickly.”
“You said you lost your home because you trusted a man, and if it’s been ages and everyone idolizes him, I can’t think of anyone else.”
Zoë nodded. “He was the one I helped. I told Heracles to trick Atlas into grabbing the apples after he tried and failed to fight Ladon.”
“I see,” Thalia never cared much for her older half-brother, but it sounded like Zoë had more to the story. “What else did he do?”
She looked at Thalia for a moment before sighing. “I gave him my immortal essence so he could forge a weapon, and he cast me asid as if I were nothing more than an inconvenience, leaving me to the mercy of my sisters.”
“You’re a Hesperide then?” Thalia tilted her head before her eyes widened. “That means Atlas is-”
“My Father?” Zoë gave her a self-depricating smirk. “He is, yes. Best we not think on that.”
Thalia nodded. “Alright. What happened to the sword he made?”
“I don’t know,” Zoë admitted. “He took it with him and I never saw it again.”
Thalia nodded before feeling the boat adjust itself. “We’re up the waterfall.”
They got off the boat and looked ahead to find the Hoover Dam. It was bigger than Thalia had every thought it would be and it looked decently impressive she supposed. She wasn’t exactly one for architecture, but she supposed it did its job well enough.
Chiron looked at it with a frown. “We are nine hours away from San Fransisco by car, and that is if we drive nonstop and run into no traffic.”
“We’re near Vegas though,” Gleeson said in excitement. “Maybe we can go there and take a bus.”
Chiron gave him a flat look. “If we do go to Las Vegas, Gleeson, we will only be there to take a bus to San Francisco my dear satyr. We will not be visiting the casinos.”
Gleeson deflated visibly and Thalia suppressed a smile. She’d forgotten how much Gleeson loved to gamble.
Zoë shook her head. “We should go in. I would like to find the Dam snack bar.”
Thalia snorted for a moment before shaking her head. “Wow, Zoë, innocent ears here.”
She gestured to Drew who looked unamused. “I’ve heard you, Thalia, you’re no saint.”
Zoë facepalmed and turned to Chiron. “How is she the most powerful demigod at camp?”
“I ask myself that every day,” Chiron looked resigned and Thalia almost turned to Luke to drag him into the banter before she remembered he was gone.
They were getting close; they were almost there. She just needed to make it further.
Her thoughts were cut short by a cow mooing. Her ears perked up and she saw Chiron frown for a moment before his eyes widened. “No… it can’t be.”
He ran back to the river and froze, Thalia following him quickly. In the river, she found a weird serpent-bull creature staring at them sadly. Chiron’s went pale as a sheet as the others reached them.
“What’s going on?” Gleeson asked before he saw Chiron’s face. “Shit, this is bad.”
Drew was shaking and Thalia reached out to pull her close to her. Chiron was one of camp’s pillars, someone who never flinched in the sight of danger. She didn’t want to know what this was for him to be this scared.
“The Ophiotaurus has returned.”
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Drew and Zoe's talk? What did you think of Thalia and Zoe's? What did you think of Will, Paris, and Bentley? How long do you think Luke can hold out?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 22: This Burning Desire
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Thalia had no idea what that meant.
“What’s the Ophiotaurus?” Drew asked, tilting her head.
“It would be the Bane of Olympus mentioned in the prophecy,” Chiron said grimly. “If it were sacrificed, then it would grant you power incomprehensible.”
Thalia’s eyes widened. “Power to take down Olympus?”
“Yes,” Zoë’s voice was shaky as she spoke. “It can not fall into the Titans’ hands.”
Gleeson scoffed. “ He can’t fall into the Titans’ hands you mean. He says he’s here for his savior, no idea who that is though .”
Drew tensed and Thalia rubbed her shoulder. “What’s up, Drew?”
She gulped and looked at the Ophiotaurus with slight pain in her eyes. “Back at Westover, Percy mentioned saving a bull-serpent. Maybe this is him?”
“Perhaps you are right. It seems the Ophiotaurus has chosen Percy as his guardian,” Chiron said.
“What now?” Thalia asked. She didn’t want to leave the Ophiotaurus behind, but they couldn’t take him with them. They’d need to go forward, but he was looking for Percy, and they couldn’t leave him there.
Gleeson stepped up as he tended to. “I’ll stay with him for now , catch him up to speed. I’ll join you guys when I’m done.”
They went to the dam after that, hoping nothing too bad happened. They made their way to the cafeteria when Thalia saw something out of the corner of her eye.
It was Thorn.
The Manticore was standing over to the side, going into a part of the dam where from memory, there was an elevator down to the lower levels.
She made a split-second decision and followed the monster. The others didn’t seem to notice her breaking away, though she had a feeling Chiron did. He didn’t follow her though , which was fine by her.
She was going to rip Thorn apart limb from limb and no one was going to stop her.
She ran into the visitor center right behind Thorn but she couldn’t find him. She ran through the exhibits, ignoring the guards calling for her and pushing forward. She ended up following a tour group into an elevator and got stuck.
She cursed internally. She had no way up until the elevator made it down, and she had no idea how long that might take
“ Alright everyone, we’re almost at the turbines,” the tour guide said. He was a man, looking to be around his 30s and he didn’t look like he stood out at all. Thalia cursed her luck; there was no way she was getting back out of this spot. “They’re seven hundred feet down, and the elevator won’t break.”
Thalia stood awkwardly as she waited for the elevator to get to the bottom. It felt like it took ages, but she didn’t know how long it actually was. She was minding her own business when the tour guide walked up to her. “You’re not supposed to be here, are you?”
“What do you mean, sir? I’m part of this group,” Thalia lied as easily as she breathed.
The man looked at her for a moment before smiling. “Of course you are, but that’s not what I meant.”
Thalia frowned. “What-”
“Your friends are waiting for you on the surface. You’ll get to them soon, don’t worry,” the man smiled at her. “When you get to your destination, just free him from his entrapment, and you’ll be done.”
Thalia’s eyes widened. She turned to the man but he was gone. She cursed; this hadn’t been a man , it had been a God. She wasn’t sure who it was, but that didn’t matter at the moment she supposed. She’d have to get to the surface and let the others know.
When the elevator reached the bottom and opened up, she stormed out, pushing everyone aside. There was no sign of Thorn, and with what happened just now, she had a feeling the Manticore had never been there.
She needed to find a bathroom and clear her head; she was starting to lose her focus.
She found it quickly enough and went in to wash her face. Looking at herself in the mirror, she almost flinched at how she looked. Most people wouldn’t notice a difference, with her not looking too different from what she normally did. It was her eyes that gave her away.
She looked completely manic like she was running on fumes and rage alone, which she supposed she was. She hadn’t slowed down since she left camp, and it showed. She wondered what Luke would say if he saw her now.
She frowned, looking back down at the sink. Luke couldn’t say anything about this because he wasn’t here, because he was suffering at Annabeth’s hand, because he and Percy were in danger and she was here, running herself into the ground and fighting anything she could get her hands on.
She had to focus. Losing her cool wouldn’t help anyone.
And yet, what could she do? She had to get to them, and she had to do it soon. The longer she spent trying to get to them, the longer they spent with Annabeth, which she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy, never mind her own family.
Family…
Percy was family, that was certain, but her feelings for Luke were more complicated than that. He was her best friend, her closest confidante, her favorite person in the whole world. There were people she loved dearly, but no matter how close it was, she loved Luke more than all of them.
I love Luke…
That was just a fact of life. She loved Luke, she loved Percy, she loved Sally, and all three of them were hurting now.
“Gods… Sally,” Thalia whispered in grief. She’d forgotten about her mother, likely even more worried now than she was before. She fished out a drachma from her pocket and got out her prism to call Sally. She shone it to create a rainbow and set the Iris Message, hoping she could get through to Sally.
The message showed her at home, sitting tense on the couch. Thalia almost choked up. “Mom!”
She looked up and relaxed slightly before frowning when she saw Thalia. “Oh, baby, what’s wrong?”
Thalia almost broke down right then and there. Sally knew there was something wrong and just asked her, something no one else did for her. She hid herself from the world, and she wouldn’t appreciate anyone else asking that, but with Mom, it was different.
“Everything,” she whispered, but Sally heard her anyway. “Luke and Percy are gone, they’re hurt, and I’m here and I can’t do anything about it!”
She punched the wall as she took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She looked back at the Iris Message and saw Mom looking at her sadly. “Oh, sweetheart. It’s not your fault.”
Thalia sniffed, one tear dropping out of each eye. “Feels like it.”
“You’ll find them,” she told her with certainty. “You’ll find them, you’ll save them, and we’ll all be a family again.”
“How are you sure?”
“They’d do the same for you.”
Thalia looked up and nodded, straightening her back. “I’ll call you again when I find them.”
Mom smiled at her. “I love you, darling.”
“Love you too.”
“What the fuck?!”
Thalia whipped around, whipping out her spear and turning to kill whoever it was that snuck up on her.
She saw a kid, around Percy’s age with red hair and green eyes. She looked at Thalia’s spear in both wonder and fear. “You have a spear.”
Thalia’s eyes narrowed, lowering her spear as she studied the girl. “You’re mortal.”
She could tell from the lack of divinity rolling off of her. Demigods had a faint aura of divinity and monsters would feel off no matter what. This girl was mortal.
She frowned and looked at Thalia. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re not supposed to see my spear,” Thalia put the spear away and turned to the Iris Message. “You think she’s like you?”
Mom shrugged. “Possible. What’s your name, honey?”
The girl looked at the Iris Message with wide eyes. “There’s a woman in the mist.”
She sounded mystified and Thalia had a feeling this was her first time seeing anything like this. Mom just smiled at her. “Yes, I am. Your name?”
The girl blushed a bit and gave them an awkward smile. “I’m Rachel- Rachel Elizabeth Dare.”
Mom’s eyes widened slightly before she gave Rachel a smile. “Well, Rachel, I’m guessing since you can see me, that you’ve seen other things too?”
Rachel nodded hesitantly and Thalia grimaced. Poor kid probably thought she was going crazy.
“Thalia,” Mom called her and she turned back to the message. “Why don’t you go back to the others and finish up your quest. I’ll talk to Rachel here and we’ll work something out, alright?’
Thalia nodded and made her way out of the bathroom. Before she opened the door, she heard Mom call out to her. “Please be careful, sweetheart. Don’t lose yourself.”
Thalia turned and gave her a smile. “I’ll be fine, Mom. Don’t worry about me.”
Thalia found the others at the Dam’s snack bar.
Drew was the first one to notice her, perking up but eyeing her warily. She had to admit, it hurt a bit, but she couldn’t blame her. “You’re back.”
Thalia ruffled her hair gently and nodded. “I’m back.”
Chiron looked at her with tired eyes. “I do hope you found something useful down there at least.”
Thalia nodded and explained what happened. She had no idea who she’d met down there, but she knew at least that they needed to free Luke and Percy from whatever it was they were in.
“I see,” Chiron said with a frown. “We packed lunch for you to go; we can talk more on the shuttle to Las Vegas.”
Thalia ate her lunch on the way there as she filled the others in on the more intricate details of what happened.
Zoë frowned. “You say it was someone who could create an image of Thorn for you to follow?”
“Has to be,” Thalia said, leaning back as she finished eating her Dam Burger. “I didn’t find Thorn anywhere down and you know what happened in the elevator.”
“Could it be Poseidon?” Drew asked hopefully. “You know, because Percy’s missing?”
Chiron shook his head and Thalia sighed. “I am afraid Lord Poseidon would be too conspicuous to help us directly in a quest like this. He would be seen coming by the Titans and that would lead to more problems for us than it would solve.”
Drew deflated and Thalia sighed. She didn’t want to think about this for much longer, especially with the time it’ll take them to get to San Francisco. They had already spent most of the day at the Hoover Dam, meaning they would get to San Francisco on the fourth day since leaving camp.
According to Zoë, they couldn’t get to Othrys until sunset, so they had to wait most of the day to get in too . It was the sixteenth today, meaning they were five days away from the solstice, four considering today was practically done. She hoped they managed to wrap things up before then; they’d need to tell the Council what happened in full detail.
They made it to Vegas and waited for a Greyhound to show up. Chiron said he’d meet up with them in San Francisco, not wanting to get on the Greyhound in his disguise, which Thalia could understand. The tickets were expensive, around a hundred twenty-five per person, and Thalia was very glad for the exchange rate on drachma being what it was.
They got on the bus when it showed up, and Thalia was so tired she felt the world almost shift around her for a moment as she got on. This was the bus to San Francisco, and she had a feeling she was going to sleep the whole trip.
The trip would be somewhere around fifteen hours at the minimum, which didn’t fill Thalia with any hope. A lot could go wrong at that time, and she did not need things to go worse for them now, but all she could do was pray things went well.
They had to. She didn’t know what she’d do if they didn’t.
“He’s looking a lot worse for wear, huh?”
Annabeth peeked over Will’s shoulder as she watched him work, impressed with his efforts. Her back still ached from holding up the sky before her Percy took it off her shoulders , so she knew it wasn’t an easy recovery, and yet Will made Luke healthy enough to go back under that thing.
Although , she supposed healthy was a bit of an exaggeration given how he looked. His hair was almost completely grey, with only a few patches of blond left. His skeleton was starting to pop out in places. He’d lost a lot of weight over the past few days.
And yet, he still had enough fire in his eyes to glare at them, and Annabeth couldn’t help but shiver. Will didn’t react much to it, at least not overtly, which made her wonder just how much Luke would glare. She supposed she wasn’t surprised given everything.
“He’s been holding up the sky for days now, Chase,” Will said, not sparing her a glance. “What did you expect?”
Annabeth shrugged, not particularly caring. “I didn’t expect him to be able to hold it up this long. It’s pretty impressive.”
Calling it impressive was an understatement. Holding up the sky was something no mortal should be able to do, with only the most exceptional ones being remotely able to do it. Heracles was the only one to do it before she did, and much as she hated the Golden Bastard, she had to admit he was strong.
She’d only managed to hold it up herself thanks to Kronos’ blessing, so the fact that Luke did this with only sporadic healing made her wonder just how out of her league she was.
Will finished healing Luke and the son of Hermes stood up on shaky legs, turning back to the sky. She heard him muttering her Percy’s name over and over again alongside the daughter of Zeus’, which felt wrong to her. Those two should not be said in the same sentence together.
She saw Luke shuffle to where Paris and Bentley were and he took the sky from them again, with the two collapsing on the floor. With each time they took the sky, it took them longer to get up. It had taken them close to an hour to get up last time, so she knew they’d be out for the count.
“Think you can heal them up?” Annabeth turned to Will only to find him breathing heavily. “Are you alright?”
He shot her an unimpressed look but only shook his head. “Healing him’s taking more out of me than I thought it would. Healing without Apollo’s help is… taxing.”
Annabeth grimaced. She hadn’t been able to pay much attention to Will over the past few days, being more focused on making alliances and getting her Percy to realize his place. “How bad is it?”
“I’ll need to find another way to heal,” he said tiredly. “For now, I’ll drag those two out of that spot and treat them normally, but that’s all I can do.”
She nodded and went to her office. According to her intel, she knew that Grace, Hedge, and Tanaka were on the quest. She knew the daughter of Zeus was dangerous but she would be manageable , and as dangerous as the Bulldog was, he wasn’t good at fighting multiple enemies.
She didn’t know what Tanaka was doing on that quest, but it didn’t matter. Maybe they just needed a sixth and she was the only one who was stupid enough to cross them.
Then there were her former sisters. She frowned as she looked at the letters on her desk, one of which was addressed from the sea. Phoebe would be no trouble, but Zoë was a threat. She opened the letter and read it, smirking slightly.
We’ve got our sea advantage now.
The smirk vanished as she remembered the last member of that infernal quest. Chiron was on another level, one Annabeth knew that no one in the army could match. He would need to be left for Atlas to handle.
She relaxed, remembering that it wasn’t them who would fight Chiron. Atlas could handle the immortal centaur with ease; their victory was assured.
She put the letter down and made her way to Percy’s room. She hadn’t seen him in a while, about a day or so, and she missed him.
She found him where she left him, on his bed staring at the ceiling.
“I know you’re here,” he said quietly. He sounded scared and she frowned. He shouldn’t be scared; her Percy shouldn’t be scared of anyone. She didn’t know why he was even scared; it was just her in the room.
She walked up to his side and smiled at him. “I see you’re doing better.”
He stayed quiet and she sighed internally. He was going to make this difficult then.
“I just wanted to tell you that Luke’s still alive,” she said casually enough and he turned to her warily.
“Why?” he asked after a moment. He looked cautious and she decided to go talk to the others to see what they were doing with him when she wasn’t around to lead to this.
“We still need him for a few things,” she said cryptically. She figured he wouldn’t want to know what Luke was going to be used for after they got one of Hermes or Poseidon under the sky. Not until she could get the notions of his care for Luke out of his head.
He huffed and looked back at the ceiling and Annabeth was starting to get irritated. She’d wanted to break him and build him back up to what she needed him to be, but she’d wanted to do it somewhat gently. It seemed she’d need a more direct approach.
She hopped onto the bed, placing her knees on either side of his waist, hovering above him. Percy looked at her with wide eyes and a hint of fear , That was fine; he’d learn he didn’t need to be scared of her if he just did what he was told.
She leaned close to him and looked him in the eye. “You’re a lot more difficult than I’d thought you were, Percy, but that’s okay. I like a challenge.”
She smirked as she moved her arms to either side of his face and she leaned in to kiss his cheek. “You’re cute when you’re worried, but you don’t have to be,” she leaned in next to his ear and whispered gently. “You can have everything you ever wanted, everything you ever needed. I’ll give you everything you could ever ask for, baby.”
He was tense and she figured she’d made her point clear. She pulled back and pressed a lingering kiss to his forehead before she got up, dropping to the floor and playing with his hair. “You could be so much more than you are, Percy. Think about it.”
She turned and left him to consider her words. She hoped he’d listen; things would be so much better if he did.
He was her goal now, and she would do anything to make sure he was with her.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Thalia and Sally? What did you think of our resident mortal? What did you think of Annabeth?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/xM5GJwZsBD
Chapter 23: It's Just an Illusion
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Thalia woke up around when the bus was stopping.
It was a one-way trip, and they didn’t face any problems on the way; it was when they reached that Thalia had a bad feeling.
She looked around and studied the buildings carefully. She frowned as she found herself recognizing where they were.
“We’re in Los Angeles,” she said, frowning.
“How?” Drew asked, looking around with wide eyes. “We took the bus to San Francisco. How’d we end up here?”
Thalia didn’t like this one bit. She racked her brain to try and figure out what happened when she turned to the bus.
In the back seat, she saw a familiar face, one she hadn’t seen in about a year and a half.
“Echidna!” She rushed to the bus, but it took off before she could make it. She cursed her luck; they’d been tricked.
“What do we do now?” Drew asked miserably. “We left all our money with Chiron.”
Thalia cursed, not sure how to answer that. In truth, she wanted to level the city of Los Angeles to the ground at this stage, both in frustration and in pure rage at the city itself. She didn’t have any fond memories associated with this place, and she doubted that’d change after today.
Regardless, it was a bit past midnight now as far as she could tell, and they still had to find a way to get to San Francisco.
Zoë sighed. “Let’s go into the city. Maybe we can find something that can help.”
They agreed and went in, splitting up to cover more ground, agreeing to meet up again at around noon near the bus stop. Hedge took Phoebe, and Zoë and Drew went with each other, leaving Thalia alone.
She didn’t mind, needing the time alone to think. Going in with blind rage wouldn’t help anyone, least of all Percy and Luke. She was getting close to losing herself at this rate.
Monsters tried to jump her, but they didn’t manage anything, all dying before they could even say a word. Some she blasted with lightning, some she stabbed with her spear, some she just bashed to death with her shield.
She’d thought they’d stop trying to fight her after a while, but they just kept on coming. She didn’t mind dumb monsters; smart ones were annoying to deal with, but this was getting ridiculous.
Thalia paused for a moment to regain her bearings. She’d spent the past hour scouring the city, but she found nothing. She went into a nearby store, hoping to at least get a change in scenery.
Maybe that would get her brain working again.
When she got in, she was greeted with an empty store. No clerk, no customers, nothing. It was a ghost town, and she was alone in the middle of it.
A moment passed, and she felt an oppressive presence fill the area. It was almost suffocating, but also restrained in a way.
Maybe I’m not alone.
She turned to the side and saw the source of the feeling. He stood there with a glare going right through her. Even if it wasn’t directed at her, she felt her spine straighten and her skin tingle.
“Lord Poseidon,” she whispered, unsure of how this would go.
Poseidon seemed to acknowledge her presence then. “Niece.”
She stayed tense, unable to relax. While she didn’t think Poseidon would kill her, she could feel the power surrounding her, burning with an intensity she so rarely ever felt. He was one of the Big Three, the King of the Oceans, second only to Zeus, and it showed now.
“My son is a prisoner,” Poseidon said tensely. “You are on your way to save him, correct?”
“Yes, my Lord,” Thalia said quickly. “I’ll stop at nothing to get him back.”
Poseidon nodded, the oppressive feeling not receding. “He should be here. He should not be on that infernal mountain. There is little I can do to get him back safely.”
Thalia stayed quiet, listening to Poseidon’s speech. “I can not do much to Othrys while he is there, but I can avenge him.”
“Lord Poseidon?” She asked uncertainly.
“If he is not saved, I will unleash my full wrath on Othrys. I would suggest leaving before that happens.”
She nodded, setting her back straight. “That won’t come to pass. We’ll get Percy back.”
Poseidon regarded her for what felt like ages before nodding. “See to it that you do.”
And with that, Thalia was alone again, able to breathe.
She leaned on a nearby wall and dropped to the floor, catching her breath. She knew Poseidon was the most protective of the Big Three, but she hadn’t experienced it before. He was much more terrifying when Percy wasn’t around.
She gathered herself and got to her feet, leaving the store. She had her warning, and she knew Poseidon would do anything for Percy. She was not going to fail.
Zoë didn’t want to leave Thalia alone, but she knew it was for the best.
She'd been spiralling since they left camp, getting close to losing herself on multiple occasions, and it wasn’t beneficial to anyone around her. Zoë supposed she couldn’t blame her, not with what she had on the line, but it was best that she be alone for this.
She didn’t want anyone to be caught in that crossfire.
She looked at Drew, who was nervous, to put it mildly. She could understand that in a sense. While she had sworn away all forms of romantic love, she knew that wasn’t for everyone, and she remembered how it felt back when it was good.
And from what she’d seen of how Drew and Thalia reacted, it seemed Percy was indeed a good person.
“How long would it take to get to San Francisco from here?” Drew asked tensely.
