Chapter 52: A Promise Made

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!

In which Percy makes his opinion known... and Hestia makes a request.

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Percy hates seeing Hestia like this. But he doesn’t think she’d lie to him, so as long as it’s only surface deep, he’s not going to worry too much. That said, her concerns are worth consideration. His first instinct is to immediately shoot down the idea of giving up on Camp Half-Blood, but he bites back that initial impulse to actually think things through for a second.

What if Hestia is right? What if saving Thalia’s Tree and the rest of Camp Half-Blood really does play right into Kronos’ hands? The Goddess of the Hearth would know better than Percy just how likely such a thing is. This was her father they were talking about after all.

And yet… and yet… how could Percy possibly advocate for anything less than trying their absolute hardest to turn things around? Thalia’s Tree was one thing. He knew how upset Annabeth would be if it died for good, but if it was just the tree, it might be worth letting it go if it let them focus their efforts elsewhere.

However, Camp Half-Blood… Camp Half-Blood was a bastion of safety and security for demigods. Percy finds himself thinking of all of the people he’d met last summer. He finds himself thinking about Bianca, newly arrived. And he finds himself thinking about Nico, who in just a few more years would be old enough to start attracting monsters just like Percy and his sister did. Nico and every other demigod coming of age needed Camp Half-Blood. They needed a place where they could be safe.

Percy feels a sense of calm wash over him as he comes to the simple conclusion that his first instinct was the right one. Abandoning the others, letting Camp Half-Blood collapse… it was the same choice he’d made when he’d decided between chasing after Luke or the Pit Scorpion last summer, just on a larger scale.

And just like then, he couldn’t bring himself to abandon those who might be counting on him now.

“We have to try, Goddess.”

Hestia smiles softly, even as Percy squeezes her hand in his own.

“We can’t allow evil’s schemes to stop us from doing good. Letting Camp Half-Blood fall would be a tragedy. Even if we’re playing into his hands, I think we owe it to ourselves and to everyone who calls this place home to try our best to save it all the same.”

He speaks from the heart, without reservation. Fortunately, Hestia takes his advice seriously, the strongest smile he’s seen yet appearing across her exhausted features as she squeezes his hand right back.

“Thank you, Percy. Your courage, as ever, fills me with strength.”

Percy flushes and ducks his head, unable to stop the small smile from appearing on his face.

“You’re right, of course. The only way for Evil to triumph is for Good to do nothing. Perhaps we are dancing to my father’s tune… but I will not give up Camp Half-Blood without a fight.”

Straightening up and squaring his shoulders, Percy looks Hestia in the eye.

“What do I need to do, Goddess? You said before that there was a way to save the Camp. A way so obvious that it seems suspicious. But you also said you can’t do it yourself? What do you need of me?”

He’s ready. Frankly, he’s more ready than last time, when he found himself forced onto a Quest to retrieve a stolen divine artifact that he was accused of thieving. Percy was much happier going on a quest for Hestia than he had been for Zeus, that was for sure.

But to his surprise, Hestia tiredly shakes her head.

“Apologies Percy, but it doesn’t quite work that way. There is an… order to things like this. You were already given a Quest recently, and while you succeeded with flying colors, to be given another so soon would be seen as favoritism.”

Well that made Percy want to frown more than a little bit. Favoritism? Seriously? At a time like this? He was the best man for the job, and they were really going to- no… Hestia was right. First of all, Percy couldn’t say for certain that he was the best man for the job. That was just his ego talking. And second of all, he was well aware just how mercurial and temperamental the Greek Gods were. Sure, Zeus might not be around anymore, but he was just one slice of the big ole problem pie, wasn’t he?

“In fact, given what you told me about Aphrodite’s warning regarding Hera, I would prefer if you stayed in Camp Half-Blood for the duration of this situation, so that I can watch over you more closely.”

Percy blinks at Hestia’s suddenly firm, commanding tone. He opens his mouth to protest her orders, before finally lowering his head.

“If… if that is what you think is best, Goddess.”

Hestia sighs and brings up her free hand to rest atop his bowed head.

“Oh Percy. You shouldn’t feel as thought you must bear the weight of the entire world on your shoulders. You are just one man. Your circumstances might be unique, but you mustn’t be reckless. You do not have to do everything all the time.”

