Percy wasn’t the only one claimed that night. When the campers returned to the amphitheater after the incident at the river, the girls were all claimed at once and separated across the camp – which caused more than a bit of a ruckus among certain campers, and themselves. Twilight was chosen as a daughter of Athena – which made her happy to be around more intellectual people, though she was worried about how Annabeth would react. Applejack was claimed as a daughter of Demeter, Fluttershy was moved to Apollo, Rarity was claimed by Aphrodite, and somehow Pinkie ended up rooming with Dionysus’ twins. Only Rainbow remained in Cabin 11 as she had been claimed as a daughter of Hermes. The girls had fairly mixed feelings about this whole thing; they were happy to have ended up somewhere concrete, but they didn’t like being separated.
And that was to say nothing of how Percy was feeling; the morning after Capture the Flag, everyone was moved… and Percy had Cabin 3 all to himself. One would think he would be happy at the solitude, but he was miserable. The girls couldn’t blame him; they’d finally started to feel like they fit into this world in Cabin 11, only to be separated across the board.
No one mentioned the hellhound incident – or Spike’s resemblance to it, however heavily that weighed on the girls’ minds – but they were all certain the others were talking about it behind their backs. Its presence sent two very clear messages; Percy was the son of Poseidon, and the monsters would stop at nothing to kill him, not even at the supposedly impassable boundaries of a camp that had long been considered safe.
Everyone steered clear of Percy and the girls as much as possible, with Cabin 11 too nervous to have sword-practice with them after what happened to the Ares gang, so the lessons with Luke became private, with Luke pushing them harder than ever and he wasn’t afraid to bruise them up in the process. “You’re gonna need all the training you can get,” he assured as they worked with swords and burning torches. “Now let’s try that viper-beheading strike again; fifty more repetitions.”
Annabeth still taught them Greek in the mornings, but she seemed distracted and every time one of them said something, she scowled at them like they’d just poked her between the eyes. After lessons, she would walk away muttering to herself. The girls only heard fragments of it, but they’d figured out enough to put together that she was appalled at Percy being a son of Poseidon and that she needed to make a plan.
Heck, even Clarisse kept her distance… though the looks of pure rage she shot Percy’s way made it clear that she wanted to kill him for breaking her spear. “I wish she’d just yell at me or hit me; something,” Percy remarked to Rainbow one day.
“I hear ya. I’d get in a brawl than be ignored any day of the week.” Rainbow shrugged.
It was more than obvious that someone at camp resented Percy because the next night, Percy called the girls to meet him outside his cabin, where he was holding a copy of the New York Daily News, which he had opened to the Metro page. It took them almost an hour to read because the angrier they got as they read, the more their dyslexia acted up and the text flew from the pages, but they still managed to figure it out.
BOY AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER FREAK CAR ACCIDENT by Eileen Smythe. Sally Jackson and son Percy are still missing after their mysterious disappearance. The family’s badly burned ’78 Camaro was discovered last Saturday on a north Long Island road with the roof ripped off, the front axle broken, and the right door knocked from its hinges. The car had flipped and skidded for several hundred feet before exploding. Mother and son had gone for a weekend vacation to Montauk, but left hastily, under mysterious circumstances. Small traces of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there were no other signs of the missing Jacksons. Residents in the rural area reported seeing nothing unusual around the time of the accident. Ms. Jackson’s husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepson, Percy Jackson, is a troubled child who has been kicked out of numerous boarding schools and has expressed violent tendencies in the past. Police would not say whether son Percy is a suspect in his mother’s disappearance, but they have not ruled fair play. Below are recent pictures of Sally Jackson and Percy. Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll-free crime-stoppers hotline.
The number was circled in black marker, but Rainbow didn’t bother reading it; she’d already heard enough. “I don’t believe that for a second,” she assured as she grabbed the paper from Percy, crumpling it up and tossing it into the corner. “Gabe’s just trying to frame you.”
“Yeah well, unless my mom and I magically show up in New York without a scratch soon, I’d say he’s done a nice job.” Percy shrugged as he flopped onto the single bunk in the middle of his empty cabin. “Lights out.”
Twilight sighed as she stood up. “Cmon girls, we need some sleep too,” she said and the girls all went their separate ways to their cabins.
But Percy didn’t go to sleep. Not yet anyway; he had more things to work out in his mind right now, including everything that had happened to him before he met the girls.
