Ch. 8
A certain goddess of the moon was still fuming.
Her encounter with Percy Jackson outside the throne room on Olympus had set her blood boiling and she needed to take her anger out on someone or something soon before she lashed out towards her hunters. She was silent as she led them up Half-Blood Hill. She decided to leave them at camp while she took out her growing anger on any monster foolish enough to be within a one hundred mile radius of the goddess.
Yes, a hunt was necessary for her to vent some of her anger and frustration towards that disrespectful half-breed.
As they reached the crest of the hill, half a dozen campers in full battle armor could be seen standing around the Golden Fleece. The loss of the tree's guardian had left the responsibility of guarding the fleece to the campers.
After initially becoming alarmed and preparing to attack, the campers seemed to recognize the goddess and her eternal maidens as they could be seen whispering nervously to each other and standing in a non-aggressive formation by the giant tree that was once her lieutenant.
Artemis couldn't help but be pleased by the reaction the arrival of her hunters received from the campers. It was a mixture of fear and respect, along with perhaps a bit of resentment, but it all pleased the goddess who enjoyed the fact her hunters instilled fear in the hearts of other demigods, especially the male ones.
The hunters all smirked silently as they passed the quiet campers. As they reached camp, Artemis sent her hunters into her cabin with the exception of Thalia who she knew would like to see Chiron seeing as it had been almost a year since their last visit to Camp Half-Blood.
As they approached the steps of the big house, Artemis was surprised that Chiron was not out to greet them. He was usually aware of their arrival before they even crossed the borders. She led Thalia to the door which she opened without knocking. When the door opened, she heard Thalia gasp at the scene before them.
Percy Jackson stood a few feet into the house, his arms wrapped around the Centaur who had a few tears leaking from his eyes as he embraced one of his favorite students.
"Percy?" Thalia asked, her voice was a little choked from the shock of seeing Percy after so long.
He broke away from Chiron, turning around as his eyes widened when he saw Thalia. His eyes went from the demigod daughter of Zeus to the goddess, his smile vanishing. His hand instinctively went to his pocket and despite her anger, Artemis couldn't help but be a little impressed by his reaction. Boy or not, he had the instincts of a hunter.
Not that she would ever tell him that.
Thalia stepping forward, effectively stopping Percy's hand before it reached his pen.
"Percy," Thalia asked a little confused and her voice laced with a bit of hurt when she noticed he looked unhappy and perhaps a little nervous. "What's wrong?"
Percy shook off the feeling of being in danger and smiled again when he looked at her.
"Well, other than this odd smell of pinecones that suddenly just filled the room, nothing at all." He said, a small grin starting to spread across his face.
Thalia scowled good naturedly and closed the distance, wrapping her cousin in a tight embrace. She guessed this was not what her mistress wanted to see but at the moment, her happiness at seeing Percy made her push that thought away.
"I can't believe you're here." Thalia whispered.
It had been a long time since Artemis had seen that much happiness on the face of her lieutenant. Not since before the death of the daughter of Athena who had been Thalia's best friend. Despite the urge to maim Percy, she decided her huntress' happiness was more important than her thirst for vengeance.
Thalia stepped back, a little embarrassed of her show of emotion in front of her mistress, but she smiled at Percy anyway.
"What are you doing here Percy?"
"Jeez Pinecone face, do I need a reason to come visit my old mentor?"
Thalia glared at the nickname and waited, knowing Percy would not return to camp just out of nostalgia.
"No," Percy admitted turning more serious, "turns out Poseidon's been busy since the end of the Titan War."
Thalia raised an eyebrow.
"I've got twin siblings, a boy and a girl."
Thalia's eyes widened, "Really? Twins?"
Percy nodded, then glanced at Artemis who looked stoic though he figured she still wanted to kill him.
"Yeah, Lucas and Zoë," he saw both the goddess and Thalia look shocked at the names.
"Zoë and Luke?" Thalia asked, making sure she had heard him correctly.
Percy nodded, "Yeah, I just found out I had siblings today. My Dad wanted to name them after great heroes, like my Mom did with me, in hopes they could live up to the legacies of their namesakes." He noticed both huntresses' surprised expressions and continued, "The greatest huntress in the history of the hunters and the guy who gave his life to save the world… I suppose they could have worse names to try to live up to."
