Percy is Back

Setting my tray on the table I am greeted by the Hermes kids, probably already thinking of ways to steal my food... Wouldn't be a surprise...

Luke, sitting in from of me, smiled "Nice spar earlier... you are very good with a sword, your style is very weird though where did you learn it"

"Well, that is a long story actually." I start while noticing that everyone around us was listening in.

Putting my fork down I continued " Long story short I always wanted to try the sword since I was a kid, I always read the stories of heroes from Mythology and I wanted to emulate them. However, let's just say modern society is not really that keen on having young children carry a big ass sword..." that gained a bit of a chuckle from the group

"So I decided to learn the sword where I could actually do so: Fencing. Even though it has a lot of rules it certainly helped in learning the ropes to the art. I started practicing every day and here I am... That's why I am more confident with a rapier than with a xiphos let's say..." I could see some nods here and there, others obviously had some questions they wanted to ask but, too shy to do so maybe.

"You are actually very good yourself you literally wiped the floor with me, where did you learn?" I asked curiously at Luke while resuming to cut my steak

"Thanks for the praise man, I simply learned by experience... I went on a quest some time ago and either you get good or you die... You could say I learned by necessity" he answers before taking his silverware in hand again

"Ah yes... Annie told me you saved her, she admires you a lot that girl" I tell him with a meaningful smile, clearly hinting at the fact that he should not break her trust, for those who know... The onlookers however could not...

He just smiles somewhat sadly... I knew I got him to think at least. We went back to silence however it never became awkward, people started asking questions about me and me about them, but never touching the family topic... They still thought I was a demigod for some reason and they knew that asking a demigod about family was never the smartest ice-breaker. After a pleasant evening, there was only one thing left to do. While everyone was busy with their stuff I sneakily reached Dionysus's table to uphold my end of the deal we made last night.

///

I could not sleep... and that doesn't happen often, normally I am a really good sleeper. I decided to get up and go to the beach... I sprinted knowing that I could reach the place rather quickly without dying of exhaustion with this body.

I lied down on the sand and looked up the scene in front of my eyes making me gape... The protagonist of the show was the moon, shining the brightest I have ever seen in my two lives, the sky like a perfect dress was fitted around the lady as if trying to enhance her beauty the best it could, not giving anyone the right to look elsewhere. The stars were like jewels of inestimable value and while many wished they could have them only one neck was worthy enough. Every single piece I described could be taken alone and universally accepted as beautiful sure but together... They became the breathtaking night I was graced upon today.

Eventually, the rhythmic sound of the sea crashing on the beach lulled me to sleep, for a moment I forgot who I was, why I was here and my purpose, for a moment I could leave my worries behind and empty my head, for a moment... I could be free.

///

"To....m....Toooom....TOOOM"

Slowly I open my eyes from the familiar voice

Greeting me was an idiot with a lopsided green covering the sun with his head...

"PERCY! You finally woke up!" I immediately sobered up, getting on my feet and hugging him

"Why were you even sleeping! I have been looking for you for hours... The Hades were you doing here! Even Chiron was preoccupied" he looks at me with a frown tilting his head

"Well I couldn't sleep so I decided to go to the beach... best sleep of my life... Need to sacrifice something to Morpheus later... So anyways you already met Chiron, did they take you for a tour around camp?"

"YES! Although briefly, I can say it is really cool. Let's go get breakfast Annabeth is waiting for us in the Hall, I'm starving"

"Yea, let's go, I have a lot of things to tell you about" with a smile, we start walking towards the cafeteria.

Thanks to my intervention we arrived here the first of June, and Percy woke up the 3rd, meaning that for the quest we have something like 8 days instead of 5 in the canon... Meaning more training for Percy, and more training for me... Fuck I'm a genius...

Although I cannot really go on the quest because prophecies are made for demigods that also mean that I am not bound by it. And it is not always a good thing, basically, I have no plot armor...

///

"Yo Annie lemme guess your masterplan: we take the defense where a super angry Clarisse is going to charge to try and kill Percy" I look at her with deadpan eyes while she was explaining her plan to beat the Ares faction in "capture the flag"

"I... well... that was the... plan... can you do it?" she asks a bit embarrassed by the way I explained it.

