Theo's POV
We were the first heroes to return alive to Half-Blood Hill since Luke, so of course everybody treated us as if we'd won some reality-TV contest. According to camp tradition, we wore laurel wreaths to a big feast prepared in our honor, then led a procession down to the bonfire, where we got to burn the burial shrouds our cabins had made for us in our absence.
Annabeth's shroud was so beautiful—gray silk with embroidered owls—I told her it seemed a shame not to bury her in it. She punched me and told me to shut up.
Seeing as I'm the son of Artemis, I didn't have any cabinmates. Luckily, the Apollo campers came through. Silver silk with crescent moons, bows, and arrows embroidered all over it.
Percy was on the same boat as me, having no cabinmates since he was the son of Poseidon. But unlike me, he wasn't so lucky. The Ares campers volunteered to make his shroud, and what did they do? They'd taken an old bedsheet and painted smiley faces with X'ed-out eyes around the border, and the word LOSER painted really big in the middle.
Percy burned it when no one was looking.
As Apollo's cabin led the sing-along and passed out s'mores, I was surrounded by my old Hermes cabinmates, Annabeth's friends from Athena, my cousins from Apollo, and Grover's satyr buddies, who were admiring the brand-new searcher's license he'd received from the Council of Cloven Elders. The council had called Grover's performance on the quest "Brave to the point of indigestion. Horns-and-whiskers above anything we have seen in the past."
The only ones not in a party mood were Clarisse and her cabinmates, whose poisonous looks told me they'd never forgive me for disgracing their dad.
I told Percy, Grover, and Annabeth everything Hermes told me. I thought they were going to shut me out, but instead, they brought me into a group, saying that it wouldn't change who I am to them. That really made me smile.
Doesn't really help when I bring up the fact that I shot him in the ass just to rub some salt in the wound.
Even Dionysus's welcome-home speech wasn't enough to dampen my spirits.
Mr. D: Yes, yes, so the little brats didn't get themselves killed and now they'll have an even bigger head. Well, huzzah for that. In other announcements, there will be no canoe races this Saturday...
I moved back to cabin 8. It didn't feel so lonely anymore. I had my friends to train with during the day. At night, I lay awake and stared at the moon and stars, knowing my mother was out there.
One day, Percy told me about a letter got from his mother. Apparently, she used Medusa's head to petrify Gabe and sell his stone ass to a collector, through an art gallery in Soho and got a lot of money for it.
Percy and I laughed about it for hours.
His mother also found a private school in New York and put a deposit in case he wanted to enroll for seventh grade.
A day later, I brought my left bracer to Beckendorf, hoping that he could fix the shield. He did that in an hour, and it came as good as new.
On the Fourth of July, the whole camp gathered at the beach for a fireworks display by cabin 9. Being Hephaestus's kids, they weren't going to settle for a few lame red-white-and-blue explosions. They'd anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles. According to Annabeth, who'd seen the show before, the blasts would be sequenced so tightly they'd look like frames of animation across the sky. The finale was supposed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, and then explode into a million colors.
As Annabeth, Percy, and I were spreading a picnic blanket, Grover showed up to tell us goodbye. He was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt and sneakers, but in the last few weeks he'd started to look older, almost high-school age. His goatee had gotten thicker. He'd put on weight. His horns had grown at least an inch, so he now had to wear his rasta cap all the time to pass as human.
Grover: I'm off. I just came to say...well, you know.
I tried to feel happy for him. After all, it wasn't every day a satyr got permission to go look for the great god Pan. But it was hard saying goodbye. I'd only known Grover for a few weeks, and I already consider him a good friend.
Annabeth gave him a hug. She told him to keep his fake feet on.
Percy asked him where he was going to search first.
Grover: Kind of a secret. I wish you could come with me, guys, but humans and Pan...
Theo: We get it. Don't worry about it.
Annabeth: You got enough tin cans for the trip?
Grover: Yeah.
Annabeth: And you remembered your reed pipes?