(Play “Good Kid” – TLT Musical)
Percy: Six schools in six years
Been kicked out of every place
Everything I ever do is wrong
Never find where I belong
Everybody on my case
He snuck out of his cabin and out into the woods, where he found himself near the river where he was claimed… where his father had finally gotten up the guts to address his existence.
The same old story
The same old song:
“Don’t act up, don’t act out
Be strong”
I keep my head down
I keep my chin up
But it ends up all the same
With “Pack your bags, Percy
You’re always to blame”!
I never try to do anything
I never mean to hurt anyone
I try, I try to be a good kid
A good kid
A good son
But no one ever will take my side
All I ever do is take the fall
I swear, I swear that I’m a good kid
Guess I’m good for nothing at all
Percy was so busy thinking about everything that had happened that he didn’t even hear Twilight – who had been out for one last evening walk when she heard him – watching him from the trees.
Gabe was a world-class jerk
Dad was never there
The only family that really mattered?
Well, she vanished into the air
And now I finally find a haven
Someplace safe, where I can stay
Till it’s “Pack your bags, Percy
Now go, go away”!
I never try to do anything
I never mean to hurt anyone
I swear, I swear that I’m a good kid
Yeah, Percy, that’s a good one
But no one ever will take my side
All I ever do is take the fall
I swear, I swear that I’m a good kid
Guess I’m good for nothing at all
-the schools in six years
Every battle, every day
No one ever tells me that they’re proud
No one asks me
“Percy, how’d you like to come ‘round and stay?”
Now he started throwing rocks into the river in rage with every bad thing in his life.
All you get are bad grades
And a bum rap
And a bad rep
And a good smack
And no friends
And no hope
And no mom-!
He stopped mid-throw here and just dropped the rock on the ground near his foot.
She’s taken away
Twilight did her best to hide her tears as she watched one of her best friends in this world suffering like this as Percy knelt down next to the river, watching it babble over the rocks as the tears fell.
I swear I never stole anything
I never meant to hurt anyone
I swear, I swear that I’m a good kid
A good kid, who’s had a bad run
And all I need is one last chance
To prove I’m good enough for someone
I’m good enough for someone
Twilight couldn’t help herself here and walked out to his side, sitting next to him much to his surprise as she flashed him an understanding smile as the nymphs in the forest watched in earnest.
I’m good enough for someone (Nymphs: Six schools in six years. Six schools in six years. Six schools in six years)
Percy scowled now as he did his best to drive their voices to the background.
I’m good enough for someone…!
(Cut it)
Finally, he hit the river with one strong slap as he sat back down and pinched his eyes to stop the tears, while Twilight gave him a gentle side-hug. “You’re more than good enough, Percy,” she assured. “And you do have friends. And we’re here for you. Anything you need, just say the word.”
Percy smiled as he hugged her back, the tears still falling a bit. “Thanks, Twilight,” he said as he stood up. “Now get going; lights out means lights out.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Twilight smiled as she made her way back to the Athena cabin. “Good night.”
“Night.” Percy returned. But it wouldn’t be a good night at all.
That night, they all had the worst nightmare they’d ever had; they were each alone running along a beach in a storm with a large city behind them. But not New York; there were vastly different buildings spread farther apart, palm trees and low hills in the distance. They looked roughly a hundred yards down the coast and saw two huge men in Greek tunics – one trimmed in blue, the other in green – brawling as the weather grew worse. The girls each knew they had to stop the fight, though they didn’t know why. But the harder they ran, the more the wind blew them back until they were running in place, their feet digging into the sand.
“Give it back! Give it back!” the one in blue roared over the storm as the waves grew larger, crashing onto the beach and spraying the on-lookers with salt as they yelled to the fighters to stop.
The ground shook and laughter erupted from somewhere beneath the earth, a voice so deep and evil it turned even the courageous Rainbow Dash’s blood to ice. “Come down, little hero.” it crooned. “Come down!” The sand split beneath them, opening a crevasse straight down to the center of the earth. Everyone slipped and fell straight in as the darkness swallowed them.
They all woke with a start at once, finding themselves still in their cabins. They all quickly got dressed and made their way out to the center of the courtyard and looked around, seeing the massive storm approaching on the horizon. “We didn’t all just have the same dream, did we?” asked Rainbow.
