Camp was abuzz with activity.
Demigods flocked to the dining pavilion, all chattering excitedly. The girls looked radiant with their dresses and makeup, and the boys had full tuxedos. This had never happened in the history of Camp before. And yet, everyone knew what was happening:
Today was the winter solstice—the day of the Olympian banquet.
For the past few millennia, it was one of two times when the Olympians would gather to discuss their problems. But after a certain demigod—no one wanted to think of him, forget saying his name aloud—wished for the relations between the immortals and their offspring to be rectified, the almighty Zeus himself decided to open the event to both camps.
"It's a time of enjoying each others' company," he had announced while introducing the party. But everyone knew that the king of the gods just wanted another opportunity to showcase his strength—and create fear.
Nonetheless, the demigods were excited. Camp Half-Blood might've be designed with entertainment in mind, but it paled compared to Mount Olympus. Any chance the demigods got to visit the golden city atop the Empire State Building was too good to be true.
A commotion ensued in the front of the pavilion, and then Chiron climbed up onto the stage. He motioned for the demigods to stop talking.
Nobody listened, but it wasn't because they had no respect for the centaur; at least five hundred people had gathered in the small place. Fewer than a dozen realized their camp director was on the stage. It was just too loud.
Then, the cabin leaders took charge of the situation. They climbed onto their respective tables and shouted in unison, "Silence!"
Their voices cut through all conversation. Words died in campers' throats as they obediently turned to the stage. Meanwhile, the leaders turned to one another and shared a glance of triumph.
And at the center of this victory was Annabeth Chase. The head of the Athena cabin—and the organizer of this whole event who was dressed in a stunning red velvet gown. As the demigods stared at her in awe, she couldn't help but flash a proud smile. I've done it.
"Listen up!" Chiron started with a grim tone. "Lord Hermes anticipates making his imminent presence known to assist us to Olympus in a few minutes. I'm sure you've all been briefed about the matters of this evening, so I won't chastise you any further. I have one more message for you . . . have fun!"
When the centaur burst into a blinding smile, the demigods released their breath all at once. They'd thought they had been in trouble—Chiron was seldom that strict. Now, to cover up their mistake, the demigods immediately started chatting once again.
Only to fall silent once again when a blinding flash of light appeared—and then . . . another?
In the center of the pavilion, demigods stumbled back. Others grumbled but allowed the movement. Within moments, the demigod leaders had moved to the front of the crowd, others overflowing out of the space.
Annabeth took charge, bowing deeply and motioning for the others to imitate her. "Lord Hermes, we welcome your presence. And . . . Lord Apollo?" The young woman was slightly confused. She'd only been expecting one god. But she quickly recovered. "Thank you for gracing us with your presence."
Apollo cleared his throat. "I . . . know this is a bit of a surprise, but carry on with the normal events." He waved his hand dismissively as he scanned the crowd—like he had no time to spare for the demigods.
None questioned him, partly because an Olympian's words were the final say in all matters, but mostly because Apollo looked in no mood to be spouting out haikus—and all wanted to keep it that way.
"Who's ready for a party?" Hermes announced in his booming voice, trying to change the mood.
A huge roar of approval came from the audience and, at the god of speed's urging, they obediently split up into their cabin groups. Within a few minutes, they'd even constructed an orderly line—something uncommon for ADHD teenagers, but with Olympians present, anything was possible.
As everyone watched with bated breath, Hermes snapped his fingers. A portal the size of a car appeared beside him, looking like the starry night sky. "Don't tell Janus, but I might've made some adjustments to his portal technology." He winked.
The Athena cabin was up first. Annabeth led the charge, with Malcolm and Bella—a pretty girl with a blue sundress—flanking her.
That was it. Those were the senior Athena kids present.
The others slowly crept forward as if a moment away from impending doom. It wasn't every day they used a portal.
