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hermesmyplatonicbeloved · 5 months

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What does Percy think about Hades in Canon? Analysis.

Partner post, coming soon: [What does Hades think about Percy in Canon? Analysis].

The Lightning Thief

Percy's first meeting with Hades in tlt is loaded. He's spent the last week or two being told by Chiron (and others) that Hades is the one who stole Zeus's bolt and is the one framing Percy. He believes that Hades has sent monsters after him. He believes that Hades has kidnapped his mom. Percy doesn't have any bargaining chips over Hades; he comes to Hades with a plea to convince him to stop the incoming war.

We don't really know what Percy thinks of Hades. But everyone else acts like they're scared of him. Percy believes that all the monsters being sent after him are from Hades, so surely the god sending the monsters is equally as terrifying, if not more?

And the Percy actually sees Hades and oh boy. He's practically smitten at first sight. "Hades is the first god that actually looked like a god." -> Percy is impressed as hell by Hades. He compares Hades to a panther: looking lithe, graceful and powerful. He describes Hades's eyes as mesmerizing. He thinks that Hades has an air of charisma. He literally says that Hades should be his master, and Percy wants to take a nap at Hades's feet. This boy literally goes on for a half-full page solely on Hades's appearance, ending with wondering what Hades's underwear looks like.

Then they actually talk and Percy finds out that aside from Mrs. Dodds, Hades hasn't sent any monsters after him. All the other monsters were sent by Kronos and/or Zeus. Hades didn't kidnap his mom, he took her before the minotaur could kill her. He's willing to give Sally back, albeit for a deal. He's not crazy and unreasonable - they've just both been tricked. And then a few scenes later after Percy gives Mrs. Dodds the helm to return to Hades, Percy finds out that Hades is a god of his word as he returned his mom safe and sound.

So to summarize Percy's interactions, thoughts and feelings about Hades after his first quest:

Percy is hella attracted to Hades. This cannot be understated. What's even more interesting is that canonically, this series was written by Percy at 19 years old. At 19 years old, Percy still describes Hades this way. I-

Percy realizes that Hades is not too unreasonable: they we both pitted against each other, and in the end Hades did what was right/good.

Percy realizes that Hades can be trusted to keep his word: Percy returned the helm, and Hades returned Sally.

And last of all: Hades saved Sally Jackson's life. He didn't have to take her from the minotaur. He didn't have to return her alive and unharmed. But he did. And at this point (and lets be honest, any point in Percy's life) he is first and foremost a mama's boy. She's pretty much his whole world at this point. It means a lot to Percy that he got her back.

The Last Olympian

Percy is tricked by Nico (who was in turn tricked by Hades) into getting trapped in the underworld. At this point Percy is convinced that Hades is going to kill him - despite the fact that both Nico and Hades say otherwise. He's not just mad - he's scared. Terrified. He's in the middle of a war, thinking that his dad might die fighting Oceanus, thinking that Olympus might fall (and everyone he loves will die) and due to the prophecy it'll be on him. He doesn't react well to Nico luring him to the underworld Hades tricking him and that's understandable.

Even then, some part of Percy remembers that Hades was once somewhat reasonable so he asks Hades, "If you know about it, do something! At least let me tell the other gods!" Hades doesn't but like. The fact that Hades lured Percy to the underworld and Percy thinks he's about to die and Percy still asks Hades to do the right thing?

And then he does. It takes him awhile, but eventually Nico (and Persephone I think) convince him and Hades shows up right when Percy is cornered and about to face Kronos right in front of the Empire State Building. The thing about this scene is what's not said. Sally and Paul join the fight, and Percy leaves them with Nico, Hades, Demeter and Persephone to go after Kronos. Percy's fatal flaw is personal loyalty. There's no way that Percy would've left Sally and Paul to fight off the armies of Kronos if he didn't think that the underworld crew (Nico, Hades, Demeter and Persephone) would protect them/have their backs.

After the fighting is done, Percy sees Hades: "The lord of the dead nodded. He had a smug look on his face, but I figure he'd earned the right." Percy doesn't outright come out and say it, but like. He's glad Hades came through in the end. It's not forgiveness for the trickery, but it's something. Percy knows that if Hades hadn't shown up when he did, they would have lost the war, and he acknowledges that in his thoughts.