“I think it’s safe to say that we did.” Rarity assured as she watched the storm. “And it looks as though part of it is about to become reality.”
It was just then that they all heard someone clopping over toward them. They looked and saw Grover approaching. “Hey. What’re you guys doing awake already?”
“Uh… th- the storm… storm woke us up.” Rainbow excused quickly. Technically she wasn’t lying, but she wasn’t sure she should tell Grover the rest yet.
“Never mind that; what’s wrong, Grover?” Twilight asked, and rightly so; Grover looked nervous.
“Mr. D wants to see you guys,” he said.
“Why?” asked Percy.
“He wants to kill- I mean, I’d better let him tell you.”
“He’s gonna kill him, ain’t he?” asked Applejack. Grover stayed quiet as he led the group to the Big House. For days now, they’d all been half-expecting some sort of summons to the Big House; Percy was a child of the Big Three, so he figured it was a crime against the gods themselves for him to just be alive. The girls were enigmas, all claimed by different gods for seemingly no reason only after Percy was claimed, so they assumed they were to be used as some manner of tools to meet out divine justice as the gods discussed and considered how best to punish Percy. At least, that was what some of them thought. Twilight and Rarity still believed it had something to do with their search for this Lightning Thief, but they still had no idea what that was about.
As they made their way to the Big House, Rainbow kept her eyes on the skies as the storm grew worse. “We’re not gonna need an umbrella, are we?”
“No, it never rains here unless we want it to,” Grover assured.
“What the heck is that then?” Percy asked, pointing at the storm.
Grover looked at the sky in unease. “It’ll pass around us. Bad weather always does.” The girls were confused, but realized he was right; they’d been here a week and it had never been overcast, with the few rain clouds they’d seen just skirting around the edge of the valley. But this storm was massive. Everyone around camp looked like they were just having fun, but they all looked on edge as they watched the storm.
There on the porch sat Dionysus at the same pinochle table as before, his tiger-striped shirt and Coke just the same as the first day with Chiron opposite him in his fake wheelchair playing cards… against what looked like two invisible opponents. “Well, well…” Mr. D remarked at the group without even looking up. “Our little celebrities.” Percy waited for a moment. “Come closer. And don’t expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father.” The storm thundered hard in the distance at that. “Blah, blah, blah…”
Chiron feigned interest in his cards as Grover cowered near the railing. “If I had my way…” Dionysus scowled. “I’d cause your molecules to erupt in flame. All of you.” The girls were a bit scared by that, but still annoyed by Dionysus. “We’d sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm.”
“Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D.” Chiron put in.
“Nonsense,” Dionysus assured. “They wouldn’t feel a thing.”
“Yeah, that actually makes it worse,” Rainbow remarked.
Dionysus scowled. “Well, either way, I’ve agreed to restrain myself. I’m thinking of turning you into your parents’ sacred animals – maybe a dolphin for little Flipper-boy here – sending you back where you came from.”
“Mr. D-”
“Suit yourself, pal.” Rainbow interrupted Chiron’s warning. “But you’ve dealt with Pinkie Pie as a human; you really wanna risk seeing if she’s better or worse as a tiger?” She pointed over at Pinkie, who was holding a noisemaker in her mouth ready to blow it at the slightest provocation.
“Good point.” Dionysus shrugged.
“While we’re on the subject, why did you even claim Pinkie anyway?” asked Twilight. “She’s not actually your daughter.”
“You don’t think I know that?” the god scowled. “Chiron here told me about the whole different world thing ages ago. I only claimed her because she had some of the same powers as me; party animal with a flair for madness.”
“Madness? Pinkie Pie?” asked Rainbow Dash. “I admit that she’s crazy, but madness?”
“Madness can mean a lot of things, kid; you never noticed that people burst into peals of laughter for like no reason when she’s around?” asked the god.
Rainbow thought back and realized he was right; even before they arrived in this world, Pinkie had that sort of effect on ponies. “So wait, if you know we were summoned here from Equestria, then you must know why we were summoned here in the first place.”
“Actually, I do,” Dionysus said as he stood up, the invisible players’ cards dropping to the table. “And it’s also your third option, but it’s dead foolishness. I’m off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I’ll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you’re at all smart, you’ll see that’s a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do.” He picked up a card from the table and twisted it, turning it into a plastic card like a security pass. He snapped his fingers and the air bent around him, turning him into a sort of hologram before he disappeared into the wind, leaving only the strong scent of fresh-pressed grapes behind him.