Grover: Geez, Annabeth. You're like an old mama goat.
But he didn't really sound annoyed.
He gripped his walking stick and slung a backpack over his shoulder. He looked like any hitchhiker you might see on an American highway.
Theo: If Eric could see you know, he'd be real proud of me.
Grover: (smiles) I know. Well...Wish me luck.
He gave Annabeth another hug. He clapped me and Percy on the shoulder, then headed back through the dunes.
Fireworks exploded to life overhead: Hercules killing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, George Washington (who, by the way, was a son of Athena) crossing the Delaware.
Percy: Hey, Grover!
He turned at the edge of the woods.
Percy: Wherever you're going—I hope they make good enchiladas.
Grover grinned, and then he was gone, the trees closing around him.
Annabeth: We'll see him again.
I hope so. But the fact that no searcher had ever come back in two thousand years...well, I decided not to think about that.
Before I knew it, July passed.
I spent my days devising new strategies for Capture the Flag and making alliances with the other cabins to keep the banner out of Ares's hands. I got to the top of the climbing wall for the first time without getting scorched by lava.
But for some reason, I felt uneasy.
The last night of the summer session came all too quickly. The campers had one last meal together. We burned part of our dinner for the gods. At the bonfire, the senior counselors awarded the end-of-summer beads.
I got my own leather necklace, and when I saw the bead for my first summer, I was glad the firelight covered my blushing. The design was pitch black, with a silver arrow with feathered wings on both sides shimmering in the center.
Luke: The choice was unanimous. These beads commemorate the first Son of the Sea God and the first Son of Moon Goddess at this camp and the quest they undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!
The entire camp got to their feet and cheered. Even Ares's cabin felt obliged to stand. Athena's cabin steered Annabeth to the front so she could share in the applause.
Timeskip
The next morning, I found a form letter on my bedside table. I knew Dionysus must've filled it out because he stubbornly insisted on getting my name wrong:
Dear Timothy Keller ,
If you intend to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, you must inform the Big House by noon today. If you do not announce your intentions, we will assume you have vacated your cabin or died a horrible death. Cleaning harpies will begin work at sundown. They will be authorized to eat any unregistered campers. All personal articles left behind will be incinerated in the lava pit.
Have a nice day!
Mr. D (Dionysus)
Camp Director, Olympian Council #12
Really?! Fucking Timothy?! Out of all the names he could've used, he went for Timothy?!
That's another thing about ADHD. Deadlines just aren't real to me until I'm staring one in the face. Summer was over, and I still hadn't answered David, or the camp, about whether I'd be staying. Now I had only a few hours to decide.
I remembered what Annabeth had said so long ago on our quest: The real world is where the monsters are. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not.
I thought about the fate of Thalia, daughter of Zeus. I wondered how many monsters would attack me if I left Half-Blood Hill. If I stayed in one place for a whole school year, without Chiron or my friends around to help me.
I did promise David that I'd come back home by the end of the summer, so it was an easy decision for me.
I decided to come home for the year. Any monster that tries to fuck with me, I'll deal with them then and there.
I decided to go to the archery range to pass the time.
The campgrounds were mostly deserted, shimmering in the August heat. All the campers were in their cabins packing up, or running around with brooms and mops, getting ready for final inspection. Argus was helping some of the Aphrodite kids haul their Gucci suitcases and makeup kits over the hill, where the camp's shuttle bus would be waiting to take them to the airport.
I just shook my head and kept walking.
I looked to my left and saw Luke and Percy walking into the forest.
For some reason, I remembered what Annabeth said when we were in the Santa Monica Pier: No gift comes without a price.
Gifts...
Yankees cap? Athena's gift to Annabeth.
Riptide? Poseidon's gift to Percy, which he got via Chiron.
My bracers? I had Beckendorf make them for me.
My bow and quiver? Kayla Knowles from the Apollo cabin gave them to me, and she said that Will Solace asked her to give them to me.
My flying shoes? Hermes' gift to me, which I got via Eric.