Then there's Percy's reward for defending Manhattan. I think it's incredibly interesting about how much Percy thinks and mentions Hades when he makes his request. He starts off by straight up looking at Hades and saying, "Someone once told me, you should always get a solemn oath." To which Hades agrees.

After he outlines what exactly he wants he names Hades' children specifically. He says, "Hades— [...] my lord, But your children should not be left out. They should have a cabin at camp. Nico has proven that." \ "And no more pact of the Big Three. That didn't work anyway. You've got to stop trying to get rid of powerful demigods. We're going to train them and accept them instead. All children of the gods will be welcome and treated with respect."

Hades' entire character arc from tlt to tlo is about feeling like an outcast and receiving no respect from his fellow siblings/Olympians, and his children being excluded, hunted and treated the same way. And Percy uses his one wish from Zeus to fix that? This is big. I guarantee you that Percy was thinking of the scene he saw where Hades lost Maria di Angelo and then cursed the Oracle out of sorrow and anger until the day where his children would be allowed to live and would no longer be outcasts.

And then the last point, I find interesting. Rachel is about to become the Oracle, and Percy is worried about her getting Hades's curse along with it. But the interesting part, is not that he doesn't think Hades will lift the curse, its "If Hades hasn't gotten to that yet, she'll go crazy!" Percy has complete belief that Hades will keep his word. It's interesting because after Hades tricked Nico into luring Percy to capture him, you'd think that Percy wouldn't trust Hades' word anymore right? No. Percy is just worried about the timing - because Percy just made the request for Hades's children to be welcomed less than an hour ago.

So to summarize Percy's interactions, thoughts and feelings about Hades after this book:

Percy was hella angry (understandably so) at Hades and terrified, as Hades tried to imprison him.

But Hades redeemed himself by showing up at the last moment to help out. And Percy trusted that Hades + underworld crew would have Sally and Paul's back in the battle.

A significant part of Percy's request to the gods was for Hades (and by extension, Nico and the Oracle).

Percy regains trust that Hades would keep his word - as seen with Rachel + the Oracle.

There was little/no attraction that we saw from the first book, but that was probably because Hades was intentionally projecting a mask of nightmares to intimidate Kronos + his forces, and the fact that Percy spent this entire book being scared/stressed out of his mind.

Heroes of Olympus

At the core of Percy's request at the end of tlo, was Percy wanting the Olympian gods to be better to their children. And this entire series was the gods doing the exact opposite. We virtually never see Poseidon, Hermes, Artemis or Hestia (the four most helpful gods in PJO). Hera mind wipes Percy, only leaving Annabeth's name to manipulate Percy into going where she wants like a horse following a carrot. I could go on, the series is full of examples of the gods being shitty.

Aside from Hades.

Hades is the only one who actually does better.

It's only implied, but his behavior towards Nico does a full 180. Nico gets a place in Hades's palace. When Nico starts getting frantic looking for Percy, Hades directs Nico to the place (Camp Jupiter) where Hades knows Percy will eventually show up.

While the other gods are sitting on their thrones doing almost nothing (aside from Bacchus who was having fun half tormenting half helping, and Hera who was kidnapping/fucking with Percy and Jason's minds), Hades went to Tartarus and attempted to free the Doors of Death. When the Seven rescue Nico, he tells them this in MoA. Hades failed (presumably because he tried to stand against Tartarus, Hyperion, Krios and Gaea's earthborn army with only a mere skeleton army), but the fact is that he made an effort, in a big way. He went to Tartarus, the place where even the Olympians are afraid to go. And he went alone, with no other gods for back up (remember the first time he went, he had Zeus, Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia and Hera with him).

And considering how bitter and angry Percy seemed by the end of HoO (he was literally ready to attack Zeus in BoO) I think the fact that Hades made a significant effort (while the gods that Percy had a close relationship with like Poseidon and Hermes did nothing) would mean something to Percy.

Partner post, coming soon: [What does Hades think about Percy in Canon? Analysis].

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ameagrice · 1 year

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chapter twenty-one | it’s called…hope

percy jackson x fem reader

You’d gotten so caught up in your time with Travis, that it fell dark before you knew it. And despite the cold air numbing your fingertips and toes in your shoes, the two of you ran down to the canoe lake giggling like kids.

The wooden walkway provided enough space for the two of you to lay on your backs, knocking your shoe against Travis’s absently, watching as every breath pushed out puffs of white air into the cold against the dark sky. Stars had been thrown across it, clear as day.

