Ch.14
"Percy my boy, is that you?" Chiron asked.
Percy took a deep breath and turned to look at the person who helped shape him into the man he was today.
"Hey Chiron, long time no see." Percy said a little awkwardly causing Thalia and Phoebe to snicker.
Before Percy could react, he was crushed in a hug by the old centaur.
"You have no idea how much we've missed you." Chiron said as he tried to hold back tears at the sight of the greatest demigod he had ever trained.
Percy nodded sadly, "I know Chiron, I'm sorry. I had to deal with some stuff but I'm finally ready to move past it."
Chiron smiled and nodded in understanding.
Percy turned to look at the Greek demigods who were staring at him with wide eyes. Percy was a little nervous; something Chiron picked up on.
"There will be a meeting for all cabin leaders in the big house in twenty minutes. Until then, resume introducing yourselves to your Roman siblings." Chiron announced loudly.
Percy smiled gratefully at Chiron.
"You'll join us in the big house right?" Chiron asked hopefully.
Percy nodded, earning a big smile from his mentor. Chiron turned and galloped over to Lupa who was trying to watch over the interactions between the Romans and Greeks.
Percy turned to Thalia, "You'll be coming too right?"
"I am the cabin leader of the Artemis cabin Kelp Head." Thalia answered matter-of-factly.
Percy rolled his eyes as he saw Chloe hiding behind a few of the older hunters at the sight of so many male demigods in one place. Percy walked over and snatched her up, earning a big smile from the little huntress.
"There's nothing to worry about Chloe. I won't let anyone mess with you, ever." Percy whispered quietly to her.
Chloe's smile grew before she planted a childish kiss on Percy's cheek.
"You want to come with me to the meeting in the big house? I can introduce you to some of my friends." Percy asked smiling.
Chloe nodded happily. Percy sent a smile to Thalia before walking towards the big house.
"Percy, why does everyone seem so surprised to see you?" Chloe asked curiously.
Percy wasn't quite sure how to answer her question but decided the truth would be the best way to explain everything.
"I spent four years here at this camp before there was a war." Percy started before Chloe interrupted him.
"The war where you were the hero? When you freed Lady Artemis' mother as part of your wish instead of becoming a god?" Chloe asked, surprising Percy.
"How do you know about that?" Percy asked.
"Lady Artemis told us the story of what happened when one of the other girls asked why she doesn't hate you like all other boys. She said there were other reasons too but I remember her mentioning what you did for her." Chloe answered.
Percy smiled, "Yes that war. Well some bad things happened during that war that made me leave for a while so I could figure some stuff out."
"What things?" Chloe asked innocently.
Percy sighed, "There was a girl who I thought I liked a lot. I thought she liked me too but it was all a lie. She was a traitor the whole time and then tried to kill me at the end of the war. Thalia saved my life."
Chloe's eyes widened, "Is that why you ran away?"
Percy sighed and nodded. He knew she would find out everything out during the meeting and figured it would be better if she knew before.
"There's more though. She also killed my Mom and the man my Mom was going to marry." He explained before looking at Chloe sadly, "Her name was Annabeth and she was one of your sisters."
Chloe's mouth dropped open and she looked like she was about to cry, "Then why are you so nice to me if one of my sisters did that?"
Percy gave her a small smile, "Because it doesn't matter if she was your sister. I know you wouldn't do anything like that. It's over and I'm all better now and part of what made me better was getting a new little sister named Chloe." He said softly.
Chloe face broke into a small smile before she wrapped her arms around Percy's neck and hugged him tightly.
Percy smiled as he continued carrying the little daughter of Athena into the big house. No one was there yet so he sat down in a chair where Chloe settled happily onto his lap.
After a few minutes Chiron walked in followed closely by the leaders of each cabin who looked at Percy nervously but also confused when they saw a small hunter sitting on his lap giggling at jokes he made. Percy sat at the Poseidon seat around the ping pong table as the rest of the cabin leaders sat in their cabin's chairs. Thalia took the seat from the Zeus cabin while Phoebe sat in the Artemis cabin chair. Will Solace sat in the chair for Apollo, Clarisse for the Ares cabin, Connor and Travis Stoll represented the Hermes cabin, Katie Gardner for Demeter, Drew Tanaka for Aphrodite, Pollux for the Dionysus cabin, Jake Mason for Hephaestus, Malcolm for Athena, and a number of demigods Percy didn't recognize representing the minor god cabins.
Percy saw a small girl about 5 years old looking at him confused and nervous. She had jet black hair and sea green eyes. Percy's eyes widened when he realized she was a daughter of Poseidon and his little sister.
"I'm sorry; I didn't know Dad had any other kids." Percy said smiling as he got stood up from his seat, Chloe still in his arms.
