Chapter 17: The Quest Begins

A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!

Also if you've enjoyed reading this story, please check out The Soul Engine for me! It would really mean a lot!

Percy makes his choice, gets some gifts, and things finally get underway.

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“… And that’s why I’m taking both of you with me.”

As Percy finishes his explanation of recent events to Annabeth and Clarisse in the privacy of the Poseidon Cabin, he falls quiet, watching the two girls for their reactions. Clarisse looks like a deer caught in headlights, her frozen form and wide eyes making it clear that he couldn’t have surprised her more if he’d tried. She no doubt never expected in a million years to be taken on the Quest with him… but here they were all the same.

It just made sense in Percy’s eyes. Sure, he could have left the Daughter of Ares behind, but that would run directly counter to what he’d already decided to do with her. Clarisse had effectively been broken down by her own cowardice. Freezing up against the hellhound had left her in a sorry state, but it had also left her in a malleable one. Percy wanted to build her back up into the warrior she could be, but he couldn’t very well do that if he left her behind in Camp Half-Blood for the remainder of their wager, now could he?

Meanwhile, Annabeth is almost vibrating with excitement. The blonde Daughter of Athena has an unholy glint in her eye as she whispers under her breath.

“I knew it… I knew you were my ticket onto a Quest. I just knew it…”

Percy lifts an eyebrow at that and she blushes, flinching back as she hears herself.

“Err… I mean, I-I would be happy to join you on your Quest… if you would have me, Percy.”

Chuckling softly, he just nods in response. He’s got a pretty good handle on what Annabeth is like at this point, and he doesn’t take it personally. They’ve shared too much for him to do so. Including the other blonde in the cabin with them. Speaking of which…

“But wait. You want to take HER with us? Percy, the prophecy kind of makes it obvious. She’s going to betray you!”

Clarisse stiffens at that, her jaw clenching in response to Annabeth’s accusation. Her hands curl into fists and for a moment Percy wonders if he’s going to have to step in to break up a catfight. But then, as crazy as it sounds… Clarisse uses her words.

“Don’t be an idiot.”

Okay, so they aren’t very nice words but they’re words all the same and THAT is some serious progress. Of course, now Annabeth is the one who looks like she’s a moment away from launching herself at the other woman, whipping her head around and gnashing her teeth at Clarisse. But Clarisse isn’t done yet.

“Percy said the prophecy stated he would be betrayed by one he calls ally. Do either of you really consider ME an ally after everything that happened leading up to and during Capture the Flag?”

That brings Annabeth up short. She blinks, considering Clarisse’s words, before slowly nodding as she leans back and begins to relax. Too bad Percy has to burst both of their bubbles.

“I do consider you an ally actually, Clarisse. And no Annabeth, I don’t think she’s going to betray us, prophecy or no prophecy.”

That gets reactions from both girls. They each give him wide-eyed looks. Clarisse’s is one of honest shock and awe, while Annabeth looks a little betrayed. But Percy just stands his ground, crossing his arms over his chest and flaring his nostrils in frustration.

“I’m not going to let the latter half of the prophecy define my actions, Annabeth. Chiron himself told me to only focus on the first two lines because they have the most actionable information. We know to go west and we WILL succeed in our quest. That’s all that matters. The rest of it… it could mean anything. No point in worrying over it, to be honest.”

For a long moment, silence falls in the cabin. Then, Annabeth’s shoulders slump and she lets out a rough sigh.

“Where do you get off being so damn wise, Percy? I’m the Daughter of Athena here, Seaweed Brain. Wisdom is supposed to be my thing.”

Her rueful tone causes a somewhat goofy grin to appear on Percy’s face. Even if the compliment is a little backhanded, it’s still high praise from the blonde.

“I wouldn’t be taking you along on this Quest if I didn’t think I’d need your wisdom, Annabeth. No way am I going to succeed here without my Wise Girl.”