In your Hunters coat, you didn’t feel much of the cold anywhere besides your hands, face and feet. But Travis had bundled up in a sweater, a coat, two pairs of jeans, and sneakers like he was about to do a runaway.

“You know,” his voice chattered with his teeth. “This was a lot cooler in my head.”

“You want it to be colder?” You turned yours, a teasing smile on your face. It took him a second to catch on.

Travis rolled his eyes. “Oh, ha-ha. Yeah, can see why you’re a daughter of Athena, alright.”

“Just got the brains, what can I say?”

“You got something but I don’t think it’s brains.”

You barked out a sudden laugh, and Travis grinned. “What is it then?”

“You’re too young to get it. You’re a child, still.”

You gasped, leaning on your elbow. “I’m a year younger than you!”

He sighed jokingly. “Hmm…no.”

You practically dropped back to the deck and Travis visibly winced. “Fine. Whatever. Doesn’t bother me one bit.”

“Yeah. I can tell.”

The balls of light placed around the lake offered a gentle, rosy-pink and yellow glow cast over where you both lay. In this light, when you turned to look at Travis as inconspicuously as possible—ooh, that side of the lake was very interesting—you could see that he had a golden glow to his face, and those wide eyes swept slowly across the sky, the woods, and then to you.

In your stomach, you could feel your pulse, in the bend of your arm, and you could hear it, beating away hard, quickly.

“Think I’m ‘boutta have a heartattack,” you whispered, just letting it slip out. You’d worry about the embarrassment later. Bleh. “Your face is so ugly I’m going into cardiac arrest. Seriously, sort out your eyebrows, Travis, what have I told you?”

“Damn, Brains. Here I thought we were on to something.”

“Yeah, tweezer sales. You should start looking.” Your hair rustled your jacket as you looked away.

He huffed a laugh, letting his mouth curve. Travis had a cheeky smile, the kind that yelled hold on to your wallets, everybody! He had a small, barely-there dotting of freckles under his dark-brown eyes, and lips a neutral pink. In this light, you thought he was the definition of pretty. Not handsome. Not godly. Just pretty. Boyish. Lovely.

“Have you talked to Percy today? He seemed pretty bummed out at dinner.”

You hummed. “I have, actually. He’s upset about Annabeth going missing.” Which you had already explained.

“He’s bound to be. I mean, come on, they’ve been inseparable since last year’s quest.” Your heart clenched. Stop it, you told it. “He’s the one who convinced her to give going home to her dad a try.”

Your brain short circuited. “I knew that she went,” you said. “Just didn’t know he was the one to tell her to do it. I didn’t know they were that close.”

Travis developed a confused line between his brows. “She never mentioned him?”

“If she has done,” you shuffled uncomfortably. “It wasn’t to me.” Something flickered in you.

The silence after made you think. Sure, Annabeth and Percy had gotten closer since their quest last year. How could they not after something of that nature? How could Travis have known about Percy telling Annabeth about going home if you didn’t know a thing before his mentioning it. You were either out of the loop, or wildly behind. Either way, things would be sure to come out now. You would all have to work together from now on, because things were growing tenser and more troubling.

Boy troubles would have to wait.

—

Percy’s cabin was next. On your walk back to the cabins—Travis going in first—you watched a window in Percy’s cabin light up where he flicked a lamp on. It must have been at least eleven, now, maybe pushing midnight. What was keeping him up?

You stepped away from your cabin door, quietly sneaking across the grass. If you weren’t a demigod, you’d have made a good career as a criminal, because you were at his door and knocking on it in seconds.

Percy answered, looking frayed around the edges. He pulled you in by your wrist and closed the door.

“Dude, you look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge.”

He sent you a look. “Thanks. What are you doing out so late? You’re freezing.”

“It’s cold out.” You shrugged. “Anyway,” your arms crossed. “I’m here to check on you. You’ve not been up this late like this since Yancy.”

The edges of his eyes were rimmed dark red in the yellowish lamp by his bed. It smelled remotely of boy, sea salt and fresh air in here, a vast difference to your own cabin which held a slight smell of burning as of late. A result to an always experimenting cabin, you supposed.

“Just…” Percy shrugged his shoulders. He wore a simple pair of black shorts and a camp shirt a size larger, it looked. His eyes met the ground, and his shoulders drooped miserably. “Thinking about Annabeth. We’re safe here but she could be anywhere. Who’s to say she isn’t dead already?”