The other pair of flying shoes? The ones that almost dragged Grover to Tartarus? It was a gift from...Luke.
Those shoes were meant for Percy. If he had worn it, both he and the master bolt would've ended up in Kronos' hands...and Luke knew about it.
The same Luke that is alone with Percy in the woods.
SON OF A MOTHERFUCKING BITCH!!!
I immediately sprinted to the woods, hoping that I could get to Percy before Luke could hurt him.
Percy's POV
I wanted to go to the arena to practice my sword fighting, only to find Luke there with a new sword named Backbiter, which was made out of both tempered steel and celestial bronze, which I thought was weird since that could hurt both mortals and monsters.
Right now, I'm in the forest with Luke. We found a shady spot by the creek where I'd broken Clarisse's spear during my first Capture the Flag game. We sat on a big rock, drank our Cokes, and watched the sunlight in the woods.
Luke: You miss being on a quest?
Percy: With monsters attacking me every three feet? Are you kidding?
Luke raised an eyebrow.
Percy: Yeah, I miss it. You?
A shadow passed over his face.
I was used to hearing from the girls how good-looking Luke was, but at the moment, he looked weary, and angry, and not at all handsome. His blond hair was gray in the sunlight. The scar on his face looked deeper than usual. I could imagine him as an old man.
Luke: I've lived at Half-Blood Hill year-round since I was fourteen. Ever since Thalia...well, you know. I trained, and trained, and trained. I never got to be a normal teenager, out there in the real world. Then they threw me one quest, and when I came back, it was like, "Okay, ride's over. Have a nice life."
He crumpled his Coke can and threw it into the creek, which really shocked me. One of the first things you learn at Camp Half-Blood is: Don't litter. You'll hear from the nymphs and the naiads. They'll get even. You'll crawl into bed one night and find your sheets filled with centipedes and mud.
Luke: To hell with laurel wreaths. I'm not going to end up like those dusty trophies in the Big House attic.
Percy: You make it sound like you're leaving.
Luke gave me a twisted smile.
Luke: Oh, I'm leaving, all right, Percy. I brought you down here to say goodbye.
He snapped his fingers. A small fire burned a hole in the ground at my feet. Out crawled something glistening black, about the size of my hand. A scorpion.
I started to go for my pen.
Luke: I wouldn't. Pit scorpions can jump up to fifteen feet. Its stinger can pierce right through your clothes. You'll be dead in sixty seconds.
Percy: Luke, what—
Then it hit me.
You will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend.
Percy: You.
He stood calmly and brushed off his jeans.
The scorpion paid him no attention. It kept its beady black eyes on me, clamping its pincers as it crawled onto my shoe.
Luke: I saw a lot out there in the world, Percy. Didn't you feel it—the darkness gathering, the monsters growing stronger? Didn't you realize how useless it all is? All the heroics—being pawns of the gods. They should've been overthrown thousands of years ago, but they've hung on, thanks to us half-bloods.
Percy: Luke...you're talking about our parents.
Luke: (laughs) That's supposed to make me love them? Their precious 'Western civilization' is a disease, Percy. It's killing the world. The only way to stop it is to burn it to the ground, start over with something more honest.
Percy: You're as crazy as Ares.
His eyes flared.
Luke: Ares is a fool. He never realized the true master he was serving. If I had time, Percy, I could explain. But I'm afraid you won't live that long.
The scorpion crawled onto my pants leg.
There had to be a way out of this. I needed time to think.
Percy: Kronos. That's who you serve.
The air got colder.
Luke: You should be careful with names.
Percy: Kronos got you to steal the master bolt and the helm. He spoke to you in your dreams.
Luke: He spoke to you, too, Percy. You should've listened.
Percy: He's brainwashing you, Luke.
Luke: You're wrong. He showed me that my talents are being wasted. You know what my quest was two years ago, Percy? My father, Hermes, wanted me to steal a golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides and return it to Olympus. After all the training I'd done, that was the best he could think up.