Zoë frowned. “About eight hours if memory serves. It wouldn’t matter either way; we can’t get to Othrys any time other than sundown.”
Drew turned to her with a frown. “Why not?”
“The Garden of the Hesperides,” Zoë said, hoping that she managed to keep out any longing from her voice. “It can only be accessed at sundown, and we have to go through it to get to Othrys.”
“I see,” Drew said, visibly upset. “So we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to save Percy and Luke?”
Zoë was impressed that she included Luke in her thoughts. From the moment they’d left camp, Zoë knew everyone’s reasons for coming on this quest. Thalia was going to save her family and Luke; she was given the quest, and Phoebe would follow her to the ends of the earth, and Gleeson and Chiron came on the quest because it was an important enough one.
And then there was Drew. She seemed focused on Jack- Percy from the beginning, which was both a boon and a detriment. While it meant she’d be dedicated to finishing the quest, it also meant she’d be one-track-minded, forgetting the other facets of the quest.
Of course, saving Luke and Percy wasn’t the only part of this quest; they’d need to put Atlas back under the sky, of course, but she supposed it was a start.
“Most likely, yes,” Zoë said. “I see no way we’d get to San Francisco before sundown today, considering it’s already sunrise now and it was only past midnight when we started looking around, at which point we’ll need to wait until the next day.”
Drew sighed and went back to looking for anything half-heartedly. She looked so dejected that Zoë almost wanted to hug the girl, though she doubted it would be appreciated.
Instead, she sought to distract her. “Tell me about him.”
Drew frowned and turned to her. “Why?”
“Thalia made him out to be better than all the men I’ve encountered over the years,” which wasn’t much of an achievement, Zoë had to admit, considering the selection of idiots she’d had the misfortune of knowing over the millennia she’d served under Lady Artemis. “I want to know just how much.”
Drew looked at her with suspicion, which she supposed was fair. It wasn’t like the bad will that Annabeth had created between campers and hunters had evaporated overnight. “He’s kind, brave, and selfless. He’s one of the best people I know.”
“That’s easy to say. Tell me how he is all of those things,” she said while examining a nearby store.
Drew hummed in consideration before continuing, her voice betraying her happiness at talking about him. “Last summer, on the quest to save camp, he ran out as soon as he knew Sil and Clarisse were gone. He didn’t want to leave them alone on a quest like this, so he just ran out of camp.”
“He did not do it for the glory?” She knew many men who would have run out as well to not miss out on the glory of completing a quest. The Golden Bastard being chief among them.
“Not in the slightest,” Drew’s voice took on an air of fondness. “At the end of the quest, he gave the Fleece to Sil and Clarisse to fly it back to camp so it could get there quickly.”
Zoë raised an eyebrow at that. “Impressive; he gave up the chance for glory to save camp?”
Drew nodded. “Yeah, he’s just like that. He’s also very protective; when he learned how some of the others were treating me at camp, he pulled them into the lake.”
Zoë snorted. “I see. I’ll reserve my judgement until I meet him again.”
“I’ll take it,” she paused for a moment before her voice went nervous. “Can… can you tell me about what we’re going up against?”
Zoë frowned, turning back to Drew, who looked incredibly scared. “What we’re going up against? What do you mean?”
“You said we’re going up against Atlas,” Zoë had to hold back a flinch at the name. “I’ve seen how you reacted to that. He scares you; nothing scares you, but Atlas does. How… how scared should I be?”
Zoë sighed, looking at Drew more closely this time. She was barely fourteen, still a child by any modern laws. She may have been expected to marry soon in the ancient days, but that was one of the reasons the Hunt existed.
Chiron, Gleeson, Thalia, and Phoebe all knew the dangers of this world. Percy Jackson, young as he was, had gone on two quests and was personally targeted by The Crooked One. Drew Tanaka was a child, on the younger end of the girls who would join the Hunt.
Zoë put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. “I will not sugar coat things, but I want you to keep calm and composed,” at her nod, Zoë continued. “ He is incredibly powerful, the deadliest Titan other than Kronos on the battlefield. He was made for this, a soldier and warrior few could match. I’d imagine only Lord Ares could match the General’s ferocity on the battlefield as a soldier. Anyone else would need to resort to trickery or overwhelming power.”
Drew nodded, her eyes wide. “So there’s no hope when we get to the mountain? If Atlas is there, we just lose?”
Zoë grimaced. “When we get to the mountain, if the General is there, you will not engage. Leave the fighting to Chiron; he will likely have a plan. You focus on getting Percy away from Annabeth.”
Drew shifted to a look of annoyance at her former sister’s name, and Zoë couldn’t help but smirk. Drew would have made an excellent hunter, but she supposed that path would not be for her.
She then frowned, remembering what Drew had said about Annabeth. “Have you had any other dreams regarding them?
Drew nodded. “It’s more of the same. She’s unhinged.”
Zoë felt the urge to strangle Annabeth come back with a vengeance. How she ever became a hunter, Zoë would never know.
“She won’t get away with this,” Zoë assured Drew, who just nodded. They went back to examining the store in front of them when Zoë frowned. “It seems empty.”
“Wanna check it out?” Drew asked, tilting her head.
Zoë nodded, figuring they had nothing to lose. If they were lucky, they could find something useful in there. If not, it would be about standard for a quest.
Drew should have expected the attack when she got into the store.
She ducked the swipe and stabbed at the air next to her, hitting nothing. She heard a laugh and then nothing, but she couldn’t figure out where it came from.
“Who are you?” She asked without getting an answer. She heard Zoë pull back her bow and loose an arrow somewhere in the room and then curse.
“Whatever we’re dealing with, it’s powerful. Be careful,” Drew didn’t need to be told that. She’d never faced a situation like this.
A few moments later, she felt something come from behind her. She turned to strike again but found nothing. She almost cursed out loud when she heard Zoë hit the wall instead of whatever they were fighting.
Drew ran to Zoë and found that she was bleeding from her hand. Drew didn’t think she punched the wall that hard, but it didn’t matter.
“Let me see that-” Zoë yanked her hand back and glared at Drew.
“Don’t touch me, wretch!” Drew recoiled as she started feeling her heart beating out of her chest.
“Zoë, it’s me, Drew.” She raised her hands carefully.
“What did you do to her, monster?” She aimed her bow at Drew and nocked an arrow. “I will give you one chance to explain.”
Drew’s eyes widened. “What’s going on?”
“Time’s up,” Zoë said as she prepared to loose the arrow.
Drew’s eyes widened, and she screamed. “Don’t hurt me!”
The arrow went sailing past her, missing her entirely. Zoë looked surprised, which gave Drew a moment to run out of the store, throwing whatever she could in the way on her way out, hoping it would slow Zoë down.
She ran out onto the streets, ignoring everyone turning to her in surprise as she rushed past everyone, hoping to find help before Zoë found her. She didn’t understand what was happening, but she knew one thing.
Zoë was not herself at this point.
She’d seen Zoë in action during capture the flag before and knew for a fact she stood no chance against the hunter. There were only two people at camp who could take her on, and Drew was neither one of them. All she could do was hide and pray that she would make it out of this alive.
She ran from street to street, keeping her head low and looking for the others. As it stood, there were only two people who could help her, and those were Hedge and Thalia. Phoebe wasn’t likely able to go toe to toe with Zoë on a good day, and she didn’t want to owe that hunter anything.
She was cut out of her thoughts when an arrow zipped right past her, missing her by barely a quarter of an inch. Drew froze and turned to see Zoë looking at her like she was her prey.
“No running this time, monster,” she growled as she readied another arrow.
Drew ran again, rushing in between people and hoping Zoë wouldn’t try to hurt them to get to her. None of them seemed to notice as the two ran in he streets, which was strange, but Drew didn’t have time to think about that.
She barely had the time to dodge the next arrow shot, with it scratching her cheek.
She kept running, weaving in between the people on the street, hoping she’d lose Zoë, but to no avail. Zoë kept her eyes on her and managed to cut her off soon after, kicking her to the floor.
“Any last words before I send you to Tartarus?” She said, cold as the sword she found with Percy in Atlantic City.
“Monster! Behind you!” She said in fear, hoping Zoë would take the bait.
She did, and Drew felt hope again. She got to her feet and pushed Zoë to the ground before running in the opposite direction. She didn’t look back, didn’t stop, didn’t pause to breathe. If she did, Zoë would catch up to her, and it would be game over.
Drew ducked into an alleyway and tried to take a breath. She had to figure out what was happening and fix it fast, otherwise she’d end up dead.
Drew went through everything that she knew. Zoë was acting strangely, trying to hunt her down like she was a monster. She was relentless and asked what she’d done with her , possibly talking about Drew herself.
Was she brainwashed?
She couldn’t think of anything else. She remembered Thalia mentioning Echidna before they split up, and she remembered Percy mentioning Echidna being able to manipulate the Mist to a high level. Was she involved in this?
If she was, then she had to find a way to break the spell. She couldn’t remember how Percy broke the spell then, so she was out of luck there.
She got moving again soon after, not willing to stay in the same spot for too long. She had to find someone before it was too late.
If she didn’t, then the whole quest was in trouble.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Thalia and Poseidon? What did you think of Drew and Zoe? What do you think is going on here?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: https://discord.gg/xxm7QDqFS3
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Chapter 24: Time's Running Out
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Thalia was starting to get worried.
It was well past noon at this point, almost one even, and no one besides her was at the bus stop. She started pacing, praying to whoever would listen that the others were alright, killing monsters that came close to her, and cursing her luck.
She’d spent hours after her meeting with Poseidon scouring the city, but all she found were memories of the past. She found her old school in need ot repairs, she saw some of her old neighbors who didn’t seem to recognize her, and a lot of people she wished she could forget.
One of them told her that Beryl Grace was dead, going out in a car crash a few years back. Thalia wasn’t sure how she felt about that, especially since she started seeing Sally as her mom recently. She wasn’t sure if that was a betrayal of some kind, but she supposed it didn’t matter at the moment.
She’d have time to unpack that later; right now, she had to focus, empty as she felt.
Which, of course, meant that it was all she could think about.
She hadn’t thought of Beryl Grace for years by that point, not since she met Luke. Thalia had chosen a new family for herself after Beryl killed her brother, so there was no need for her to think about her mother.
And yet, the fact that she was dead brought up a different worry. How many people could she lose without knowing about it? Jason died when she wasn’t there, Beryl died when she wasn’t there, she’d lost more friends at camp than she could really count.
Tommy, Sasha, Bruce, Audrey. All of them taken away before their time, all of them mentors and friends she lost when she wasn’t around.
What was stopping Luke and Percy from joining that list?
She frowned. That was not a voice within her head. She turned and found no one there, which got her guard up. If there was no one behind her, and no one in front of her looked like they could say something like that, it could mean Echidna was still around.
And if Echidna was still around, that meant they were in trouble.
“You’re smarter than you look, deary.”
Thalia turned and whipped out her spear and shield, ready to kill Echidna before the monster raised her hand. “Easy there; you won’t gain anything from that.”
Thalia glared at her. “What makes you think that?”
“Well, for one, I’m not here,” Echidna smiled cheerfully at her as Thalia cursed. “This is more of a sort of recording I left behind, though that’s not too accurate. Think of this as a Mistform I left behind to talk to you.”
“Why would you?” Thalia asked suspiciously.
“Why not?” Echidna shrugged. “It’s not like I’ll tell you what’s going on, not that it would change anything. I’ve done my job, and now you lot are either delayed from reaching the mountain or are completely blocked from doing so. Either way, I’d say it’s a success.”
Thalia approached her slowly, and she could see the Mistform smirk. “Oh, now you are truly intimidating, girl. Perhaps if you reach your friends, you can actually save them, but you won’t reach them because-”
Thalia cut her off with her spear, not in the mood to listen to a recording of all things. She sighed; with Echidna involved, things got complicated. She didn’t know what was happening to the others, but it couldn’t be good.
Just then, she heard the sound of hooves on concrete and felt herself relax slightly. That feeling of comfort quickly turned into mild horror mixed with confusion when she saw Gleeson trotting up to her with Phoebe slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“I see you’re alright,” he said as he dropped Phoebe on the ground, a bruise on her head suspiciously in the shape of a goat’s hoof.
“What happened?” Thalia asked, barely stopping herself from facepalming. While Echidna could have been involved, knowing Phoebe and Gleeson, it was very likely that the two just decided to fight each other.
“Girl went crazy,” Gleeson said with a frown. “She just started shooting at me and saying I was a monster or something. I knocked her out before she could do much more, but I think she was brainwashed.”
Thalia grimaced. “Echidna was here; she hit you guys with the Mist like she did with us on the quest for the Bolt.”
Gleeson frowned and nodded. “Did you get hit?”
“Don’t think so,” Thalia said. “I had a meeting with Poseidon, so I think Echidna didn’t bother messing with me.”
“Explains why you smell like the sea,” Gleeson got to work treating Phoebe’s injury as he spoke. “Any sign of the others?’
Thalia shook her head. “None. I’m worried they’re in trouble.”
“They can take care of themselves, I’m sure,” he said with confidence, though it didn’t reassure Thalia too much.
“They can,” she said slowly, her eyes widening in horror. “But can they handle each other?”
Gleeson looked at her for a moment before his eyes widened too. “If Echidna got one of them.”
“Then they could be fighting right now,” Thalia finished tensely. “And Drew can’t take on Zoë no matter what.”
This was bad. She needed to find the two before it was too late.
She heard a groan, and she turned to Phoebe, who was starting to wake up. “What hit me?”
“Gleeson,” Thalia said quickly. “Echidna got you with the Mist, and he had to knock you out.”
Phoebe was on high alert when she heard that, getting to her feet, wincing slightly as she grabbed her head. “Not sure if I can fight now.”
Thalia shook her head. “No need for that. Can you track down Drew and Zoë?”
Phoebe nodded. “I’ve tracked harder prey in worse conditions. Who do I focus on?”
“Drew,” Thalia said without hesitation. “Zoë can survive on her own more easily than Drew can.”
Phoebe nodded and got to work. After a moment, she got a trail and started leading them towards Drew as quickly as they could go.
Which wasn’t that quick, it turned out, with them having to weave through what felt like endless crowds and cars trying to get to their friends. If something happened to either of them, Thalia wasn’t sure what she’d do.
She also wasn’t sure when she started considering Zoë as a friend, but she’d think about that later. For now, she had to find them.
“How far are they?” She asked somewhat impatiently.
“I don’t know,” Phoebe admitted. “The spell gives me a path to follow, but doesn’t give me any distance.”
Just their luck. They had to run around and pray that they’d run into the others, which didn’t bode well for them, given how big Los Angeles was.
What kind of tracking spell doesn’t tell you how far you are?
And to top it off, if Zoë and Drew were fighting each other, that just meant that if they took too long, Drew might end up dead.
They ran for what felt like hours but found nothing. Phoebe said the trail kept changing, but it still led to two people, so at least they knew Drew was alive. She wasn’t sure how to break the spell, with Percy needing Amphitrite the last time, but given that Phoebe looked fine now-
At least, she hoped she was fine. She wondered for a moment if she was dealing with the actual Gleeson and Phoebe or if they were just another trick of the Mist. Between the running for a long time and the lack of distance tracking from the Hunt’s best tracker, things weren’t adding up.
“You’re smarter than you look, Thalia Grace,” Gleeson’s voice spoke, but it wasn’t him. It couldn’t be him; he’d never call her by her full name.
She hissed and brought out her spear. “Echidna!”
Gleeson and Phoebe shimmered away, and she found herself back in the same room where she had found Poseidon, the world around her melting away. Echidna was standing in front of her, a triumphant smirk on her face. “I was wondering how long that little trick would last.”
“Where are Gleeson and Phoebe?” Thalia growled at the monster, not bothering to play along.
“I couldn’t say, given I’m not exactly the real Echidna,” she shrugged carelessly. “I’d imagine something similar to what I made you see happened; that satyr is much more resilient than I would have liked, just as you are.”
Thalia glared at her. “What did you do?”
“Nothing you need to worry yourselves about, darling. Everything will go according to plan and-”
Thalia slashed the Mistform, and it dissipated without much issue. She left the store and found it was well past noon, cursing her luck. She had to find the others before it was too late.
The only problem was that she didn’t know if she could trust her senses anymore. She didn’t know if she was still under Echidna’s spell or not.
She tried to remember how she and Luke broke out of the spell last time, only to curse her luck as she remembered it was with Amphitrite’s help, washing away the spell and the Chimera at the same time.
She couldn’t do this on her own, not by a long shot. She needed help, and there was only one way she could think of.
“Father,” she started praying, hoping it would work. “Lord Zeus, Father of Olympus, I need help. Echidna’s spell is too strong for me to break on my own. Please, we can’t fail now.”
She felt the winds shift, and she could feel her Father’s presence gently surrounding her. She didn’t feel any different, but she knew it worked when the world around her shattered one more time, and she was suddenly back in the store, but this time it was the real world.
The winds seemed to speak to her. Find your friends, knock them out, and the spell will be broken.
She went outside and got to searching, hoping she could find the others quickly. She knew she was back in the real world when she heard Gleeson shouting at the top of his lungs just a few streets down.
“Will you stop already?! I’m trying to help!”
“Stay back! Don’t get any closer!”
She supposed she at least knew which way she needed to go. She ran in the direction of the yelling and found Gleeson and Phoebe in an alley not too far from where she was, with Phoebe aiming an arrow at Gleeson while he looked like he was trying his hardest not to knock her out.
Phoebe noticed her walking in and snarled at her. “I see you’ve brought backup, then? Too scared to do the deed yourself?”
Gleeson turned to her and nodded. “Glad you could make it. Got anything for her?”
Thalia nodded and pointed at Phoebe, sending a bolt of lightning from her finger, sending her flying back into the wall behind her, knocking her out.
“That should do it,” Thalia said, and Gleeson nodded, not questioning her and going to check up on Phoebe. After a few minutes, she woke up and rubbed her head.
“What happened?” She was disoriented, slowly getting her bearings back.
“Echidna happened,” Thalia said with a growl. “We need to find Drew and Zoë, now.”
Phoebe’s eyes widened, and she got to work on her tracking spell. Thalia felt a bit tense at seeing this happening again, but at least she knew this time that this was reality.
“They’re not too far from here,” Phoebe said, which proved further that this was reality. “Follow me.”
They didn’t need to go too far before they found a trail of blood, and Thalia felt her heart drop. She heard Phoebe mutter a curse and say something about Zoë being relentless, but she didn’t pay attention.
She set her spine and followed the trail, finding it growing fresher the longer she ran. She felt her blood pumping and her senses sharpening and her heart beating out of her chest. She had to find Drew before it was too late.
She heard a scuffle nearby and rushed to the beach, finding it empty save for two people. She wasn’t sure why no one was there, but it didn’t matter at the moment.
She saw Zoë aiming a shot at Drew, who already had an arrow in her shoulder. She had to act now before it was too late.
She shot a bolt of lightning from her hand and hit Zoë in the back, throwing her off balance. She turned and glared at Thalia. “Your reinforcements then?”
Drew’s eyes widened as she saw them. “Thalia!”
Thalia took a look at her and found herself relaxing slightly. Her eyes were clear, not like Zoë’s were. She wasn’t sure why Drew was unaffected by the spell, but that didn’t matter at the moment. It just made things simpler.
“Gleeson! Phoebe! You two take care of Drew. I’ll handle Zoë,” Thalia took out her spear and shield and readied herself for the fight.
She couldn’t deny she was a bit excited for this showdown. There weren’t many people who could keep up with her, with Zoë being one of them. The last time they fought, Thalia had been a decent bit weaker than she was now, and she wanted to see how far she’d made it.
Zoë glared at her and readied her bow. Last time, Zoë hadn’t been trying to kill her last time and Thalia played around too much. She couldn’t do much of that this time around.
Zoë made the first move, and Thalia found herself on the back foot, taking everything she had to keep up. Her main problem was that she couldn’t fight to kill, but Zoë had no problems doing that.
She fell into a rhythm, dodging and slashing as much as she could, hoping to get an opening to knock Zoë out. She cut Zoë’s cheek and got a hiss.
“You’re better than you look, monster, but you won’t beat me,” she wiped the blood from her cheek and lunged back in, ramping up her ferocity.
Thalia started ramping up her ferocity as well, figuring that Zoë could take it. She jabbed, bashed, and struck at Zoë as much as she could, but missed most of her shots. She was starting to get frustrated.
Any arrow Zoë managed to land on her was deflected by the Nemean Lion’s pelt, and Thalia had almost forgotten she had it on her. There wasn’t a single enemy who’d needed it to be used so far, but it made sense that Zoë was the first.
She frowned as she thought of the arrow in Drew’s shoulder. Maybe she should have been the one wearing the pelt instead. She shook her head and focused on the fight. She could consider that later.
She pulled back and kept her eyes on Zoë as she spoke to the others. “Get back; I’m gonna try something big!”
She didn’t turn to check if they listened, not having the time to. She called a storm to the beach, lightning cracking in the sky. She felt her power surge, and Zoë stopped in her tracks.
She looked up and her eyes widened. “How?”
She didn’t have much time to think before Thalia started pelting her with bolt after bolt. Zoë wasn’t the lieutenant of the Hunt for nothing, of course, managing to dodge each strike with impressive speed. Thalia lunged at her after that, mixing her strikes with bolts of lightning.
She’d never managed to have a spar where she could do that, so she found herself having more fun than her last fight with Zoë. Maybe she shouldn’t be having as much fun as she was having, but she couldn’t help it. Besides Luke, Zoë was the only one she could fight without worrying about needing to hold back and without her being in a life-or-death situation.
The thought of Luke snapped her out of her stupor. She couldn’t draw this fight out any longer.
She focused on creating a magnetic field, being done with playing around. Zoë’s eyes widened as her lip quivered. “That’s impossible.”
She ramped it up, and Zoë started getting disoriented and afraid. Thalia took the openings that brought her and hit her in the stomach before bashing her over the head with her Aegis. She wasn’t sure how Zoë avoided seeing Medusa on the shield, but maybe the Mist made her see something else.
Zoë crumpled to the floor, out cold, and Thalia felt herself relax. She turned to see the others staring at her with wide eyes.
“Thalia,” Drew said as she got closer to her, walking increasingly quickly to throw her arms around Thalia. “That was insane.”
Thalia rubbed her back gently as she chuckled. “Yeah, I know.”
Gleeson went up to Zoë and checked her over, nodding in approval towards Thalia. “Good hit.”
Phoebe shot him a look as she knelt next to Zoë, looking her over. “This should be an easy fix.”
Soon after they finished working on her, Zoë woke up. She looked around and frowned. “When did we get to the beach?”