Hearing Percy's words seemed to have taken some of the fire out of the moon goddess' eyes. She glanced at Chiron who nodded and followed her outside so they could speak and allow the two demigod cousins to catch up.
Percy felt relieved when Artemis left. He had no desire to get chewed out at the moment. Instead, he wanted to focus on his friend Thalia. He had missed her over the past couple years. Not that he had seen her much since the end of the Titan War, but that just made it all the better seeing her again.
They spent the next forty minutes walking into camp and exchanging stories about their lives and adventures over the past few years. Thalia had her share of interesting stories with the hunters but she was more interested in where Percy had been. Though her chances were limited, she had tried to ask the campers about Percy as much as she could over the years, the lack of information the past couple years had weighed heavily on her heart. She could only imagine what he was like after Annabeth's death.
But she was pleasantly surprised when he seemed alright. She knew he would hide any of his pain from her but the fact he kept himself busy with a mortal life, even one as a soldier, was good to hear. She was also a little shocked when she learned how close he had grown with Clarisse and Frank.
Before she had a chance to ask him about his surprising friendships with the two children of the war god, Clarisse approached them with both kids in tow. They hadn't said much since Percy and Clarisse explained everything to them about being demigods. They hadn't even heard about the gods before being told by Percy other than their mother telling them when they were very young that their father was a very special man and being his children made them special as well. That was the only thing they knew about their father and they were having trouble understanding what it meant that he was a god.
"Are these the new sea spawns?" Thalia joked looking down at the two kids.
Both immediately took cover behind Clarisse's legs. Though they didn't know what she meant, being called a spawn was not hard to decipher as an insult, even for children.
Percy shook his head at Thalia who looked a little upset she had scared the two children. He knelt down in front of Clarisse and held out his hand to Zoë.
"Guys, this is our cousin Thalia. She likes to joke around a lot but she's actually very nice. She's here because she's excited to meet you two."
Clarisse stepped out of the way leaving a path between Percy and his two siblings.
Thalia smiled kindly at them, "Zoë and Luke, right?"
The both nodded shyly unsure of what else to do. Thalia knelt down so she was at their height. She kept smiling at them, "Well I'm Thalia and I'll be here at camp for a little while. I hope I'll have a chance to get to know my two new cousins."
"Are you a demigod too?" Luke asked relaxing a little and looking at Thalia with interest.
Thalia nodded, "Yup, I'm a daughter of Zeus," she said and to emphasize the point she held out her hand as it sparked with electricity. Both children's eyes went wide at the sight making Thalia's smile grow.
A conch horn sounded as the few campers who were out and about began to make their way to their cabins.
Thalia stood up, "I've got to get back to the hunters," she said looking at Percy again. "Don't be such a stranger Kelp Head. It won't kill you to send me an Iris-Message once a year just to say hi." To emphasize her point, she flipped a drachma at Percy who caught it. "There, first on is on me."
Percy rolled his eyes but nodded, "Alright Thals, I'll remember to keep in touch, I promise."
Thalia looked satisfied as she nodded to Clarisse and said goodnight to the two youngsters before she darted off towards Cabin Eight to meet up with the rest of the hunters.
Percy stood up and gave his siblings a reassuring smile before turning to Clarisse, "If you want, you can see if Mr.D will zap you back to Olympus. My Dad won't mind if you stay there again, Frank's still up there resting."
Clarisse glanced towards the Big House before shrugging her shoulders, "I'll just stay in the Ares Cabin. I've got a few new siblings I can to get to know. One night at camp won't kill me."
Percy smiled and led the twins to Cabin Three. Two new beds were already set-up with sea-green comforters and sheets full of sea creatures. Percy smiled when he saw the pillow cases decorated with different sea animals. He was surprised to find his old bed, just as he had left it, waiting for him when he stepped into the cabin. He knew his father was showing his gratitude for his help and while it was appreciated, he hoped Poseidon didn't think he was going to be a regular inhabitant of the Poseidon Cabin again.
"Percy?" Came the quiet voice of Luke from near his bed.
Percy turned his attention to him, happy to see his brother finally say something to him. Percy had been a little worried. Luke hadn't said more than two words to him throughout the day, sticking close to Clarisse and asking his questions through her.
