"Hm, fine," Marchosias said as she spread her wings before running forward and shooting into the sky.
"HOOOOOLY SHIT!" Annabeth yelled out as she grabbed Percy's wait who in turn grabbed Marchosias neck.
"This is so cool!" Percy cried out as Marchosias zoomed across the city skyline giving a clear view of New York city. The lights reflected off the windows making it look like they were flying through a tunnel of light. Percy smiled, and for a moment simply enjoyed the feeling of flying. For now, this single moment everything was good.
But just as that feeling came it went, as Marchosias soon flew past the city and towards camp. "Do you know where we are going?!" Percy screamed louder than the roaring wind.
"Of course I do. Don't you think that if I didn't I would ask you before we took off?!" Marchosias yelled back.
"Good point!" Percy replied as the three slowly made it onto Long Island. After a few minutes of flying at incredible speeds they reached Montauk and Marchosias landed right on the hill that lead to camp.
Percy and Annabeth got of and Percy turned to his servant, "thanks Marchosias, you really saved us a lot of time and energy."
"You know there are other ways you can thank me," Marchosias said with a growl in her throat, she then exploded into shadows but before she could take on her human form Percy put her back into the gauntlet. Yeah, he really didn't want Annabeth to start freaking out when she saw Marchosias in her human form.
"Well at least we got here fast," Annabeth said as she climbed the hill, "come on we need to get Clarisse to the med bay."
"Right," Percy said as she opened up his inventory and slowly pulled Clarisse out. He then held her carefully walking towards camp.
"Why did you take her out now? You could have done it inside and not have to carry so much weight."
"I don't want others to know about my powers just yet Annabeth," Percy spoke just as they reached the entrance to camp, "I trust you, but I don't' trust everyone here."
"Percy you nearly died for these people, you went to the Underworld for these people, how can you not trust them?"
"Because.....because the first demigod from camp I trusted with my life was Luke."
Annabeth stopped in her path just as they reached the Big House, "Percy I......I can't make excuses for Luke, but the rest of us won't betray you like he did Percy. We wouldn't do that to you."
Percy nodded as he walked up the the door, "I know, I know that, but I still can't bring myself to trust them. Maybe one day I can, but for now I want this to remain a secret."
"Who else knows? About your powers I mean"
"Just you, my dad and the Fates," Percy said as Annabeth opened the door for him.
"Wow, ain't I special."
"Indeed you are Annabeth, indeed you are."
Percy brought Clarisse to the second floor and put her on the first bed he found while Annabeth called a child of Apollo to come and look at Clarisse. Soon they had her stabilized with a fresh supply of blood flowing through her, from what the Apollo kids were saying she was going to be fine.
Percy and Annabeth stayed at Clarisse side and soon Chiron came to join them. He was genuinely surprised to see the three campers again and his face showed it, "I take it things didn't go too well."
"Yeah no shit," Percy commented his eyes fixed on Clarisse.
"It was a trap. Luke was ready for us," Annabeth said before continuing in a low tone, "and he had Gergosa's with him."
Chiron looked shocked beyond belief, "what?! How is that possible?"
"We don't know," Annabeth replied and slowly she began to fill Chiron in on everything that had happened to them on their quest.
Percy sighed watching them and got up heading out. Annabeth and Chiron didn't notice him leaving and continued to discuss on how Luke could have gotten his hands on a Gergosa. Percy walked out of the Big House and quickly walked to one place that always calmed him down, the beach.
Slowly all the emotions that Percy had bottled up inside of himself had slowly started to leak out. He let Gamer's mind slip out and slowly he started to feel everything he was hiding away. The anger, the guilt, the pain and the regret.
All of pulled on his heart strings and slowly Percy felt the weight of the world on him. He reached the beach and the sight of the waters in front of him made him relaxed, the pain was still there, but now it was manageable.
He started to sort out what he felt. The anger was because of Luke. The very sight of the traitor just made him want to punch something. The guilt and regret was because he had brought two of his friends into danger.
And the pain was because he couldn't do anything to make sure they didn't get hurt. It was pure luck they defeated the Gergosa and lived, and even then Clarisse nearly died and Annabeth was almost monster food.
Percy sat down and watched the waves as slowly a tear flowed from his face. I was too much, it was too much for him to take on alone.