They hadn't even been at camp that long—their arrival times ranged from a month to a few days. A few months ago, there'd been a sudden influx of campers. Nobody knew what had prompted this—maybe the gods got edgier closer to Black Friday?—but they didn't have time to find out. Cabins that had been starting to gather dust because of a lack of occupants suddenly bustled with activity (of course, Cabins One, Two, and Thirteen were free from this event; the Big Three had—finally—managed to keep it in their pants). Leading full cabins after months of peace was exhausting for the senior campers.
But now, Annabeth had to admit that it had all been worth it. Their cabin was at the forefront of attention—and it felt good. She felt like a famous general.
The rest of the demigods cheered them on. Some looked at the kids with envy. Others—mainly the Aphrodite cabin—gossiped about the most attractive of the bunch as they passed.
One step from the gateway, Apollo held out his hand. "Not yet." His eyes still hadn't left the corners of the crowd.
What? The two words made Annabeth and her other siblings stop in their tracks—and they didn't like it. Not one bit. Their faces turned various shades of red as the rest of camp burst into whispers.
Hermes seemed confused as well. "Brother, we need to get them onto Olympus. Father will be mad if we delay."
"We can't leave without him," Apollo insisted. "We cannot."
"Lord Apollo," Annabeth piped up, speaking for the demigods there. "If you are willing, please let us help. We do not want to get Your Highness in trouble. Who is this male you are talking about?"
The campers nodded in agreement. They'd do anything to reach Olympus. Apollo just had to say the word.
Unfortunately, Annabeth's words seemed to strike a nerve in the usually-cheerful god. He glared at her, then finally said, "If it's anything to you, I'm looking for Percy Jackson. But . . . I can't help but feel the absence of his presence."
Immediately, the whole camp froze. There weren't many taboo things in camp—but anything to do with the son of the sea was a red flag. "Er . . ." a demigod started. "Percy—Perseus doesn't usually attend these gatherings."
"And why the hell not?" Apollo's expression worsened. "Is he not aware that this event is mandatory?"
No one met his gaze. The truth was, none had even bothered to inform Percy—even a minor interaction with him was considered a curse. But the demigods knew better than to voice their thoughts.
When nobody answered, Apollo's eyebrows creased. "You good-for-nothings. Can't even do a simple task." He turned to the Hades table, where a boy dressed in all black sat calmly. "Nico, would you mind getting Percy?"
Upon hearing the god's casual tone, the crowd stared at the son of Hades in disbelief. Here they were, treading carefully through the conversation. But then Nico came in, reclining as if he was on a beach.
That was the power of veteran demigods.
"I'll try," Nico said, slowly pulling himself up. "But no promises. You know how he can sometimes act."
Apollo nodded. Then his face suddenly contorted back into that glare, and the crowd parted to let the son of Hades through.
"What the . . ." one demigod muttered to his friends. "He's not even trying to rush."
"Who does he think he is?" another asked. "Lord Hermes and Lord Apollo are waiting, for Hades' sake!"
It started as whispers. Then they raised their voices. Finally, the demigods turned to the Olympians respectfully.
"Speak," Hermes commanded gently, observing the uneasy atmosphere.
A stunning red-haired beauty stepped forward. The boys present immediately fell quiet and turned to listen, while their girlfriends glared jealously at her. "Greetings, Lord Hermes," she said in a voice as clear as water. "I am Eliana, the daughter of Adonis. As the leader of my siblings, I have a responsibility to ask you a question: Why do all fifty-two cabins have to wait for one person? My siblings are growing restless, and I fear this boy does not want to attend the winter solstice banquet."
The demigods behind Eliana gazed curiously at the god. Heartstruck boys from other cabins also joined in, desperately trying to stay on the beautiful young woman's side.
Deep in all their hearts, though, they felt an unspeakable rage. They felt like pawns—how could this number of demigods wait for one kid? Especially one that most people hadn't even heard of?
A pause ensued. "Eliana, was it?" Hermes mused, gazing at her. "A daughter of Adonis . . . very interesting. Tell me, Eliana, were you aware that Camp Half-Blood did not have an Adonis cabin prior to the summer of three years ago?"
"I was, My Lord."