"Being a demigod," his face showed a bit of nervousness, "what does that mean?"
Percy was silent for a second. His siblings were far younger than he was when he found out he was demigod. Instead of replying, Percy raised his hand. The salt water fountain in the corner of the room bubbled a bit before a stream of water slowly rose up and hovered over to the son of Poseidon.
"Our Dad, he's the god of all of oceans. Being his children means we are half-god, half-human. We have some of the special powers that our Dad has, like the ability to control water, or breathe underwater." The water circled around Percy before slowly floating towards the awestruck children. They both reached out and touched the water tentatively before smiling at the feeling it gave them when it touched their skin.
"What is our Daddy like?" Zoë asked quietly looking at Percy for answers.
Percy smiled, "Out of all the gods, our Dad is the best. He loves his kids more than anything in the world..."
"Then why haven't we ever seen him?" Lucas interrupted.
Percy's smile only grew, "You have, you just don't know it." They both looked unsure until Percy continued. "Think back to when you were young; if you think hard enough, you'll remember a warm feeling, a smile. That is Dad when he comes to see us. Being a god means he isn't allowed to see us as much as he wants. But he is there, more than any of the other gods. His kids are the most important thing in the world to him. If he could, he'd spend all his time with us. But there are rules that make it so he can't see us as much as he wishes he could."
Both Zoë and Luke were in their beds now. Percy sat on his bed watching them as they listened to his words.
"Will we ever see him?" Luke asked tiredly. The long day was taking its toll on the young demigods as they laid on their soft beds.
"Of course you will." Percy said with certainty. "He is the one who sent me to take care of you. He knew you were in danger and he made sure you would be safe."
Neither Luke nor Zoë responded to his declaration. They had often wondered about their father and whether he cared about them but the certainty in which Percy spoke made them slightly hopeful that they would meet their father soon.
"Are you going to live with us?" Zoë asked in a slightly apprehensive voice.
Percy wasn't exactly sure how to answer the question. He didn't want to say no; they were just starting to relax with all the revelations that had been dropped on them throughout the day.
"I will always be there when you need me. I will stay until you feel comfortable but I live somewhere else now." Percy felt bad saying he would leave them so he continued, "But I will stay here as long as you need me to. The people here are nice and just like you. Soon this will be the place you want to be. I was nervous when I first came here but it was the best thing that ever happened to me."
Percy waited for the next question but none came. Soon after, he heard the quiet breathing of his siblings as they slipped into the realm of Morpheus. He sent a silent prayer to the god, asking him to give the twins a night of happy and reassuring dreams while also throwing him a reminder of the pardon he got the minor god after the second Titan War.
Percy lay back on his bed, his thoughts swirling around in his head as he recounted the events of the last couple days. He had done himself no favors with the gods; he was sure Artemis would not be forgetting his little rant anytime soon, but he had only spoken the truth and it was about time someone did it. The ways the gods used mortals disgusted him. Though Artemis was better than most towards mortals, she had chosen the wrong time to try and speak to him.
Then there was this powerful being. Percy racked his brain trying to put a face to the voice; the way the man spoke to him made him sure they must have met at some point. He held too much anger towards Percy for there to be no connection between them. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't figure out the identity. If he could just figure out who it was, then he would know what the campers were up against.
Percy sighed and sat up. His mind was too busy for sleep at the moment. He needed to clear his head and lying in bed with only his thoughts was not going to help. He went over to the dresser and pulled open one of the drawers, pleasantly surprised to see it stocked with clothes his size. He fished out a pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt, sending a silent thank to his father before slipping back into his sneakers. He was about to head for the door when a thought hit him.
He silently prayed to Poseidon for an iPod and smiled when one materialized on top of the dresser. He flipped through the music until he found some Metallica; something that fit his mood at the moment.
Taking one last glance at his siblings to make sure they were still asleep, he slipped out the door and into the cool night. Camp Half-Blood was silent, only the sounds of monsters in the woods and crickets chirping could be heard as he slipped the headphones into his ears. He jogged over the beach and stopped as he looked out at Long Island Sound.
The night sky was illuminated by the moon and stars which shined brightly above him; something that was not a common occurrence in the pollution riddled Tri-State area.