"Percy?," a soft voice called out grabbing Percy's attention.
Percy wiped his tears and turned around seeing Nina in her black apron with soot spread across her face. She smiled at him as she sat down next to him crossing her legs.
"Nina, what are you doing here?" Percy asked the daughter of Hephaestus.
"I was just in the armory when somebody came in and said that Clarisse was in the med bay. Most of us stopped working and went to the Big House to see her but I noticed you walking in the other way. I just wanted to see what you were doing."
"I see," Percy said turning back to the sea, it was sweet that she cared so much but then again he didn't really feel like talking.
"Were you doing something?" Nina asked.
"No I was just... look it's nothing. I just wanted to be alone that's all."
"It didn't look like it was nothing. Kind of looked like you were about to eat a hot iron bar through your ear."
Percy looked at her surprised, "what?"
Nina burst into laughter, "oh that face! Haha, clueless face is so cute!"
Percy grumbled, "Crazy smith."
"Shut it water-boy."
"You know for a smith you aren't very creative when it comes to nicknames."
"Yes I am. Water-boy is a perfect nickname for you."
"Yeah sure, I'm a son of Poseidon so I'm waterboy. Very clever."
"Oh okay then how about this, bottles-up-his-feelings-boy. What do you think?"
"I don't bottle up-" Percy started but stopped before looking down, "look Nina it's nothing. Not even worth mentioning."
"Somehow I find that hard to believe."
"Is it that obvious?"
"Kind of," Nina replied as she looked at Percy who moved to meet her eyes, "what's wrong Percy?"
"It's.....it's everything. Clarisse is in danger because of me. She got hurt because I brought her along, if I didn't-"
"-Then it would be someone else in that hospital bed. Look Percy you can't just go fighting monsters on your own, you need backup, you need your friends."
"Not if I get strong enough. Not if I get so strong that no one I care about will ever be hurt again."
"Percy.....then what?"
"Huh?" Percy looked puzzled and stared at Nina who looked at Percy with a hard glare.
"What would you do after you become the strongest? Assume for a second you are the strongest, like no one can beat you, not the gods, not even the Fates. Then what?"
"Then...then.... I don't know" Percy admitted after thinking.
"Percy you can be a legend, but if there is no one with you as you do that then there's no point in you doing anything. Power is necessary Percy, but you need a reason for that power more than anything else."
Percy looked at Nina and he spoke, "who are you?"
Nina titled her head and giggled, "what do you mean Percy? I'm me."
Percy narrowed his eyes, "no, you're not." He then saw the name and level hanging above this person's head for the first time;
Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth
Lv-?
Percy's eyes shot up and whispered, "Hestia."
Nina's face turned to one of shock and surprise before she smiled, "Poseidon's children always were quick," she then exploded into a cloak of flames before reappearing in the form of an 8 year old child with a brown red greek dress and brown hair. The thing that attracted Percy's attention though was her eyes, her fiery eyes. And this wasn't the kind of fire Percy saw in Ares's eyes, no, this was the warm and sweet, like the flames of a hearth.
"Why are you here?" Percy quickly got over his surprise and finally managed to ask her.
"Because I could sense your anguish all the way from Olympus Perseus," Hestia replied as she turned to the sea enjoying the wind that blew through her curly locks.
"So....this is what? A social call?" Percy asked as he slowly reached for Riptide. This woman, well kid really, didn't seem like she meant to harm him but he wanted to be ready in case anything happens. After all for all he knew she could explode in a fire ball at anytime just for fun.
"You will not need Anaklusmos with me Perseus, I mean no harm to you," Hestia said closing her eyes still enjoying the sea breeze.
"Yes well sorry if I don't take your word for it. The last goddess I met tried to pierce me with arrows, not to mention turn me into a deer. And that was the one that I got along with,"
Hestia giggled as Percy smiled happy to hear the sound of her voice. In a single word, it was angelic. "I assure you Perseus, I came only to help you get over your feeling of...depression."
"Basically you're going to try and make me stop being such a little emo bitch."
Hestia smiled, "well when you put it like that...."
Percy sighed and took his hand away from his pocket, "fine. But why now? There have been plenty of times where I have been depressed before, plenty of time where I could have used the gods' help, why have you only come now?"
