Chapter 38: Next Steps
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!
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
-x-X-x-
It’s tempting. Even for Hestia, the idea of keeping the truth from the others for as long as possible was oh so very tempting. But… no. She knew better. They all knew better. But Hestia might be the only one capable of actually acting on that knowledge.
“We tell them the truth. We tell them Zeus forced our hands.”
Poseidon and Hades both look aggrieved at the thought. The Lord of the Seas is the first to speak, but the Lord of the Dead isn’t far behind.
“Our hands?”
“That’s not going to go over well.”
Hestia nods to both of them, addressing Poseidon first.
“I will not shy away from my part in this. You and Hades might have been the ones to strike, but I was the one who made the sacrifice. What happens next… we three will all take responsibility for.”
Looking to Hades, she shakes her head.
“I suspect it won’t go well, you’re right. Zeus and Poseidon were just on the brink of going to war, after all. But trying to hide it would only make it worse in the end. They will be upset, but I shall support you both as we tell them. Together, we three shall make this right and prepare Mount Olympus for our father’s potential return.”
Her words have a pronounced effect on Hades and Poseidon alike. Despite what has happened today, Hestia still has a reputation stretching back thousands of years. To have her on your side in a conflict was almost unheard of given her neutrality. This in turn imparted a sense of righteousness to anything that she did decide to agree with, and those moments were few and far in between.
Ultimately, while the rest of the Council would be outraged over Zeus’ death, Hestia was confident that they could be placated. For all that Zeus was their King, he was not a very good one… and Hestia herself declaring as much would go a long way to calming things down. Still, it was probably going to get worse before it got better, she suspected.
Especially with the recent hostilities between Zeus and Poseidon. That was probably why Poseidon had sought to clarify just who they would be blaming for Zeus’ removal from the board. After all, it would be simplest for Hestia and Hades to lay all the blame as Poseidon’s feet, and then turn the other Olympians against him. But Hestia would not do that. She would never do that.
“If we are to summon the entire Council, the boy cannot be here. Unless you intend to throw him to the wolves this early on.”
Hades’ drawled words cut through Hestia’s thoughts, causing not just her but also Poseidon and Percy to both jolt back to attention. He’s right, of course. The God of the Underworld is completely right. Percy can’t stay. Not for the meeting that is to come. He’d either wind up drowning in the presence of so many gods… or worse, he’d complete his ascension even faster.
Hestia didn’t mind the idea of Percy becoming a God, to be fair. Else she wouldn’t have let Zeus’ Domain of Kingship go to him so easily. She also would have pulled him out of the way of Zeus’ blood when Poseidon and Hades finally struck. However, becoming a God was not a simple thing. And it was not something you wanted to be rushed either. Percy, despite being the Reincarnation of Adonis, was still young. His foundations were still being established.
Even as things currently stood, the slowest time table had him becoming a God far faster than Hestia would ever recommend for anyone. But at least if they tried to adhere to that, it would give more a more stable foundation than the alternatives.
“You are correct, brother. Percy, it is time for you to leave… and as it so happens, I have a task for you back at Camp Half-Blood.”
The young man straightens up at that, looking tired but also focused and attentive. He’s had a long week and Hestia wishes she could tell him he was done and could rest now for a time. But unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.
“Luke Castellan.”
At the mention of his fellow demigod’s name, Percy’s eyes widen in understanding before narrowing in contemplation.
“He’s another servant of the Crooked One, isn’t he?”
Hestia nods at Percy’s words, even as Hades and Poseidon both shift on their thrones.
“It seems most likely at this point in time. Him giving you those shoes… it’s simply too much of a coincidence to ignore. It’s possible he was tricked or enthralled like Ares, however. As such, I have not seen fit to strip him of the protections afforded by my Domain in Camp Half-Blood. If I had, the others in the Camp would know immediately and act accordingly… which may lead to bloodshed or even death.”
Sighing, Hestia looks down at her hands.
“I would like to avoid that as much as possible, all things considered. That’s why… I must ask a lot of you, Percy. I must ask you to return to Camp Half-Blood, telling no one of what has happened here today. And I must ask that you separate Luke from the rest of the Camp, removing him from my Domain so that you might find out what sort of hold our father has on him.”
Percy grimaces, crossing his arms over his chest.
“What do I do if I confirm it? Whether he’s enthralled or not, what am I supposed to do?”
Hestia hesitates here for a brief moment, but ultimately hardens her heart. She’s been doing a lot of that today.
“I would ask that you try to take him into custody, Percy. And failing that… I would ask that you end the threat he poses to you and the rest of the Camp.”