“When you tried to kill Drew,” Thalia said casually.
Zoë’s eyes widened. “What?”
Drew smiled shakily as she told Zoë what happened. Zoë’s eyes were wide with horror by the end. “I thought a monster killed you. I almost-”
Drew cut her off by putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s fine. Nothing happened, and it wasn’t your fault.”
Zoë looked like she didn’t believe that, but she nodded and took a deep breath, standing up and turning to Thalia. “What happened?”
“Echidna.”
Zoë let out a string of curses that Thalia was impressed to hear. She heard some older phrases, too, that she only knew from listening to Chiron over the years.
“One thing I don’t get is why Drew and Gleeson didn’t get affected,” Thalia said with a frown.
“A wide-scale spell like that is harder to cast, so those with more resistance to manipulation will not be affected,” Zoë said. “Since you were affected, I’d imagine Echidna put extra effort into you. I’d imagine she didn’t think much of Hedge and Drew.”
“And my charmspeak gives me some level of resistance to mental manipulation, so that helped,” Drew said casually.
Thalia nodded. Before she could say anything, she was cut off by a loud mooing.
She turned to the sea and saw the Ophiotaurus there. She frowned, not sure how to go about this.
“We can not let the Titans get a hand on him,” Zoë said seriously. Thalia turned to her and saw a level of fear in Zoë’s eyes she hadn’t expected to see. Even her nervous look when she shifted the magnetic field around was nowhere near the look on Zoë’s face now.
“No, we can’t,” Thalia agreed. “But we can’t bring him around with us. We’ll have to get him somewhere safe.”
“Wouldn’t camp do alright?” Drew asked, tilting her head. “Mr D.’s still there. He can probably take care of him, right?”
“A good idea, but how will the Ophiotaurus get to camp?” Zoë asked. “He will need a guide, and he can only move through water.”
Phoebe turned to the Ophiotaurus then and set her jaw. “I can guide him.”
Zoë’s eyes widened. “Pheobe-”
“Someone has to go, and I’m the best candidate for the job. I can protect him well enough, and I know where the camp is.”
In truth, the only other person who would be good to send on this mission would be Drew, but there was no way she was going anywhere alone. She wasn’t good enough yet to handle a mission this big on her own, and none of the others could be spared.
“What about transport?” Zoë asked, looking at Phoebe with concern. “You can’t breathe underwater.”
Thalia turned to the sea and walked up to the surf, kneeling in the water and muttering a prayer. “Lord Poseidon. I’m sorry for the informality of the prayer, but we’re a little short on time. We need to make sure the Ophiotaurus makes it to Camp safely. Please grant Phoebe safe passage to camp.”
She felt the waves answer her in a sense. The prayer was heard; she now needed to offer a proper sacrifice. Thalia took off the Nemean Lion’s pelt, ready to offer it when Drew spoke up. “Are you sure, Thalia? That pelt can be useful.”
Thalia turned and gave Drew a confident smirk. “I’m not so helpless I need a crutch to get things done,” as she hoped, Zoë cracked a small smile at that. “We need a big sacrifice; this is the best we have.”
Zoë looked at her slightly impressed, and Thalia dropped the pelt into the sea. “Please accept our sacrifice.”
The pelt shimmered and disappeared in the water as the Ophiotaurus mooed happily. “Well, Phoebe, hop on. When you get to camp, tell them it’s a Class Omega. You’ll be taken extra seriously with that.”
She nodded. “I won’t fail,” she said with confidence and for once, Thalia didn’t feel like the hunter was blowing smoke out of her ass.
As Phoebe mounted the Ophiotaurus and the two moved under the waves, Thalia added one last part to her prayer. “We’ll get him back, Lord Poseidon.”
She felt the air around her shift slightly, and she knew she’d been heard. Now they had one last task.
Get to San Francisco before it was too late.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Thalia and Poseidon? What did you think of Drew and Zoe? What do you think is going on here?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: "https://discord.gg/Egwpds3uaT
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Chapter 25: Old Friends
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Finding the money was easier than Drew thought it’d be.
Thalia led them to a monster den nearby, the lair of some minor empousa, and killed her without any issue.
Drew blinked and grew even more worried about the brutality Thalia was employing in her fights, but she put that to the side. It got them results, and she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
They went into the lair, a laundromat by the looks of it, and looked around for anything useful they could find. Drew found a few maps, a couple of drachma, and a lot of money.
“This empousa’s loaded!” she couldn’t help but say in wonder as Thalia came around to check the amount.
She nodded, looking impressed but not surprised. “Empousa have a habit of making a lot of money. Most of it comes from some side gigs they do.”
Drew blinked. “Side gigs? Like what?”
Thalia blinked twice and turned to Drew for a moment before shrugging. “Nothing to worry yourself about, Drew. It's just a few, ah, less than legal operations.”
Drew nodded. It made sense that empousa would be some sort of thieves, she supposed, and Thalia didn’t look too happy discussing it, so she let it slide. “Is that enough to get us the San Francisco?”
Thalia nodded. “Oh yeah, with cash to spare too. We’ll be on our way and be done with this quest soon enough.”
Drew nodded, though she was getting worried. They’d lost the day, with it being at sundown right now. By the time they got to San Francisco, it’d be morning, which meant they had to wait even longer before they tried to get to Othrys, which gave Annabeth even more time alone with Percy.
She didn’t know what to do at this point, but she felt like she was failing the quest with every day that passed.
Thalia noticed the look on her face and squeezed her shoulder. “Hey, we’re almost done. We’ll get them out soon enough.”
Drew nodded. “You’re right. I just can’t wait to be done with this.”
“Me too.” Thalia let her go but stayed near her as they walked out of the store. “Now, let’s get on a bus before I level this stupid city.”
Drew had a feeling there was more to that than just being frustrated, but she didn’t ask. She just moved a bit closer to Thalia, hoping to provide her with some comfort.
Thalia seemed to relax a bit, and she shot Drew a smile. “You’re a good kid, you know that?”
Drew shrugged. “I try.”
They made it to the others and showed them their loot, with Zoë sighing in frustration. “We keep trying to bust the empousai’s rings, but they seem to keep popping up.”
Drew frowned. “They’re that bad?”
Zoë turned to Drew and looked at her for a moment before nodding. “Yes. They keep coming out like cockroaches.”
She didn’t elaborate any further.
They got on a Greyhound then and prepared for a long trip. As far as she knew, it should take them around seven hours to get to their destination, which was longer than she liked.
It didn’t matter too much, she supposed. The important part was that they were almost there. She just hoped it went smoothly, which probably meant it wouldn’t.
Bianca’s time at camp was getting more complicated the longer she spent there.
For one, she’d never felt freer in her whole life. She didn’t need to constantly watch over Nico for one, which was a big boost, but she still got to see him. He also managed to make some friends with the younger kids at camp, Mikey being one of their names, if she remembered correctly.
She also made a few friends of her own, namely Silena and Connor. After a few days had passed, they went out of their way to hang out with her. She had a feeling that a part of it was trying to find a distraction, but she could tell they were genuine with their feelings.
Her main problem was dealing with the Hunters. She’d made friends with one of them, Penelope, and there was another one who wasn’t too bad to hang out with; the rest were a mixed bag. She preferred the ones who ignored her to the ones who singled her out.
Celyn was one of the ones who singled her out a few days after she got to camp. The first thing she did was offer her a place in the Hunt, which did tempt Bianca a bit; she couldn’t lie. She wasn’t entirely sure what to choose, so she asked Celyn to give her some time to think, and it was granted.
When she walked out of the arena with Connor, though, things changed.
“What were you doing with him?” Celyn narrowed her eyes at her in distrust.
Bianca frowned. “He was asking about what happened with Luke and the other kid, I think his name was Percy, why?”
Her nostrils flared. “That boy can not be trusted. He will lead you astray.”
“What are you talking about?” Bianca didn’t like Celyn’s tone all that much.
“You don’t even see it, do you? Fools, the lot of you!”
Bianca glared at her, and the hunter tensed up for a moment. “I don’t know who you think you are, but don’t ever talk to me again.”
After that, she spent more time around Connor just to spite them. They didn’t like her hanging out with Silena all that much either, and when the two of them learned of this, they were more than happy to help her out.
“I think we’ll get along just fine,” Connor gave her a smirk.
The rest of the hunters didn’t seem to care all that much, but that was fine by Bianca. She was only trying to annoy a select few, and she doubled down when she heard some of them talk about Nico.
“It’s all that little brat’s fault,” she heard the one she thinks was called Naomi say.
“If he weren’t around, she could find her true place in the world much more comfortably.”
There was no way to prove that Bianca was involved in their shirts being itchy for the next few days, as she and Connor watched the two suffer.
She enjoyed her time at camp, but she still wasn’t sure about joining the Hunt. As bad an impression as Naomi and Celyn made on her, the idea was still interesting for her. She’d have to ask Thalia and Zoë when they got back.
She was about to go to her next activity when she saw Connor rushing from the docks with one of the hunters right behind him. It looked like the one who went on the quest a few days ago, Phoebe, she thinks her name was, which didn’t make much sense.
The two rushed past her quickly, with Bianca catching a few tense words. They went to the Big House as everyone started crowding around to see what happened. Patroclus opened the door with Mr. D right behind them. They looked at the two for a moment before beckoning Phoebe in, leaving Connor to make his way to the crowd.
“Phoebe said she has urgent news for Mr. D. Said it was a class Omega.”
Nervous chatter broke out around Bianca, and she frowned. It sounded like it was a very bad thing.
“Mr. D has things handled. We should get back to our activities and prepare for anything to happen,” Beckendorf said calmly, though Bianca could see the nerves in his eyes.
As the crowd broke apart, Connor and his brother Travis stayed behind. When she turned to them, Connor smiled sheepishly. “I figured you’d want someone to explain what’s going on, and Trav stuck around for it.”
Bianca nodded. “What’s a Class Omega?”
Travis was the one who answered with a grimace. “Highest level of severity we’ve got. Last year, we were hit with a plague that took out most of camp, and that was just a class Sigma. Omega’s one rank higher.”
Bianca nodded, tensing slightly. She didn’t fully understand what was going on, but she knew it was bad.
She just hoped things would work out in their favor.
San Francisco was just as Thalia had expected it to be.
In other words, it was annoying to look at.
The main reason was the fact that it was still morning at the moment, which meant they had a whole day to go before they could get to Luke and Percy and be done with this endless quest. She supposed that at least it was almost winter at the moment, which meant that sundown was closer than it would have been in the summer.
It was a small consolation, though, when she knew what Percy was going through, and who knew what Luke was going through? That made it both better and worse in some ways. All she knew was she had to save them.
She wasn’t sure where Chiron was in this city, but they had to find him soon. If they didn’t, she didn’t want to think of what would happen when they got further on in the quest.
Her first thought was to look for the biggest monster she could find and assume Chiron was busy killing it, but looking around, she couldn’t find anything that stood out.
“Hey, Zoë,” she turned to her friend (when did she start considering Zoë a friend?), hoping she’d have an answer. “Got any Hunter tricks that’d help us find a big monster here?”
Zoë frowned. “I can if there is one; why?”
“Trying to find Chiron. Best idea I had,” Thalia said, hoping it’d be an easy thing.
Zoë nodded, getting to work on tracking any monster in the area. While she worked on that, Thalia turned to Drew. “How’re you holding up, kiddo?”
Drew turned to her with a frown. “We’re almost at the end. Still feels like we’re nowhere near done with this.”
Thalia understood what she meant. The Titan base was right there, and yet they were no closer to getting to it than they were at the beginning of the quest. At least, it felt like it; it felt hopeless in a way that she’d never felt before.
She couldn’t show that, though. She could never show that to anyone. No one but Luke, and he wasn’t here. That was a big part of the problem.
“We’ll get there, Drew,” she settled on. “We’re close; just need to make it through the day, and we’ll be done.”
Drew nodded, looking more sure of herself. “And when we get there, we’re tearing Annabeth a new one.”
Thalia nodded grimly. She was proud of Drew for that, but she was too tense to show it. She’d let her know when they were done with the quest.
As soon as they got Percy and Luke to safety, she’d tell Drew just how proud she was of her.
She just hoped they were alright enough to move. She didn’t want to imagine what Annabeth was doing to them; Drew had told them a bit of what was happening to Percy, but she didn’t know anything else, and Luke’s situation was a complete mystery. As far as she knew, he could be dead and-
Get out of my head!
She forced herself to turn to Zoë, trying to ignore the pit of fear forming in her stomach. “Any luck?”
She found Zoë staring into the distance instead of doing any tracking. “I found something.”
Thalia followed her gaze and clenched her jaw. “Manticore.”
Everyone around her tensed, except for Gleeson, who looked like he was excited for the upcoming fight. “What’re we waiting for? Let’s head after him!”
She didn’t need to be told twice. They followed the monster quietly, trailing him to see what he was up to. It took everything Thalia had not to lunge at the bastard and rip him to pieces, but Zoë had managed to convince her to take a stealthier approach.
She wasn’t sure when she’d started listening to Zoë of all people, but she did, holding herself as best she could on their way to wherever Thorn was headed for.
It was around the Golden Gate Bridge when he stopped and started looking around suspiciously. Thalia thought he’d caught on to them, but he turned and snarled in a different direction from where they were.
“Demigods!” He lunged onto a side road, and Thalia rushed in after him. If he found demigods, then she wasn’t about to stand on the side and let them get hurt.
She turned to the side and almost froze when she saw who it was. “Reyna! Hylla!”
They turned to her and smiled, which was a mistake as Thorn went in for a deadly strike right then. Thalia rushed in and blocked his attack, blasting him back with lightning from her hands.
Thalia turned to them and frowned. “You two alright?”
They nodded, falling into combat stances that she hadn’t seen before. Hylla smirked at her as she spoke. “Yeah. We can catch up later; we’ve got a monster to kill.”
“I like this one,” Zoë said as she showed up, bow ready.
Hedge and Drew flanked the back, and with the six on one disadvantage, Thorn had to know he was done for.
“I will not be defeated like this!” He was still in denial, though, which Thalia found mildly annoying. He launched spikes at Drew before turning and running to the bridge, and Thalia had had enough.
“Gleeson,” she said coldly. “Can you get the mortals off the bridge?”
Gleeson’s eyes widened as he processed her request. Everyone else also looked worried. “Uh, yeah, why?”
“I’m gonna fight him right there; don’t need anyone getting hurt.”
She called storm clouds and brought down a bolt of lightning right in front of the monster, stopping him in his tracks and almost hitting a car in the process.
She rushed in and started fighting him without much issue. He wasn’t anything special, and without an easy target to attack to keep her distracted, he couldn’t keep up.
Or maybe she was just holding back a lot less this time around compared to before. Either way, Thorn was barely a warm-up.
She heard Hedge playing a tune on his pipes that permeated over the entire bridge. She could see mortals starting to turn around and leave the bridge. That was perfect for her.
She called in another magnetic field, this one more powerful than any she had used before. She wanted to make sure Thorn was dead, and there was nothing that was stopping her.
He doubled over in pain, and she could feel the bridge starting to vibrate. She tried to make sure the field didn’t reach her friends, but there was only so much she could do.
He was taking too long to die, so she ramped the field up a higher notch.
She could feel the bridge shaking, but she didn’t care. All that mattered was that Thorn died. She ramped her field up as much as she could and saw Thorn crumble into dust, no last words to speak of.
That was when the bridge shook as if there were an earthquake. Thalia shut the field off, but it didn’t make a difference; the bridge was still shaking, and she could see it start to break apart in the distance.
She turned and ran back to the others, hoping to make it to the end before the entire bridge collapsed. She wasn’t sure whether she’d make it, but she had to try. She could hear pieces of the bridge drop into the water below, and she could hear the steel beams falling and breaking the bridge.
She ignored all of that and focused on running. If she let herself get distracted for even one moment, she knew she’d be dead.
She used the wind to push herself forward, hoping to give herself a bit more speed as the ground beneath her started cracking. She could see the edge of the bridge right in front of her. She just had to make it.
Right as she neared the edge, the bridge gave out from under her. She jumped, hoping to reach the edge, but she barely managed to hold on to the ground. She tried pulling herself up, but she was too exhausted to. She’d expended herself too much against Thorn.
She felt herself slipping as she struggled to hold on; she couldn’t give up, but there didn’t seem to be any hope. She was done for.
Just as she was about to fall, she felt someone grab her hand. She looked up and saw Hylla and Zoë standing above her, with Zoë having grabbed her arm.
“Come on, Thalia,” Hylla said. “You can’t fall.”
Zoë didn’t say anything, but she nodded, and Thalia raised her hand to grab Hylla’s outstretched one. The two of them pulled her up, and she collapsed on the floor, too tired to stand.
“That was insane,” Hylla said, looking over at what Thalia assumed was what was left of the bridge.
Zoë sighed but said nothing. She looked concerned as she turned to Thalia, looking her over for a moment before nodding in satisfaction. “Looks like you’ve only exhausted yourself.”
Thalia nodded, not able to say a word. She closed her eyes, hoping to rest a bit before moving.
Just like that, she fell asleep.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of the mention of Empousai side gigs? What did you think of camp? What did you think of Thalia's fight?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: "https://discord.gg/Egwpds3uaT
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/7992xenXkq
Chapter 26: The Other Side
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Drew watched helplessly as Hylla and Zoë carried Thalia back to the others.
Watching the Golden Gate Bridge collapse had been terrifying, to put it mildly, but that was about par for the course when it came to this quest. Seeing Thalia completely out of it was not something she was prepared for.
And seeing her lose herself even more was even scarier than anything else she could have imagined.
Reyna didn’t look much better, looking at Thalia with a level of concern she hadn’t expected.
She wasn’t sure how she felt about the two new demigods; she’d heard about them from Percy, but at the moment, she didn’t really know them. They seemed alright enough she supposed, but there was something different about them she couldn’t quite place her finger on.
She didn’t say anything about it though. They were here and they were helping them out; that was good enough for her.
Hylla and Zoë placed Thalia on the ground in front of them and Hedge went to her side to look at her. “She’s just exhausted. I can stay with her till she wakes up. You all can go and fill your time up until sundown.”
Zoë nodded and moved out. “Follow me.”
Reyna and Hylla shared a look before nodding and Drew followed without much question. They went ahead a bit before Zoë stopped and turned to Hylla and Reyna with a hard look. “What are you two doing here?”
“Just scouting the area. We heard there was a monster den nearby and we were sent to check it out,” Hylla said, frowning. “Why are you here?”
Zoë looked composed as she spoke. “We are on a quest ordained by Olympus.”
The way she said it was strange for Drew, like she was trying to hide something. Hylla seemed to notice that but didn’t say anything, and Reyna didn’t seem to question it. Drew wasn’t sure what to make of any of this.
“Very well. We should join forces,” Zoë said. “I imagine we can benefit out of that quite a bit.”
Hylla shrugged. “Works for me. The den’s near Alcatraz, so we should get moving if you need to be somewhere at sundown.”
Zoë nodded and they called a cab over to get to Alcatraz. They had to wait for a bigger one to show up since they were four, but Hylla stayed in front since she was the biggest so it wasn’t too uncomfortable.
Drew sat on the left side, Reyna in the middle, and Zoë on the right, which meant Reyna took the chance to interrogate Drew after Zoë used the Mist to make sure they weren’t overheard by the driver.
Reyna looked at her for a moment before she spoke. “Why are you here?”
Drew shrugged. “I’m on a quest.”
“Yes, but you seem to be here for a reason beyond just that,” Reyna frowned. “What are you hiding?”
Zoë looked on impassively and didn’t interfere. That made Drew a bit more relaxed; she figured Reyna wasn’t a threat, but that confirmed it.
“You know Percy?” Drew said casually enough.
Reyna frowned deeper and nodded. “Yeah, he’s a friend. What’s he got to do with this?”
“He’s in trouble. Him and Luke; Thalia and I are here because of that.”
Reyna hid her worry well, but Drew knew what to look for. “I see. Do you know where they are?”
“Mount Tam,” Zoë cut in there. “I doubt you’ll be able to join us.”
Reyna grimaced and Hylla cut in, sounding frustrated. “I doubt we would, much as I’d rather be able to help.”
Drew put a hand on Reyna’s arm. “I’m sure what we’re doing here will help us plenty.”
She wasn’t sure why she was reassuring Reyna, but she found herself wanting to. She was Percy’s friend too, so Drew wanted to help.
Reyna nodded, looking a bit more relaxed but still apprehensive. “What’s Percy to you?”
Drew blushed slightly and Reyna’s eyes widened as she smiled. “Wait, are you two dating?”
Drew nodded and Reyna laughed. “Well, good for him. When you save him, let him know I said hi will you?”
Drew nodded and the cab stopped then. Drew looked outside and saw Alcatraz in all its glory. Stepping out of the cab, she could feel the air around her change.
There was a monster den here, that much was for sure. But for some reason, it felt different to a normal monster den.
“Any idea where it is?” Drew turned to Reyna, feeling more comfortable asking her.
Reyna shrugged. “That’s what we’re here to find out.”
Zoë looked around with narrow eyes. She dropped to the floor and was looking at something intently. Reyna leaned close to Drew, looking confused. “What’s she doing?”
“She’s a hunter,” Drew said. “Probably trying to track down where the den is.”
Reyna nodded, looking relieved. “That makes things easier then.”
Drew nodded. It wasn’t too long before Zoë stood up. “I have the location; follow me.”
They stayed close to Zoë, following her to a spot right next to the bridge connecting the mainland to Alcatraz. Zoë knelt near the bridge and pushed a stone in and a secret passage opened up.
Drew blinked. “How did you-”
“There’s a monster trail leading this way,” Zoë cut her off. “It stops here.”
“How’d you know there was a secret path?” Reyna tilted her head.
Zoë shrugged. “Experience. Now, let’s go.”
They went in and found the den was empty. It was a bit odd, but Drew figured it would make things easier for them.
It was dark at first but the lights turned on automatically. Drew’s eyes widened at that.
“This isn’t a normal monster den,” Hylla said what Drew was thinking.
Zoë nodded. “This is a war base. Keep your eyes peeled; if you find anything useful, tell the rest of us. Don’t go too far along; we don’t know what might be here.”
Drew nodded and started looking around. She found the usual things for a monster den; weapons, beds, demigod remains.
Wait…
She turned back and saw half a torn shirt from camp draped over a ribcage. She didn’t look further to see if there was any flesh; she just turned away and kept looking for anything else.
She found a whole lot more of what she saw before for a while, not finding anything useful until she saw an unmarked drawer cabinet.