“Please children, sit.” Chiron smiled, though he did look tired. “And Grover.” Everyone sat around the old centaur as he laid out a winning hand he hadn’t gotten the chance to use. “Tell me, what did you make of that hellhound?”
Just the name made them shudder. Twilight could tell Rainbow probably wanted to say something cool, like she handled them on the regular, but she seemed a bit too freaked out. Percy took that as an opportunity to speak for the group. “It scared us,” he said. “If you hadn’t shot it, we’d be dead.”
“And I’m sure it hasn’t escaped your notice that…” Twilight remarked, glancing at her ankles to see Spike as he hopped to her lap.
“Yes, it’s clear your arrival here has transformed Spike into a hellhound,” Chiron remarked. “That’s good. Because you’ll meet far worse than him or that beast you fought before you’re done.”
“Done… with what?” asked Percy.
“Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?”
The group was stunned; Luke had told them that his was the last quest in years before they were prohibited. They looked over at Grover, who had his fingers crossed. “That depends on what it is,” Rainbow said simply.
Chiron grimaced at that. “Well, that’s the hard part; the details.”
The storm rumbled as it reached the beach, as if the sky and sea were both boiling together. “Poseidon and Zeus,” Percy remarked. “They’re fighting over something valuable… something that was stolen, aren’t they?”
Chiron and Grover looked surprised. “How did you know that?” asked the centaur.
Percy sucked his teeth as if he knew he shouldn’t have said that, but now that he had… “The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then we talked to Annabeth, and she’d overheard something about a theft. And… we’ve also been having these dreams.”
“I knew it,” Grover remarked.
“Hush, satyr,” Chiron ordered.
“But it is their quest!” Grover said, his eyes bright with excitement. “It must be!”
“Only the Oracle can determine,” Chiron assured, scratching his beard. “Nevertheless Percy, you are quite correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt.”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Come again?” Though it was starting to dawn on her and the other girls as to why the story they had been pulled into had been called The Lightning Thief.
“Do not take this lightly,” Chiron warned. “I’m not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you’d see in a second-grade play. I’m talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives.”
“Whoa,” Rainbow remarked in shock.
“Zeus’ Master Bolt,” Chiron explained, getting worked up now. “The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the Master Bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers.”
“Okay, we get it; the thing’s awesome. Sheesh.” Rainbow said, trying to get the centaur to calm down. “So it’s missing?”
“Stolen.”
“By who?” asked Percy.
“By whom, I think you mean.” Twilight assured; she definitely belonged in Athena’s cabin. “But seriously, who stole it?”
“Percy did,” Chiron said nonchalantly.
“What?! He wouldn’t do that!” Twilight argued.
“That’s not what Zeus believes.” Chiron countered. “You see, during the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense, really; ‘Mother Rhea always liked you best’, ‘air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters’, et cetera. Anyway, afterward, Zeus realized his Master Bolt was missing; taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now a god cannot usurp another god’s symbol of power directly – that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it.”
“Who would be crazy enough to do that?” asked Rainbow.
“Who indeed. But patience and listen.” Chiron ordered. “Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother’s lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the Master Bolt and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn’t sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal his bolt.”
Rarity had already started to connect the dots as she looked at Percy. “And now Poseidon has openly claimed Percy as his son,” she remarked.
“And he was in New York for the winter holidays.” Chiron agreed, looking at Percy. “You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief.”
“But I’ve never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!” Percy assured.
Chiron and Grover glanced nervously skyward. The girls followed their lead and saw the clouds growing thicker over the valley. “Uh, maybe try to refrain from calling the king of the gods crazy, Percy?” Fluttershy suggested quietly.
“Perhaps paranoid.” Chiron suggested. “Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question 38 on your final exam.” He smirked at the group as if he expected them to actually remember that question.
Percy was still in shock as he tried to wrap his head around this concept as he tried to remember. “Something about a golden net?” he guessed. “Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods… they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn’t let him go until he promised to be a better ruler, right?”
“Correct,” Chiron said. “And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since.”
“I thought Hera led that plot?” Twilight asked.
“She did. But who do you think commissioned the net?” Chiron countered. “Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the Master Bolt; he took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months now, threatening war. And now, you’ve come along – the proverbial last straw.”