It’s obvious that doesn’t sit well with Percy. But in the end… he nods his head.
“For you Goddess, I’ll do my best.”
Hestia graces him with a gratified smile.
“I know you will Percy. Good luck.”
As the young demigod leaves the room, Hestia turns back to her brothers, watching both Hades and Poseidon as their gazes follow Percy out. Both of them look thoughtful, though for different reasons. Clapping her hands together, she draws their attention back to her.
“Time to call for the others. Shall we?”
This causes grimaces to spread across her brothers’ faces, unsurprisingly enough. And more than fair, really. This… this was going to be rough.
-x-X-x-
Even though he’s got a pretty rough mission of his own, Percy doesn’t envy Hestia, Hades, and Poseidon for what they’re apparently about to have to do. Descending from Mount Olympus via elevator, he’s a little surprised when the doors open up only to reveal he’s in the Big House… but also kind of not. At this point, he really isn’t shocked by what it turns out divine beings are capable of, really.
Stepping out into Camp Half-Blood’s main administrative building, Percy lets out an explosive sigh before looking around. It would be better if he wasn’t seen by anyone but the man he was looking for, and Luke HAD been at the Big House the last time they’d spoken via rainbow. But obviously that was days ago, so it wasn’t too surprising that he didn’t immediately see the other man.
Instead…
“Percy? You’re back?”
Looking over to see Chiron the Centaur standing there on the deck, Percy tries to summon a smile to his face… and fails. Everything that just happened, everything that he just experienced… he’s going to be unpacking that for a while, isn’t he? But he can’t exactly have a breakdown right now. Not when there’s still work to be done.
“I’m back, Chiron. I think… the others should be back soon as well.”
He hoped anyways. But he didn’t have time to wait for them.
“I have orders from the Goddess Hestia though. I need to speak with Luke.”
Chiron blinks at the certainty and confidence in Percy’s voice. Fortunately, the Hero Trainer is wise enough not to bother asking Percy what those orders are. If Percy isn’t saying upfront, then obviously they’re not for Chiron to know.
“… He should be down by one of the training fields at this time of day.”
Percy nods and begins heading off, only for Chiron to call out to him.
“Percy wait! Are you… are you well? How did the Quest go?”
Looking back at the ancient centaur, Percy knows the smile he forces onto his face doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Quest completed. Master Bolt retrieved. And no, I feel like shit. But there will be time for rest later.”
Chiron makes a commiserating noise in the back of his throat, looking concerned for Percy but not trying to pry any further. And so Percy heads on his way, moving through the Camp almost as if he’s in a daze. When he finally arrives at the training field, it’s to find Luke working alone, thankfully. Attacking a training dummy with his sword, right up until he sees Percy standing there.
“Wha- Percy! You’re back!”
He’s not good at lying even under better circumstances. These are not better circumstances. For Hestia though, he does his best.
“I’m back. Goddess Hestia wants me to check the edges of the Camp together. Something about her Domain weakening in certain places. You free to help out?”
He needs to get Luke away from the rest of Camp to somewhere secluded. This seems like the best method of doing so. At the same time, he can see from the way Luke hesitates that he already knows something is up. Percy tries to be as subtle as possible even as he tenses in case Luke starts a fight. But then…
“Sure! That sounds serious, let’s check it out together.”
Just like that, Luke is all smiles and earnest help as he follows Percy out of the Camp and towards its border. Was it because Luke wasn’t really even aware that he was being used by Kronos? Was it because he was enthralled like Ares? Percy could understand why Hestia was nervous to take action against Luke. If she went too far, she might very well be guilty of the same heavy-handed behavior that she’d taken action against Zeus for. If she didn’t go far enough, Luke might manage to escape or hurt someone in the ensuing chaos.
Percy was the middle ground. He wasn’t necessarily happy about that, but it made sense. As they go, he finds himself side-eyeing Luke and studying him in the process. Which is when he notices the Son of Hermes playing with his sword pommel and finally realizes that the sword Luke had been practicing with wasn’t just some training sword. It was also not a weapon Percy had ever seen the other demigod wield before.
“New sword?”
Luke blinks and then grins, nodding slightly.
“Yeah. It’s called Backbiter.”
Huh. Sounds dangerous. Percy furrows his brow, now remembering the strangeness of the blade. He’d been distracted initially, but thinking back… wasn’t the sword a weird mix of metals? One side looked like celestial bronze and the other had looked like normal steel. Strange.