"And do you know who single-handedly gave you and forty-nine types of demigods—and more to come, by the way—to reside in this pleasant camp?"
Eliana was stunned. With her beauty, she usually got whatever she asked for—that's what made her into a charismatic leader. Now, though, Hermes' questions had thrown her off guard."I . . . was under the suspicion that the Olympians decided that."
"Us pirates? With my father at the helm?" Hermes laughed heartily at this. "Don't give us credit we don't deserve. No, Eliana. The kid that gave you this kind of opportunity—as well as saving Olympus several times—is one of your fellow demigods."
At this, Ananbeth's head flicked upward. Her eyes were filled with hesitation as the campers looked around, trying to find the so-called savior that Hermes had mentioned.
"Who is it?" Eliana was so curious that she forgot to use honorifics. But not like Hermes minded.
"On Olympus, we call him the Forgotten Hero. Though, don't tell him that." Hermes looked around, as if scanning for a threat.
"I have enough trouble as it is," Apollo added.
Upon hearing this, the demigods were caught off guard. A fellow camper—that was on the level to scare the Olympians, who were some of the most powerful immortals in existence? The mere thought of it seemed unreal.
But the main question everyone wanted to know the answer to was: "How have we never heard of this guy?"
"Talking about me behind my back, Hermes? Looks like you need another lesson."
Five hundred heads turned to meet Nico leading an unfamiliar demigod down the hill. He was extremely handsome—dreamy sea-green eyes, silky black hair that most of the girls—and some of the boys—wanted to run their hands through, and a crystal-clear voice that cut through the air.
What was shocking, though, was the boy's clothes. He wore a grey hoodie and sweatpants that fit him well. Compared to the crowd of tuxedos and dresses, he looked like a tiger in a flock of sheep.
"Watch your tongue!" a son of Hermes snapped at him. "You're talking to an Olympian—"
His voice trailed off as he realized that the god of speed looked terrified—shoulders hunched, eyes darting around, and attempting to hide behind Apollo. Hermes looked like a child being berated by their parents. He licked his lips. "Look, Perce, we can talk about this."
"I think everything's pretty clear." As he talked, Percy pushed through the crowd toward the center. He paused slightly as he passed Annabeth, but he didn't look at her. "You were talking about me. When I specifically said to stay quiet. And now, you interrupted my sleep—for a dumb ceremony?"
While he talked, he poked Hermes in the chest with each word. And with each poke, Hermes' face seemed to get paler and paler.
"You dare—" One look from Apollo was all it took to cut off the demigod.
"It wasn't him," Apollo popped in, now flashing the brilliant smile he'd been hiding since reaching Camp. "I made Nico wake you up."
Percy wheeled on him. "You better have a good excuse."
"Look, Perce . . . er . . . why don't we get onto Olympus, then we can talk it out?" Apollo put a calming hand on his shoulder, then steered him toward the portal.
As this happened, the crowd watched with wide eyes. Every minute they stood there, they became more and more surprised. And then they got angry. "Wait a minute, my Lords!" Eliana said. "Aren't we supposed to let the demigod being honored today reach Olympus first?"
"Yeah!" someone else piped up. "Annabeth should go first—she's the honored one!"
From rumors, the Camp had heard that someone was to be dedicated during today's ceremony. They didn't know who—but it had to be Annabeth. No one else at Camp had ever done even a quarter of what she'd accomplished in her career. She'd even accepted godhood. It just made sense that she'd be honored.
"No," Annabeth said softly, so no one heard. "I'm not the one."
Everyone turned to the portal again. Hermes was leading the son of the sea into it while he insisted, "I'll go last—the kids want the first look. Besides, it's not like I want to go."
"Nonsense," Hermes insisted. "There's no party without you, Percy." He pushed the boy into the portal, following closely.
Behind Percy's back, Apollo glared at the rest of Camp—as if it was their fault for what had transpired. "If I see any of you disturb him at the party . . ." He didn't need to elaborate any further. "He's about the most important guest at this event."
He spun on his heel and then shoved himself through the portal.