Percy: That's not an easy quest. Hercules did it.
Luke: Exactly. Where's the glory in repeating what others have done? All the gods know how to do is replay their past. My heart wasn't in it. The dragon in the garden gave me this.
He pointed angrily at his scar.
Luke: And when I came back, all I got was pity. I wanted to pull Olympus down stone by stone right then, but I bided my time. I began to dream of Kronos. He convinced me to steal something worthwhile, something no hero had ever had the courage to take. When we went on that winter solstice field trip, while the other campers were asleep, I snuck into the throne room and took Zeus's master bolt right from his chair. Hades's helm of darkness, too. You wouldn't believe how easy it was. The Olympians are so arrogant; they never dreamed someone would dare steal from them. Their security is horrible. I was halfway across New Jersey before I heard the storms rumbling, and I knew they'd discovered my theft.
The scorpion was sitting on my knee now, staring at me with its glittering eyes. I tried to keep my voice level.
Percy: So why didn't you bring the items to Kronos?
Luke: I . . . I got overconfident. Zeus sent out his sons and daughters to find the stolen bolt— Artemis, Apollo, my father, Hermes. But it was Ares who caught me. I could have beaten him, but I wasn't careful enough. He disarmed me, took the items of power, threatened to return them to Olympus, and burn me alive. Then Kronos's voice came to me and told me what to say. I put the idea in Ares's head about a great war between the gods. I said all he had to do was hide the items away for a while and watch the others fight. Ares got a wicked gleam in his eyes. I knew he was hooked. He let me go, and I returned to Olympus before anyone noticed my absence. Afterward, the Lord of the Titans . . . h-he punished me with nightmares. I swore not to fail again. Back at Camp Half-Blood, in my dreams, I was told that a second hero would arrive, one who could be tricked into taking the bolt and the helm the rest of the way—from Ares down to Tartarus.
Percy: You summoned the hellhound, that night in the forest.
Luke: We had to make Chiron think the camp wasn't safe for you, so he would start you on your quest. We had to confirm his fears that Hades was after you. And it worked.
Percy: The flying shoes were cursed. They were supposed to drag me and the backpack into Tartarus.
Luke: And they would have if you'd been wearing them. But you gave them to the satyr, which wasn't part of the plan. Grover messes up everything he touches. He even confused the curse.
Luke looked down at the scorpion, which was now sitting on my thigh.
Luke: You should have died in Tartarus, Percy. But don't worry, I'll leave you with my little friend to set things right.
Percy: Thalia gave her life to save you, and this is how you repay her?
Luke: DON'T SPEAK OF THALIA! The gods let her die! That's one of the many things they will pay for.
Percy: You're being used, Luke. You and Ares both. Don't listen to Kronos.
Luke: I've been used? Look at yourself. What has your dad ever done for you? Kronos will rise. You've only delayed his plans. He will cast the Olympians into Tartarus and drive humanity back to their caves. All except the strongest—the ones who serve him.
Percy: Call off the bug. If you're so strong, fight me yourself.
Luke: (smiles) Nice try, Percy. But I'm not Ares. You can't bait me. My lord is waiting, and he's got plenty of quests for me to—
???: GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM!!!
Before either of us could process whose voice it was, Luke was suddenly tackled to the ground by a flying human. Said human was his Camp Half-Blood shirt, blue jeans, and grey Adidas shoes with feathered wings on either side of their heels.
It was Theo.
Theo took out his sword and swung at Luke, but Luke blocked it before kicking him in the chest, sending him to the ground next to me.
The scorpion lunged at me while I was distracted. I swatted it away with my hand, then felt a pain there. I looked down at my hand and saw that my palm had a huge red welt, oozing and smoking with yellow guck. The thing had gotten me after all.
Luke: Goodbye, Percy, Theo. There is a new Golden Age coming. You won't be part of it.
I stumbled to the creek and submerged my hand, but nothing seemed to happen. The poison was too strong. My vision was getting dark. I could barely stand up.
Theo looked at me and his eyes widened in shock.