The little girl's eyes widened, "You're my brother Percy Jackson aren't you?" She said shyly.
Percy's smile grew and he nodded, "Yes I am, but you sit here. I will seat somewhere else. What's your name anyway?" He asked kindly.
"Sophie." The girl said shyly. "You sit there, the seat belongs to you."
Percy shook his head, "No you take it. I have another seat I can sit in." He said as he moved over next to Thalia and sat in the seat reserved for Hera.
Everyone now stared at Percy with wide eyes.
"Umm Percy, I don't think Queen Hera would like it if you sat in her chair." Chiron said nervously.
Percy smirked, "I respectfully disagree Chiron. I believe my mother would be more than happy if she had her first demigod representative sitting in her chair."
Chiron's jaw dropped while Phoebe and Thalia snickered at everyone's shocked faces.
Percy chuckled and stood up. He set Chloe down in the Hera chair to explain everything to everyone.
"Alright guys, I will explain everything so you can close your mouths before you catch flies." He said smirking.
His face turned serious before he explained everything from Annabeth killing his parents, to becoming the champion of Hera and Hestia, to going to Camp Jupiter, how he was both Greek and Roman, getting adopted by Hera, rescuing demigods under a different identity, to the events of the past few weeks. When he finished everyone stared at him in shock while Malcolm looked at him with a little fear.
Percy noticed the way Malcolm was looking at him nervously.
"Malcolm, you need to know that I hold no grudge against you or any of your siblings. Your mother and I have made our peace and as you can see, I've grown quite attached to your little sister Chloe here." He explained.
Malcolm looked relieved and smiled at Percy, "Thanks Percy, it's good to have you back."
Percy smiled sadly, "It's good to see you all again as well but I'm not staying at camp after this. I have a place on Olympus and I live in service to my patron Lady Hestia. I rescue demigods all over the country and that is my life now."
The campers and Chiron all looked saddened at Percy's words but nodded in understanding.
"Are you leading us into battle?" Clarisse asked surprisingly nicely.
Percy shook his head, "Lord Zeus has assigned me to fight with the hunters during the war. I am here to keep the peace between the two camps as I'm the only demigod alive who is both Greek and Roman."
"The hunters?" Travis asked disbelievingly.
Percy smirked, "Yep. I've become pretty good friends with most of the hunters and Artemis herself."
Everyone looked toward Phoebe who glared at them, "What? Jackson's the only bearable male I've met in my thousands of years on this planet. I'll fight beside him any day."
Everyone's eyes widened but decided against asking the irritable Phoebe anything else.
"Did you really get the Roman's camp auger killed?" Will asked nervously.
Percy's eyes narrowed, "I warned him multiple times. He decided not to listen to my warnings and continued badmouthing the Greeks. He went too far when he attacked my little sister Chloe here. I didn't kill him, I asked Zeus to do it in front of the camp as a warning for anyone else who causes trouble between the two sides."
"Nice Prissy. I like it." Clarisse said smirking.
Percy chuckled at her comment and nickname. He had missed Clarisse and the rest of his friends.
"So you're never coming back?" Katie asked sadly.
"Of course I'll come back. I just won't live here. Apparently I have a new little sister that I need to get to know." Percy said smiling at Sophie. Sophie smiled nervously back at him.
"You're staying here for now though, right?" Connor asked.
Percy nodded, "I'm here until we go to war. We are waiting for the quest to finish their mission in Rome before we all sail to Greece."
Everyone seemed relieved that he was staying for a while. Chiron dismissed the meeting but all the older campers stayed back to catch up with Percy. They all understood why he left and his new life. Everyone was happy he had found happiness again. Percy wasn't sure if he should have told them about Annabeth returning but decided they had enough to worry about. Besides, she was his to kill. He would make sure she didn't return again this time.
Things settled down after dinner where Percy sat at the Poseidon table. He tried to get to know Sophie as much as he could but she was really shy. After dinner Percy spotted her heading back to the Poseidon cabin when Percy caught up with her.
"Hi Sophie." He said kindly.
"Hi Percy." She replied shyly.
"Will you come hang out with me for a little while? I was going to go down to beach for a little bit and I was hoping you would come with me." Percy asked hopefully.
Sophie got nervous but nodded shyly.
Percy smiled and led her down to the beach. When they got there, Percy sat down in the sand and gestured for her to join him. She nervously sat a few feet away from him.
"You don't have to be nervous around me Sophie. You're my little sister; I just want to get to know you. I've never had a sibling before." Percy said warmly.
Sophie looked at him curiously, "I thought that other girl was your sister."
Percy shrugged, "She is but she's not my real sister, just kind of like an adopted one. I would like it if I had another little sister I could hang out with. Someone I can teach all the cool water powers we have to."