You pressed your lips together. Tension filled in you. Just how could you diffuse this? How could you make Percy feel better when you didn’t know the answer to his thoughts? To any of this?

“Luke’s a horrible guy,” you started, moving closer. You dropped a hand from your arm to flay it, palm up, as you talked. You wandered over to Percy’s bed, sitting heavily on it. “But he’s not so horrible as to let Annabeth die. They’ve known each other for years, haven’t they? That has to count for something.”

Percy was tired, you could tell, if his slowly dropping eyes flicking up was anything to go by. But he nodded. “Yeah, I guess.” He moved and planted himself down next to you. You turned.

“C’mon,” you pressed your hand to his shoulder. “You’ll feel better when you’ve slept.”

“Why?” He pulled away, confused.

You shrugged. “I don’t know. Something Chiron told me when I had a meltdown over my shoes last summer. It was true, though.”

“This is Annabeth!” He exploded. He fixed you with a piercing, hard gaze. You almost jumped. “This is your sister! She isn’t a pair of stupid shoes and nothing is going to make this any better unless we start to do something about it!” He breathed heavily, chest heaving. His face was twisted in annoyance. “She’s my best friend and nobody’s doing anything.”

Once again you were at a loss for words. “We just have to have hope, Percy.”

You dropped your hand down, circling your fingers around his wrist softly. He twisted his hand, and turned his face away from you, red cheeks on show as his palm met yours. Percy held your palm to his tightly, almost squeezing it. It was warm and soft, and you almost melted.

“That’s all we can do.”

—

Fresh air was gained as you all stood crowded in front of your cabin. All you could do was thank your mother you had chosen a pair of decent pyjamas last night.

Huddled in your bed covers—now smelling profusely of smoke and chemicals—you watched as the grey smoke inside poured out and up into the air.

“What did you do?”

You kept your eyes on the cabin. “What makes you think I did something?” You asked lazily, drawling your words.

“Because,” Travis set his elbow on your head. You were pretty sure he was closer than necessary, but…who were you to complain? “You’re covered in ash.”

“What a genius!” You smiled with extremely copious amounts of sarcasm. Now you really did turn to Travis, whose elbow dropped, and who had an eyebrow raised, not impressed. “I don’t know how you’re not a son of Athena, Travis. Someone was experimenting and it went wrong.”

“Hey—”

“Don’t lecture me, man,” you turned back. Cora was retching dramatically in the doorway, sounds and all. “I’m not in the mood.”

“Gods—what, are you on your period or something?”

You snapped your gaze dangerously to him. The boy looked caught out, shocked at himself. His face screamed shouldn’t have said that, shouldn’t have said that.

“What?”

“Santa?”

You clenched your jaw. You turned slowly. “I beg your pardon?”

In this early morning light of a pale violet, your eyes stung, but the sight of your friend cured the morning’s sourness to a certain extent.

Percy had a sly, conniving sort of smile on his face. At your side, he had his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his coat, and his hair was a terrible mess of ruffled black.

“Whose chimney have you been up?”

“Aren’t you brave man considering.” You drolled.

Cold, tired, and feeling as though your lungs were weighed down with iron weights from whatever it was that was set off, you were in no way, shape or form in the mood for this this early.

Percy draped his arm around your shoulder. Out the corner of your eye, Travis had moved away from you both, escaping the tricky situation he put himself in, talking to a girl at his side. You were about to look away—

A girl?!?

“Listen, we need to talk about—”

You sighed heavily, coughing on the smoke. “The only—” HACK “gods—the only plan I have today is to shower, clean my sheets, and sleep. No can do any athletics or brains today, muchacho.”

“But—”

“Dude,” you moved your head, sniffing your covers. “I smell like a barbecue. Honestly, I gotta take a shower ASAP.”

“Can you meet me after, then?” He sounded tired. You nodded, not questioning it. Just as you were walking away, back towards your cabin as the last of the smoke billowed out, Percy grabbed you by the shoulder of your blanket. You looked at him. “I had a dream last night. Grover’s going to meet us in the fields after breakfast. I want to talk to the both of you together.”

You eyed him momentarily. Then nodded slowly. “Okay.”

—

“A cave ceiling collapsed on her?” Grover asked.