She was right, of course. It still rankled just a little bit though. Percy gives Hestia a slight smile and nod, before slowly rising to his feet.

“Thank you, Goddess.”

“No Percy, thank you. You’ve helped me greatly already, both with your advice and with your words of encouragement. We mustn’t give up. We mustn’t give in. No matter what.”

Right. Percy nods again, feeling bolstered by Hestia’s words. Then, reluctantly, he leaves her side and departs from the Big House. Part of him wants to stay, to try and convince her that she should send him on the Quest after all regardless of the danger posed by Hera, or the anger of the other Gods and Goddesses if they feel that he’s being shown ‘favoritism’. How can Percy possibly expect things to work out for the best if he’s stuck here at Camp, twiddling his thumbs?

He doesn’t necessarily need to be steering the ship but damn it all if he still doesn’t want to have a hand in making sure the voyage goes smoothly. With a low sigh, Percy finds himself arriving at the Poseidon Cabin and trudging inside.

… Where he’s immediately ambushed by someone wrapping their arms around his neck and kissing him deeply.

“Mmph!”

He’d told Annabeth to show Bianca around and then eventually take her to his cabin since Hades didn’t have a cabin and he didn’t want her to be staying with the Hermes Cabin. But he hadn’t expected to find himself in a lip lock the moment he stepped inside.

His hands instinctively go to shapely feminine hips as he returns the kiss for a long moment, wondering what had prompted such behavior from Bianca. Only, when he finally opens his eyes and looks past the person he’s kissing… Percy sees Bianca sitting on his bed, blushing and biting her lower lip as she watches him makeout with… Annabeth Chase.

Belatedly realizing exactly who he’s currently swapping spit and tongue wrestling with, Percy blinks rapidly as he holds Annabeth close. He’s not just going to push her away or anything like that, but the Son of Poseidon is still more than a little caught off guard. Finally, they have to pull apart for oxygen, but before Percy can ask any questions, Annabeth turns to Bianca and smirks.

“See? It’s just like I told you.”

Bianca, flushed as all hell but having watched the entire time, just slowly nods her head. Percy, meanwhile, frowns a bit, suddenly quite distracted from the conversation he’d just had with Hestia. Nothing like romantic troubles to pull him out of his own head, he supposed.

“Alright ladies… what’s going on here? Annabeth, what was that about?”

There’s a warning in his tone… because he’s pretty sure they’ve had this conversation before. Annabeth and Clarisse had butted heads a few times back in the beginning too, with Percy eventually having to put his foot down and make it clear that Annabeth couldn’t bully Clarisse just because Clarisse was in a disadvantageous position. At the time, Clarisse had been Percy’s ‘maid for a week’.

If Annabeth was up to her old habits with Bianca, Percy was going to be very cross indeed. However, the Daughter of Athena looks supremely unconcerned as she gives him a smirk.

“Bianca here professed a certain… skepticism that I might actually be one of your women, Percy. I told her that I most definitely was and offered to prove it to her when you finally came by.”

Oh. That wasn’t so bad. A quick glance at Bianca shows that the olive-skinned demigod is blushing up a storm and sheepishly nodding in agreement. From the sound of things, Annabeth had just wanted to prove herself. That was a lot better than bullying Bianca.

“So! How did the talk with Goddess Hestia go? Did you learn anything?”

Percy hesitates for a moment before nodding.

“Hestia thinks there might be a way to save Thalia’s Tree as well as Camp Half-Blood. Actually, no… she’s convinced that she knows of a way to save the Camp. However, she doesn’t want to send me on another Quest quite so soon. She asked me to stay in Camp Half-Blood where it’s safe for the duration of this crisis.”

Annabeth blinks owlishly at that, the eternally curious and quite intelligent young woman actually at a loss for words for a moment.

“I… what? But you… she…”

Percy shrugs, smiling lopsidedly.

“I’m not the center of the universe, Annabeth. There are a lot of demigods in Camp and I’m sure many of them are just as capable as I am. Heck, you should go throw your hat in the ring and go on the Quest yourself.”

