Working With The Thief (Percy Jackson)

Chapter Seventeen: Nobody Cares About The Quest Anymore

"He has almost four years before then, Dionysus," Chiron reminded him as I looked at the other two demigods and mouthed Percys name to them and saw their expressions drop because we all knew. "Even in bubble wrap, fate will find him. Sure, he's been claimed, but until he's older, we don't know that he's the child of the prophecy."

"And we also didn't know that Thalia was the child of the prophecy," Luke piped in. "She had a little brother, I still don't know why we haven't sent a satyr to look for the kid. He would be old enough for camp by now, maybe he's older than Percy is, we don't know."

"And how do you suppose we track him down?" Chiron questioned, weirdly opposed to the idea, which made me make a mental bookmark to ask the Counsel if we could send a protector out for him— even if I have to do it myself. "Beryl Grace has passed into the world of the afterlife, Luke. We have no way of knowing where she left her son or who she might've handed him over to."

Mr. D looked down in annoyance.

"I could take a guess."

"Dionysus!"

"What? He was the second kid of Father's to Beryl, it's not unrealistic—"

"Do you wish your sentence here be prolonged by your assumptions?" The centaur questioned. "I understand that you want the boy to live, that you wish for Percy to stay alive, but four years is a long time. If Fate doesn't see him as fit for the prophecy, he too will pass."

"What do you mean he too will pass?" Before Mr. D could even steel himself to form a response, Luke spoke up. "do you hear yourself right now, Chiron? He's a fucking kid, you're talking about a child. Will you even continue training him when I leave for college? Or are you deciding now that he's a lost cause because of his dad? Because of what his existence could mean. He's a child, Chiron. Not a ticking time bomb."

With that, Luke dismissed himself.

"I agree with Liam," Mr. D confided, which... Sure, Mr. D cares about the demigods here more than he actually lets on, but his interest in Percy seemed very odd. Annabeths facial expression confirmed that she seemed to agree with me. "The children are already aware of the oath that was broken, and I'm sure some of them will treat Percy differently because of it, assuming they don't already. We shouldn't model that behavior for them when we know so little. He will survive, mark my words, I will personally see to it, Percy will turn 16 and the prophecy will unravel whether or not he is the center of it, but we shouldn't treat him as some sort of explosive because of that. Many children here will have tragic ends, I'm sure. That doesn't mean we treat them any differently. That being said..."

The god turned towards Annabeth and I.

"Abby, Gunther, did either of you notice anything particularly... Concerning on the quest with Percy?" And as the camp director spoke, I realized something. "Anything we should be aware of?"

Mr. D was calling Percy by the correct name—something he never does with the kids. Done on purpose, as well, which made this conversation all the more interesting.

And as badly as I wanted Percy to get help, I wasn't comfortable disclosing what I knew in front of Annabeth or in front of Chiron, in all honesty.

He's a wise trainer, but sometimes he loses empathy and it makes it hard to talk to him. That's why we also have a camp director.

"I mean he did try and pick a fight with Ares, but I don't know if I'd call that him being reckless with his own life or just him being a teenage boy in a stressful situation," Annabeth figured, shrugging. "I was concerned, but I think we were all concerned for each other. He seemed okay last night, right? Tired, but okay."