Percy changed the song and turned to the water, taking off at a brisk jog and running right over the top of the sea as the water sloshed around underneath him. The lack of calm waters made the job more difficult forcing Percy to concentrate both on keeping the water beneath him from allowing him to sink and watching where he stepped. He ran hard, something he had grown to like since joining the military; the cool night air soothing him as he labored on. Being by the sea energized him. In the mortal world, he was never able to do things like this but he quickly realized how enjoyable not having to hide his demigod powers was.
A mile into the sound, Percy stopped; sweat pouring down his face from the run and the use of his water powers. He caught his breath and chuckled to himself as he thought about how much a mortal boat would be freaked if they came across him right then. Thankfully the mist was strong surrounding camp, including out into the sound and he knew he was still under the shield of its magical protection; hidden from the eyes of any mortals who might gaze upon him standing atop the water.
After he caught his breath, he began to jog back towards the beach at the same quickened pace. About half way there, he felt a presence behind him, a disturbance in the sea. He could feel something drawing closer as he ran. Before he even had a chance to turn around, a man jogged up beside him, a huge smile plastered all over his face.
Percy plucked his headphones out and kept running alongside the man, "Lord Hermes?"
Hermes grin just grew, "I like your style little cousin, nothing more relaxing than a late night jog. And the fact that you're running across the top of the sea, well that just gives it an extra touch of awesome."
Percy couldn't help but smile a bit. Hermes had always been pretty good to him starting with their first meeting on the beach at Camp Half-Blood when he sent Percy on his quest into the Sea of Monsters in search of Grover and the Golden Fleece.
Percy glanced at the beach as it came into view before he put his head down and really put it into gear. He used the water to his advantage, making it act like a springboard, kicking his feet up with every step and increasing his speed. Within seconds though, Hermes had caught up again with a mischievous look on his face.
"Come on Perce, fastest god alive here." He chuckled, keeping pace with Percy rather easily.
Percy smiled right back, "That's a good point but you forget, this is my home turf."
Before Hermes could ask what he meant, Percy flicked his hand as the jet of water shot into the legs of Hermes and sent him stumbling and struggling to stay on his feet above the surface of the sea. Hermes tried to recover but Percy kept flicking his hand towards the god, sending spurts of water that Hermes had to work to avoid while Percy continued to pull ahead. Percy waved his hand hard and sent a big wave towards Hermes as he raced onto the shore, breathing hard from the effort of the run and use of powers.
A moment later, a slightly dampened god of thieves jogged on the shore, scowling in Percy's direction. The look was more amused than anything as Percy enjoyed a laugh at Hermes' expense.
"You cheated." Hermes grumbled.
Percy wiped some of the sweat from his forehead, "I won. Something I learned in the mortal world; fairness is objective but winning is indisputable."
Hermes looked at the demigod and cracked a grin, "Touché little cousin."
Percy took a seat on the beach once his breath was caught. The messenger god took one next to him and snapped his fingers as a couple sodas appeared between them.
Percy grabbed one of the Cokes and took a long drink, quenching the thirst he had built up on his run.
"Gee," Percy mused, "what a perfect health drink for after a nice run."
Hermes smiled at the comment but didn't respond. Instead he just relaxed a bit and enjoyed the peaceful night. After a moment, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. The god of messengers grimaced a little and pulled it out.
George and Martha slithered around the phone as Hermes' expression turned into a frown.
"Persssphone is calling for the fiffth time tonight." George informed the messenger god.
"Her lassst messssage threatened to turn you into a daisssy if you keep ignoring her." Martha continued.
"Tell her I'm in a meeting and I haven't forgotten she called." Hermes sighed tiredly, "Not that it's possible when she calls every twenty minutes." He muttered as the phone began to glow and turn into a caduceus. George and Martha circled the staff muttering complaints about being stuck in his pocket for the past couple hours.
"So," Percy mused after another minute of silence. "What brings you here tonight? Another mission to try to get me to stay at Camp Half-Blood?"
Hermes smiled good naturedly, "Actually no. I caught sight of you running along the water and couldn't help myself but to take a break from making deliveries and join you. Do you know how little time I have for a relaxing run these days?"