“I think I found something,” she called out to the others as she opened the drawers. It seemed like the monsters didn’t expect anyone to come in here.
Drew picked up a file as everyone took one of their own. She read through it and saw attack plans for somewhere in the middle of California, which didn’t make too much sense to her. She figured it might be the location of a demigod outpost.
This didn’t seem like a big monster base, so it might make sense. Zoë looked with hard eyes at her piece while Hylla and Reyna looked worried. Maybe it was their outpost that was under attack.
“We have to warn them,” Reyna said, looking scared. “We can’t ignore this, Hylla.”
Her sister nodded. “We got what we came for. Let’s get out before we’re caught.”
“Agreed,” Zoë held the file firmly as she looked back towards the entrance. “We should go, now.”
They started making their way when they heard a commotion happening outside. They stopped for a moment as the door opened and monsters started rushing in. Drew’s heart leaped into her throat before she saw an arrow making its way into the heads of three of them.
She didn’t recognize the monster, but it had the head of a dog and the body of a human. The arrow went straight through its heart while another one hit the back of its head and six more lodged themselves in its back before it turned to dust.
“Otho!” a Cyclops shouted as he looked back in horror before an arrow pierced him in the eye, turning him to dust.
The other monsters frantically tried closing the door, but arrows rained down on them regardless. Their numbers went from what looked like about three dozen to less than five in a matter of seconds. It could mean only one thing.
Chiron was here.
When the door closed, there were only three monsters left; a Scythian Dracanae, an Empousa, and one she didn’t recognize. It looked like some sort of wolf and hyena hybrid with sharp claws and teeth. It looked terrified.
“We should be safe now,” the Empousa said.
Zoë snorted. “Don’t be too sure about that.”
Their eyes widened as the demigods rushed into battle. The monsters were too tired to fight back too much, so they were dead within a minute.
They opened the door and saw Chiron glaring down into the den. It only lasted for a moment, but Drew felt her heart stop in fear. If this was what monsters saw before they died, no wonder Chiron was feared this much.
He lowered his bow and relaxed when he saw them. “Ah, it is you. My apologies.”
They got out of the den and explained what they could to Chiron. Zoë took over explaining what happened with Thalia and Drew could see a weary look cross Chiron’s face. “I had worried something along those lines might happen. I will speak with her when we meet with her again.”
Drew hoped that helped. Thalia had been spiraling the entire quest, and it didn’t look like she was getting any better.
“Now,” Chiron turned to Hylla and Reyna. “I believe you would have gotten what you came for, correct?”
The two nodded. “We’ll need to head off soon, but I’d rather we check on Thalia first.”
Chiron looked at them for a moment before nodding. “I see no issue with that. Let’s go.”
They walked a good bit of the way. With it still being around noon, they had the time, which meant Chiron could get everything out of them. They didn’t leave a thing out, and by the end, Chiron looked visibly annoyed.
“When we are done with this quest, I will be hunting down Echidna personally. Patroclus may have to stay at camp for a bit longer than expected.”
Drew smirked, wishing she could see the look on Echidna’s face when that happened.
“What about you, Chiron?” Zoë cut in. “What were you doing here?”
“When you took longer than expected to arrive, I had figured that something was wrong, so I started looking around for monster dens and cleansing the city of them.”
The way he said cleansing made Drew really glad he was on their side. “How many did you wipe out?”
“About twenty or so I believe, with somewhere around a thousand monsters destroyed before you arrived,” he said it casually as if it were just another day in the office.
“And that took you the whole day?” Zoë asked skeptically.
“Oh no, that was just from midnight until now. Yesterday, I spent most of it scouring Mount Tam and dealing with a Drakon den over in Oakland,” he said it like it was nothing, and Drew gaped at him.
“Drakon den?” she couldn’t help but ask.
Chiron nodded. “Oh, yes, nasty business that. Something around twenty Drakons. Haven’t been pushed that hard in years. Took me the better part of the day, but they are all dead,” he looked oddly proud of that. “I am back to my old strength.”
Drew felt herself relax a bit hearing that. A weakened Chrion was the single most powerful non-divine being at camp; if he was back at his old strength, that meant they had a big chance in this war.
They ended up walking the whole way back to the Golden Gate Bridge, or what was left of it she supposed, so it was about three in the afternoon. She imagined that normally, there would be a lot of people crossing the bridge during this time. As it stood, there was a big police line blocking entry from the entire neighborhood near the bridge with everyone having been evacuated.
Chiron got them in with no issue, and Drew felt like she was walking through a ghost town. There was no one around them, only tall buildings, some scorch marks from Thalia’s fight, and rubble from the destroyed buildings.
Drew wasn’t sure if Thalia noticed how much destruction she and Thorn caused. She remembered Percy mentioning something about their fight with the Chimera once. If this was what Big Three kids fighting looked like, it was no wonder they were deemed too dangerous by the other demigods.
It did make her wonder how Luke could even keep up with Thalia. Her respect for him shot up many times over with that.
They made their way to what was left of the bridge, which wasn’t all that much. Drew gulped as she saw the wide expanse where the bridge used to be. Thalia was more powerful than she’d thought.
Speaking of Thalia, she stood motionless at the edge of the bridge, looking ahead into the distance. Drew moved around a bit and managed to see the side of her face. She looked impassive, almost dead as she stared ahead. It was almost more scary than seeing her angry.
“Let me handle this,” Chiron said gently before he trotted up to her. Drew stayed back and watched the two talk for a bit, which turned out to be more Chiron talking to Thalia as she stood and didn’t seem to indicate whether she was listening or not.
She wasn’t sure what to think. She didn’t want to think that Thalia would be too far gone after this in whatever direction, but she couldn’t help but worry at this stage. She wished Percy and Luke were here; she had no doubt they’d be able to help her.
Of course, if they’d been here, she wouldn’t be like this in the first place.
A hand on her shoulder startled her out of her thoughts. She turned and saw Reyna standing there, looking concerned but confident. “She’ll be fine.”
“How can you be sure?” Drew wished she could be that confident.
“She’s strong and she’s good. That will carry her through this, no matter what happens next.”
Drew nodded, reaching out to grab Reyna’s hand as she pulled away. She wasn’t sure what compelled her to, but she found herself trusting her.
And she needed the comfort at the moment.
Thalia finally sighed as Chiron put a hand on her shoulder, seeming to say something reassuring to her. She nodded and straightened her back, her leader face slipping in seamlessly.
It made Drew wonder how many times she’d done something similar in the past. Just how many times had she pretended to be alright just to not worry the others while she was breaking apart on the inside?
Thalia walked back to them, relaxing slightly as she saw Hylla and Reyna. “Hey, you two. Sorry you had to see that.”
Hylla shook her head and walked up to hug Thalia. She seemed to relax even more, managing to smile as Hylla whispered something to her. Thalia pulled back and shoved Hylla lightly as the two laughed a bit, which was nice to see.
Thalia then walked up and ruffled Reyna’s hair a bit, getting her hand swatted. “Good to see you’re alright, Reyna.”
Drew could see the light in Thalia’s eyes come back which was good. She hated seeing her suffer like that.
Drew turned to what was left of the Golden Gate Bridge and winced. “What’s gonna happen with that?”
Chiron just shrugged. “Same thing that happened with the Arch. Mortals will blame it on an attack and they will rebuild the bridge, likely faster than the Arch is being rebuilt given how important it is. A few older demigods might even help with the renovation as well.”
Drew blinked. “Older demigods?”
Chiron turned to her with a smirk. “But of course. Some do manage to live long enough, you know. Many within this area as well.”
She looked at Reyna and Hylla quickly before nodding. She had a feeling it was best to leave this topic for now.
“We should get back,” Hylla said. “It was nice seeing you again, Thalia.”
“You too,” Thalia smiled and waved the sisters off. “I’ll tell Luke and Percy you said hi.”
They nodded and left, Drew wondering if she’d ever see them again.
Thalia took a deep breath and turned to the others. “We should get moving. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”
Drew had a feeling she just wanted to get away from the bridge. They had a lot of time before they could get to the mountain, so there was no real way of moving forward.
Then again, the further they got from the bridge, the better. Drew wanted to get as far away from it as possible.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Chiron? What did you think of Reyna and Hylla? How much longer do you think they have before getting to Mount Tam?
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Chapter 27: Is Turning Me To
Chapter by undeath230
Notes:
We're getting close. Still a while away from finishing the fic, but close to the end of the quest. Are you as excited as I am?
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
This was getting bad.
Will looked at Luke as he healed him, feeling dread build in his stomach. Luke was barely there anymore, and Will wasn’t sure how he was still standing after this.
He couldn’t hold the sky up much longer, which meant they’d need to find a replacement soon. If they didn’t, they’d all be dead, and Will quite liked living.
Luke got up and barely dragged himself over to the sky, taking it from Paris and Bentley. Their hair had a few streaks of grey now, and the two were completely exhausted, but Luke was in another tier of damage.
For one, his entire hair had turned grey, with only one streak of blond left in it. He’d also lost a lot of weight, looking more like skin on bones with each passing day. Will also noticed a few scars formed on his back, but he didn’t want to look further, not after noticing a small hole near the top of his back where the sky drilled into him.
Will could hardly believe the son of Hermes. He was holding up the sky while Paris and Bentley spent an hour on the floor recovering. He always knew Luke was strong, but this was something else.
Something even Annabeth couldn’t deny anymore. “He’s a dangerous one, isn’t he?”
Will turned to her and nodded. “He’s doing what Paris and Bentley could barely do together. I have no idea how, but he’s on another level.”
She frowned and shifted the bag she had on her back a bit, but she didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to; Will knew exactly what was troubling her.
If Luke was ever able to get free from under the sky, he’d be more trouble than any of them had realized.
He heard a groan coming from the two not-quite lovers, and he turned to see them sitting up. “As much as I want to be insulted, I don’t think I will be, Bill.”
Will glared at the son of Aphrodite. “That’s not my name.”
Paris stood and stretched as he walked towards Will with a smirk. “It is now, Periwinkle.”
Bentley was right behind him, rolling his eyes. “Do you have any news, Annabeth?”
The mortal smirked. “A lot of good news. Oceanus agreed to join us.”
That was good news indeed. Now, they had a way to equalize the playing field at sea.
“And is there any bad news?” Will didn’t believe it was all good news.
Annabeth frowned then, looking annoyed. “The questers made it to San Francisco. Thalia Grace destroyed the Golden Gate Bridge.”
Their eyes all widened at that. “Are you certain?” Bentley asked, sounding tense.
She nodded. “Certain as I can be. They’ll be here by night.”
Will shook his head, suddenly feeling tense. He looked over at Luke and felt his heart drop. “What will she do when she sees him?”
Annabeth paled slightly but managed to smirk. “We’ll be fine. She’s strong, but she won’t be able to fight all of us. Bring the honor guard! It’s time they prove their worth.”
She turned and went towards the room where they held Percy, and Will shook his head. “That obsession’s gonna get her in big trouble.”
Paris shrugged. “Not our problem.”
Will almost believed him.
Annabeth frowned as she made her way down the long hall to get to her Percy.
As much as she maintained a brave face, she knew Thalia was on another level compared to anyone she had here. If the daughter of Zeus cut loose, they’d all be screwed.
At least, they’d be screwed without her trump card. Thalia was strong, yes, but she was weak for Percy and Luke. If she could use that against her, then they could win.
She opened the door and found Percy lying on the bed. He didn’t talk, didn’t turn to her, didn’t acknowledge her existence. She didn’t like that.
She went up to him and sat at the edge of his bunk. Her eyes went soft as she saw him sleeping. “Look at you, so cute when you’re asleep.”
He looked like he was scared of something. A nightmare, most likely. “Don’t worry, Percy. You won’t have to be scared anymore. I’ll take care of you.”
She bent over to kiss his forehead, and he shifted a bit, grimacing in his sleep. “You’ll learn you won’t have to worry about anything while I’m here.”
She reached into her bag and pulled out a syringe she’d prepared just for this. It wouldn’t be permanent, but he’d be asleep for just a bit longer. It was also mixed with the drug she used to keep him weakened, so that would be useful.
She liked him more when he was asleep. He didn’t talk back to her, he didn’t insult her, and he didn’t disobey her. “You’re just what I needed, Percy,” she said, stroking his hair gently. “Just what I needed.”
She put her arms under his legs and his upper back, picking him up as carefully as she could to not wake him up. As much as she liked Percy, she couldn’t deny he was a little spitfire.
Then again, she supposed that was one of his more annoyingly endearing traits when not used against her. If only she could get him to direct his more problematic behavior at others, then he’d be perfect.
She supposed it didn’t matter. As she held him in her arms, and he was lighter than she’d expected, she knew he was just what she needed.
“You’ll be mine forever, Percy,” she whispered to his sleeping form, knowing he won’t wake up for a while. “Just you and me against the world. It’ll be perfect.”
She shifted him a bit so she could be more comfortable carrying him and took him out of his room. This next part of the plan would need to go off perfectly.
Otherwise, she might just lose her biggest prize.
Thalia was getting impatient.
She thought that winter was supposed to have shorter days, and yet it felt like sundown was taking forever. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think Apollo was stalling on purpose.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. They only had to wait about thirty more minutes before they went ahead, but this was the longest thirty minutes she’d ever felt.
It was already the fifth day since they left camp. Five days of Luke and Percy being Annabeth’s captives, five days of a quest that wouldn’t end, five days of her losing control of herself.
She knew she was spiralling. It was hard for her not to notice, but she didn’t particularly care at the moment. She knew that when the quest was over, she’d be hit with it all at once, but all that mattered to her now was saving Luke and Percy.
Not a healthy mindset, but it was what she needed to do to keep going forward. Otherwise, she’d completely lose herself, especially now.
She found herself in a convenience store not too far from where Othrys was, and she was stocking up on anything she could find. Snacks, water, and anything else she could think of.
She went to pay for everything when she felt her instincts go into overdrive. She frowned and looked around, not finding any monster, before a laugh shook her out of her thoughts.
“I must say, you are much more in tune with your instincts than most demigods I’ve met,” the cashier chuckled, and she turned, frowning.
“Who are you?” She demanded, not willing to take any risks.
He just gave her a very familiar smirk. “Oh, don’t worry, Thalia. I’m a friend here.”
She raised her eyebrow, not relaxing but not attacking either. “Oh yeah? Why are you here then?”
He shrugged. “Just wanted to remind you about what I told you back at the Hoover Dam.”
Thalia’s eyes widened. “Get him free, and the rest will be handled?”
“Exactly,” the God’s eyes flashed. She knew she was dealing with a God, and she had a feeling she might know which one.
As it stood, she just nodded and paid for everything she brought, earning a raised eyebrow and a disappointed shrug.
She went back out and made her way to the others who had bought a new car with some of the drachma they pawned. When she asked why they bought it instead of renting, Chiron just explained that they will likely not be able to return the car. She didn’t ask any further questions.
She told them about her meeting with the Godly clerk, and they all nodded, filing that information for later. She had a feeling that would be the deciding factor.
They moved as soon as they could, and Thalia felt herself grow anxious. For better or for worse, the quest was coming to an end, and she’d find her family again.
She had to.
The way up the mountain was tense. She was the one driving as Chiron was following them close by. Drew and Gleeson were in the back while Zoë sat up front. She looked tense and sad, and Thalia couldn’t blame her. She wasn’t sure whether she’d be faring any better in her place.
She kept her eyes up front, following Zoë’s occasional directions as she went forward. The closer they got to the top, the more she felt herself tense up.
At a certain point, she could feel the world around them shift. Nothing inherently changed, and nothing looked different, but she could feel they had passed an invisible barrier.
Zoë confirmed that. “We are on Othrys now. There’s no going back.”
Before anyone could say anything, the air grew charged. Thalia knew what was coming, and she slammed on the brakes as hard as she could. “Everyone out!”
They’d opened the doors and started moving out when a bolt of lightning hit the car. Thalia was fine, but she could see the others had been thrown around. She didn’t know how this could have happened, but she didn’t have time to think about it at the moment.
She rushed towards Drew, seeing Chiron going over to check on Zoë. Drew was mostly fine but looked a little banged up. “You’re alright.”
She nodded, looking over Thalia. “What was that?”
“Likely Kronos,” Chiron said. Thalia turned and saw a grim look on his face. “Likely attempting to turn you against your Father.”
Thalia scoffed. “That won’t work.”
There may have been a time when she was younger when that could have worked, back when she was on the streets. She hadn’t had a high opinion of her Father, especially after running away from home, after spending years with Beryl Grace.
After Jason died.
By the time she’d gotten to camp, however, she’d grown out of those thoughts. He’d helped her while she was on the streets. He’d guided her to Camp Half-Blood. He’d helped her on more quests than she could count, including this one.
Maybe in another world, she could have believed Zeus would have tried to kill her. In this one, however, she knew that would never happen.
“It is a clever ploy, regardless,” Zoë grimaced. “He is called the Crooked One for a reason.”
Thalia nodded. “Let’s keep going. We’re almost there.”
They made their way forward, and Thalia kept her guard up. There was no telling what trouble could be lurking around any corner.
And yet, nothing came. Thalia didn’t like that.
Things never went smoothly; that was the first thing they learned. Sure, their training let them finish their quests early, not at the deadline, but that was because they were trained for things to go wrong. They were trained for things to not go smoothly and to be able to adapt to any problem that came their way.
That was how they managed to finish the quest a year and a half ago, as well as this past summer’s quest. It didn’t matter whether Echidna showed up or whether they ran into Circe; they always managed to adapt and overcome those problems.
Even on this quest, things didn’t go well. They ran into Atlas, they ran into the Nemean Lion, she’d lost it on several occasions, and that was just the highlights.
And yet, things were going smoothly here. No tricks, no ambushes, no monsters around the corner. Granted, there were no corners here, just a straight path, but that wasn’t the point.
Things shouldn’t be going well this close to the Titans’ home, not for them. She was getting a very bad feeling about this.
They moved closer to the end of the path, where it opened up to a familiar place.
“The Garden of the Hesperides,” Zoë said breathlessly. “It’s been ages since I was last here.”
Chiron looked around with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. “Yes, it has been some time. Just as I remember it.”
Thalia looked around and saw everything from her dream except for the demigods. She saw the tree, the garden, and most importantly, a pile of dragon heads at the base of the tree.
“Ladon,” Zoë whispered, her eyes growing soft. “He…” she trailed off, clearly overcome with emotion.
Thalia grabbed her by the shoulder. “We have to keep moving, Zoë. Come on.”
Her face went blank as she turned to Thalia, looking at her for what felt like ages before nodding. “You’re right. Let’s- let’s get moving.”
She gathered herself quickly and put on a brave face, which Thalia had learned was what she did when she was scared. They made it only a few steps further before they were joined by unwanted guests.
“Sisters,” Zoë said with a hint of distaste. Thalia saw four others who looked very similar to Zoë. The Hesperides had joined them.
The one who seemed to be the leader stepped forward. She looked at them as if they were bugs that were to be crushed. “We see no sister. Only a hunter, a satyr, and two demigods who will soon die.”
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Luke? What did you think of Annabeth? What do you think Thalia's about to do?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: "https://discord.gg/Egwpds3uaT
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/7992xenXkq
Chapter 28: Heads Will Roll
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
The only thing staying Thalia’s hand was the fact that Ladon was right there.
If it weren’t for that, she’d have blasted the Hesperides the moment they showed up. But she knew that would wake the dragon up. And if Heracles couldn’t beat it, there was no way she could.
Strong as she was, and much as she hated to admit it, she knew Heracles was the strongest demigod of all time, eventually surpassing even Chiron. She’d stand no chance against Ladon.
Instead, she walked up to the newest pains in her ass and glared them down. All but one of them flinched, which Thalia had to admit felt good. “No one’s dying today.”
“Thalia Grace,” the leader said, looking nervous.
“I can see why this one is considered a threat,” one of the others said quietly. They were scared of her , though she couldn’t exactly tell why. She knew she was scary, but usually, immortal beings like the Hesperides were less likely to be afraid of her at first.
She got her answer when Chiron sighed. “Thalia, could you please direct your lightning shocks away from us?”
She looked at her hands and saw that she was sparking, the lightning making its way to the ground and to her friends from the looks of it. She made an effort to bring it all back to her, but she didn’t stop it.
“So, what was that about us dying?” she tilted her head.
The leader glared at her. “You would be wise to leave, girl.”
“Not without Luke and Percy,” Thalia growled and stepped forward, only stopping when Zoë stood next to her.
“You would be wise to let us pass,” Zoë said calmly. “We only wish to retrieve Thalia’s friends.”
“There are no friends here, lieutenant,” the lead Hesperide said, and Thalia had just about had it with them. “Only enemies.”
“You always were short-sighted, sister,” Zoë scoffed. “Only ever seeing as far as Father let you.”
The lead Hesperide, and Thalia couldn’t be bothered to think up a different name for her, bristled. “Father will kill you if you go forward, but you will not. All we need to do is raise our voice, and Ladon will wake.”
“He will not hurt me,” Zoë sounded only half confident in her words, which Thalia didn’t like.
“And your friends?” The lead one asked.
“Ladon! Wake!” Zoë called out.
Thalia would be willing to give Zoë this much; she was certainly brave. Or maybe stupid given what she just did.
“Are you mad?” Thalia hated agreeing with the Hesperides, but in this case, she had to. Zoë’s plan was absolutely insane.
“You never had much courage, sisters. That was your problem.”
Oh, is that what they call it these days?
Thalia huffed and readied herself to duck and hide when Ladon turned to all of them and sniffed them out. Zoë walked up to him transfixed, and Thalia couldn’t stop her without risking Ladon attacking.
“It has been a long time, my dear Ladon,” Zoë said wistfully. He looked at her curiously, so Thalia figured something was going well. “I used to feed you by hand.”
The dragon rose high and started shifting a bit, and Thalia could see he planned to attack, but there was nothing she could do. As strong as she was, attacking Ladon would just ensure that all of them died, and she couldn’t do that.
“Do you still like lamb’s meat, darling?” Zoë asked, reaching out a hand.
Thalia didn’t know why he did what he did next, but Ladon struck out, trying to bite Zoë in half. She didn’t have to dodge as Chiron rushed in and took her out of the way, rushing her back to the others.
“Run!” Chiron called out as he continued to hold Zoë, who looked completely lost. Thalia didn’t need to be told twice as she ran the other way, with Hedge close behind.
She glanced behind her and saw that Drew was lagging behind, with Ladon almost at her. Chiron wouldn’t notice in time, so she had to act fast.
Thalia brought down a bolt of lightning that stunned the dragon for a moment, allowing Drew to make it to the others before he could recover, and they ran up the path. Thalia chose to ignore the song that sounded suspiciously like a funeral march coming from the Hesperides.