Sophie's shoulders slumped, "I'm no good at the powers people say I should have. People make fun of me because I'm not powerful like you are."
Percy frowned, "I didn't know how to use any of my powers when I first got here either. I didn't have anyone to teach me so it took me a while. People used to say I was weak when I first started."
Sophie's eyes widened, "You're a legend at camp. They say you're the most powerful demigod ever. I'll never be as powerful as you."
Percy shook his head, "Yes you will. I will teach you everything I know so that when you're my age, you'll be twice as powerful as I am."
"Really?" She asked surprised.
Percy grinned, "Of course I will. You're my sis; it's my job to help you as much as I can."
A small smile appeared on her face, "What kind of stuff will I be able to do?"
Percy made a huge wave appear in the water in front of them. Sophie crawled behind Percy scared before he sent the wave away.
"Relax Sophie, I'm just showing you what you will be able to do." Percy explained chuckling.
Sophie blushed in embarassment and sat back down next to Percy.
Percy pulled some of the water out of the sea and made it circle around them. Sophie smiled at Percy's powers. He then froze the water, boxing them into an ice cage before he made the water evaporate.
"Now this is another power we have but it takes a really long time to learn." Percy said as the winds began to pick up around them. A minute later, a mini hurricane surrounded them with the two siblings in the eye of the storm. Percy let the storm dissipate before turning out to the ocean. A tornado of sea water appeared about a hundred yards out.
Sophie gasped at the sight before he let the tornado die out.
"Will I really be able to do all that?" Sophie asked hopefully.
Percy nodded, "Yep, and I will teach you until you've mastered them all. It's going to take years to get this good but that just gives me an excuse to come visit my little sister."
Sophie looked at Percy happily before she got up and hugged her brother tightly, earning a wide grin from Percy.
"Thank you Percy." She said softly.
Percy smiled and let her go, "Alright, training starts right now. We'll start off easy for now until you get the hang of it."
Sophie smiled excitedly.
Percy trained his little sister for the next couple hours. She was young and her powers were weak but they slowly improved over the training session. By the end, she was exhausted and sweating. Percy chuckled and willed her dry of her sweat.
"That was a very good start Sophie. You are much better than I was when I first started and you're much younger. You will be a master of your powers before you know it." He told her.
Sophie beamed at Percy before she hugged him tightly, "Thank you Percy. I always hoped I would get to meet you after everyone told me about you. You're a really good brother."
Percy grinned, "Alright, you need to get some sleep; the harpies will be out soon and I don't want to have to kill any of them protecting my little sister."
Sophie smiled and went to walk back to camp but Percy stopped her.
"You've worked hard enough. This is a power I got from my patron but there is a way to do it when you're older using water but even I'm not good at it yet. I'll be in to the cabin in a little while." Percy said before he touched her shoulder and teleported her into the Poseidon cabin.
Percy smiled and laid back down in the sand looking up into the starry night sky. After a few minutes, he felt someone lay down next to him. He smiled when the scent of a forest reached his nose.
"That was nice of you to train your sister." Artemis said softly as she grabbed Percy's hand from her spot next to him.
Percy smiled when she grabbed his hand, "She was discouraged that she couldn't use her powers. Some of the campers called her weak. I might have to crack some skulls if I find someone messing with my little sister again."
Artemis laughed, "You sound like a non-annoying version of Apollo."
Percy shrugged, "He's going to try to kill me first chance he gets." Percy said bluntly.
Artemis sat up, "Not even he is that stupid."
Percy chuckled, "Actually he is. When he was throwing his fit, I read his thoughts. He was so upset he became the first god's mind I've ever been able to probe. He thinks my father will get over it like he did Orion."
Artemis became angry, she tried to stand up but Percy pulled her back down.
"Percy I need to go kill him. I will not let him hurt you." Artemis growled.
Percy pulled her closer to him, "Relax, he isn't planning on doing it soon. He knows Zeus will kill him if he did it before the war. Just stay, I'm enjoying the night with you."
Artemis looked at him incredulously, "How are you okay with this? You could get killed Percy. Why are you not worried?"
Percy smiled, "I'm not okay with it but I will deal with Apollo when the time comes. Now isn't the time to cause trouble on Olympus."
"Percy, you can't fight a god. You could die. Why are willing to risk so much to be with me?" Artemis asked.
Percy smiled, "Because you're worth it."
Artemis' eyes widened before she leaned down and kissed Percy softly.
"Percy, I'm not worth dying for." She said softly.
Percy raised an eyebrow, "If you saw yourself from my perspective then you wouldn't think that. Life is only worth living if you have people worth dying for in it."
Artemis' eyes widened before she cuddled up closer to Percy. She kissed him softly on the cheek before resting her head on his shoulder.
"I won't let Apollo near you Percy. It will be the last thing he ever does." Artemis said seriously.