Theo: GET OUTTA HERE!
I saw Luke slash his sword in an arc and a ripple of darkness appeared in front of him. He was about to walk through it, but Theo got up quickly and tackled him through the ripple.
Theo's POV
This scar-faced motherfucker poisoned Percy, almost sent Grover to Tartarus, BETRAYED EVERYONE, and he thinks he can just walk away?!
NO, FUCK THAT!!!
Luke and I emerged from the ripple, which landed up somewhere else in the forest, just on the edge of the magical barrier.
We got up and readied our swords.
Luke: Give it up, Theo. You can't beat me.
Theo: Yeah. Probably.
We both charged at each other, and our swords clashed.
I could tell that Luke was fighting against his own sword, but he still had the upper hand. But I was still holding my own.
That was my plan. Hold Luke off for as long as I can until someone from camp shows up.
We fought for several minutes, and then I remembered the disarming technique that Luke showed us before the quest, so I thought I'd try it on him.
It didn't work. Not only that, but he also reversed it, disarming me.
Then he drove my own sword into my abdomen and pinned me into a tree.
Theo: ARGH!
Luke and I panted while I began to bleed out.
Luke: You know...I actually kinda liked you. Maybe in another life, we might've been friends.
I glared at him.
Luke: I'm sorry, Theo. I'm afraid you won't be able to see the new world I'm planning to make.
I took my last breath as Luke raised his sword, ready to deliver his final blow. Suddenly, a lightning bolt came down from the sky and impacted the ground beneath Luke's feet.
He was sent back to and tumbled down the hill until he was out of sight.
Why did that happen?
I used whatever strength I had left to look up, and that's when I noticed it.
It wasn't just any tree I was pinned to...It was Thalia's tree.
Theo: (chuckles) Thanks, Thalia. I owe you one.
The sound of hooves was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.
I woke up in pain.
I groaned as I opened my eyes. I was propped up in bed in the sick room of the Big House, my right hand bandaged like a club. Argus stood guard in the corner. Annabeth sat next to me, holding my hand.
Theo: Hey, Wise Girl.
Annabeth: Hey, Pinhead.
I looked down and saw my midsection wrapped in bandages. I looked to my left and saw Percy. I could tell he was unconscious since his chest was moving, and saw his hand covered in bandages.
Annabeth: How do you feel?
Theo: Like I got fucking stabbed.
???: At least your use of colorful language is still intact.
I looked and saw Chiron. He was sitting near the foot of my bed in human form, which was why I hadn't noticed him yet. His lower half was magically compacted into the wheelchair, his upper half dressed in a coat and tie. He smiled, but his face looked weary and pale.
Theo: (smirks) It's part of my charm, Chiron.
???: I can attest to that.
We all looked over and saw Percy awake. I sighed in relief, seeing him alive and well.
Chiron: (to Percy) How are you feeling?
Percy: Like my insides have been frozen, then microwaved.
Chiron: Apt, considering that was pit scorpion venom. Now you must tell me, if you can, exactly what happened.
Between sips of nectar, Percy and I told them what happened.
The room was quiet for a long time.
Annabeth: I...I can't believe that Luke...
Her expression turned angry and sad.
Annabeth: Yes. Yes, I can believe it. May the gods curse him...He was never the same after his quest.
Chiron: This must be reported to Olympus. I will go at once.
Percy: Luke is out there right now. I have to go after him.
Chiron: (shakes his head) No, Percy. The gods—
Percy: Won't even talk about Kronos! Zeus declared the matter closed!
Chiron: Percy, I know this is hard. But you must not rush out for vengeance. You aren't ready.
Percy glanced at his bandaged hand, then back at Chiron.
Percy: Chiron...your prophecy from the Oracle...it was about Kronos, wasn't it? Was I in it? And Theo? Annabeth?
Chiron: Percy, it isn't my place—
Percy: You've been ordered not to talk to me about it, haven't you?
Chiron: You will be a great hero, child. I will do my best to prepare you. But if I'm right about the path ahead of you...