“Yeah. What the hell does that mean?” Percy twisted his fingers in the grass anxiously, pulling at it. You looked from him to Grover.

Grover shook his head. “I don’t know. But after what Zoe dreamed—”

“Whoa. What do you mean? Zoe had a dream like that?”

“I…I don’t know, exactly. About three in the morning she came to the Big House and demanded to talk to Chiron. She looked really panicked.”

“Hang on,” you interrupted, leaning forward a little past Percy to look Grover in the eye. “How do you know about this?”

Grover blushed. “I was sort of…camped out outside the Artemis cabin all night.”

Your jaw dropped. “Grover!”

“What for?” Percy asked.

“Just to be, you know, near them.”

“You’re a stalker with hooves.” Percy scoffed.

“I am not! Anyway, I followed her to the Big House and hid in a bush and watched the whole thing. She got real upset when Argus wouldn’t let her in. It was kind of a dangerous scene.”

“What did she say?”

Grover grimaced. “Well, she starts talking really old-fashioned when she gets upset so it was kind of hard to understand. But something about Artemis being in trouble and needing the Hunters. And then she called Argus a boil-brained lout—I think that’s a bad thing, and then he called her—”

“Woah,” Percy sighed. “Wait. How could Artemis be in trouble?”

For once, you didn’t dare open your mouth to make some smart-mouthed remark. Not only was this important, but you wanted to know what was going on.

“I…well, Chiron finally came out of the house with his horsetail in curlers—” you snorted, “and, well, Zoe said she needed permission to leave camp immediately. Chiron refused. He reminded Zoe that the Hunters needed to stay here until they received orders from Artemis. And she said…she said ‘how are we supposed to get orders from her if she’s lost?’.”

“Lost?” You flicked your eyes to Percy, who looked just as confused. “What does she mean, lost?”

“Like she needs directions?”

“No,” Grover said, exhaustedly. “Like kidnapped. Taken. Gone.”

“But…” you struggled for the words. “How could someone just take a goddess? How’s that possible?”

“I mean, it happened to Persephone.”

“But she was, like, the goddess of flowers.” Percy said.

Grover looked offended. “Springtime.”

“Whatever. Who could kidnap Artemis? And why would they want to?”

Grover shook his head miserably. “I don’t know. Kronos?”

“He can’t be that powerful already, can he?”

“I don’t know. I think somebody would know if he was reformed. The gods would be more nervous, don’t you think? But still, it’s weird you and Zoe Nightshade having a nightmare on the same night.”

“It’s like they’re connected,” you said, and Grover nodded grimly. Percy had stopped picking at the grass. “The only people I can think of behind a dream like that would be Morpheus, or someone involved who took Annabeth.”

“Exactly. But who would be—”

“Hang on,” Percy turned his head, looking at you. “Who’s Morpheus?”

“God of dreams.”

“Ah. Fun. I’m gonna talk to Zoe about it. We have to figure out what’s happening.”

“Um, before you do…” Grover unzipped his coat pocket and dug his hand inside, pulling something out. It was folded like a pamphlet at a doctors waiting room. “You remember how the Hunters just turned up out of nowhere, right, at Westover Hall? Well, i think they were scouting us.”

“Scouting us?” You and Percy shared a look. “Why?”

He handed Percy the pamphlet, and Percy turned a little to share it with you. The front read A WISE CHOICE FOR YOUR FUTURE! You turned the first page, fingers brushing Percy’s. Inside were pictures of Hunters running, shooting, or smiling, like an advertisement for a holiday camp. The different pages had captions like HEALTH BENEFITS! and A BOY-FREE TOMORROW!

“Only for the weird,” you muttered.

“I found that in Annabeth’s backpack she left behind,” Grover nodded at it.

Percy’s coat ruffled as he looked up, dark hair touching his jacket. He really needed a haircut. When he spoke, it was with a little irritation. “I don’t understand.”

It was then that you understood what was happening. The quest with Annabeth last year. The worry deeper than just friendship. A sleepless last night. And the look on Percy’s face now. You weren’t stupid (you thanked your mother, and also cursed her). It was clear to see, even if Percy didn’t (boys were typically oblivious to this stuff).

Percy liked Annabeth. This worry went deeper than friendship.

“Percy,” you said softly, a weird feeling in your body. “Annabeth was thinking of joining.”

—

You didn’t see him for the rest of the day.

