The Call To Adventure

The moment the meeting was over, Percy calmly walked away from the Big House, though if he wasn't putting on a face for Grover to not make his friend feel better about taking his place on the quest, then he might have stormed off in quite the mood. Everything seemed to be going on around him, and he wasn't being allowed to do anything about it. The quest to save his goddess was going to leave him behind, Annabeth was days away from **** at best, and Zoe had apparently taken it on herself to **** the issue with Bianca, after everything that he had done to make her consider her options and not just rush in. All in all he was quite certain that the past 3 days had been both the best and worst of his life.

So it was that only hours later did he realised the options available to him, and the moment he did he practically leapt from the depths of the camp lake where he had been stewing, dried himself off as quickly as possible, and then headed in towards the camp. A look up at the sky told him that night was almost fallen. He'd definitely missed dinner by now. Still, he wasn't hungry. Instead his mind was dead set on finding someone who he desperately needed to talk to. Who he found instead was Chiron, ready and waiting for him just back from the shoreline.

Chiron looked down at him as he shed the water from his clothes like a fountain, and waited patiently for Percy to be done and step up. His horse half kneeled down so that the two of them could talk face to face. "Percy. There is no living being who can claim to understand the words of a prophecy without the benefit of hindsight."

"That's probably because they don't make any sense!" He groused out, desperately trying to keep his cool and not just explode at his mentor figure, but only managing to come off as brooding and angsty.

"Thalia would not have been my first choice for this quest. She leaps into action too quickly without thinking. She is too sure of herself. She has great strength and skill, but lacks the wisdom of how to truly apply it."

"Would you have chosen me?" He asked, though he didn't bother to meet Chiron's eyes. He didn't want pity at the moment, just to head off towards his goal.

"No. You and Thalia are much alike. The difference in the end comes down to confidence." Percy looked up at him questioningly, and Chiron patiently met his gaze, being as comforting as the old centaur could. "You are less confident in yourself. That can be for good or ill. You may act with appropriate caution where she may not. While she may be bold when it is required, where you would shy away. It is a conundrum in the end. What is clear though, is that the two of you together is a dangerous thing."

"We could have handled it." Chiron just looked down at him, his face clearly conveying the message of 'I know that you know that isn't true.' "I just feel so useless sat around here."

"Many of your fellow campers feel the same. You are not the only one who cares for Annabeth. Nor are you the only one who searches for meaning in the present time. We can all play our parts in time, but it is a tiresome endeavour to find them." There was Chiron, offering words of comfort, but they only rang hollow for Percy whenever Artemis entered his thoughts. His hand tightened around Riptide in his pocket. There were so few problems he hadn't been able to solve with it before, and even less now he knew what else it could do.

"It is no surprise Zoe does not want you on this mission when you hold that sword. She and it are... acquainted." Chiron said at the sight of his hand in his pocket, cutting through his thoughts, though the moment he looked up at the centaur's face he saw that Chiron was already regretting saying anything at all. He quickly moved on, turning around and seizing a gold drachma from one of his saddlebags before tossing it to Percy. "Call your mother Percy. Let her know you are coming home in the morning. And do not think you are alone in the way you feel. I admit I too would have volunteered for this quest, if not for the final line."

The Parent's Hand part. Yes, when Chiron's father was Kronos... better not to tempt fate. The kindly centaur gave him a final comforting pat on the shoulder before departing. For a few moments Percy looked down at the coin he had been handed. Before tucking it away into one pocket and leaving the lakeside for the Cabins.

He brushed right past Cabin 3 and headed straight for Cabin 11, where Bianca would be. He ran into her there right as she was walking out of the door. "Percy!" She exclaimed, jumping back in alarm at their almost collision. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you. Can we?" He asked, gesturing back and away from the cabin. Already there were at least 5 of the children of the God of Thieves were already listening in. Very unsubtly he might add. She looked around to see them all there, and nodded, allowing herself to be lead away. "I just wanted to talk to you about the-"

"The Quest. I'm going with them." Bianca cut in immediately, and seeing the way he looked at her with a face of betrayal, she continued on. "It's not just because Zoe is trying to recruit me. I talked to your mother and she was very helpful. We talked for hours. I promise you, I'm doing this because it is my choice."