"Sure thing, after all, who would like to miss an angry Clarisse..." I say while looking at her with the same deadpan eyes

Surprisingly she looks at me with a sorry expression before continuing to explain her Superplan

We started getting along these few days me and her, who would have thought... She actually just needed someone that was able to listen to her for a while. I offered my ears, my interest, and my inputs when she needed someone to talk about architecture and the wonder of Greek monuments and she offered me her friendship, pretty easy. She is a good girl after all, she might not fully understand, love and irrational emotions but she is someone that values justice and strength of heart... That is probably why she fell for Percy.

I spot a fuming Clarisse and went to her... yup... Percy still made the pipes explode, drenching her with water... humiliated twice by two newbs... hard to take it with a smile... I still continued to spar with her, and I like to believe that behind all that big dick energy there is also a good friend.

"Clarisse, can I have a moment with you please?" I ask her in front of her team

"What you can't say it here?" she asks bursting a little bit... I knew she was still angry, but I am not going to back down just because you are a ticking bomb

"If I wanted to talk with everyone else I would, but right now I want to talk to you alone," I tell her firmly before softening my features and sporting a. small smile

"Clarisse, please it is important" stick and carrot people stick and carrot

She just nods and comes with me, I lead her a few steps away from the crowd just enough for everyone to see but not listen.

"I already know what you want to say... but--" I rudely interrupt her

"Clarisse... I know... that was pure humiliation I already scolded him a lot about it, but you know better than me that you are not that innocent... look... I am not going to ask you to not fight him or anything of the sort, but please at least try not to maim him... He is still a newb when it comes to the sword but most importantly he is my friend, and I would hate to see him injured because of another friend of mine" I look at her in the eyes, emphasis on the last few words to make sure she understands the meaning

Understand she does if her wide eyes were of any indication, she thinks for a bit before nodding "Ok I will try not to maim him... BUT you do not interrupt our fight and after I deal with him you are going to spar with me alone." she says with finality as if I already agreed with her terms... and by all means, I do

"I can agree with that," I tell her with a smile before hugging her in from of everybody, slight peck on the cheek to make her embarrassed and fired up for the battle.

She stands there for a couple of seconds before shouting "I am going to kill you, Tom, be prepared" before joining her group, and apart from being slightly surprised were sporting Cheshire smiles.

Everything went as planned son of Poseidon and all that stuff. Two days later he gets the quest.

///

You shall go west, and face the god who has turned You shall find what was stolen and see it safely returned You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend And you shall fail what to save what matters most in the end.

"Tom... what should I do?" he asks me while we were sitting near the fire tended by Hestia

"Mmh... It is pretty clear you need to go but... I am worried about this friend of yours who will betray you... I will talk to Chiron late---" Abruptly I stop

"Tom... what happened," he asks me worried

I Turn to him and explain "I just got an idea, you know about lady Hestia?" I notice the flames flickering a but higher

"You mean the goddess who tends the fire in Olympus?" he asks

"Yes! I saw her trending the fire at camp one day, although it was flickering but I clearly saw it... in any case, the thing is that she is the goddess of family... if someone betrays our family... isn't she the first to know?"

"Let me try asking Percy, I take a piece of dessert and carefully place it in the fire, Lady Hestia goddess of the Hearth and family, please tell us... whom of our family decided to betray us" I ask hopefully... if she answers this will take a huge boulder off our shoulder, if she doesn't well... no worries

"....no answer..." Percy mutters sadly

"Don't worry fren, if she doesn't tell that means that it is not the time for us to know... I encourage you to offer some food to her sometimes :3... you should go to sleep man tomorrow is the big day, I will one-sidedly speak with the fire like a madman" I grin at him

"I am sorry Tom... I wanted to invite you on the quest, but Chiron was firmly against it..." he says with downcast eyes

I stop grinning and took him into my hug

"Yo Percy, he said I couldn't be chosen for a quest not that I couldn't go..." I tell him wriggling my eyebrows with a stupid smile

"Guess who's gonna sneak out of camp tomorrow?"

Percy looked lost before he shook his head with a smile "I should have known... you ain't just gonna leave me alone are you?"

"No"

We look at each other before laughing

///

"Sorry to have bothered you for something so trivial...I tried." I tell the flames that started to flicker weirdly as if to cheer me up

I just smiled at the scene, I take the remaining chunk of my dessert and sacrifice it to the fire "For lady Artemis... for the hunt" I smiled a little at the surprised (?) flames before going straight to Chiron there was something I needed to confirm