“But I’m just a kid!”
“Percy,” Grover cut in. “If you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War 2, that he’s fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you… wouldn’t that put a twist in your toga?”
“Well, when you say it like that, it does sound convincing.” Pinkie remarked.
“Really not helping, Pinkie,” Rainbow remarked.
“Yeah, I didn’t do anything,” Percy assured. “Poseidon – my dad – he didn’t really have this Master Bolt stolen, did he?”
Chiron just sighed. “Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon’s style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the Bolt by the summer solstice; that’s June 21st.”
“That’s only ten days from now.” Twilight realized.
“Exactly. And Poseidon expects an apology for being called a thief by the same date.” Chiron remarked. “I had hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But Percy’s arrival has inflamed Zeus’s temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the Master Bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?”
“Bad?” he guessed.
“Somehow I don’t think that comes anywhere close to doing it justice.” Rainbow guessed.
“Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself.” Chiron explained. “Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight.”
“Yep. Called it.” Rainbow remarked in awe.
“And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus’s wrath.” It had started to rain, forcing everyone around camp to seek shelter as they stared stunned at the sky.
No one wanted to admit it, but the girls were all thinking the same thing; Percy had been the one to bring this storm to Half-Blood Hill. Zeus was punishing the whole camp because of him. Needless to say, he was furious; the girls couldn’t say they blamed him. “So I have to find the stupid bolt and return it to Zeus,” he said.
“Within ten days,” Fluttershy added in concern.
“What better peace offering than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus’s property?” Chiron said.
“Which begs the obvious question; if Poseidon doesn’t have it, then who does?” asked Twilight.
“I believe I know.” Chiron’s expression went grim. “Part of a prophecy I had years ago… well, some of the lines make sense to me now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle.”
“Why can’t you just tell us where the Bolt is beforehand?” asked Rainbow.
“Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge.”
Percy gulped. “Good reason.”
“You agree then?”
The group glanced over at Grover, who nodded encouragingly… only really possible for people who weren’t about to be killed by Zeus. “Alright.” Percy shrugged. “It’s better than being turned into a dolphin.”
“Probably not by much,” Rainbow whispered to Rarity, who simply nodded in return.
“Then it’s time you consulted the Oracle. All of you.” Chiron ordered. “Go upstairs, children, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you’re still sane, we will talk more.”
“Wait, what does that mean?” asked Applejack.
“You’ll see,” Chiron remarked as he rolled aside.
That only worried the girls more as they followed Percy into the Big House, climbing up four flights of stairs until they reached a green trapdoor in the ceiling. A quick yank on the cord and the ladder dropped through the open hatch… along with a terrible smell. “Ugh! Whew! What crawled up there and died?” Rainbow asked in disgust.
“I’m not sure I wanna know.” Applejack remarked. Either way, the group held their breath and climbed up the ladder to the ladder… finding it full of junk and disgusting trophies that looked like curios from a retired hero’s basement, including a hydra’s head dated as being recovered 1969.
And there at the far end of the chamber, sitting on a wooden tripod stool, was the most gruesome memento of all; a mummified female corpse, shriveled to a husk that looked as though it had died ages ago. Just the sight of her sent chills up the backs of everyone as they looked at her, and she sat up on her stool and opened her mouth, a thick green mist pouring from her mouth and coiling on the floor, hissing like twenty thousand angry snakes. Fluttershy immediately panicked and tried to escape out the trapdoor, but it slammed shut, trapping them in the attic.
Then everyone heard a voice, slithering into their ears and hissing in their minds. “I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask.”
Rainbow wanted to say something stupid to try and escape, but she knew that wouldn’t work, so she and the others forced themselves to acknowledge one thing; this mummy wasn’t alive. She was some sort of gruesome receptacle for something else; the power that was probably swirling in that green mist. But its presence didn’t feel evil like Mrs. Dodds or the Minotaur; more like the Fates, ancient but malevolent and not that interested in killing them.
Finally, Percy took a breath and stepped forward. “What is our destiny?”
The mist thickened, collecting in front of them and around the table filled with jars of what looked like pickled monster parts. Suddenly there were four familiar people around the table; Gabe and his poker buddies. Percy clenched his fists; he knew the visions were fake, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to bust some heads. Then the illusory Gabe turned to the group, speaking in the raspy voice of the Oracle. “You shall go west, and face the god who has turned.” The one on the right turned to them this time and spoke in the same voice. “You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned.” Then the one on the right. “You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend.” Then the last one delivered the worst line of them all. “And you shall fail to save what matters most in the end.”