Ladon roared but didn’t follow them, only turning back to guard the tree. Thalia felt relief wash over her as she grabbed Drew and ran with the others up the mountain.
Chiron dropped Zoë when they were a good way into the path. He looked at her sternly. “What were you thinking?”
Zoë’s eyes dropped. “I- I’m not sure. It was like something compelled me to do it.”
Chiron looked at her for a moment before looking up, his eyes clearing slightly, before he nodded. “Very well then. I suppose whatever the reason was, we made it out alive. Now come, we have a quest to finish.”
Thalia was shocked Chiron went with that, but she didn’t comment. Zoë waking Ladon wasn’t something she could judge her on after that bit with Talos.
She went up to Zoë and bumped her shoulder as they walked. “You alright?”
Zoë nodded before sighing. “Yes and no. I don’t understand what compelled me to do that. It was beyond stupid, and it could have gotten all of you killed or worse.”
Thalia shrugged. “It wasn’t smart, but with the look on Chiron’s face, maybe it wasn’t your idea.”
Zoë nodded. “It is possible. That is not something I would have done even if I still hated you.”
“Really?” Thalia couldn’t entirely believe that, but it was good to know.
Zoë shrugged. “I may have hated you, Thalia, but not enough to wish you dead.”
“Good to know, I guess.”
They kept going forward, seeing the ruins of a great castle showing up around them. Zoë and Chiron tensed.
“This isn’t right,” Zoë muttered. “It shouldn’t be here.”
“And yet it is,” Chiron said grimly. “Be on the lookout, everyone. We are deep into enemy territory now.”
Thalia could feel it. The air was charged in a way that San Francisco itself wasn’t. It felt like they were walking into a grinder, ready to turn them all into paste.
She could feel that she wasn’t supposed to be here, not ever in her life.
She felt someone brush up against her arm and looked to find Drew walking close to her. The kid looked terrified but tried to hide it. Thalia threw an arm around her shoulder as they walked forward, and Drew didn’t hesitate before she leaned in.
She shouldn’t be here. None of them should be. This just wasn’t fair.
She steeled herself, squeezing Drew’s shoulder. They were close to being done with all this, so soon enough, they’d be golden.
They had to be.
They made it near the top of the path when they were stopped by two figures. Thalia looked ahead and saw Paris and Bentley, feeling Drew tense up next to her.
Paris smirked at them, opening his arms. “Welcome, my darlings. So glad you could make it.”
“You damn backstabber!” Drew cried out, and Thalia had to stop her from rushing in. She wouldn’t forgive herself if something happened to Drew because she was reckless.
“As feisty as ever, aren’t you dearest?” Paris looked at Drew with what looked like a mix of amusement and affection.
“How could you? You just- how could you? ” Drew was shaking, though whether it was with rage or grief, Thalia couldn’t tell. She just focused on holding Drew back.
Paris sighed. “I have my reasons, Drew,” he sounded somewhat serious for a moment before he looked back at them with a smirk. “And besides, I’m always on the winning side.”
Thalia raised her eyebrow and guided Drew behind her, stepping forward. “What makes you think you’re on the winning side, Pretty Boy?”
Paris turned to Thalia with a tense look in his eyes. He hid it well, but Thalia knew what to look for. “Ah, Thalia, good to see you. I know I’m on the winning side because of the overwhelming advantage we have.”
Bentley stepped in then. “You guys are outmatched. Lay down your weapons and come with us peacefully, and you’ll be treated well. You have my word on that.”
Thalia knew he meant what he said, but she also knew it was likely that Kronos lied to him. She didn’t see any way going with them would end well for them.
Chiron seemed to agree with her as he stepped forward menacingly, causing the two to step back. “I think not. Now, either get out of our way or stand down yourselves.”
Paris and Bentley shared a look before shaking their heads. “Afraid we can’t do either.”
They moved back before anything could happen, and Thalia ran after them, the others close behind. She made her way to the top and found Paris and Bentley making their way to stand next to Will, who was right next to Atlas.
The others flanked her sides, standing almost protectively as they all stared their enemies down. They were outnumbered and in many ways outmatched, but they couldn’t go down without a fight.
Atlas clapped slowly, laughing deeply . “I see you have arrived. Excellent. And you brought the little traitor with you.”
Thalia could see Zoë flinch from her peripheral vision as she glared down at Atlas. “Yeah, we’re here. Where are Percy and Luke?”
Atlas laughed again and walked closer to her, stopping about halfway between her and the enemy demigods. “I must admit, you are much more spirited than I had initially expected. A shame you choose to oppose us.”
Chiron stepped forward, bow drawn and staring down at Atlas. “She is not foolish enough to not stand with Olympus, Atlas. You remember what happened last time.”
Atlas laughed. “Indeed, I remember what happened. I was there after all. But this time will be different; already, we have Oceanus on our side!”
Thalia tensed, and she could feel a hint of dread settle over all of them. Last time, Oceanus had been neutral. Now, though, things would get much more difficult.
“It matters little, Atlas,” Chiron said defiantly. “Olympus prevailed before. They will prevail again.”
Atlas shrugged. “Believe what you will; it matters little.”
“Enough games,” Thalia said, marching forward. “Where are Percy and Luke?”
Atlas looked at her for a moment before sighing. “If you insist.”
He stepped aside, and Thalia’s vision tunneled. Atlas had been standing in front of where Percy and Luke were, and she almost wished she couldn’t see them.
Percy was bound and gagged, looking completely out of it. He must be drugged; otherwise, there was no way he’d be the way he was at the moment. Behind him stood Annabeth, smirking as she had her hands wrapped around his chest from the back. She had her chin on the top of his head, and Thalia had never wanted to kill her any more than she did then.
And right next to them was Luke, arms up and shaking. His face was gaunt, almost looking like a corpse. His hair had gone completely grey, with some parts of it going white. He only had one streak of blonde still in his hair, and he was shaking like a leaf in a storm.
She walked towards the two, transfixed. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t speak, she couldn’t hear anything around her. All that mattered were Percy and Luke in front of her.
As she got closer, she heard a faint mumbling alongside low groans and whimpers. She soon realized that it was coming from Luke and Percy. She had no idea what Luke was saying, but Percy sounded terrified.
She turned to glare at Annabeth, who flinched and took a few steps backward, taking Percy with her. Percy looked at her with wide eyes, looking like he wanted to rush towards her and throw himself into her arms.
She wanted nothing more than to take him in her arms and protect him from the world around him, but she knew she couldn’t. Not yet, not until they won here.
And then there was Luke. Her legs stopped moving when she got in front of him, and she could finally hear what he was saying.
“Percy, Thalia, Percy, Thalia, Percy, Thalia.”
He was repeating her and Percy’s names over and over again. She felt her heart break as she heard him; he sounded so small, so weak.
Luke shouldn’t sound like that. Luke wasn’t someone who was weak; he wasn’t small. Luke was strong; Luke was her pillar of strength. This was all wrong.
She looked at Percy, who had tears in his eyes, looking like he was begging her to save him. Her heart clenched as she felt rage building up inside of her. She felt helpless and hopeless, and that made her angry.
“Thalia, Percy, Thalia, Percy.”
Her glare set, and she felt the power surging within her. She was going to rip everyone apart, and she was not holding back.
“Percy, Thalia, Percy, Thalia.”
She grabbed Luke’s face and kissed his forehead gently. These bastards dared to hurt her family. They came after her own. They would get no mercy.
“Thalia, Percy.”
And with that, the world went red.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Zoe? What did you think of Thalia? How do you think they'll beat Atlas?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: "https://discord.gg/Egwpds3uaT
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Chapter 29: Seeing Red
Chapter by undeath230
Notes:
Heads up, gonna be on vacation starting next Saturday, so there won't be any uploads till I get back, so about two weeks. Yes, I know, I kept a consistent upload schedule in the middle of a war, but not while I'm on vacation. I'll be using that time to try and push through another chunk of writing, so hopefully when I get back, I'll have a good backlog (I say this as if I don't have over 100k words in backlogs, but that's another story).
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Drew felt the surge of power before she saw it.
It was like the world had shifted, with the enemy going from talking a big game to watching in horror as Thalia cut loose.
It started small while Annabeth was talking from behind Percy. Drew almost went and lunged at the bitch, but Zoë held her back, saying it wouldn’t help at the moment.
“Listen to her, girlie. Fighting me is a bad idea,” Annabeth smirked. “You’d just end up dead.”
Drew glared at her but stood down. She continued talking about how they were all going to suffer and how it was over for them, saying something about how she would get her revenge when Thalia snapped.
A ring of lightning surrounded her as she turned to glare at the monsters. Drew saw many of them back off in pure terror, with many of them tripping over each other. Annabeth stepped back away from Percy, staring at Thalia in horror.
Drew couldn’t blame her. She had to stop herself from stepping back in fear.
Thalia’s aura of power filled the area to the point that Drew could almost taste the electricity. She looked at her friends and saw Hedge looking on with a hint of awe while Zoë and Chiron both looked shocked.
Paris and Bentley looked terrified for once, and Will looked like all his nightmares had come true. The only one who didn’t seem to care was Atlas, who just laughed.
“You are far more powerful than I had expected, girl. Perhaps you will be entertaining regardless of whether you join us.”
Thalia roared and let loose a storm of lightning, vaporizing a good chunk of the monsters who were up around them. Drew was worried she’d be hit too, but it seemed like the storm was avoiding them all.
“A bad move antagonizing a daughter of Zeus so close to the sky,” Chiron said with a smirk.
Atlas scoffed. “Please. She may be powerful for a demigod, but I can still defeat her easily.”
Chiron nodded. “Perhaps, however,” quicker than Drew could process, three arrows had been deflected by Atlas. “You will be fighting me .”
Atlas smirked. “I was hoping for that.”
As if on cue, everyone threw themselves into a fight. Zoë charged at Annabeth, who stepped away in fear, heading towards Paris and Bentley for protection. Chiron and Hedge both charged at Atlas, who was smirking up a storm. Thalia lunged at anyone who wasn’t already fighting, tearing apart the monster horde with ease, as well as anyone who came to replace them.
As for Drew, she rushed towards Percy. Before they’d stepped in, Chiron had handed her a bag filled with Nectar and Ambrosia, expecting her to be the one to go to Percy.
He had been right, of course. She ignored everyone around her, dodging and ducking until she got to Percy, who was alone now. Zoë was holding off Annabeth, Paris, and Bentley on her own, which made Drew’s eyes widen just a bit.
She got to Percy, and he looked at her in desperation. She quickly removed the gag and untied him, and he breathed heavily. “You… came…”
Drew nodded. “Of course I did. Here, have this.”
She handed him a few squares of Ambrosia, which he ate without hesitation. She was glad he still trusted her, but she almost couldn’t believe it.
He started looking better, with the dazed look in his eyes fading. He looked at her gratefully but had a wariness she hadn’t seen in him before.
She couldn’t blame him; what she’d seen in her dreams made her surprised he even still trusted her now.
“What do we do now?” Percy asked.
Drew turned to look at Luke, who was shaking under the sky. “We have to get him out from under there. Someone from Olympus will help us after it.”
Percy didn’t question that, and he went directly to Luke. She followed him immediately. “What are you doing?”
“Taking the sky,” he said it like it was a normal thing someone does.
She didn’t bother trying to convince him not to, knowing him better than that. “I’ll help.”
He turned to her with wide eyes. “Drew, no, it’ll crush you!”
“If you think I’m letting you do this on your own, Percy Jackson, think again. We’re doing this together,” she held his gaze for a moment, and he nodded reluctantly, though he looked at her gratefully.
They went over and stood next to Luke, and Percy turned to her. “Last chance to change your mind.”
She shook her head. “Not happening.”
He nodded, smiling slightly. “Thanks, Drew.”
They lifted their hands together and managed to grab the sky, pushing it slightly. Almost immediately, Luke dropped to the ground, and the sky dropped on the two of them, and Drew could feel nothing but pain.
Zoë had to admit that Bentley kid was quite an impressive fighter.
There weren’t many people who could keep up with her as he was doing. Granted, it wasn’t by much; the only real reason she hadn’t won yet was the fact that Paris was trash-talking her while taking pot shots, distracting her a bit, and the fact that the traitor knew how she fought.
That last bit was the main help they had. Annabeth would be able to cut her off whenever she got into a rhythm and interrupt her attacks in the best way to take advantage of the situation. She despised the girl for many reasons, but she had to admit, she wasn’t an idiot.
But still, there were only a handful of demigods and humans who could give her any sort of trouble, and the only one of them able to fight at the moment was currently tearing through the monsters that tried their luck against her.
Speaking of which, Zoë made an executive decision right then and there to never anger Thalia Grace in her life again. Seeing her rip apart hordes of monsters with ease, she’d only ever seen Chiron pull off was a terrifying sight.
Back to her warmup, she dodged a swipe from Bentley before retaliating with a punch to his face. Before she could capitalize, Annabeth lunged at her, and she had to step back.
Over in the middle, Chiron and Hedge were struggling against Atlas, with Chiron bleeding and Hedge being tossed over to the side, all the while Atlas was laughing the whole time. He was beyond their level, even together, just toying with the two. They needed a God’s help to beat the Titan, and they needed it soon.
She took a moment to look towards where Luke Castellan was holding up the sky, which she would admit impressed her greatly, and looked just in time to see Percy and Drew lift the sky and for Luke to drop to the ground.
As soon as he dropped, he disappeared. Zoë’s eyes widened as she started panicking, not wanting Thalia to completely lose it.
Her fears were calmed when she turned to see Chiron relax and Atlas tense, glaring at the new arrival. “I see you are here. Took you long enough.”
He stood in the middle of the area, holding Luke securely as a parent would their child. He glared at Atlas with such ferocity that it was a surprise the Titan didn’t combust. He wasn’t the first Olympian Zoë would expect to be able to fight Atlas, she wouldn’t lie, but given what had happened, she knew Atlas was in trouble.
“I am glad you could make it, Lord Hermes,” Chiron said with a smirk. “I take it I should step back now?”
Hermes nodded quietly, placing Luke carefully on the ground. “Take care of Luke, Chiron. I have a Titan to beat.”
Atlas laughed. “You truly think you can defeat me? You are not Athena, you are not Artemis, you are not Ares, and you are certainly not any of the Big Three. What makes you think you stand a chance against me?”
Hermes didn’t miss a step. He summoned the Caduceus and glared down at Atlas. “You hurt my son.”
Hermes vanished in a flash, and Atlas was immediately on guard. He was caught in the middle of a whirlwind, unable to keep up.
He couldn’t land a hit on Hermes and was sustaining many cuts and hits. Atlas was a perfect warrior, one even Chiron and Hedge working together couldn’t beat. Skill meant little, though, when the opponent was untouchable.
Zoë turned back to her fight, with her opponents now far less sure of their chances. She supposed it made sense, given their chances of making it out of this had dropped drastically.
“This changes nothing,” Annabeth said defiantly, though Zoë could see the fear in her eyes. “You still can’t match our army!”
Zoë scoffed. “What army?”
She pointed to where Thalia was still ripping apart monster after monster, not slowing down in the slightest. At the moment, there was so much monster dust on the floor that it looked more like a complete carpet.
Thalia herself was terrifying too, electricity surging through her to the point it showed on her skin, and with lightning surrounding her as she brought the storm down with no hesitation. That was without counting her spear and shield as well, cutting through any monster that got past the lightning storm around her.
“Ah,” she heard Paris say, sounding small for once. “That’s how dangerous Thalia is.”
Bentley’s eyes were wide, and Annabeth paled significantly. She turned around and found Will Solace on the floor with char marks on his face, so she figured Thalia had handled him.
Meanwhile, Atlas was growing frustrated. Zoë kept half an eye on that fight as she dodged and struck back at her opponents. Atlas hadn’t landed a hit on Hermes by the looks of it, and Hermes had managed to strip off Atlas’s armor. The General was covered in cuts, Ichor staining the ground.
Chiron, meanwhile, was looking over Luke Castellan, tending to him with a concerned look on his face. He couldn’t even hide it, and she couldn’t blame him. Luke looked to be in very bad shape when they got here.
Hedge was battering monster after monster, so she figured they would be fine on that end.
She was more concerned with Atlas’s proclamation that Oceanus had joined Kronos. They could beat Atlas today, but that meant nothing going forward if Oceanus was involved. Not if it meant Poseidon would be locked under the sea.
She would think of that later, she decided. For now, she had three traitors to kill.
Holding up the sky was almost worse the second time around.
The only saving grace was that Drew was helping him, something he wasn’t sure he could ever thank her enough for. Besides that, whatever she had put in his system was still lingering just a bit. The Ambrosia helped, but it didn’t get rid of it, so he was a lot weaker than he should be.
It didn’t help that he was pretty sure he was holding up the sky for longer than he did the first time. He couldn’t remember how long the first time was, but he knew Luke had taken the sky from him quickly. Or maybe he was just not fully conscious the first time because he was alone then.
Whatever the reason was, he just knew this time was harder, but he wouldn’t have done anything differently even if he’d known. Luke needed to be taken out from under the sky, so he had to take the sky.
Percy struggled to look forward and saw that Hermes was doing great against Atlas. The Titan looked to be on the back foot the whole time, which was amazing to see. Percy wasn’t sure what would happen next, but at least he knew that the Titan was losing.
Ready yourself, Percy. It is almost over.
He heard Hermes speak in his head and braced himself. He wasn’t sure what was coming, but he was glad to hear they were almost done.
He saw Drew from his peripheral tense up as well, so she probably knew what was coming. He wished he could hug her right now and tell her how much she meant to him. He’d do that when they were done, and they could move.
Soon after that, Percy saw Atlas stumble, then get knocked back. Hermes stood for a moment and looked at Atlas with so much disgust that Percy felt a bit of it himself. He then rushed at full speed and knocked Atlas back towards Percy and Drew.
Percy pushed the sky up as high as he could and dropped himself to the ground, feeling Drew do the same next to him. Soon after that, Atlas crashed into them, knocking them back a good bit.
“Damn you! Not again!”
Percy couldn’t move, but he heard Atlas cursing out and complaining, so he figured that they’d won. He was back under the sky, and now they could leave.
He barely managed to turn to his side and saw Drew lying there, breathing heavily. He tried to drag himself over to her, moving inches at a time until he could grab her hand.
She turned her head to look at him, though Percy could tell it took her a lot to manage that. She gave him a tired smile and squeezed his hand weakly.
When he saw her again, he felt a slight panic, not sure whether he’d be safe with her. He knew that she wouldn’t hurt him, but after Annabeth, he was scared. And yet, she’d held up the sky with him; she’d come all the way across the country for him. She faced who knows what dangers because he was in trouble.
He knew her well enough to know that was the case. He was going to make sure she knew how much he appreciated her when this was all over.
“Jackson! Tanaka!” He heard Gleeson call out to them and then quickly saw the old satyr hovering over them. “You two look like shit.”
He managed a weak laugh, hearing Drew manage one as well. Gleeson quickly got to taking care of them, treating their injuries and doing what he could to help them out.
After a bit, Percy felt like he could just about move again, whatever drug was in his system fully gone now. Gleeson helped him and Drew sit up, and Percy looked at what was left of the Titan force.
When he first saw how many they were, he’d been terrified they’d be too much for them to handle. Looking at Thalia standing in what was left of the monsters who’d been here changed his mind.
He’d once thought that Thalia looked like a cosmic badass, and looking at her now, he knew she more than earned that title. She looked straight out of an ancient myth, someone even Heracles couldn’t help but acknowledge as a threat. She was stalking the last monster, ready to kill it with extreme prejudice.
“She’s been like that the whole quest,” Drew said tiredly from the side. He turned to her and shifted closer so they were sitting shoulder to shoulder, and she leaned against him. “She was worried about you two.”
Percy had a feeling Drew was holding back how bad it was at the moment, but it didn’t matter. What did was that they were done.
Meanwhile, Chiron and Hermes were hovering worriedly over Luke. Hermes had a hand on Luke’s head, whispering something quietly. He kissed Luke’s forehead and turned to Chiron, who was looking more exhausted by the minute. Whatever was wrong with Luke was beyond what Chiron could do.
Thalia had just killed the last monster before turning immediately to him and Luke. Hermes looked at her and told her something that Percy couldn’t really hear, and she nodded before turning her full attention to Percy.
She didn’t say anything, just rushing over to him and gathering him in her arms. He hugged her back as tightly as he could. “You came.”
She kissed the side of his head as she rubbed his back gently. “Of course I did, Percy. I’ll always be there for you, Percy. Always.”
Percy nodded as she kissed the top of his head. For the first time in what felt like ages, Percy felt safe.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of the fighting? What did you think of Hermes? What did you think of Percy and Thalia's reunion?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: "https://discord.gg/Egwpds3uaT
If you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/7992xenXkq
Chapter 30: Parental Love
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
After close to a week, Thalia finally had Percy in her arms.
She held him as gently as she could manage, not wanting to hurt him after everything he’d been through, and he held her back as tightly as he could. She whispered reassurances into his hair, rocking him gently as he cried.
“I’m here, Percy, I’m here,” she told him over and over again.
She held him for as long as she could, beyond relieved she had made it. She couldn’t do the same with Luke at the moment, unable to do anything but let Chiron and Hermes work on him. For now, she held Percy.
After some time, his sobs calmed down, though he didn’t leave her embrace. He felt thinner than last time, which made Thalia beyond angry that Annabeth had managed to escape.
Percy shifted a bit so he could look up at her. His eyes were red and his lip was trembling. He looked so young, so small.
“I love you, Thalia,” Percy told her as easily as he breathed.
She framed his face and kissed his forehead gently. “I love you, too, Percy. I love yo,u too.”
Percy brought his head back to her chest, and she threaded her fingers in his hair, hoping her heartbeat helped him out a bit.
She turned a bit and saw Drew staring at them longingly but keeping her distance. Thalia gave her a small smile, hoping it helped. Drew’s eyes widened a bit before she smiled back as wide as she could, which hurt a bit, but Thalia couldn’t blame her.
She knew she hadn’t been in the best mindset for this quest, but she decided to shelve that for now. What mattered was Percy and Luke.
Percy pulled back then and gave Thalia a searching look. “Thalia… Drew-”
“Go over to her, Percy,” she ruffled his hair a bit before helping him up. “You two should probably talk about a few things.”
Percy smiled at her and stumbled over to Drew, sinking to his knees as he hugged her with all he had. The two were whispering things to each other, and Thalia felt her heart grow lighter. She was glad, at least, that worked out.
She turned back to where Luke was and felt her heart sink again. He looked a bit better, but it wasn’t saying much. He was in very bad shape.
