𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐋 𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑, percy jackson

CHAPTER 62! please don't leave me. i can't live without you. you know that

chiron raised an eyebrow when he saw nico.

percy expected him to be surprised by their latest news about quintus being daedalus, or kronos rising. he was wrong.

"i feared as much," chiron said. "we must hurry. hopefully you have slowed down the titan lord, but his vanguard will still be coming through. they will be anxious for blood. most of our defenders are already in place. come!" chiron led them.

cherry was unusually nervous.

her eyes met percy's. she didn't know why she felt such horrible despair, but she did.

"wait a moment," silenus demanded. "what of the search for pan? you are almost three weeks overdue, grover underwood! your searcher's license is revoked!"

grover took a deep breath. he stood up straight and looked silenus in the eye. "searcher's licenses don't matter any more. the great god pan is dead. he has passed on and left us his spirit."

"what? sacrilege and lies! grover underwood, i will have you exiled for speaking this!" silenus spoke, angered.

"he's not a liar." cherry was quick to go to his defense.

"it's true." percy agree. "we were there when he died. all of us."

"impossible! you are all liars! nature-destroyers!" silenus glared at them.

cherry glared right back.

chiron studied grover's face. "we will speak of this later."

"we will speak of it now!" silenus said. "we must deal with this-"

"silenus," chiron cut in. "my camp is under attack. the matter of pan has waited two thousand years. i fear it will have to wait a bit longer, assuming we are still here this evening."

and on that happy note, he readied his bow and galloped toward the woods, leaving the group to follow as best as they could.

the camp looked like some sort of military operation. everyone was at the clearing, dressed in full battle armor, but this time it wasn't for capture the flag.

the hephaestus cabin had set up traps around the entrance to the labyrinth. razor wire, pits filled with pots of greek fire, rows of sharpened sticks to deflect a charge.

beckendorf was manning two catapults the size of pickup trucks, already primed and aimed at zeus's fist. the ares cabin was on the front line, drilling in phalanx formation with clarisse calling orders.

apollo and hermes's cabins were scattered in the woods with bows ready. many had taken up positions in the trees. even the dryads were armed with bows, and the satyrs trotted around with wooden cudgels and shields made of rough tree bark.

annabeth went to join her brethren from the athena cabin, who had set up a command tent and were directing operations.

a gray banner with an owl fluttered outside the tent. yhe security chief, argus, stood guard at the door.

aphrodite's children were running around straightening everybody's armor and offering to comb the tangles out of horsehair plumes. even dionysus's kids had found something to do.

the god himself was still nowhere to be seen, but his two blond twin sons were running around providing all the sweaty warriors with water bottles and juice boxes.

over at the edge of the clearing, grover was talking to juniper. she held his hands while he told her his story. green tears formed in her eyes as he delivered the news about pan.

tyson helped the hephaestus kids prepare the defenses. he picked up boulders and piled them next to the catapults for firing.

chiron muttered to percy that it wasn't enough, and politely pulled him away from the rest of the group.