Wherever you went, Hunters were, and they only reminded you of Annabeth’s leaflet, then that reminded you of Annabeth being missing, and that reminded you of Percy’s sadness, and that reminded you of the feelings you still couldn’t label.

But it all came back to the dreams both Percy and Zoe had. And thus brought you back to…

“Chiron!” You beamed, leaning in the doorway. He looked up from the chess table, opposite Mr. D. with a weary but kind smile. “I’ve got a bone to pick with you.”

You stepped inside, pulling the door closed behind. It was warm inside as always, and the snow on your boots began to melt into the doormat. You dragged your feet along the harsh bristles and wiped it off. You’d settled on your Hunters coat; comfort over looks, in dire situations as these, and a scarf you left behind last year. You pushed your hands into your pockets.

“What is it, child?” He asked kindly.

You went to walk to the couch, but found yourself glaring at Mr. D. instead.

“Well, you certainly know how to ruin a good day. You and all those other whiny campers. Can we not simply have a bit of peace without continuous complaints?”

“Tushe,” you bit back, and he looked up, hand poised on a chess piece, face glowering.

“What is it you have come for?” Chiron cut in pointedly.

A shot in the dark, maybe. You sighed. “I wanted to talk to you about the nightmare Zoe Nightshade had.”

Chiron closed his eyes for a second. “Have you had any dreams?”

“No, but Percy has.”

You explained Percy’s dream feeling a little guilty to be spilling his personal life. But if it could help get your sister back, and prevent death, you had a reason to do so.

By the end, you found yourself sitting on the sofa, leaning forward with your elbows on your knees, looking desperately at Chiron for an answer.

“I really think that if we don’t start looking for Annabeth,” you said, trying to convince him. “She’s going to die. And from the sounds of things, Artemis will be in danger too. And then the gods will fight, and there’ll be carnage, and we’ll all die or something. It won’t end well if we sit here any longer.“

The fire crackled and popped, and you sat waiting for a response.

Finally, you got one. But not the kind you’d hoped for.

“You know what your problem is,” Mr. D. turned away from his game. “What all you heroes’ problems are? You get too involved. You cannot solve a goddess’s problem. Your friend is miles upon miles away. From what you have said so far, there is nowhere to start, no place to begin searching, yet here you are, complaining about how awful life is. Take this in, half-blood: some things just cannot be fixed.”

“What—Chiron!” You looked to him, mouth agape. “Even you’ve said that we need to look for Annabeth! And—and if we find Annabeth we might find Artemis, too, don’t you think? For them to go missing at near enough the same time can’t be a coincidence.”

Chiron’s worried, weary face reflected his thoughts. And he nodded. Relief filled you. “I agree,” he turned his head to Mr. D. “It is a very strange happening. And I fear if we leave things any longer, Annabeth and Artemis will not be the last to disappear.”

—

Capture The Flag only soured your mood further.

“I—” you tugged on a chest armour strap. “Hate. Capture. The. FLAG!”

Percy matched your energy. You turned your back to him and gestured to the straps you couldn’t pull properly. He tugged on the ones at your shoulders, tightening them. You did the same for him.

There weren’t many campers around, only fourteen, you counted, including yourself, and about thirteen Hunters. Little Nico was jumping excitedly and chattering away about his card game to a little boy called Harley, who was four and only hanging around to see the action; he lingered at Chiron’s side, obviously unable to join in with the game. He had turned up at camp just before you left last time.

“I’ll show them ‘love is worthless’,” Silena Beauregard grumbled viciously, swinging a sword between her fingers. The tree opposite her should have been scared. “I’ll pulverise them!”

“I’m with you on that one,” you said. Silence gave you a high-five.

Nico ran over to you in his clunky armour. You lifted his helmet from over his eyes, and he looked sad. “Percy said we don’t get to kill the other team.”

“Uh—no.”

“But the Hunters are immortal aren’t they?”

“The aim of the game is to have fun,” you said trying to be upbeat. “Even if it isn’t fun.”

“It can’t be fun if we don’t get to kill the other team.”

You lay your hands on his shoulders, pushing him towards Chiron. “Alright, kid! Let’s go visit Chiron. And maybe a psychologist.”

“Heroes!” he called. “You know the rules! The creek is the boundary line. Blue team—Camp Half-Blood—shall take the west woods. Hunters of Artemis—red team—shall take the east woods. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. No intentional maiming, please! All magic items are allowed. To your positions!”