“He’s stable enough to be moved to Olympus,” Hermes said, eyes not moving away from Luke for even a moment. “Hold on to your stomachs; it won’t be a pleasant ride.”
Thalia nodded and beckoned the others over to them. No one wasted any time as they all gathered around Hermes and Luke. Within a few moments, the world around them had shifted, and Thalia saw nothing but a blur.
It was hard for her to keep her stomach down, but she somehow managed it. When she managed to see the world around her again, she was on Olympus in the middle of the throne room.
“Apollo!” Hermes called out as soon as they were down. Apollo showed up immediately, going to Luke immediately, not wasting any time.
“It’s a good thing you got him when you did, Hermes,” Apollo said gravely. “I’ll take care of him, don’t worry.”
Hermes nodded, and Apollo scooped Luke up and disappeared, Hermes following soon after. Thalia was left in the throne room alone with Peryc, Drew, Zoë, and Gleeson.
She turned to the others and sighed. “I’m gonna go for a walk. I’ll be back here later.”
Drew and Percy nodded absentmindedly as they refused to let each other go. She didn’t have a destination in mind, just letting her legs carry her anywhere so long as it was away from her problems.
She’d been a mess this whole quest. Between what she did to the Smithsonian, what she did to the Golden Gate Bridge, and that whole thing with Talos, this had been one of her worst quests since she learned she was a demigod.
Chiron’s first lesson to her was about self-control. He drilled into her the dangers of losing herself, of losing control of her emotions, and what could happen to the world if she did. He also showed her how to keep control.
She found herself in a garden and pushed in, sitting at the base of the tree in the middle.
She’d failed to do that the whole quest. She was a failure, no doubt about it.
“You did better than you give yourself credit for.”
Thalia sighed and looked to her left, finding her Father sitting next to her. “I tore apart every spot I went to and barely held myself together. That last stunt with the Golden Gate alone-”
“And yet no one died,” Zeus said gently. “It is true some were harmed, and that will be something you will want to learn to manage better in the future, but no one died. Believe me, many of my children have been much less… restrained than you were in the past.”
“What good does that do if I’m the one who wasn’t restrained?” Thalia huffed out, not able to maintain any anger even if she tried.
“You learn. You make use of the fact that you killed no one and that the damages were minimal compared to what they could have been,” Father told her simply. “You did well given the circumstances, my daughter. I have seen much worse than this.”
Thalia sighed and leaned against the tree. “How much worse could it have been?”
“Have you ever heard of the Eruption of Thera?” He said curiously.
She nodded. “Led to a lot of people dying and changed global temperatures for a while. Scholars these days think the Titanomachy was based on that.”
“Correct,” Father told her with a smile. “What is often left out is that the majority of the damage was caused by one of your siblings.”
Thalia’s eyes widened, and she turned to Zeus in shock. “What?”
“Your brother, Brasidas,” her Father looked wistful, thinking back to a simpler time. “He was one of my most powerful children in a long time. Very few demigods back then were blessed with powers, usually being granted only incredible skill, intelligence, beauty, or power. He was the first to be given more than that, being granted the ability to have limited manipulation of my domains of lightning and winds.”
Thalia nodded. That did explain why most ancient demigods never seemed to use their powers. She’d need to ask later why they were given powers now.
“He was the first demigod who was granted powers like that; something of a test. You remind me of him in many ways,” Zeus looked at her with a small smile. “Anyway, much the same as you were now, someone had taken his loved ones. He did not react well, letting his powers loose in much the same way as you did now. His rampant use of his powers caused a level of destruction that nearly ended the Minoan Civilization, and that was before it caused Thera to erupt.”
Thalia gulped at the thought. “I… that’s insane.”
“Indeed. And yet, you didn’t. You have more control over yourself than you give yourself credit for. You merely need to hone it further.”
Thalia nodded. She didn’t think what she did was fine by any means, but she knew one thing. It wouldn’t do her any good to wallow in her misery over it.
She’d take heart in the fact that no one was seriously hurt and make sure something like this never happened again.
“Whatever happens, Thalia, know that I am still proud of you.”
Thalia choked up and felt her Dad put a gentle hand on her back. Whatever happened, she knew she had her Father in her corner.
That would be enough.
There weren’t many ways Percy could think he’d be willing to let go of Drew right now.
Then again, seeing his Dad appear and rush up to him wasn’t exactly a normal occurrence.
“Dad,” Percy’s voice sounded broken, even to him. He had enough time to notice Drew squeeze him once before she let him go right into his Father’s waiting arms.
“Oh, Percy. My boy, it is alright, you are safe now. You will be alright.”
Percy broke down, burying his face in his Father’s chest. “D-Dad, I-”
“Let it out, my son. Let it out.”
Percy felt the world shift around him, but he didn’t see it, not wanting to move from where he was. For the first time in a long time, he felt safe. He didn’t want this feeling to end, but he knew it wouldn’t last.
There was no such thing as safety in this world. Not by a long shot.
Still, he took what little comfort he could get. After the time he spent at her mercy, he wasn’t going to complain about a hug, especially not one from his Dad.
By the time he pulled back a bit, he saw they were in a very different place. The room looked almost like it was designed to be underwater, with the walls having wave patterns, or maybe even actual waves on them. There was a sort of fish tank-like thing over in one corner, and a general feeling he only ever got when he was near the sea.
“Dad… where are we?” He couldn’t help but ask.
“My quarters on Olympus,” was his answer, and Percy was shocked. He hadn’t expected to ever be allowed somewhere like this.
“This is where you should be, my son,” Father told him gently. “Safe and with me.”
“Dad, An- she-” Percy shook as he tried to talk, barely able to get his words out. “She-”
“You need not tell me now, Percy,” Dad interrupted him gently. “For now, you can rest. Just breathe. You are safe, my son. You are safe.”
Percy nodded, leaning into his Father’s embrace, trying his best to take deep breaths to calm down. It didn’t work too well, but he found himself feeling less jittery than before.
When he calmed down a bit, he looked up at Poseidon’s face. He was oddly calm, not seeming to be the angry, vengeful God Percy had heard of in the myths. Percy didn’t think much of it at the moment.
After all, all he needed now was a dad.
“Dad,” he said hesitantly. “Are the others okay?”
He nodded, bringing a hand to Percy’s hair gently. “I believe my brother wished to speak to Thalia, Aphrodite wished to speak to your partner, and Apollo and Hermes are watching over young Luke.”
Percy nodded, relaxing a bit more. He was glad for that.
“Although that does beg the question, what exactly happened to the boy while you were on the mountain. I’ve been meaning to ask.”
Percy sniffled at the thought. He’d been wracked with guilt over it since he found out what happened to Luke. He knew Luke well; they would have used him as a way to keep Luke where he was.
“He held up the sky for me,” Percy said quietly, and felt his Father tense up.
“What?” He asked incredulously.
“When I got to the top of the mountain, she tricked me into taking the sky. Luke took it from me, and they probably used me to keep him under there the whole time,” Percy felt his throat close up again as he recounted what happened. “I tried to take it from him at one point, but he pushed the sky away from me. I- he-”
Percy broke down in tears again, and Poseidon held him close, rocking him gently and whispering reassurances. Percy tried to listen, but he couldn’t.
This was not alright. Nothing here was alright. He wanted them to be, but they weren’t.
“You will all be alright, my boy. I promise.”
Percy wanted to believe that. He really hoped he was wrong, thinking that things wouldn’t get better.
For once, he didn’t want to be right.
Drew watched Poseidon take Percy with a small smile on her face.
She’d wanted more time with him, but she knew they’d get a lot of time back at camp. Besides, it wasn’t every day that a demigod got to be held by their Parent, and she wasn’t about to stand in the way of Percy getting his turn.
“You did well, my sweet,” she heard a voice call out to her, and she felt her entire body slump.
“Mom!” She turned and rushed to her Mother’s outstretched arms.
“Oh, darling! I’m so glad you made it!”
She was scooped up in a hug that put the last one she got from her Mother to shame. She was picked up as if she were a child and taken out of the throne room, but she didn’t care.
After the quest she’d been on, she needed her Mom.
She took Drew over to a secluded section on Olympus, somewhere in the middle of the city. It was late at night or very early in the morning at the moment, so the area they were in was empty.
That meant when she was led to a nearby bench, she could break down without worrying that anyone was around.
“Oh, sweetheart. It’s okay; let it out, love. Let it out.”
She cried her eyes out, letting out all the grief she’d felt since seeing Percy tied up like he was and Luke as broken as he was. She couldn’t let herself before, not while they were surrounded by enemies. In her Mother’s arms, though, she finally felt safe.
“I am so proud of you, my dear. You were perfect,” Aphrodite told her gently, threading fingers through her hair.
Drew’s sobs filled the clearing, lasting longer than they did back near the junkyard. So much had happened since then, and she felt completely drained. With the quest being over, she let her guard down.
“Mom,” she sniffled when she got herself under control. “The others-”
“Are all fine, darling. I promise.”
Drew nodded and shifted so she was leaning against her Mother’s shoulder. She felt a kiss against the top of her head and felt herself relax a bit more.
“Hmm,” her Mom took a strand of her hair carefully, and Drew looked up to see what was going on. “Seems holding up the sky left you with a mark, my dear.”
Drew grabbed the strand carefully as her Mom let it go. She looked at it with a sort of wonder, not having noticed it before. “Would Percy have one too?”
“I saw him with a few more. Maybe he held the sky up a bit longer.”
Drew nodded. It made sense considering he was there longer. Maybe Annabeth had forced him to hold it up first, and that’s how Luke was put under there.
The thought of Luke halted her thoughts. When they got there, he was the one who’d been under the sky, his hair completely grey with some strands reaching white. He only had a strand of blond left, just like she had only one strand of grey.
“Will Luke be okay?” she found herself asking. It was a dumb question given how he looked when they got to him, but she had to ask.
“Apollo will do everything possible to take care of him, darling. You did what you could. You can focus on yourself now.”
Drew nodded and let herself relax in her Mother’s arms. “Is this how they always are?”
She shrugged, hands rubbing Drew’s back gently. “From what I’ve heard from your older siblings, not always, no. This quest was not standard by any means.”
Drew nodded before feeling tears well up in her eyes again. “I saw Paris there.”
Her voice cracked at her brother’s name. She hadn’t thought about him beyond when he and Bentley showed up at the end of the path, too focused on Percy and then they sky, but he stood there with the Titans and hurt Percy like that. He stood by and let Luke get shoved under the sky for who knows how long.
He stood by and let Annabeth do whatever she wanted to Percy.
“Oh, darling,” her Mom held her tighter. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She did and she didn’t. She didn’t know how she felt at the moment. He’d had a grey streak in his hair, just like hers and Percy’s, him and Bentley both. Did that mean they held up the sky as well? Why would they hold up the sky? There was too much she didn’t know, and the only ones who could fill her in weren’t here.
“I don’t know,” she said, her voice sounding broken. “I don’t know.”
“I’m here, darling. Whatever you want, my sweet, I’m here for you.”
“Hold me?” Her voice sounded small to her, but she didn’t care. Not after this.
“Oh, darling. I’ll hold you as long as you need me to.”
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Zeus and Thalia? What did you think of Drew and Aphrodite? What did you think of Percy and Poseidon?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: "https://discord.gg/Egwpds3uaTIf you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/7992xenXkq
Chapter 31: Recovery
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
They’d been on Olympus for a day now, and not much had changed.
It was the twentieth at the moment, which made tomorrow the Solstice. Thalia knew that meant they’d be debriefing everything that happened on the quest, and she wasn’t too sure what would happen then.
For one, they only had part of the story. They could only give the information that happened on the quest, with Luke and Percy needing to be the ones to explain what happened on the mountain. Percy wasn’t in any position to debrief right now, and she doubted he’d be ready by tomorrow.
As for Luke, he hadn’t woken up yet. Thalia sat in the room as Apollo did everything possible to take care of him, to heal him. He was looking better than he did before, but that wasn’t saying much.
“We’ve healed his Atlas Bone,” Apollo said more for her sake than anything else. “It was damaged pretty badly, but it seems recent.”
Hermes looked angrier than ever at the report. “Anything else?”
“Seems his spine is pushed inward. I’ll see what I can do for it,” Apollo said calmly. “He’ll also be dealing with a minor level of scoliosis. He’ll need to keep treating it for a while, maybe permanently.”
“Only minor?” Thalia found herself asking.
Apollo didn’t turn to her, but she got an answer. “It was severe when you brought him here. I treated it as best as I could, but there are limits to how much the human body can be healed in one go, even for demigods.”
Thalia nodded. That had been the first thing Chiron told her when she broke her leg in training early on.
“I’m more concerned about this,” Apollo said, flipping Luke on his front as gently as possible. Thalia got up, and what she saw made her spine stiffen up.
On his back were lightning scars. That was only part of the problem. The scars stretched across his shoulder, going from shoulder blade to shoulder blade before dipping downward from his right shoulder blade all the way to the small of his back.
“Grandfather’s Scythe,” Hermes said darkly. “He’s marked my son.”
Thalia gulped, her throat going dry. The idea that Luke was marked by Kronos was not one she wanted in her head.
“His legs are also incredibly dry,” Apollo said next. “They’re cracking and were almost constantly bleeding. I’ve done what I can, but he’ll need to make sure to keep them treated.”
Thalia nodded. “I’ll make sure he does.”
She didn’t get an answer, and Apollo went back to work. She sat back in her chair in the corner, eyes never leaving Luke’s prone body. He’d been there for close to a week, trapped under the sky the whole time. Apollo mentioned that he was doing better than he should have been, which meant he’d been treated somewhat over the past week.
That meant Will would have had to handle his treatment. She didn’t understand why, but it didn’t matter. It was a small mercy, all things considered anyway, so she wasn’t going to complain or praise it too much.
She sat in the corner for what could’ve been minutes or days, but was most likely a few hours. She couldn’t tell, not with the thoughts racing through her head, and for once, they weren’t about her performance on the quest.
Seeing Luke broken like that, seeing him out of it, unable to even walk and only muttering her and Percy’s names over and over again, had hurt to see. To think that he was broken down to that point, to think that there was nothing she could do about it.
She’d never felt so weak before.
She threw that idea out of her head. This wasn’t about her now; it was about Luke. She’d make sure he would be taken care of and that he’d take care of himself. He had a habit of burning himself at both ends, so she’d need to keep an eye on him.
Apollo pulled away from the table after a while, sighing and turning to Hermes. “I’ve done what I can. He’s stable now, but I don’t know when he’ll wake up.”
Hermes sighed and nodded. “The rest’s on him?”
“It is,” Apollo stiffened slightly and sighed. “Seems Father is calling us for a quick meeting before the solstice. Come on, Hermes.”
Hermes nodded tensely, bending over to kiss Luke’s forehead before leaving with Apollo. That left Thalia alone in the room with Luke.
She got up and made her way to him, her eyes looking over his frame. She’d seen him shirtless many times before; she knew what he looked like better than she knew her own appearance. She could see all the damage done to him, from his weakened body to the indents in his skin.
She noticed a small hole pushing into the top of his back, right in the middle of the scar, likely from where the sky was on his back. She wanted to lay her hand on him, to touch him to remember that he was here, but she was scared to make things worse.
The last thing she wanted to do was to hurt Luke at this point.
She stood there for some time, long enough for someone to walk into the room and come up beside her. She didn’t know who it was until they started talking, nor did she care. What mattered now was Luke.
“Is he okay?”
She turned then to see Percy looking at her with wide eyes. She threw an arm over his shoulders and pulled him into her side, turning back to Luke then. “He will be. We’ll make sure of it.”
Percy nodded, leaning his head on her shoulder. “He held it up for me.”
Thalia threaded her fingers in his hair and let him speak. It was already hard enough getting him to talk on a good day, so she just listened to him go at his own pace.
“I- she tricked me. Made me think she was betrayed, and I needed to help her, so I took the sky from her. Luke took it from me after that. I tried to take it from him, I did, I promise I did, but-” his breath hitched as she turned to hold him fully, gently rubbing his back. “He pushed the sky away from me.”
“Of course he did,” Thalia said gently, rocking Percy as she did. “I’d have done the same. We love you, Percy, and we’ll do everything we can for you.”
“He said that too,” Percy said quietly. “He said he’d do anything for me. He really meant it.”
“He did,” Thalia kissed the top of Percy’s head, rubbing his back. “I’d have done the same.”
Percy sniffed slightly and tightened his grip on her. “I love you, Thalia.”
“Love you too, kiddo.”
He pulled back after a moment and turned to Luke, his eyes welling up even more. “I love you, Luke. I love you so much. Please wake up. We need you.”
Thalia put a hand on his shoulder as Percy leaned his head on Luke’s. “Please, Luke. I- I need my brother. Please wake up. Please.”
Thalia wrapped her arms around Percy from the back, guiding him gently to the nearby chair. He went with her without any question, not even raising a fuss, and she was astounded by the amount of trust he showed her despite everything.
“He’ll wake up Percy. I promise.”
Percy nodded, and she sat at the foot of his chair, turning to keep her eye on Luke.
She had her boys back, and she was going to make sure they’d be alright.
What time Percy didn’t spend in Luke’s room, he spent it with Drew.
He’d missed her over the past week, and now that he was with her again, he wasn’t letting her go.
He meant that literally in this case, holding Drew close as she filled him in on what happened during the quest. She was obviously hiding things, but he didn’t push. He’d done close to the same back in the last quest with her.
He also wasn’t sure he wanted to know the full details.
He had his head on her shoulder as she had her arms around his back. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but they didn’t care at the moment, preferring to be as close as they could be to each other.
“I met your friends by the way,” she said as she got to San Francisco. “Reyna and Hylla.”
Percy hummed thoughtfully. “How were they?”
“They seemed alright. Found some outpost there and are doing well. They told me to say hi when I see you.”
Percy nodded, dropping a kiss to Drew’s shoulder just because he could do that again. “I’m glad they’re fine. Did you like them?”
She nodded against the top of his head, pressing a kiss into his hair as she did. He found he still liked that from her. “Well enough. Barely got to talk to them for a bit, but they seemed nice.”
“I’m glad,” Percy shifted a bit so he was looking at Drew. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” Drew leaned in to kiss him, and Percy met her halfway. He was glad he could do this again and that she didn’t manage to ruin it for him.
The kiss didn’t last too long and was more sweet than heated, but that was fine by Percy. He needed some sweet right now.
“I’m glad you came,” he told her when he pulled back.
Drew’s face softened as her hand came to cradle his cheek. He found himself leaning into her, bringing his own hand to hold her wrist in place. “I wasn’t about to leave you here, Percy. I’d have come for you no matter where they took you.”
He nodded, bringing his head back to her shoulder. “You’re the best, you know that?”
She didn’t respond with a joke, saying she did. She just kissed the side of his head and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry I took so long.”
“Not your fault,” he said immediately. “You came; that’s what matters.”
She nodded, though Percy could tell she wasn’t entirely convinced. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes, holding her shoulders firmly but gently. “You did what you could, Drew. What matters is that you came for me. Don’t think about anything else.”
She took in a shaky breath and looked him in the eye. “I had dreams on the way here. Dreams of you and what… she did while you were there.”
Percy stiffened. “Oh.”
Drew nodded. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know how to bring it up, but I mean, it was-”
She stopped talking when he pulled back a bit. He didn’t blame her for seeing all that, but he’d hoped she wouldn’t know about it until he found a way to tell her.
She was quiet for a bit while he gathered his thoughts. She broke the silence after a bit, and it broke his heart. “Are you mad at me?”
Percy turned to her with wide eyes and pulled her into his arms. “No way. Not mad at you, Drew. Just… wasn’t expecting that.”
She nodded, relaxing in his arms, and he cursed himself. He didn’t like making her sad.
“Not your fault, Percy,” he laughed because, of course, she noticed.
“Then it’s not yours either,” he said simply.
She nodded and pulled back to look at him. Her eyes were red and her lip was quivering.
He leaned in to kiss her, and her hands made their way to his neck. This was a longer one but no less gentle than the others. His hands made their way to frame her face, and he held her as gently as he could.
When he pulled back, he brought his forehead and nose to hers, not moving his hands from their place. He didn’t say anything, and neither did she. They didn’t need to talk right now. They just needed each other.
Zoë watched the children from a distance and saw what Thalia and Drew meant.
Percy was not one of the men she hated so much. He was not a liar, a thief, or whatever one wanted to say Heracles was.
He was just a child.
It had hurt her heart to think of what Annabeth had done to him over the past week before she’d seen him, but now that she looked at him, truly looked at him without thinking of the fact that he was a camper and a boy, she could see how young he was.
She could see how much Annabeth had hurt him.
Looking at him now, she just wanted to bundle him up in a blanket and protect him from the world. He looked so small.
She wondered how much of this was new and how much of it she’d just refused to see when she first saw him back at Camp Half-Blood. Penelope and Hippolyta saw something in him that made them decide to be his friends, so there must be something there.
Drew said something to him, and he nodded, giving her a small smile before kissing her quickly. They were so intimate, so gentle with each other that it made Zoë’s heart feel somewhat lighter. At least he didn’t seem to have lost that gentle touch that Drew insisted he had.
Drew got up and went over to Lady Aphrodite, who had beckoned her forward. Zoë took a deep breath and decided to take her chance, figuring she wouldn’t get another one for some time.
She went up to Percy to see how he was doing. If nothing else, she felt somewhat responsible, given it was Annabeth who did all that to him.
He saw her coming towards him and immediately went on guard. She held back a wince and figured it was warranted given what happened the last time they met.
“I see you are doing better,” she figured it was an innocent enough opening.
He didn’t seem to agree. “Yeah. What do you want?”
She bit back a sigh and pushed down her irritation. After everything that had happened, she supposed she shouldn’t expect this to be easy.
She needed to pick her words carefully. She finally settled on what she thought would cause the least trouble. “Drew and Thalia spoke highly of you on the quest, you know.”
He relaxed slightly at that, morphing from distrust to confusion. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve met many men in my life, Percy Jackson. Many of them were thieves, monsters, or worse,” she was lost in thought, remembering every single one of them clearly. Some she wished to forget, others were even worse than she was saying. “From what I’ve heard and seen of you, however, you aren’t one of them. I shouldn’t have treated you as I did when we first met. I’m sorry.”
Percy looked at her for what felt like an eternity, scrutinizing her words. He finally nodded and patted the seat next to him. “I get the feeling we’ll need to talk a bit more.”
Zoë smiled and sat next to him, trying to think of how to begin this conversation. She didn’t want to jump into the topic of Annabeth, but at the same time, there wasn’t much for her to talk about.