Either way, they’re finally on the edge of Camp Half-Blood. Away from anyone who Luke might have been able to take hostage or harm, away from anyone who might have mistakenly leapt to the well-liked demigod’s defense. Completely alone.
Percy considers how to feel Luke out for a second… but he’s tired. So he just does it bluntly.
“Those shoes you gave me flew into Tartarus.”
His words cut through the silence like a knife, causing Luke to freeze in place for a moment, his eyes wide. Briefly, he can see a moment where Luke almost tries to pass it off… but then decides against it.
“Huh, so they did work. I was wondering, seeing as you were here. Did you just not wear them or something?”
Percy shakes his head.
“I’m a Son of Poseidon. Wasn’t exactly looking to eat a lightning bolt to the face for having the temerity to fly through the sky. Gave them to Grover, but they didn’t fit quite right so when we finally made it to the Underworld and the trap was sprung, we were able to take them off of him pretty quickly.”
Luke hums, before grinning as he nods almost amicably.
“Damn. Guess I underestimated you, Percy. Thought for sure you’d just give Zeus the middle finger and wear them anyways.”
Percy tries not to think too hard on the images that Luke’s words about giving Zeus the middle finger invoke. Instead, he focuses on the here and now, stuffing his hands into his pockets and closing one of them around Riptide’s pen form in the process.
“You know the Crooked One made you do that, right? Just like he made Ares help me and the others get to the Underworld in the first place, and also made him attack us once we escaped. Ares didn’t seem to know exactly who or what he was working for… or how he came to be working for them. If this is all a surprise to you Luke… try to fight it. Try to fight off his influence.”
There’s no confusion or anger on Luke’s face. No befuddlement or moment of realization like he finally understands that he’s being controlled. Instead, Luke just stands there for a moment before chuckling.
“Heh… god or not, I’m nothing like that buffoon of a War God, Percy. I know exactly who I’m working for. Lord Kronos has promised me many things… but above all else, he’s promised me that the gods will fall. And that’s more than good enough for me.”
Grinning wickedly now, Luke shakes his head.
“You know I was supposed to befriend you? I thought it would be easy. Offer some training, get nice and close to you. But not only did you turn out to be a savant with a sword, you also turned out to be a total horndog. Impossible for me to get close to you when you were so busy fucking Annabeth and Clarisse. I just didn’t have the right equipment to attract your attention.”
Wow. Percy grits his teeth and ultimately decides not to bother with words. He was just so done with all of this. Luke wasn’t someone he was particularly interested in trying to understand the motivations of at this point. Pulling Riptide from his pocket and uncapping it, Percy points the Celestial Bronze Sword at the other demigod.
“Stand down and surrender. Hestia will know what to do with you.”
Luke laughs.
“Hestia? Don’t you mean Zeus?”
When Percy stays quiet, the Son of Hermes just shakes his head, not even bothering to draw his blade.
“I’m not going to fight you, Percy. Savant with a sword, remember? I’m not foolish enough to try and duel you. Have to thank you though for bringing me all the way out here. Makes it all the easier to escape.”
Percy narrows his eyes and takes a step forward.
“I’m not going to just let you walk away, Luke.”
“… No, I suppose you wouldn’t. Lord Kronos! Lend me your aid!”
Eyes widening, Percy can’t stop what happens next as the ground between him and Luke splits open and a massive scorpion crawls out of the depths of the Earth… likely the depths of Tartarus itself, all things considered.
“That’s a Pit Scorpion, Percy. Careful now, their venom kills in under a minute and they can jump fifteen feet at a time.”
Percy grits his teeth, watching both the scorpion and Luke carefully.
“You think that thing is going to be enough to beat me Luke? Really? Did you forget about the hellhound?”
Luke just laughs.
“Considering the hellhound was me too… no, I didn’t forget Percy. But that’s why the Pit Scorpion isn’t for you.”
Percy’s eyes widen as the monstrous creature suddenly uses its impressive leaping capabilities to fling itself over his head… in the direction of the Camp.
“Goodbye, Percy.”
Luke turns and begins to walk away. He just… walks. Like he knows Percy won’t go after him. Like he knows Percy will prioritize protecting Camp Half-Blood, Percy’s people, over taking Luke down.
Every fiber of his being screams to go and protect his people. That’s what a ruler does. Except Percy isn’t a leader or a ruler… is he? The sensation feels foreign but also not. Is he really going to let Luke get away this easily? Is he really going to let the Pit Scorpion potentially kill some campers just to take Luke down?
… Fuck.
[X] Let Luke go for now, he can't in good conscience let the Pit Scorpion reach Camp Half-Blood - 81%
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