The figures dissolved and started to retreat into the Oracle’s mouth. At first, Percy was too stunned to say anything, but as he saw the mist fade, he snapped out of it and ran to the mummy. “Wait! What do you mean?! What friend? What will I fail to save?” Too late; the mist had already disappeared and the mummy declined back against the wall, her mouth shut tight as if it hadn’t been opened in a hundred years.
“Well, that was… terrifying,” Rainbow remarked.
“Not to mention vague.” Twilight agreed. “What will we fail to save? And who would betray us?” Somehow everyone got the feeling they could stand there until they all had cobwebs and they wouldn’t find out. Their audience with the Oracle was over, so they left the attic.
When they returned to the table, they found Chiron and Grover waiting expectantly. “Well?” the centaur asked.
They all sat down as Percy took the lead. “She said we would retrieve what was stolen.”
“That’s great!” Grover smiled, chewing excitedly on the remains of a diet coke can.
“What did the Oracle say exactly?” Chiron pressed. “This is important.”
The group’s ears were still tingling from the reptilian voice in their minds. “She… she said we would go west and face a god who had turned. We would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned.”
“I knew it,” Grover said.
Chiron however still looked dissatisfied. “Anything else?”
They really didn’t want to tell him; they didn’t have many friends here, and the girls all knew they would never betray each other, so who would? And the last line… they would fail to save what mattered most. How could the Oracle be so brazen as to send them on a quest with a warning that they would fail? How could they say that? “No. No, that’s about it.” Percy lied. Applejack hated that she had to go along with it, but she knew it was best for her friends.
Chiron studied their faces, as if he could see straight through the lie. “Very well. But know this: the Oracle’s words often have double meanings. Don’t dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass.”
Somehow they knew that was just to try and make them feel better, but that didn’t make it any better. “Okay, so where do we go?” asked Rainbow. “I mean, who’s this god in the west?”
“Ah, think Rainbow,” Chiron said. “If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain most?”
“Somebody else who wants to take over?” Rainbow guessed.
“Yes, quite.” Chiron nodded. “Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom could grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken.”
With all those factors – not to mention the dark voice that had spoken from below the earth in their dream – it wasn’t difficult for Twilight to figure it out. “Hades.”
Chiron nodded. “The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility.”
A scrap of metal dribbled from Grover’s mouth. “Whoa, wait. Wh-what?”
“A Fury came after Percy.” Chiron reminded. “She watched the young man and the girls until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord; Hades.”
“Yes, but- but Hades hates all heroes.” Grover protested. “Especially if he has found out Percy is a son of Poseidon…”
“A hellhound got into the forest.” Chiron reminded. “Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will use Percy to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill this young half-blood and any who help him before he can take on the quest.”
“Oh. Well, um… that sounds like, uh… very good incentive to not do it.” Fluttershy noted.
“No kidding; that’s two major gods who want me dead,” Percy remarked.
“If we don’t do it, the gods will go to war and destroy everything.” Twilight reminded. “This is a mission of mercy.”
“But a quest to…” Grover gulped. “I mean, couldn’t the Master Bolt be in someplace like Maine? Maine’s very nice this time of year.”
“Hades sent a minion to steal the Master Bolt.” Chiron insisted strongly. “He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don’t pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead’s motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain; Percy and the girls must go to the Underworld, find the Master Bolt, and reveal the truth.”
The girls were still a bit nervous, but they saw a strange fire burning in Percy’s eyes, almost like anticipation. They couldn’t exactly blame him; Hades had tried to kill him three times now, with the Fury, the Minotaur, and the hellhound. It was his fault that Percy’s mother had disappeared in a flash of light, and now he was trying to frame Percy and his father for a theft they hadn’t committed that could start a war between the gods.
Percy was more than ready to take him on, and if his mother was in the Underworld… “Whoa, boy.” he thought, the small part of his brain that was still sane speaking. “You’re a kid. Hades is a god.” It was clear Grover was thinking the same thing as he started trembling, eating pinochle cards like potato chips.
He was just as motivated for a quest like this as Percy was – with his searcher’s license and future on the line – but he was also terrified. And on a quest, the Oracle had told the group they would fail? It was suicide.