She saw him looking up at the sky and followed his gaze. It was nighttime and the stars were shining bright, the sky on Olympus being just as full as it used to be back in the days of Ancient Greece.
She remembered Drew and Thalia mentioning how much he loved the stars, figuring that would be a good topic to start with. “You’ve never seen this many stars before, have you?”
Percy didn’t take his eyes off the sky while shaking his head. “Back in Manhattan, there’s barely any. I’ve seen it at camp a few times, but that’s about it. This is beautiful.”
“It used to be like that every day back in the old days,” Zoë said wistfully. She couldn’t help but feel nostalgic for those days, back when things were much simpler.
“Really?” he asked, turning to her with wide eyes. The excitement they held had her feeling hopeful that maybe he could still find some joy.
“Light pollution has covered many stars over the years,” Zoë sighed. “I still remember watching the constellations disappear as time went on. Be it because of them being obscured or the stars dying out, many stars I used to hunt beneath are now gone. Here on Olympus, the sky is kept as it used to be.”
Percy nodded, turning back to the sky. “Can you…” He trailed off nervously, looking at her with apprehension.
She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “Can I what?”
He took a deep breath and steeled his nerves. Zoë held back a wince at that, the idea that a child needed to build up courage to talk to her not sitting right with her. “Can you show me the constellations that disappeared?”
She nodded, hoping he’d ask that. She spent the next hour or so pointing out constellations that he wouldn’t have seen in the Manhattan night sky, with some being long gone even from the most clear skies.
“That one is Antinous, Emperor Hadrian’s young lover,” she said, remembering that day clearly. “It’s now merged with Aquila.”
Percy nodded. “What about that one?”
He seemed to have a knack for finding constellations despite not knowing them. “That one’s Asselli and Praesepe, part of the Cancer constellation these days. It used to be more noticeable, as you can see.”
“How come they don’t count as constellations anymore?”
“Sometimes, the stars move around and merge with other constellations. Hard to consider them separate after that.”
Percy managed a small smile at that, though it looked genuine. “Thanks for telling me.”
She nodded, looking back to the sky. “Do you have a favorite?”
“Not really,” Percy said, sounding unsure. “I mean, I used to like Hercules.”
Zoë bit back a sigh, hearing that. He’d been doing so well. “Is it because he’s strong and killed monsters?”
“Nah,” her eyes widened, and she turned to him in shock. He didn’t notice; his eyes locked on the sky. “It’s just… say what you want about him, he had a hard life. And I guess it was nice to remember that no matter how bad things were for me, it could always be worse.”
Zoë nodded slowly, casting her earlier thoughts aside. “That’s a better reason than most,” he hummed in acknowledgment, and she continued, having a feeling she knew the answer to her next question. “Why is it no longer your favorite?”
Percy tensed, looking at her nervously. “I think you know.”
She sighed. “Yes, yes, I know. She likely didn’t make your stay at Othrys pleasant.”
He shook his head. “It was… awful.”
Zoë sighed. “She’s always been… difficult, let’s go with that,” though difficult didn’t begin to cover it. “I never really liked her too much, but she was a maiden in need. We brought her into the Hunt, but she always found herself at odds with the rest of us.”
“Was it because of the whole demigod thing?” Percy asked quietly.
“Possible,” Zoë had never really thought about it, but it made enough sense. “Either way, she was often fighting with the others and questioned my position more times than I care to count. There were also times I thought she wasn’t taking her oaths seriously, but that’s not important at the moment.”
“How’d she get away?” Percy asked. “I didn’t see her body, and I know you wouldn’t have settled for less.”
Zoë sighed again, not liking what had happened. “Bentley was more skilled than I gave him credit for, and more cunning. He steered the fight in a way where I was moving into Thalia’s rampage. By the time I noticed, I had to use all my focus just to stay alive. She didn’t make it easy either, making sure to find ways to keep me there. The three of them used that to escape with that son of Apollo.”
Percy nodded, looking into the distance. “She put me under the sky when I first got there.” Zoë stayed quiet, letting Percy talk. “I- she tricked me. She made it sound like the Titans betrayed her and that she needed me. It was like I had my friend again.”
“She’s always been a trickster,” Zoë said bitterly.
“It’s just not fair that she’s still around,” Percy sounded small, and Zoë was reminded of just how young he was.
“She will not get away with this, Percy,” Zoë said. “I promise.”
And when he turned to her, holding back tears, Zoë knew she meant it. Be it by her hands or someone else’s, she’d make sure Annabeth Chase paid for what she did.
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of Luke's situation? What did you think of Percy and Drew? How do you think Percy and Zoe's relationship is gonna go?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: "https://discord.gg/Egwpds3uaTIf you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/7992xenXkq
Chapter 32: Awaken
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
Thalia didn’t want to go to the meeting.
She knew she had to and that it was the smart thing to do. After this quest, they’d need to debrief everyone on Olympus regarding what happened, and she was integral to the quest, but going meant she’d have to leave Luke in this room.
She wasn’t ready to do that.
He still looked to be in very bad shape, barely moving, though he did seem to be a bit better than before. That didn’t mean much to her when he was still out of it.
She knew it wouldn’t make a difference, but she wanted to stay with him. She needed to see him when he woke up; she needed to be there when he woke up.
She wanted to be there when he woke up. She wanted to see his eyes again, she wanted to hear his voice again. She didn’t want to be away when that happened.
And yet, she had to go. She knew she had to, she just didn’t know if she could handle it.
She sighed and pushed herself off the chair, making her way to him. She dropped a kiss to his forehead and brought a hand to his hair. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, Luke. I promise. Just hang in there.”
He didn’t answer, and she forced down the lump in his throat. She had to stay strong, but it was getting harder every day he was out.
She straightened her back and made her way to the door. She looked back at Luke for a moment before leaving the room, feeling the weight of the world on her back, knowing it won’t leave her shoulders until Luke woke up.
She made her way to the Throne Room, back straight and face set. She couldn’t afford to show any weakness, especially not now.
When she got there, she found the room was empty besides her Father. He sat on a platinum throne, simple but imposing.
“Thalia,” He acknowledged her, giving her a smile. “Come. We will begin shortly.”
She made her way forward and stood in front of the throne, waiting for the meeting to start. She didn’t have to wait too long for that, as soon after she took her spot, the Gods filled the room.
She saw everyone filling the room, catching her friends standing with their parents. Drew was at Aphrodite’s side, Percy was by Poseidon’s, Zoë stood by Artemis, while Phoebe, Gleeson, and Chiron were all by Dionysus.
The thrones were all filled, the Council here in full. Hades was also on Olympus as this was the Winter Solstice, making this the most Gods she’d ever seen in one place.
“Now that we are all in attendance, we can begin,” Zeus said calmly. “If the questers and demigods could come forward so that we may proceed.”
Thalia made her way to the center, her eyes never leaving Percy. He looked nervous, but he hid it well. She gave him a quick smile, and he relaxed, making his way towards the center of the throne room.
She made her way towards him, noting the absence of one demigod whom she really wished were here. She chanced a look at Hermes, who didn’t look happy, not that she was surprised. Considering Luke’s state, she’d be more surprised if Hermes wasn’t completely enraged.
“Now, we have all heard different accounts of what happened, but I would like to hear it again directly from the source.”
Chiron handled explaining what happened with Zoë, occasionally adding a few bits, which Thalia was grateful for. She managed to focus on Percy and Drew, who were barely hiding their nerves. She put a hand on each of their shoulders and squeezed gently, hoping to give them some comfort.
By the time Chiron finished, the entire Council looked apprehensive. “To think the Titans have progressed this far. You say Oceanus has joined Kronos?”
“That is what Atlas said, Lord Zeus,” Chiron kept his voice level, but Thalia could see he was tense. “It seems Oceanus has picked a side.”
“He has been causing trouble over the past few months,” Poseidon said darkly. “It explains quite a bit.”
Thalia shivered at Poseidon’s tone, remembering the meeting in Los Angeles. Besides the obvious, she was incredibly glad they managed to save Percy.
“This is troubling news,” her Father said. “It seems the time for preparation and subtle attacks is over. It is time for us to fully commit to war.”
There were no cheers; there was no one happy with that declaration. This was real now; they were going to war.
“Artemis and Apollo will hunt the deadlier monsters starting today,” the Twins nodded seriously at that, and Thalia had a feeling very few monsters would be left by the end of this.
“Poseidon will be dealing with Oceanus, but if possible, do try to sink any of their ships.”
Poseidon’s eyes had a dangerous glint to them. “You can count on that, Brother. You can also count on the blond girl being a special target by all in the seas.”
Thalia felt a vicious smile spread on her face. Annabeth had made an enemy of Poseidon, and Thalia doubted she knew just how bad this was going to be for her.
She pulled Percy a bit closer to her when she felt him tense up, wrapping an arm around him. He brought his arms up to hold hers in place and leaned into her as she rubbed his chest in comfort.
“Aphrodite, you said you had an idea to hamper the demigods in the Titan army?”
She smiled a beautiful smile and nodded. “The girl will never know what hit her.”
“Good,” her Father handed out everyone’s duties, from Ares and Athena managing the strategy to Hephaestus handling the weapons.
When everyone had their duties given, Zeus turned to Apollo. “Now then, you said you had an update on the state of the demigods?”
Apollo sighed and turned a sad look to Percy. “Dio and I have done what we can, but there’s only so much we can do given what the Titans did.”
Thalia tensed at that, not liking where this was going. It was clear Hermes and Poseidon didn’t either. “What do you mean by that, nephew? What happened?”
Dionysus sighed, eyes never leaving Percy. “Whether it was Grandfather or the girl, the boy is left with… scars that can’t be removed immediately.”
Thalia thought she couldn’t get any angrier than when she’d been at the top of the mountain when Apollo dealt the final blow. “Plus, whatever was in his system the whole time will leave some effects.”
She distantly felt the entire throne room shaking, but it didn’t matter. She thought she could see Hermes glaring a hole through the ground, but she was barely paying attention.
She could feel her anger surging, her power answering her call. She felt the winds picking up around her, a storm brewing above her that she wasn’t sure was Poseidon’s or hers. She wanted blood, and no one but Annabeth’s would suffice.
She tried her best to keep her powers from hurting her friends, her Father’s words playing again in her head. She had to make sure no one got hurt, but it was the hardest thing she’d ever done in her life.
“-ia, Thalia, Thalia!” She heard someone calling her name and felt arms wrap themselves around her midsection.
Looking down, she found Percy clinging to her tightly, and her rage broke. She brought her own arms around him and let go of her anger, at least for now, stopping her part of the storm.
The mountain was still shaking, and there was still a storm above them, but the lightning strikes were lessening now. She could hear the Gods trying to get Poseidon to stop the storm, but she focused on Percy in her arms.
“I’ll tell you everything when we’re back at camp,” he whispered to her, and she nodded, tightening her hold on him slightly.
She chanced a look around the throne room and saw that her friends were alright, not even bothering to look at her. They’d moved away from her slightly, but besides that, they didn’t seem to mind her rage too much.
The Gods were looking at her with a mix of indifference, curiosity, and, in her Father’s case, pride, so she figured she was fine on that front.
It was Ares who broke the silence. “Impressive showing, girlie. Should be useful down the line.”
No one disputed that, and they moved on from that, though Athena’s gaze never left her.
“With that dealt with, we can now move on to other pressing matters,” Zeus waved a hand, and a ball of water with the Ophiotaurus showed up.
“Bessie?” Percy asked incredulously. He hadn’t moved out of her embrace, but he’d turned around to be able to see the Council, and he recognized the Ophiotaurus differently, it seemed.
“Bessie?” Poseidon frowned curiously. “What are you talking about, son?”
Thalia nudged the back of his head with her chin, marveling slightly at the fact that he was too tall for her to rest her chin on the top of his head. “Percy saved the Ophiotaurus not too long ago. Guessing you called him Bessie?”
Percy shrugged in her arms. “Seemed like a good cow name. What’s going on here?’
They explained to him the story of the Ophiotaurus, and after some negotiation, where Percy said it would be wrong to kill the serpent bull, it was agreed that the Ophiotaurus would stay on Olympus in an aquarium.
“Now then, I’d imagine it would be best to wait for Luke Castellan to wake before we call for any celebrations,” her Father declared, eyeing Hermes. “Meeting dismissed.”
The Gods all disappeared from the room, leaving only the demigods, satyrs, hunters, and Chiron. The most movement Percy had done was turning back in her arms so he could bury his face in her shoulder, now needing to lower his head just a bit.
“You’ve grown tall, kiddo,” she told him, bringing her hand to the back of his head.
He didn’t react much, which didn’t surprise her. “Can you hold me a bit longer?”
She nodded into his hair and shot the others a quick smile as they left them alone. “I’ll hold you as long as you want me to, Kelpy. I’ve got you.”
Percy found himself getting hugged a lot.
Whether it was his Dad, Thalia, or Drew, more often than not, it felt like he was in someone’s arms.
Not that he was complaining; after the week he’d had, he’d welcome this with open arms.
If he’d been in a better place, he might have laughed at that thought. As it was, he just relaxed further in Drew’s arms.
They didn’t talk much, having covered most of what was important so far, which Percy didn’t mind too much. He’d take as much time spent with her as he could.
“Connor came up to me before we went on the quest,” Drew broke the silence, and Percy shifted a bit to look at her.
“Yeah? What’d he say?” Percy asked, wishing he could have seen Drew and Connor have a civil conversation.
“He asked us to bring you and Luke back,” she said, bringing her forehead to his. “He really missed you two.”
Percy hadn’t thought of Connor all that much while on the mountain, at least, not as much as he probably should have. He’d spent more time thinking of Thalia and Luke than anyone, with Drew and his mom coming next. Connor only passed his thoughts on occasion when he thought back to camp.
“Any idea if he’s doing alright?” Percy asked, hoping to see him again soon.
“Phoebe said he’s the one who led her to Mr. D when she got to camp. She said he looked tired and worried, but besides that, she didn’t say much,” Drew said, not having moved from her spot. “He really cares about you.”
“Yeah,” Percy sighed, rubbing his nose against Drew’s. “I missed him.”
“I figured,” she said with a wry smile. “You two are best friends.”
“We are,” he tensed a bit, looking at Drew warily. “I know you two-”
“Don’t worry about it, baby,” she leaned in and kissed him gently. “That’s between me and him, hon. You don’t have to think about it.”
Percy nodded, sinking back into her embrace. It felt good to just cuddle with her without worrying about anyone coming to kill him.
“Drew,” he said quietly.
“Yeah?”
“Be honest with me. How scared were you?”
She pulled back slightly, looking at him for what felt like ages before she let her mask drop. He could see the fear in her eyes that likely plagued her the entire quest. “Oh, Drew.”
He gathered her in his arms as she cried, blinking back tears himself. He had to hold it together for her. She’d been the one holding him the past two days; now it was his turn.
“You were gone,” she got out in between sobs. “You were- you were gone and I- I couldn’t-” she shook in his arms as he let his own tears out. “I could see parts of what she did to you. I didn’t- I thought I’d never see you again.”
He kissed the side of her head and hid his face in her neck. “You found me. That’s what matters.”
She didn’t say anything, only kissing his shoulder in response. They stayed like that for a bit, just enjoying each other’s warmth before they were pulled out of their little bubble.
“Hey, kids,” Thalia called to them, and Percy turned to see her giving them a small smile. “Doing alright?”
“Better than before,” Percy said with a smile. “What’s up, Thals?”
“There’s someone who wants to see you two,” she said.
A part of him didn’t want to go, but he saw the look in Thalia’s eyes. She wanted him especially to come with her to see whoever it was that wanted to see them. That alone made him curious.
“Ok,” he got up, Drew’s hand in his. “Let’s go.”
She led them down the hallway for what felt like ages. Percy was a bit nervous, squeezing Drew’s hand a bit to draw strength. He didn’t know who was waiting for him at the end of this hallway, but he had a feeling it’d be someone important.
Thalia turned and gave him a smile. “Don’t worry, Percy. I’m sure you’ll be happy to see her.”
“Her?” Percy asked, though he kept walking. When they got to the end of the hall, they made their way to a room Thalia mentioned was for guests on Olympus. She opened the door and let him in, and Percy’s eyes widened.
“Mom?” his voice was a whisper as he took cautious steps towards her, worried this was a dream.
She got up and choked back a sob. “Percy.”
She opened her arms and he rushed into them, ignoring the world around him and focusing on the fact that she was here.
“Mom, Mom,” he shook in her arms, letting his tears flow out.
“Oh, Percy,” she was also crying, holding him as close as she could. “You’re here. You’re here.”
“Mom,” he couldn’t say anything else, too overcome. They sat on the bed, not letting go of each other, happy that they were reunited.
“I missed you, Mom,” Percy said quietly. “I love you.”
She kissed the top of his head and held him tightly. “I missed you, too, baby. I love you too.”
They stayed there for a long time, but Percy didn’t mind. He got to hug his mom again. That was enough for him.
They’d been on Olympus for a little over half a week now.
It had been about four days, two since the Solstice, and Thalia was starting to grow worried.
Luke hadn’t woken up yet. Apollo said this was to be expected given what he went through, but she couldn’t think of that.
All she could think of was the fact that he’d been in a coma for four days now and that he didn’t seem to be waking up.
The only indication that he was alive was the slow rise and fall of his chest. She was glad he was still breathing, with Apollo saying he didn’t need help to breathe, but that was a small consolation.
It still meant he was out of it. It still meant he wasn’t waking up. It still meant he was in danger.
“I’m sorry it took so long to get you,” she found herself saying. Usually, Hermes was in the room with them, but this time she was alone. Their Father had called an emergency Council meeting to plan for the war, so Hermes was in the Throne Room at the moment. That left Thalia the opportunity to say everything that had been on her mind.
“You wouldn’t have left me like that for a week,” she said quietly. “You’d have made your way quicker. You’ve always been quicker than I am. I should’ve been quicker. Shouldn’t have left you there for so long.”
She sat back in her chair and stared at him, hoping he’d suddenly wake up. “Percy misses you, Luke. Sally misses you,” she took a deep breath, swallowing the lump in her throat. “I miss you. I miss you so much it hurts. It’s crazy how much I miss you. We need you, Luke. We all do.”
She got up and made her way to his bed. He hadn’t moved at all the whole time she spoke, and it hurt to see. She kissed his forehead, finding herself doing that much more often over the past few days than she ever had before.
She had a feeling he wouldn’t mind that. She wished he’d wake up to tease her for it, or at least say anything about it.
Really, she just wanted him to wake up.
“We love you, Luke,” she teared up at saying that. “We all do.”
She dropped her face on his shoulder, trying her hardest not to cry. She couldn’t afford anyone coming in and seeing her like this right now, but it was too hard.
She felt tears running down her face as she shook, moving one of her arms carefully across Luke’s chest, placing her hand right above his heart. It was one of the only reminders she had that he was still alive.
“Please wake up,” her voice broke as she couldn’t hold her sobs back, barely getting the words out. “Please. I can’t- I can’t do this without you. Please wake up. Please.”
She felt weaker than she ever had. After everything that they’d gone through, this wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that Annabeth got to run away while Luke was still like this. It just wasn’t fair.
Under her hand, his heart was still beating. That gave her some level of comfort even as it hurt that he wasn’t awake.
“I’m here for you, Luke,” she said as she calmed down, sitting up and looking at his face. “No matter what, I’m not leaving you.”
She didn’t get an answer.
She sighed, getting up and making her way to the door. She knew it was time for her to go, having been here for hours. She wasn’t sure exactly how long, but she knew it was a while.
She made her way to the door, sparing one last look at Luke when her eyes widened.
His arms were twitching, and his breathing was shifting. She watched in amazement as his head moved around slightly and his hands clenched.
He turned his head towards the door, and she almost cried when his eyes opened, revealing the blue she had missed so dearly.
He looked at her so softly she was floored. He reached out to her, almost like he was trying to grab her, like he wanted to make sure she was real.
She barely managed to get her legs to work, stumbling her way back to him. He looked at her like he didn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Thalia?”
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think of the meeting? What did you think of Percy's reunion with Sally? How do you think Luke waking up will go?
If you're a writer as well, you can join the writer's server here: "https://discord.gg/Egwpds3uaTIf you just want to yell at me in general, you can find me most active on the following server: https://discord.gg/7992xenXkq
Chapter 33: Familial Love
Chapter by undeath230
Notes:
Definitely didn't almost forget to post this, what are you talking about?
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Thalia?” His voice was weak, but it didn’t matter. Luke was awake.
Rushing to his side, Thalia held his face as gently as she could, trying to be as comforting as possible. “It’s me, Luke. You’re safe now; you’re safe.”
His hand dropped limp to the side, and she moved to hold it, bringing it up to the bed. He seemed calm enough, but he didn’t take his eyes off her. “Where?”
“We’re on Olympus. Your Dad came and helped us get you here,” she kept his hand in hers, not willing to let go so soon.
He didn’t move, but she could tell he’d understood her. She kept an eye out for anything possible to see what his mental state was at, and so far, he seemed to be still there. “Percy?”
“He’s safe,” she told him, finally feeling like she was able to breathe. “He’s here with us. You’ll see him soon.”
He turned back to look at the ceiling, his hand never leaving hers. It looked like it took everything he had to manage that. Thalia closed her eyes and started praying.
Lord Hermes. Lord Apollo. Luke’s awake.
She didn’t manage to finish the rest of the sentence before the room was occupied by two more. Apollo and Hermes had flashed into the room and came close to the bed.\
Luke’s eyes widened slightly. “Dad?”
Hermes brought a hand to his shoulder and leaned in to kiss Luke’s forehead. “It’s okay, my boy. You’re safe now. Apollo’s gonna take care of you.”
“Gave us quite the scare, nephew,” Apollo said with a comforting smile. “The worst is behind us, but I’ll need to check a few more things. You can leave him with me, Thalia. Go tell the others the good news.”
She wasn’t exactly ready to leave Luke just yet, but she nodded, knowing she’d just get in the way if she stayed. It wasn’t easy, but she started moving away from the bed when Luke’s hand shot up and grabbed her arm.
He looked desperate in a way she’d never seen before, even back when they were on the streets. “Stay.”
His voice was somehow both weak and strong at the same time. He did not want her to leave.
She looked at Apollo, who considered them for a moment before shrugging. “I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t stay. I’ll see if I can ask Arty to tell the others the good news.”
She nodded and turned to Luke. “I’m gonna sit over there so Lord Apollo can check on you. I’m not going anywhere. Promise.”
Luke relaxed, letting go of her arm. “Okay.”
She went over to the chair and sat, her eyes trained on Luke as Apollo went over all the tests needed to make sure he was alright.