Annabeth’s eyes flicker to the door and he can tell she’s very, very tempted. Percy doesn’t blame her. She’d been jonesing for a Quest even before he’d shown up at Camp last year, and while she’d gotten to go on his and it had been a success, it still wasn’t HER Quest. If she wants to go and talk to Hestia now, Percy is more than happy to let her, especially after he’d made her watch Bianca while he spoke to the Goddess alone.

“… No.”

Percy can’t help raise an eyebrow in surprise when Annabeth finally shakes her head instead, looking back to him… and reaching out to grab his hand with a smile.

“I don’t want to go on a Quest if I can’t have you watching my back. So I guess we’ll both just have to stay here and do what we can do to protect the Camp while whoever Hestia sends completes the Quest.”

Annabeth proceeds to put her money where her mouth is by tugging him over to where Bianca is sat on the bed. She sits down next to the Daughter of Hades, pulling Percy into position in front of them. Then, without missing a beat, the blonde Daughter of Athena reaches out and frees Percy’s cock from its confines, letting his growing length flop out in front of both of their eyes.

Percy grunts and Bianca squeaks, but Annabeth just grins wickedly and licks her lips before glancing to Bianca.

“What’s the matter, Bianca? You told me before that you already lay with Percy, didn’t you? Surely you’ve used your mouth to pleasure him already, right?”

Bianca’s eyes are wide as she slowly shakes her head.

“N-No… I… h-he did for me, but I haven’t… I don’t know how to…”

Annabeth lifts her brow at the confession that Percy had performed cunnilingus on her. Then, she grins wickedly.

“Well… there’s no time like the present to learn, right?”

He’s just about to interject and let Annabeth know Bianca is from the early twentieth century and not to push so hard, but before Percy can say a word…

“R-Right!”

Bianca gets this cutely determined expression on her face, one that catches even Annabeth a little off guard. Especially when the olive-skinned woman follows it up by leaning forward and capturing Percy’s cock in her mouth, one hand inexpertly wrapping around the based of his dick to hold him steady.

“Oooh… someone’s eager~”

Annabeth hastily leans forward as well, pushing her face into Bianca’s bulging cheek and cooing as she watches the other young woman perform her first act of oral sex. Percy, meanwhile, can’t help but just sort of stare at both girls. Was this seriously happening? Ah, who was he kidding? Of course it was seriously happening. Frankly, the moment he’d pawned Bianca off to Annabeth so he could talk to Hestia privately, Percy should have known something like this would happen.

After all, if telling Bianca straight up that he had multiple lovers already wasn’t enough to scare her off, then finding herself being propositioned by Annabeth wasn’t going to do it either. Percy groans as Bianca hollows out her cheeks in her enthusiasm, sucking him diligently and eagerly.

She goes a little too deep though, and all of a sudden she’s pulling back as she chokes and gags a bit on his length. Annabeth is there to help her out though.

“Don’t worry. That’s normal. His cock is much too big for any one girl to handle, Bianca. You have to work your way up and get used to it. Here, let me show you~”

With a wicked little grin, Annabeth winks up at him and then descends down his cock. Bianca watches raptly as the Daughter of Athena positively inhales his dick, taking him all the way to the base and then some. She bobs up and down a few times before pulling back off again, his cockhead leaving her sucking lips with an audible ‘pop’ as Bianca stares at her with wide eyes.

“You just… took the whole thing like it was n-nothing.”

Annabeth smirks, clearly preening under Bianca’s awed praise.

“Like I said, you have to get used to it. It’s all about experience at the end of the day. Follow my lead?”

When Bianca nods excitedly, Annabeth looks even more thrilled than before. Percy can only watch on as the Daughter of Athena happily takes on a teacher-student dynamic with the Daughter of Hades… all over his dick of all things. For a second he wonders if he should step in… but no. Annabeth isn’t even being condescending or controlling or anything like that. She actually seems to truly want to help Bianca out, and she’s a really good teacher when she puts her mind to it.

In the end, Percy decides to take a step back and… go with the flow. He’s already doing that where this current threat to Camp Half-Blood is concerned on Hestia’s orders. Might as well use this little bit as practice for that, he supposed…

[ ] Switch to Annabeth's POV - 17%

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