It’s the first time he’s used a pet name with her in the same vein as Seaweed Brain. And part of him feels like ‘Wise Girl’ isn’t quite as clever as Seaweed Brain is. But… it’s his name for her all the same. And judging by the way Annabeth both lights up and goes scarlet at it, she certainly doesn’t mind being called that. Certainly not by him. Of course, they aren’t alone in the cabin…

“Right, if you two are going to be that cute, can we graduate from you both eye-fucking to actual fucking? Because the flirting is just making me horny.”

Clarisse gets a look from both of them at that, causing the Daughter of Ares to blush and belatedly remember her place as she ducks her head and squirms under their gazes. But Percy just grins and shakes his head with a sigh.

“Unfortunately, no. We’re expected to leave within the hour. Or rather, I am since Chiron told me there’s a car waiting for me. You two are still entitled to stay or go… you don’t HAVE to come with me.”

“Of course I’m coming with you!”

“I’m definitely in!”

Their responses come at the same time, making Percy snicker and shrug. Annabeth and Clarisse exchange a glance before seeming to come to a miniscule understanding.

“Right… we need to get our things together then. We’ll meet you at the car, Percy.”

With that, they both leave the cabin. Percy lets out a sigh and rolls his shoulders. Bringing Clarisse and Annabeth along… it still felt right. It felt proper. Getting his own things together takes only a few moments, seeing as he doesn’t have much to pack anyways. Then, he heads out of the cabin and towards the edge of Camp Half-Blood, where not just the car but several other people are waiting for him.

“Percy! I heard you’re going on your first Quest! I wanted to give you something before you left.”

The first to accost him, so to speak, was Luke Castellan, which admittedly surprised Percy a little bit. They’d had some swordsmanship lessons together, but ultimately Percy had been claimed by his father so quickly that they hadn’t gotten to talk much, nor did they have the opportunity to get very close. Then again, Luke and Annabeth were friends and it was Percy’s actions during Capture the Flag that had allowed Luke to carry the Red Team’s flag to victory…

As Luke offers an arm to clasp, Percy returns the gesture. When they pull apart, the other demigod smiles and holds up a pair of winged shoes.

“A gift from my father to me. But I think you’ll probably have better use of them then I would. Really, you haven’t truly lived until you’ve flown under your own power.”

Percy blinks as he takes the shoes from Luke and slowly nods.

“Err… thank you. This is incredibly generous.”

Chuckling, Luke reaches out and places a hand on Percy’s shoulder.

“We might be stuck here in Camp, but most of us aren’t blind or deaf to the world around us. And admittedly, as Head Counselor I know things most of the others aren’t privy to. This is an important Quest, Percy… maybe the most important Quest in any of our lifetimes. No pressure, of course.”

With that, Luke gives Percy a wink, his shoulder a squeeze, and then steps away, leaving them to it. Percy watches him go for a moment before looking down at the shoes in his hands again. He only tears his gaze away when Chiron clears his throat. Looking up at the hero-training centaur, it’s to find the other man looking rather… disturbed by Luke’s gift.

“… A generous gift to be sure, but perhaps one that Mr. Castellan did not think all the way through. I would not use those shoes for anything but the most dire of situations, Percy. Certainly do not use them on a whim. Actually… it would be best if you did not personally use them at all.”

Percy blinks at that, tilting his head to the side in confusion. Chiron is quick to explain.

“Zeus currently has it out for you. And he’s called the Skyfather for a reason, Percy. You are better off keeping your feet planted firmly on the ground for the duration of this Quest. We know from the prophecy that you are destined to succeed… but there’s no point in tempting fate.”

Oh. Right. That actually made a lot of sense and Percy felt a little dumb for not thinking of it. But then, neither had Luke right? The other young man had made the exact same oversight. Still, with Chiron’s warning in mind, Percy takes one long look at the winged shoes… and turns to Grover.

“Here, you take these for now.”

His best friend blinks in surprise but nods all the same, taking the shoes from Percy. Better that they be used by SOMEONE rather than risk him getting blasted out of the sky for daring to invade his Uncle’s Domain. Even Chiron nods approvingly, before holding out a familiar pen.

“This is…”

“That’s right. This is what you used back then, in the museum. It’s called Anaklusmos and you should consider it a gift from your father.”