Finally Twilight spoke. “Look, if we know it’s Hades, then why don’t we just go to the other gods and tell them? Zeus or Poseidon could just head down to the Underworld and get the answers they want themselves.”
“Suspecting and knowing are two different things, Twilight,” Chiron assured. “Besides, even if the other gods do suspect Hades – and between you and me, I imagine Poseidon certainly does – they couldn’t retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other’s territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain… privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they’re bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero’s actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?”
“You’re saying we’re being used?” asked Percy.
“I’m saying it’s no accident the gods have claimed you now,” Chiron remarked, addressing them all. “It’s a very risky gamble, but they are in a desperate situation. They need you.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Nice to feel needed,” she remarked, knowing exactly what was rolling through Percy’s head; Poseidon had ignored him for twelve years and now he needed him?
Percy just glared up at Chiron. “You’ve known I was Poseidon’s son all along, haven’t you?”
“I had my suspicions.” he shrugged. “As I said… I’ve spoken to the Oracle too.” The group had the feeling he was holding something back about his prophecy, but they couldn’t worry about that now. After all, turnabout was fair play.
“So lemme get this straight,” Percy said. “We’re supposed to go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead.”
“Check.”
“Find the most powerful weapon in the universe.”
“Check.”
“And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice in ten days.”
“That’s about right.”
Rainbow let out a breath as she ran a hand through her hair. “Great; no pressure.”
Grover gulped down the ace of hearts in worry. “Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?” he asked weakly.
“You don’t have to go,” Percy said. “I can’t ask that of you.”
“Oh… No…” he said weakly, shifting his hooves. “It’s just that satyrs and underground places… well…” He took a deep breath as he stood, brushing scraps off his shirt. “You saved my life, Percy. If… if you’re serious about wanting me along, I won’t let you down.”
Percy seemed so relieved he wanted to cry, though he tried his best to hide it. Twilight knew why; before she and the other girls arrived, Grover had been the only real friend he’d ever had for more than a few months. Frankly, none of the group were sure what good a satyr would be against the forces of Hades, but they definitely felt better knowing he would be along. “All the way, G-man.” Percy smiled, bumping fists with him before he turned to Chiron. “So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west.”
“The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west.” Chiron nodded. “It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it’s in America.”
“We figured that, but where specifically?” asked Rainbow.
Chiron seemed surprised. “I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles.”
“Oh. Naturally.” Percy remarked, only half-sarcastically. “So what, we just get on a plane and-”
“Percy, are you crazy?” Rainbow countered, surprising Grover since he was probably about to jump in with his own objection. “When’s the last time you’ve flown anywhere?”
Percy shook his head in embarrassment; he’d never been on a plane anywhere. Mostly it was because Sally said they never had the money, but part of it was because she’d lost her parents in a plane crash.
“Percy, think.” Chiron reminded. “You are the son of the Sea god. Your father’s bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus’s domain. You would never come down again alive.”
Overhead the storm rumbled as Percy tried his best not to look at it. “Okay, so we’ll travel overland.”
“That’s right. Two companions may accompany yourself and the girls.” Chiron ordered. “Grover is one. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help.”
“Gee. Now who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?” Rainbow feigned surprise as she walked around behind Chiron, sticking her face right up into the air behind his wheelchair as Annabeth removed her cap and stuffed it into her pocket, revealing that Rainbow was nose-to-nose with her. Rainbow just smirked. “I would say I was surprised, but I’m really not.”
“Hm. Notice my hand, going into your face.” Annabeth remarked simply as she placed her palm on Rainbow’s nose and shoved her politely aside as she walked over to Percy. “I’ve been waiting a long time for a quest, Seaweed Brain. Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you’re going to save the world, I’m the best person to keep you from messing up.”
“If you do say so yourself,” Percy smirked. “I suppose you have a plan, Wise Girl?”
Annabeth’s cheeks colored as she scowled at him. “Look, do you want my help or not?” The girls all knew they didn’t just want it; they needed it. They needed all the help they could get.
“I guess that’s everyone then,” Percy remarked.
“Excellent.” Chiron smiled. “This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you’re on your own.” A massive flash of lightning heralded the arrival of a massive downpour of rain in a valley that was never supposed to have violent weather.
“We’d best not waste time then.” Rarity remarked. “Time to start packing.”