“Intentional maiming, my ass,” you muttered. Silena snickered quietly.

“Blue team! Follow me!” Thalia bellowed, and you set off.

Little Nico bolted off ahead to Percy, who didn’t look the least bit happy. Travis was bumping his hip with a girl you came to know to be Katie Gardener. Silena Beauregard wasn’t a particularly close friend of yours, but living at camp through the quieter months and the busier months when things were packed together provided the opportunity to get acquainted with people. So at your side, you agreed to stick together. Thalia and Percy would likely stick together. Nico was running amok. And the Hunters worked too well together.

Your team flag was to be set up at the top of Zeus’s fist—you’d petitioned to rename it the Poop Pile, but Chiron hadn’t let you despite all in favour of the name. You scampered up the rock, planting it in place before scaling it back down.

Nico was set on guard duty by Percy, along with Connor and Travis and Charles Beckendorf. Yourself, Silena, Katie Gardener, and two Ares boys, Laurel and Jason, would be the decoy group, a fact you weren’t too happy about.

“Make a wide arc around the Hunters. Attract as many as you can. I’ll take the main raiding party round to the right and catch them by surprise.”

Everyone nodded. It sounded good.

“Anything to add, Percy?”

“Uh, yeah. Keep sharp on defence. We’ve got four guards, two scouts. That’s not much for a big forest. I’ll be roving the place. If you need help, yell.”

“And don’t leave your posts,” Thalia warned.

“Unless you see a golden opportunity,” Percy added. A tiny smirk began to grow. You could see what was happening.

Thalia scowled. “Just don’t leave your post.”

“Unless—”

“Percy!”

Thalia set her hand on his arm, and he yelped. Everyone ‘oooh’d at the sound of the static shock.

“Sorry,” she said, though she didn’t sound very sorry. “Now, is everyone clear?”

“Loud and clear, corporal.” You swiped a salute. Thalia just shook her head, looking away. A couple of kids laughed quietly. Nico began to march childishly in his clunky armour, saluting everyone, gaining more laughs.

The horn sounded, and your team dashed off to the left.

“We’re the decoys, right?” You called up ahead to Silena and Laurel. They yelled back a confirmation. “Does that mean I can do anything to be distracting?”

“Sure, as long as it’ll work!”

Once you were further in, you walked up a tall hill, able to see Chiron standing watch further away, and some people running about.

You set about your plan.

“Hello?! Guys, we’re up here!”

A brief, surprised cackle came from one of the boys running past. In a gap of the tree crowning above, watery light streamed through and highlighted a silvery shade jacket, moving.

You set off down the hill, and were ambushed instantly by a taller girl with a long ginger ponytail.

It might have been a fair fight, if she didn’t have arrows.

“Are you sure this isn’t against the rules?” You asked. She trained an arrow on you as you moved slowly away. “I mean, that’s definitely offensive. I can’t be defensive if you’ve got a weapon like that—”

“OOF!”

You yelled out as something knocked her over. Silena!

“Aw, man, I didn’t even mean to do that. Don’t go down that hill, guys. The rocks are out to get us,” she groaned, sitting up. The Hunter shrieked, as if she were totally outraged.

“You’re all childish! You could never be Hunters! And you argue like children!”

“Cool, okay,” Silena was finally standing. She flipped her dark braid back. “Well, thanks for letting our team progress. We’ll be on our way, now.”

Her face was a picture of pure loathing. The shimmer of another Hunters jacket glimmered, and the girl yelled out.

“Leyla! I’ve got two!”

You didn’t know you could run so fast, but apparently, camp offered the opportunity for new findings. You ran alongside Silena, up the hill, and had to make a sharp dash to the right, sending sticks and mud flying as you skidded, when three other Hunters came out of nowhere. Now you had five after you. The two of you lead them away from your team.

Close by, people called out and shouted, and then began gagging.

“What’s going on there?” You asked.

“No fair!” Thalia’s voice came through. “Fart arrows are unsportsmanlike!”

As you ran on, you watched the scene unfold. Your team came back together; Percy sprinted toward Zoe Nightshade holding your flag; Chiron had Travis and Connor on his back, both pale in the face and sporting bandages round their heads. Thalia was yelling furiously. Then…

“The Hunters win!” Chiron announced, not with pleasure. “For the fifty-sixth time in a row.”