He checked Luke’s memory first, as well as some cognitive functions, making sure there was no permanent brain damage before moving on to Luke’s physical health. During the test, she heard a crash on the outside followed by a nervous knock.
She got up and moved to the door, opening it to find Percy standing there with desperate hope in his eyes. “Is Luke-”
“He’s awake,” Thalia said, putting a gentle hand on his back, guiding him in. “Apollo’s looking over him right now. You can sit with me.”
Luke turned while Apollo was checking on his legs and managed a small smile. “Percy…”
She knew what Luke was doing. He was trying to look like he wasn’t as beaten up as he was, so Percy wouldn’t be worried. That smile was him faking that he was doing better than he was.
She didn’t blame him, of course, knowing she’d do the same in his place. “He’ll be fine, Percy.”
“Don’t worry, little cousin. He’s past the worst of it,” Apollo said, looking over at Percy with a smile. “I think I showed how good I am when I patched you up.”
Luke’s eyes widened. “What-”
“We’ll talk about that later, Luke,” Thalia cut in before he could say anything. “First, we need to make sure you are alright.”
He sighed and leaned back, dropping the subject. Thalia kept Percy close to her, having him sit on the chair while she took the floor right in front of him. It was like the last time the two of them were in here, but at least this time Luke was awake.
“He’s gonna be fine, right?” Percy asked quietly.
Thalia pressed up against Percy’s legs and reached up to grab his hand. “Yeah, kiddo. He’s gonna be fine.”
He’d been awake for a few days now, and Luke was already sick of this bed.
Thalia was always near him, and Percy was here more often than not, and that made the stay a bit more tolerable, but that didn’t mean he was happy staying in bed the whole time.
He missed being able to walk, spar, and go anywhere in general. He really missed being able to piss without needing a tube.
At least he had Thalia and Percy around to make it more bearable, and when he learned Sally was here too, he was extremely happy. Or, well, as happy as he could be, given he shat in a box under his bed.
This time, it was Sally looking after him. She fussed over him like he was her own son, and he found he didn’t mind too much. He’d heard Thalia calling her Mom a few times while they were both in the room, and he understood that.
He’d been considering where he stood with Sally for a while now, but he didn’t think he could decide. She was there for him a lot more than his own mother had been, but ever since his Father told him what happened to his mom, he’d been thinking a lot about her.
It didn’t make much of a difference, he supposed. Sally was here for him now, and he’d take it. He could figure out his relationship with Sally some other time.
“You’re looking better,” she said, bringing him a tray of food.
“Don’t feel much better,” he sulked, taking the food as she smiled.
“You won’t get better overnight, Luke, especially with what happened.” She kept a brave face, but Luke could see the pain in her eyes.
When she first got in the room with him, she almost broke down. According to the others, he looked pretty bad, even if he did look better than he had before. He’d wanted to tell her he’d be fine, but he could barely talk at the time.
Even now, his sentences were limited. Too much movement wasn’t a good idea, as he got tired quickly, and anything too complex was painful. Even eating wasn’t easy as his arms were still incredibly sore.
He tried to do it himself, but he couldn’t move his arms without feeling like they were about to fall off. He gave Sally a desperate look, and she just smiled and kissed his forehead.
“Let me,” she grabbed the bowl, he wasn’t sure what it was, only knowing it was soft, and started feeding him.
A part of him felt a bit embarrassed that he needed to be fed, but at the same time, he couldn’t deny how good it felt to be taken care of for once.
He took his first bite and swallowed it, grimacing slightly. Sally smiled gently at him. “How’s it taste?”
“Like it’s only barely better than starving,” he managed to get. She laughed, so he took it as a win.
“At least you haven’t lost your sense of humor,” she gave him another spoonful as she spoke. “Don’t worry, I won’t make airplane noises while doing this.”
“Thanks,” he knew she was joking, but he really didn’t want to think of his reaction if she’d done that.
They sat in silence for a while, with Sally continuing to feed him until the bowl was empty. When it was done, she took it to the side and put everything together, readying it to be taken out. She came back to the seat by his bed and took his hand when she sat down.
“We were really worried about you,” she said, her voice thick. “When I heard what happened to you and Percy, I…” she trailed off, looking guilty about something.
He didn’t understand why, though. She’d done everything she could. “What’s wrong?”
She bit her lip as she looked like she was contemplating her answer before sighing and giving him a fake smile. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
He frowned and shook his head. He knew she wouldn’t tell him, not while he was like this, but he didn’t want her holding this in. “Tell Thalia.”
She looked at him for what felt like ages before sighing. “I swear, you two are a pain in my ass.” She did smile at him genuinely, so he figured it wasn’t too bad. “But I wouldn’t trade either of you for the world.”
He felt a lump form in his throat. Maybe he did know what his relationship with Sally was up until now, but he just needed to find a reason to admit it.
“I love you, Mom,” he said, needing to get it out.
She teared up and hugged him gently. “I love you too, sweetheart.”
“I can have two moms, right?” he asked, unsure now. He’d never felt so small before, so young as he did now. He hoped he wasn’t betraying his Father or his mom with this.
“Of course you can, sweetheart,” she kissed the top of his head before pulling back. “May Castellan is still your mom, and we’ll do whatever we can to help her. I promise.”
He nodded and leaned up a bit. She understood and hugged him again. He’d never felt as safe before as he did right now.
“Why are you here, Percy?”
Percy blinked and turned to Drew. “What do you mean?”
She gave him a look, and he shifted nervously, not really wanting to answer that question. He knew what she was talking about, and he knew she knew, but he was hoping they could just ignore it for a while longer.
“Percy,” she grabbed his hands, making sure he was looking at her. “Luke up,” he swallowed hard as she said that. “Why are you here and not with him?”
Percy tried to think of anything he could say to get out of this conversation before he sighed. “You’re not gonna let this go, are you?”
“Nope,” she kissed his cheek, bringing his head to her shoulder as if sensing how he felt. “Now talk to me, baby. I’ve got you.”
He sighed again, relaxing into her embrace. She had a habit of making him feel better just by being around him. “It’s my fault.”
Drew rubbed his back and moved his head to her neck. “What is?”
“Why Luke’s like that. He wouldn’t have taken the sky if it weren’t for me, and they kept him there because of me.” Percy hadn’t thought of that at first, but as soon as Luke woke up, it was all that was on his mind. He’d been the reason for that, and he couldn’t ignore it.
Drew didn’t say anything for a bit, just rocking him gently. “So I’m right,” he said. “It’s my fault and-”
She pulled him back and shut him up with a look. She then kissed him gently, and he stopped thinking, focusing only on her. She brought her hands behind his head, pulling him closer as he brought his hands to her back, pulling her as close as he could.
He’d missed this over the past week. They’d kissed a lot since they were reunited, but nothing like this. Nothing this consuming, this exciting, this perfect.
All he could think of was Drew and how she was everything he needed at the moment. He never wanted this to end.
When she pulled back, she looked at him with such softness that he almost melted. She dropped her forehead on his and moved a hand to his cheek. “I want you to listen to me now, alright, baby?”
“Okay,” Percy said, keeping his eyes on hers. Warm brown eyes piercing into his soul. He never wanted to look away.
She was quiet for a bit, just rubbing her thumb against Percy’s cheek. When she spoke, he could tell she believed every word she said. “It wasn’t your fault.”
He wanted to argue, but he remembered what she told him. He’d listen to her the whole way without interrupting her. “She tricked you, yeah, but you were friends before, right? I’d have done the same in your place.”
He shifted a bit so their noses were brushing, forehead still pressed against hers. “Now tell me. If I’d been under the sky and they told you what they told Luke, what would you have done?”
“I’d hold it until I broke,” Percy said without hesitation.
“And would you blame me?” she said quietly. He couldn’t tell whether she was smiling or not because all he was looking at were her eyes.
“No,” he said just as quietly.
“Then why’s this any different?”
He could think of a lot of things to say to that, but he knew what she was trying to say. “I hate it when you make sense.”
He didn’t let her answer before he kissed her again. This was softer than their last one, but Percy loved it just as much.
“Ok,” he said after pulling back. “You win. I’ll go.”
She smiled. “What’re you waiting for then?”
He stood up and turned to her. “Come with?”
She smiled and stood up. “I’ll walk with you to the door, but this is something you need to do on your own.”
Percy looked at her for a moment. “You’ve been talking to Thalia, haven’t you?”
“What makes you say that?” she blinked innocently at him while holding back a smirk.
“You’re lucky you’re cute,” he stole a quick kiss before the two made their way to Luke’s room.
He could feel the nerves building up inside him as he made his way to the room, and Drew must have noticed because she grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. “It’ll be fine.”
He nodded and took a deep breath, continuing forward, hoping this would work out.
When they made it to the door, Drew let go of his hand. “Go on. It’s all yours.”
He turned to her and nodded before knocking on the door. “Come in.”
That was Thalia’s voice, so at least he knew Luke wasn’t alone in there. When he walked in, Thalia looked up at him and smiled. “Hey, Percy.”
Luke turned to the door with a smile. “Percy! Hey kiddo, how you been?”
Percy choked up and felt he started tearing up. Luke looked at him with nothing but love in his eyes, and when Percy rushed towards him, he held out his arms, no matter how much he struggled to do so.
Percy got near Luke and threw his arms around him, trying his best not to hurt him. Luke’s arms came slowly around him, but they held him close.
“You’re okay, you’re okay,” Percy was crying into Luke’s shoulder as Luke kissed the top of his head.
“I’m fine, Percy, see,” he didn’t move his arms from around Percy, rubbing his back gently.
After a bit, Percy pulled back a bit to look at Luke. “You’re not mad at me?”
Luke blinked in confusion and frowned. “Why would I be?”
Percy didn’t know how to answer that, but Luke seemed to understand. He sighed and pulled Percy back into his arms. “It’s not your fault, Percy. I don’t blame you.”
Percy understood what he didn’t say, too. He’d do it again; he didn’t blame Percy, he didn’t care what happened. He’s glad Percy was safe.
Percy felt Thalia gently place her hand on his shoulder, rubbing it in comfort. He had his family around him. That’s all that mattered now.
“I love you, Luke,” Percy managed to get out in between sobs.
“I love you too, Percy. I love you too.”
Notes:
Let me know what you think in the comments as they do feed my soul.
What did you think about Luke and Thalia? What about Luke and Sally? Anything with Percy?
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Chapter 34: Trusted Gifts
Chapter by undeath230
Chapter Text
It had been a little over a week since Luke woke up, and after what had felt like an eternity, he could finally walk.
Granted, he didn’t know whether what he was doing could count as walking, but at least he wasn’t stuck in bed anymore.
He needed Thalia’s help to move around; he couldn’t stand for long periods of time, and he couldn’t exactly do much other than take small steps, so he wasn’t fully healed yet. Apollo said he’d likely never be back to what he was at before and that he’d very likely be dealing with a level of chronic pain that would be with him for the rest of his life.
That was something he’d have to live with, but he supposed it was a small price to pay given what he survived.
At the moment, he was on more painkillers than he’d ever taken in his entire life, but it was either that or he’d be dealing with so much pain he wouldn’t be able to move. He had to admit, this didn’t go perfectly, but at least he and Percy had survived.
Today, there was going to be a big final meeting regarding the quest so Luke could get his side of it all out, and apparently, there was going to be a celebration when the meeting was done. Luke wished he’d been in better shape, but he supposed it was better than nothing.
Thalia was by his side at the moment, helping him across the room. He’d only been up for two days, and she wasn’t exactly keen on letting him go anywhere without her being around. He supposed he couldn’t blame her.
He didn’t want to think about what he’d have done if he’d been in her place.
Not knowing whether she was okay or not, knowing she was in enemy territory and at their mercy, not being able to do anything about it. He knew she wouldn’t let him out of her sight for a long time after this.
Not that he minded too much. He’d missed her a lot over the past week, and any more time spent with her was welcome.
She was also a lot more affectionate at the moment, which he also didn’t mind. He was more than happy with that little development.
At the moment, she had her arms around his waist, helping him get to the Throne Room. He’d been out of bed for about a day now, and given how tense the situation is, they decided to try and get his side of the story as quickly as possible.
“You good, Luke?” Thalia asked as they made their way down the hall.
“Yeah, fine,” he said before chuckling. “I’m not fooling you, am I?”
“You’re not,” she was a lot less snarky than she usually was at the moment. He supposed he couldn’t blame her, given the week that had passed.
“It’s not easy, but I’ve got you with me,” he told her, leaning his head against hers as they kept walking forward.
She kissed his shoulder, and he could feel the warmth spreading through his body from that spot. He wasn’t in a position to think about what that meant, so he just decided to enjoy it for now.
“You’ve always got me, Luke. Always.”
“I know, Thals,” he said with a smile. “Used to be you and me against the world.”
“Still is,” she said confidently. “We just have a few others with us against the rest of the world now.”
“Yeah,” Luke thought of Percy and Sally when she said that. Out of everyone they’d ever met, those two were the only ones who they cared about as much as they cared about each other. Maybe it was different, but it didn’t matter.
Percy, Sally, Thalia. Those were Luke’s family, right next to his mom and Hermes. He loved all of them dearly and would do anything for them.
And given what he’d done during their stay on Mount Tam, he supposed that really did apply to everything.
They made it to the throne room slower than he’d have liked but quicker than what he supposed they should be moving at, given everything. Apollo said he was healing well, but he didn’t feel like it was well enough.
When they made it through the door, his Father flashed immediately to them. “I’ll take him.”
Thalia carefully handed Luke over, and his Father held him carefully, helping him forward to the seat prepared for him. Normally, they’d give a debrief while standing, but given the circumstances, he was allowed the sit.
“Luke Castellan,” Zeus spoke in what Luke figured was a normal tone, but everything sounded loud at the moment.
“Lord Zeus,” he bowed as best he could from his seat and hoped it would be enough. He didn’t think he could stand at the moment.
“Now that we are all here, if you would regale us with your end of the events that have just passed.”
Luke explained what he remembered as best he could, making sure to focus on Will’s ramblings, the fact that he seemed able to heal him despite what was happening, and on the fact that Paris and Bentley were the ones holding up the sky while he was given a break.
“The fact that they could do so even together is cause for concern,” Athena noted. “It is not an easy feat to accomplish in general, and the fact that they could do so repeatedly makes them dangerous.”
Luke knew that well. They could do it and weren’t nearly as banged up as he was. That wasn’t good. Granted, they held it a lot less than he did, and they did it together, but the point still stood.
Those two were stronger than anyone had expected them to be, and that was a problem they had to consider.
“Still, we know they’re not as dangerous as Castellan over here,” Ares said, eyeing Luke with a glint of curiosity that made Luke a bit nervous. “I imagine when he recovers, he could counter those two decently enough.”
Apollo sighed at that. “There’s no certainty that Luke will be able to fully recover to how he was. He might be able to push himself to those old levels, but only time will tell just how affected he was from holding the sky up for as long as he did.”
Zeus nodded. “Indeed, it was. And with that, I do believe it is time to hand out the rewards for a quest completed.”
Luke nodded, but could see Percy frowning off to the side. He resolved to explain what was going on later if Thalia or Chiron didn’t.
Athena stood and beckoned the questers forward. Thalia was given a new spear, which made it her third, this one with the ability to channel her lightning more effectively, letting her fork it if she wanted. Luke didn’t pay too much attention to what it could do; he had a feeling he’d be seeing it soon enough.
Drew was handed a new shield, Zoë and Phoebe were gifted quivers that don’t empty out, and Gleeson was given a bigger club.
And then, Percy was beckoned forward. “Perseus Jackson. You were not given any reward on your previous two quests. As such, you will be given those rewards now.”
Percy nodded, still looking confused, but he was happy for it. He was granted a bow that wouldn’t make him miss as wildly as he normally did, having been blessed by Apollo and Artemis. This was considered his gift for the past two quests, as this was a pretty big one, coming with a refilling quiver as well.
Luke was given a new set of armor to better suit him after he went through the sky ordeal, as well as a gauntlet that would temporarily relieve him of the pain caused by the sky if he needed to fight immediately. He was warned not to wear it for extended periods of time as it may lead to muscle failure, but it would do in a pinch.
Zeus clapped once, turning everyone’s attention back to the center. “And now, we begin the celebrations.”
Percy was staring at his new bow with a hint of wonder.
He didn’t understand why he was given this now. He’d figured the past two quest rewards were already given, with him being given time with his Father on the first one and saving camp being the reward for the second one.
Chiron must have noticed his frown because he put a hand on Percy’s shoulder. “Is everything alright, Percy?”
He looked up at Chiron, who was in full centaur mode at the moment, and shrugged. “Not sure. I guess I’m just kind of confused about getting a gift now, considering I didn’t before.”
Chiron nodded. “Yes, I do suppose it would be confusing. Hadn’t thought to explain it before, but essentially, with how things are these days, it can be quite difficult to give you gifts immediately upon quest completion, so you are often rewarded at a later date, no matter how many have passed.”
Percy nodded hesitantly. “What do you mean by how things are these days?”
Chiron sighed. “With Olympus pulling back in the past few years, it can be suspicious for you to receive just any gift without anyone to trace it back to at times. And then, there is the fact that our direct interaction with the Gods is much less frequent as time goes by. Better to let the rewards stack, and then one big reward can be given at one point instead of multiple smaller ones.”
Percy nodded, figuring it was better to accept this than to think about it too much.
A nearby crash caught their attention as Percy turned to see Gleeson getting into it with Phoebe. Chiron just sighed. “I suppose I should address that. Don’t mind me, my dear boy; just cleaning up a mess.”
Percy shook his head as Chiron went over to deal with whatever was going on there. He decided it’d be better if he left that alone.
He’d gotten closer with Zoë over the past week than he had been before, but he couldn’t say the same about Phoebe. She left him alone for the most part, too scared to come near him, apparently, but he didn’t mind too much. He’d rather not talk to her if he could manage it.
Zoë, on the other hand, was a surprisingly warm person when he got to know her a bit better. He was glad they managed to become something close to friends over the past week. He had a feeling he’d need as many of them as he could.
“You are far stronger than might have been expected,” he jumped at the sudden voice and turned to see what looked like a warrior woman standing next to him.
She almost looked like an Amazon, but there was something different. Her strength seemed more calculated and precise while also being more confident than arrogant. She didn’t have to prove anything to anyone. She just was that damn good.
She also felt like a Goddess standing in front of him, and with where he was and the grey eyes, he knew who he was talking to. “Lady Athena.”
She nodded in approval, regarding him curiously. “I must admit, I was not sure what to make of you when Uncle first claimed you. You were young, untested, and with the weight of the prophecy, it was unknown what the future would look like.”
Percy nodded, shifting nervously. “And now?”
She hummed in thought, looking at him carefully. “I will not say I have fully decided, but in regards to your loyalties, I don’t believe those to be in question. Strong and loyal are a good combination for the coming war.”
“But I’m just a kid,” he found himself whispering, barely able to keep that comment to himself.
Athena regarded him carefully again and nodded. “That is true, you are quite young. Even then, you have a lot of potential in you, and you are not alone.”
Percy automatically turned to look for Luke and Thalia at that. He found them sitting off to one side, speaking in hushed tones, their heads mere inches from each other. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think they were about to kiss.
“I must say, while I do not entirely understand what drives romantic love, it can be quite effective at times,” Athena said casually. “Even if they do not fully realize it.”
“Now that, darling, is an understatement,” he heard another voice join the conversation, and when he turned, his brain short-circuited.
She was he most perfect being he’d ever been lucky enough to lay his eyes on. Beautiful did not even begin to describe the perfection he was looking at. She had the most gorgeous blond hair he’d ever seen, though it seemed to shift to black every so often. Her eyes were just the most beautiful shade of blue he could imagine, somehow a mix of Drew’s blue with an electric feel to them.
Her smile melted him into a puddle as he struggled to form words. “Um, uh, gah.”
She laughed, and he felt his heart grow lighter. “Oh, aren’t you just a sweetheart. Just the absolute cutest!”
Percy felt like he was falling apart when he heard that. She thought he was cute? She thought he was a sweetheart? He didn’t know what to say. He wanted to do anything to feel like this again.
Athena sighed. “I do believe that’s enough, Aphrodite. Poor boy can barely stand.”
The now-identified Aphrodite sighed. “Fine, won’t even let me have my fun.”
In a moment, he felt like he could think again. Aphrodite still looked perfect, but at least now he was in full control of his thoughts. “Lady Aphrodite.”
“Oh, no need for that, darling,” She smiled at him, and it was still the most perfect smile he’d ever seen. “Too much of a mouthful, I’d say.”
“I will leave you two to it then,” Athena said, moving away as the crowd parted as though looking at Aegis.
Aphrodite smiled. “She is right, you know. Love is quite the powerful thing.”
Percy nodded hesitantly. “I get the feeling that’s more than just romantic love.”
She smiled widely, and Percy felt his heart skip a beat. “Yes! You get it! So many people like to think it’s all about romantic love, forgetting about the other kinds.”
Percy shook his head. “After my mom, Luke, and Thalia, I can’t forget that.”
Her smile turned softer, and Percy melted further. “I can imagine so. Even if there is romance between those two, you are a family full of love towards each other.”
Percy nodded before risking a question. “Are they gonna be like that for a while?”
“You mean painfully oblivious?” Aphrodite smirked. “Yes, I’m afraid it will be a bit longer. I imagine you’re dealing with it quite a bit, given you live with them.”
He sighed. “I guess that makes sense.”
She nodded, turning to look behind him. “Oh, Drew, darling, so nice of you to drop by.”
Percy turned, and he felt like his brain was just about done. He was between his incredibly beautiful girlfriend and the Goddess of Love. He didn’t know how he was still sane.
“Mom!” She smiled before turning to Percy. “There you are, been looking for you.”
Aphrodite sighed happily at that. “Well, don’t let me take up any more of your time. Have fun, darlings!”
With that, Drew and Percy were alone. She frowned at him for a moment. “You okay? She wasn’t bothering you?”
Percy shook his head. “Just had a quick talk. Asked about Luke and Thalia being oblivious bitches.”
Drew snorted before turning to look at them. “Asked the same when Mom showed up on the quest.”
Percy nodded. He shifted a bit before making up his mind. “Hey, Dee?”
“Yeah, hon?” She turned to him with a curious look.
“I was thinking,” Percy took a deep breath and extended his hand. “We never got to finish our dance back at Westover.”
She looked at him for a moment before smiling widely. “It’s like you read my mind, baby.”
Percy took her hand and led her to the dance floor. This time, with no monsters or demigods to watch, he got to just enjoy his time with his girlfriend.
And it was the best dance he’d ever been to.
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