Anaklusmos… Riptide. Percy blinks as the translation comes easily to him. He takes the pen from Chiron and uncaps it, causing the beautiful sword that he’d used to slay Mrs. Dodd what feels like a lifetime ago to appear once more in his hand.

“Beautiful…”

“That it is, Percy. That it is. Celestial Bronze… perfect for monster slaying. It won’t ever hurt a mortal though, so don’t even try. Not that I think you’re going to around murdering innocents, but just so you’re aware. It’s also impossible to lose it. So long as you don’t give it away willingly, Riptide will always return to your possession, no matter where it’s taken.”

Percy nods slowly, still a little mesmerized by the gift. Riptide had felt Right in a way nothing ever had all the way back when he’d used it against Mrs. Dodd, but now that it was back in his hands, it felt even better. Certainly, he was glad to have this if he was going on a Quest to retrieve Zeus’ Master Bolt. Especially given the first line of the prophecy. Speaking of which, Percy looks to Chiron sharply, even as he caps the sword and it returns to being a pen.

“I know I’m going west now. I know I’m facing ‘the god who has turned’. Any idea who that might be, Chiron?”

Chiron grimaces, even as Grover shifts from foot to foot uneasily. Speaking ill of Greek Gods never really worked out well in the myths that Percy knew of… but what other choice did they have?

“… If you go west, you will eventually run into one of the entrances of the Underworld. And who better to pit two of the Big Three against each other than the third? To say nothing of the hellhound… Percy, it is my belief that the one who stole Zeus’ Master Bolt might be Hades himself, Lord of the Underworld. You must go there to retrieve that which was taken.”

Alright then. No pressure or anything. As Percy comes to terms with Chiron’s words, the centaur in question claps his hands together.

“That said, we’re not expecting you to hoof it all the way there or anything. Argus will drive you into the city at the very least, and then you’ll go from there on your own.”

As Chiron waves at the nearby car, Percy lets out a low sigh. In the driver’s seat sits Camp Half-Blood’s Head of Security, Argus. He would be your typical blond surfer bro, save for the fact that he had a hundred blue eyes all over his body. He was also supposed to be a giant, but obviously his size was contained to a pretty reasonable state at the moment, given he was in the driver’s seat of a car.

No sooner has Chiron introduced them then Annabeth and Clarisse both come running up with a backpack each and Clarisse’s spear slung over her shoulder. Chiron’s eyes slide over them both for a moment before he looks back to Percy with a somewhat grim expression. Reaching out, he takes him by the shoulders.

“… I wish you’d had more time to train. Hercules… Jason… they all got more time than this. You’re being thrust right into the deep-end Perseus and to be honest, it’s not right.”

Percy blinks at hearing his ‘proper’ name used for the first time since arriving in camp. He squirms a bit under Chiron’s heartfelt words. In the end, he can’t help but crack a joke in the midst of the heavy atmosphere.

“Well, I guess it’s lucky I can breath underwater, isn’t it?”

Chiron snorts, Grover and Clarisse both laugh, and Annabeth scoffs as she punches him in the shoulder.

“Seaweed Brain.”

It’s said affectionately as much as it is admonishingly, and Percy just grins some more. Shortly after that… they’re off. Making their way into the city in the back of Argus’ car. Well, he, Annabeth, and Clarisse are in the back of Argus’ car. Grover is seated in the front seat riding shotgun, while Percy finds himself sandwiched between the Daughters of Ares and Athena. It made sense, there was no way he was going to let them sit next to each other for hours even if he WOULD have preferred a window seat.

However, just as Percy is thinking this… he feels a hand on his leg. And then another on his opposite leg. And he looks to see both Annabeth and Clarisse are… beginning to move their hands up his legs, to his thighs. They’ll come into contact with one another soon if he does nothing to stop them. But then… he’s pretty sure they’ll have an audience if he lets them do anything. Argus might have the two eyes set into his skull on the road, but that’s to say nothing about the eyes visible on the back of his neck.

Annabeth and Clarisse didn’t seem to care that much. But did Percy? Or was he up for finding a way to… surreptitiously pass the time?

[X] Do both, let them pleasure him (handjob) while he also pleasures them (fingering) - 69%

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