Zoe had ran over to her side, pushing down Percy in the process, and the Hunters were cheering. She waved the flag in the air, laughing gloriously, as her teammates crowded around her laughing and cheering.

“Perseus Jackson!” Thalia boomed. Everyone looked her way. Even a good few metres from you, the smell of rotten eggs was prominent. Her armour crackled with electricity. “What in the name of the gods were you THINKING?”

Percy had gotten up off the ground, and glared at Thalia. “I got the flag, Thalia,” he waved it in her face. “I saw a chance, and I took it!”

“I was their ATTHEIR BASE!” She fumed. “”But the flag was gone. If you hadn’t butted in, we would have won!”

“You had too many on you!”

“Oh, so it’s my fault?”

“I didn’t say that!”

“Argh!” Thalia yelled angrily. She threw her hands out and pushed hard on Percy, shocking him with electricity and throwing him into a creek at the same time. A couple of people gasped—a couple Hunters tried to stifle their laughter—but some, like you, let out surprised noises. You stepped forward, ready to fetch Percy’s fried, dead body from the water if need be.

“I’m sorry!” Thalia shrunk back. She’d gone scarily pale. “I didn’t mean to!”

A wave roared as it burst from the creek, standing a few metres tall until it descended, right at Thalia, dousing her from head to toe violently.

Percy stood up, breathily heavily. “Yeah? I didn’t mean to do that, either,” he growled.

“Enough!” Chiron demanded.

Thalia held out her spear. A weird feeling you weren’t fond of began to seep through your body. “You want some, Seaweed Brain?”

Gods, did Percy’s face change.

Once more, Annabeth had inadvertently wound her way into the conversation today.

“Bring it on, Pinecone Face!”

Percy raised his sword, but before he could do anything more, lightening struck, hit Thalia’s spear like a conductor, and with a crack, hit Percy directly in the chest. He practically fell hard, his clothes singed and steaming.

“Thalia!” Chiron said. “That’s enough!”

Your friend stumbled to his feet, determined, and the water around him, every bit from the creek, rose and swirled into a massive funnel.

You soon realised what your gut feeling was for.

Percy dropped the water. He stared at something in the distance. Thalia frowned, confused, and turned as well, prompting others to do the same.

You moved forward, and it felt like every organ in your body dropped.

Something was approaching, clouded in dark green mist. It it got closer, you saw it wasn’t a something but a someone: the Oracle.

“No way,” you breathed. Even the Hunters had fallen silent. People began to step back on the sidelines as she grew closer and closer, decrepit, old, and faded. You moved back until you were out of the way. Looking at him, you said, “Chiron—”

“This is impossible,” he said, very worried. “It…she has never left the attic. Never.”

His words and knowledge did not matter, because she stopped in the centre of the group. In front of Percy.

Nobody moved. Nobody dared to. Then her voice hissed inside your head, and it was like a nightmare come to life. You hands met your ears.

I am the spirit of Delphi, the voice said. Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python.

The Oracle turned slowly, morbidly, to face Zoe Nightshade dead-on. Again, in your head: Approach, Seeker, and Ask.

Zoe visibly shook and swallowed hard. “What must I do to help my goddess?”

The Oracle’s mouth opened, and green mist poured out. It grazed the ground, and people stepped back to try and avoid it. You watched it pool around your ankles. That wasn’t the strangest part.

In the mist, images appeared. A mountain, and a girl you remembered to be Artemis standing at the barren edge. She was wrapped in chains, fettered to the rocks, kneeling with her hands raised as if to ward off an attacker. And she looked like she was in pain.

The Oracle spoke again.

Six shall go West to the goddess in chains,

One shall be lost in the land without rain,

The bane of Olympus shows the trail,

Campers and Hunters combined prevail,

The Titan’s curse must one withstand,

And one shall perish by a parent’s hand.

Then, as everyone watched, captivated, the mist began to come together and go back into the Oracle’s mouth, like a giant snake. She stepped back, and sat down on a rock, and went still, as if she’d never moved at all.

—

Well then. How are we feeling about that? :P

Taglist:

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#capsize #percy jackson #pjo #leo valdez #annabeth chase #heroes of olympus #jason grace #trials of apollo #hoo #nico di angelo #Percy Jackson x reader #pjo x reader #frank zhang #boo #the lightening thief #tlt #pjo x oc

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