Percy eyed the immortal trying to find some kind of deception if his face. Hermes noticed this and rolled his eyes.
"Percy," Hermes said seriously, "there's no point in pretending anymore. Despite how much you don't want to be here, you're here. No matter how much you say you will, you're not going to leave the demigods to face this threat alone. I know you too well to believe you when you say you'll walk away. Your siblings being here is a dead giveaway. You would have never brought them here if you weren't sure you'd be able to watch over them. Not with a threat like this hanging over the heads of the campers."
Percy felt himself getting angry at the way Hermes presumed to know what he would and would not do. He opened his mouth to say something when Hermes made a closing motion with his fingers. Suddenly, Percy's voice was gone. He tried to speak but nothing came out as he glared murderously at the god next to him.
"Sorry," Hermes chuckled, "but I want you to hear me out and then you can go back to your denial and curse me out."
Percy stopped trying to speak, settling for imagining himself driving his fist into Hermes' smug looking face.
"Let's pretend you're willing to admit you're not going to abandon your new siblings in this dangerous half-blood camp for a minute," Hermes started not looking at Percy's angry expression. "The gods, we're rather worried about whatever this threat is. Our ability to help our children is limited. The best trained demigods we have are now immortal and as useless as we are in terms of helping the campers. But," Hermes looked back at Percy with a smile, "there is still you, the best of the best, a hero greater than Heracles, Theseus or the original Perseus. Do you know how badly we need you right now?"
Percy narrowed his eyes wondering how any of this was relevant to him staying at camp. He was well aware that they needed him.
Hermes smiled like he was reading his thoughts, "Yes, I know you know we need you. But I also know in the end you're going to help us. It's in your nature. No matter what, you'll always protect the people you care about, it's your fatal flaw, remember? Did you ever think about how you could make this work for you? Make it a way to get the things you want?"
Percy tried to say something, forgetting his voice wasn't there making Hermes smirk. He waved his hand again and Percy's voice returned. He rubbed his throat, even though it hadn't hurt, and looked at Hermes like he was wondering how he'd look with a sword in his chest.
"Don't presume to know what I'm going to do." He growled after a minute. "I hate when you gods think you can manipulate us mortals to do your bidding."
Hermes pinched the bridge of his nose, "Were you even paying attention to what I just said? I'm trying to tell you how to manipulate the gods to do your bidding. This is a chance no one has ever had. The gods need you Percy and with your father's protection, Zeus is unable to force you to do what he wants. I know you and I know you'll relent in the end. Why not get some things you want before you do? Zeus is going to ask for your audience in front of the council again tomorrow. He is determined to get your help and when he wants something, well, he's quite irrational when he doesn't get it. He may not be able to hurt you but he does have other ways to get to you. You're much better off to use this as a chance to gain something."
Percy didn't reply right away. He took a sip of his soda and looked out into the sound as he thought about Hermes' words. After a few minutes of silence he turned back to the messenger god as he twirled his caduceus absent mindedly in his hands drawing a number of protests from the dizzy pair of snakes wrapped around it.
Percy stopped the caduceus with a hand and nodded to Hermes, "Perhaps you're right, but I'm going to need your help with the first thing."
"Ratsssss," George said hopefully in Percy's mind. "Don't forget to asssk for some ratsss, Percccy."
Percy chuckled, "Okay George, that sounds like a plan." He said before looking at Hermes expectantly. The god rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers as two dead rats appeared on the beach at Percy's feet.
"I alwaysss knew I liked thisss one." George mused happily as Percy gingerly picked up the dead rat by the tail and held it out to George. He kept his eyes on the sea as George slowly consumed the rat, not really interested in watching his jaw dislocate as he slowly inhaled the rodent.
"Alwayssss my favorite demigod," Martha said approvingly as he held out the second rat for her to eat.
A few moments later, two plump looking snakes circled the caduceus very slowly, still singing Percy's praises as they started to sound more and more sleepy until Hermes turned the staff into a cellphone again and tucked it into his pocket.
Percy smiled at the messenger god and began to tell him his idea. Hermes' expression was surprised at first but soon it turned into a smirk with perhaps a bit of pride as he listened to his younger cousin explain his first request, one that was sure to get Zeus fuming.