Thunder boomed overhead, rattling the windows.
Chiron: ALRIGHT! FINE!
He sighed in frustration.
Chiron: The gods have their reasons, Percy. Knowing too much of your future is never a good thing.
Percy: We can't just sit back and do nothing!
Chiron: We will not sit back. But you must be careful. Kronos wants you to come unraveled. He wants your life disrupted, your thoughts clouded with fear and anger. Do not give him what he wants. Train patiently. Your time will come.
Percy: Assuming I live that long.
Chiron put his hand on Percy's ankle.
Chiron: You'll have to trust me, Percy. You will live. But first, you must decide your path for the coming year. I cannot tell you the right choice...But you must decide whether to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round or return to the mortal world for seventh grade and be a summer camper. Think on that. When I get back from Olympus, you must tell me your decision.
Percy stayed silent.
Chiron: I'll be back as soon as I can. Argus will watch over you. (turns to Annabeth) Oh, and, my dear...whenever you're ready, they're here.
Theo: Who's here?
Nobody answered.
Chiron rolled himself out of the room. I heard the wheels of his chair clunk carefully down the front steps, two at a time.
Annabeth studied the ice in my drink.
Theo: What's wrong?
Annabeth: Nothing. I...just took your advice about something. You...um...need anything?
Theo: Yeah, Help me up.
Annabeth: I don't think that's a good idea, Theo.
Theo: Well, I sure as shit not staying here all day.
I slid my legs out of bed. Annabeth caught me before I could crumble to the floor. A wave of nausea rolled over me.
Annabeth: Told you...
Theo: I'm fine.
We looked at Percy, who was smirking.
Percy: Oh no, don't worry about me. I'll be fine.
We nodded.
I managed to take a step forward. Then another, still leaning heavily on Annabeth. Argus followed us outside, but he kept his distance.
We finally reached the porch.
It was dusk. The camp looked completely deserted. The cabins were dark and the volleyball pit was silent. No canoes cut the surface of the lake. Beyond the woods and the strawberry fields, the Long Island Sound glittered in the last light of the sun.
Annabeth: What are you gonna do?
Theo: I'm going home for the year. You?
Annabeth: (sighs) Same.
Theo: Really?
She pointed toward the crest of Half-Blood Hill. Next to Thalia's pine tree, at the very edge of the camp's magical boundaries, a family stood silhouetted—two little children, a woman, and a tall man with blond hair. I assumed this was her dad, stepmom, and stepsiblings.
They seemed to be waiting. The man was holding a backpack that looked like the one Annabeth had gotten from Waterland in Denver.
Annabeth: I wrote him a letter when we got back, just like you suggested. I told him...I was sorry. I'd come home for the school year if he still wanted me. He wrote back immediately. We decided...we'd give it another try.
Theo: That took a lot of guts.
Annabeth: Try not to get in trouble, okay? At least...not without sending me an Iris message?
Theo: I'll try.
Annabeth: When I get back next summer, we'll hunt down Luke. We'll ask for a quest, but if we don't get approval, we'll sneak off and do it anyway. Agreed?
Theo: Sounds like a plan worthy of Athena.
Annabeth wrapped her arms around me, carefully avoiding my bandaged midsection, while I did the same. Once we separated, she stood on her toes and kissed me on my left cheek.
I was a blushing mess while Annabeth smirked at me.
Annabeth: Take care of yourself, Pinhead.
Theo: You too, Wise Girl.
I watched her walk up the hill and join her family. She gave her father an awkward hug and looked back at the valley one last time. She touched Thalia's pine tree, then allowed herself to be led over the crest and into the mortal world.
I sighed as I looked at the sky.
Theo: I'll be alright, Mom. And whoever that Hunter is that you sent that day...Tell them I said thank you for saving my life.
I asked Argus to take me down to cabin 8, so I could pack my bags for home.
End of THE LIGHTNING THIEF arc
Next arc: THE SEA OF MONSTERS