"I came because I was told to Perseus."
"Please it's Percy, and what do you mean told? Who told you to do this? Zeus?"
Hestia shook her head and looked at Percy with eyes wide open, "the Fates."
Percy frowned, "great, what do they want now?."
"They told me to talk to you Pers-Percy, and help you get through your feelings. they told me that you had a very important role in the future, something they said they already told you about."
Percy got a quick flashback to the time at the bus stand, he remembered the Fates showing him an article on Kronos, giving him a clue behind who was behind all of this, warning him about war. "Sigh, okay. fine I get it. But again I don't know why they sent you here, I mean isn't there something more valuable to do with your time?"
Hestia smiled, "there is nothing more valuable to me than helping one of my nephews. For my Percy, family is everything."
"I thought family was Hera's domain."
Hestia smiled, "we share it. But while Hera looks after her close family members I see all of them."
Percy nodded taking that new information in. "So.... are you done? Like are you done doing what you came here to do? Because I feel much better, promise."
Lie Failed!
Hestia smiled, "you are a bad liar."
"Well depends on the lie really," Percy said looking at the sea. A few moments passed where a silence fell between them. Percy felt awkward, he could talk to Nina, he knew her but this goddess was a total stranger to him. 'Fine might as well get this over with,' Percy thought before he spoke, "so you were saying something about power?"
Hestia smiled before speaking, "I was an Olympian Percy, the daughter of Kronos himself. My siblings were where you are right now, they each wanted revenge alone. That legend about them immediately becoming allies to defeat Kronos, that was just an exaggeration. In reality it took years for us to even consider joining forces and fight as one. Zeus was just as powerful alone as he was with us, but you see he never once won a battle when he was alone. Only with us, his siblings did he even have a chance at beating father.
"So you see Percy, even legends need help sometimes. I know the pain you feel, the anguish, the guilt, but all of that, all of that blame is not on you,it is not your fault your friends are loyal to you, loyal enough to risk their lives. You are a leader, whether you like or not you are the leader of this camp, and right now war is coming to your door steps and if you stand alone to fight it you will die."
Percy looked into Hestia's flaming eyes and tried to see whether she was lying. which didn't work because hello, she has freaking fire in her eyes! Percy sighed and looked away, "things were so much simpler when all I had to worry about was getting good grades, doing my homework and making my mom proud."
"Would you rather fight monsters or do homework?" Hestia asked with a childish smile that matched her form.
"Monsters, definitely monsters," Percy replied causing Hestia to laugh. The two smiled and soon Percy spoke again, "so the Fates wanted you to tell me that I'm supposed to lead the demigods, is that right?"
Hestia nodded, "well that and cheering you up. After all that is my duty on Olympus."
"So you're what? The official caretaker of the Olympians?
Hestia giggled, "well when you say it like that...."
"Sigh," Percy laid back on the sand and looked up at the stars, "I don't know who I can trust. I don't know if they would even listen to me. Or if I even want to fight this war. I understand that as a demigod I am a part of this world, I get that I do, but.....I just don't want to fight in a war that could kill my friends."
"Now when did I ever say you would have to fight a war?"
"But you said-"
"-You can fight Percy that is if you want to. All the Fates want you to do Percy is be the leader of the camp, protect the camp as best you can. Nothing more, and nothing less."
"But what if I can't?" Percy asked looking at Hestia.
"You can," Hestia said as she slowly vanished by turning into flames, "I believe you can."
Percy watched as the wisps of fire slowly vanished leaving him alone. "Yeah well you're the only one."
He stayed there for some time, he heard rattling on and on with no idea what he should do. He stayed there, in that spot, looking at the sky for the entire night. When the rays of the morning sun hit his face Percy knew it was time to move.
He got up and dusted himself off before heading off to the Big House. Inside the Med bay Clarisse's bed was surrounded by her siblings, most of whom Percy knew personally (he kicked their asses during their spars.).
"Percy you're here," Peter called out causing everything to look at the son of Poseidon.
"Yeah, just needed......some time to process this," Percy replied as he moved closer.
"Annabeth said you helped save her life," Matthew said as he got up and before Percy could say anything grabbed him in a big hug crushing Percy, "thank you."