"I know Artemis. It will be fine. Apollo will learn to get over it just like everyone else. I'm not going to let anyone break us apart." Percy replied.
Artemis closed her eyes smiling before drifting off into a peaceful sleep on Percy's shoulder.
Line Break
Percy spent the next few days at camp helping to train the campers while keeping the peace between the Greeks and Romans. After his speech before the Romans left Camp Jupiter, the legionnaires treated Percy like a Praetor. Not because they had to, but because they respected him. In their eyes he was their leader in the absence of Jason and Reyna. The Greeks had the same respect for Percy but their laid back attitude toward things often rubbed the Romans the wrong way. Percy was still the care free friend they remembered but he had a new maturity and serious side that they learned about quickly when things became too relaxed.
Percy spent his nights after dinners training Sophie on her water powers. She improved after each training session, much to her delight. Percy had caught a couple of the older Aphrodite boys teasing his sister the second day at camp. It took both Phoebe and Thalia to stop him from literally cracking their skulls. Word spread fast about the incident and needless to say, Sophie no longer was teased within camp. The two Aphrodite boys spent a couple hours in the infirmary before spending the rest of the day walking around with bruised faces and a black eye each. Thalia scolded Percy for hurting them while Phoebe had given him a high five the minute Thalia turned around.
On the fourth day, Percy was on his way out of the Poseidon cabin when an Iris Message appeared in front of him.
"Percy!" Nico called.
Percy grinned, "What's up Nico? Have you reached Rome yet?"
Nico shook his head, "We've had some problems with monsters and a few other issues. We're trying to get past the Pillars of Hercules but we are having a problem."
"What problem?" Percy asked.
"Heracles." Nico replied.
Percy raised an eyebrow.
Nico sighed, "He is guarding the pillars and won't let us pass after Piper mentioned the fact that the prophecy involved Hera's idea. Jason tried to fight him but it didn't end well. He's alright but we need to get through to get to Rome. Any chance you can speak to Zeus about calling off Heracles?"
Percy narrowed his eyes before an idea formed in his head.
"I will take care of it. Stay where you are, I will let you know when I've got everything taken care of." Percy replied smirking.
Nico smiled, "Alright thanks bro. I owe you one."
Percy nodded and swiped through the message. He sprinted to the archery range where Artemis was helping to teach demigods archery. He pulled Artemis aside for a minute, his smirk never leaving his face.
"Artemis, can I borrow Phoebe for a while?" Percy asked.
Artemis looked at him strangely, "Umm sure, but why?"
Percy smiled, "The quest can't get past the pillars of Hercules. Heracles is guarding them and refusing the grant them passage."
Artemis scowled, "That arrogant worthless minor god. Why do you need Phoebe?"
Percy smirked, "Because, we are going to kick his ass. I thought Phoebe would enjoy the chance to knock around the douchebag that hurt Zoe all those years ago."
Artemis smiled before she looked worried, "Percy, he's a minor god now."
Percy rolled his eyes, "I think Phoebe and I are more than capable of handling him."
Artemis looked thoughtful for a minute before she smiled, "Alright but do not let Phoebe get hurt. Or yourself. I will kill you if either of you get hurt by that vile man."
Percy grinned, "I won't, I promise. Thank you, Artemis. We'll be back in a couple of hours."
Artemis smiled and nodded. Percy winked at her causing her to blush before he ran off to find Phoebe. When he finally did, he was out of breath.
"Jeez Jackson, what's got your panties in a twist." Phoebe asked smirking.
Percy glared at her before he smiled, "Well I was going to invite you along to beat up a man who I know you would give anything to get to. But if you're not going to be nice, then maybe I'll ask Thalia." Percy said as he began to turn around.
Phoebe grabbed him and spun him back around, "A man to beat. Why didn't you say so?" She asked grinning.
Percy smirked, "Not just any man, the one man I know you would give anything to kill."
Phoebe eyes widened, "I'm listening Jackson."
"Heracles." Percy stated simply.
Phoebe's eyes widened before they narrowed, "If this is a joke, I will kill you."
Percy turned serious, "I wouldn't joke about something like that. He is refusing the grant the ship with the seven of the prophecy passage into the Mediterranean Sea. I thought you and I would help him change his mind."
Phoebe looked at Percy for a minute, "I need to ask Artemis to leave." She said turning to sprint off but Percy grabbed her arm. "Already did. Just don't get hurt because Artemis will have my head."
Phoebe grinned, "I think I can handle that."
Percy nodded and grabbed her shoulder, vanishing from their spot and reappearing on a small island. Percy noticed a large man lying under a tree, a Nemean Lion pelt draped over his back and a club in his hand.
Phoebe stepped forward, "I am really going to enjoy this." She said, a sadistic grin stretching across her face.