"But why?" He asked, his hand almost instinctively twitching towards his pocket for Riptide. That was a new sensation, but now that he had already used these claiming powers, the desire to use the again was there. And it was roaring right now. He could claim Bianca, make her refuse to go on the quest, and then claim Zoe to make her take him along instead. That would be the easiest way to deal with things. It would be so simple. Just get out his sword-pen, grab her arm and write his name on it before she could respond.

"Because I owe you both. Lady Artemis and you. The both of you came to our rescue. Without the both of you, myself and Nico would be dead right now. I owe a debt to her to rescue her now, and I owe a debt to you to make sure it happens. If you can't go, then I will go and make sure Annabeth and Artemis both come home safe. I'm doing this for you Percy. And for myself."

And immediately he felt disgusted at himself for even considering it. She was doing this to try to make things up to him that he couldn't go. Hell, the last time they had talked together he had been convincing her to act out of her own will instead of just instinct of just going along with the first person to offer her the first thing she wanted. And he had just been about to strip all of that free will away from her out of pure annoyance. He almost threw up. Sure he'd used the power before, but that had been in the heat of the moment when he hadn't truly realised what it all meant. He couldn't believe how close he had come to having his first act of premeditated claiming being against one of the few people who most definitely in no way deserved it.

"I'm touched Bianca. I really am." He said, and he was not lying in the least. He just wished that she didn't have to go in his place. He wanted to keep her and her brother safe. There weren't enough good people like his mom and Bianca in the world. Letting any of the few there were be lost would be too cruel. "But, please don't feel compelled to go. Zoe will pick someone else, and you will be able to stay here safe with your brother."

"No she won't." She said quickly. He looked at her questioningly, and she scanned the world around them, her head turning like an owl's swivelling. She took her time in the low light of the moon, being incredibly thorough. When she was finally sure they were definitely alone, she ducked close to him, and began to whisper. "That t-shirt the Stoll's gave to Phoebe. It was sprayed with centaur blood. She's too hurt to be able to go. Zoe's insisting that we leave on schedule anyway, just the four of us. She won't let anything keep her from saving Artemis. She says there is not time to get anyone to replace her."

That was concerning. But what could he do right now? Bianca was clearly not supposed to be telling him this, so he couldn't confront Zoe about it unless he was willing to get her into a lot of trouble. But there was a very obvious danger in Zoe trying to go against a prophecy like that by not bringing the required number of members. But that did clearly open up a spot for him to fill. He just needed a way to get himself on the team.

"Alright Bianca. I'm... I'm gonna try and convince Zoe to let me come along. I won't let on that you told me anything, but if you are a member down then you will need all the more help." He tried his best to reassure her, placing his hands on her arms.

"I'm not... well I am worried about that, but what is really scaring me more than anything is that I'll end up being useless. Zoe is a Hunter, Thalia has her lightning powers and years of experience, Grover has his tracking skills. Even if you don't come along, what can I add to that? I've just got a sword I've never used before, and a few hours practice with a bow."

"Well, I can't help you with the second thing, but if swordsmanship is what you need help with, I'm the best in camp." He offered. Anything he could give her he would.

"Thanks Percy, but I think I should prepare for us leaving. We go at dawn, and I want some sleep tonight if you don't mind." She said, though it was clear that she appreciated the offer. She offered him a handshake, and he took it and gave it a firm shake back, trying his best to ignore the trembling in her hand.

"Alright. I should probably head off too." And with that the two of the separated. Bianca headed off towards the camp store, likely to pick up some bags and supplies for the quest ahead. And he headed back to Poseidon Cabin. There was something there that he was probably best using in this latest endeavour.

Opening the door, he headed straight for his bunk, and grabbed Annabeth's invisibility cap off of the nightstand. It was going to be very useful for what was coming next. Zoe would never allow him to come along normally. She'd made that clear when she made her declaration at the council meeting. So he would convince her, the same way he had convinced Artemis. With the swish of a pen.

He was just leaving the cabin when he came face to face with a large black Pegasus. Hey Boss. You got a minute? I need some help.

What Blackjack needed help with turned out to be some sort of animal trapped underwater. He spent almost an hour tugging at nets trying to rip them away from where they were trapping some sort of sea cow under a boat wreck, while being badgered by schools of fish and a few hippocampi the entire time. He'd have made short work of the whole thing if he could just use his sword to cut the thing out, but the moment he pulled out his blade the creature had started panicking and almost crushed itself by banging against the boat wreck it was pinned in.

He tried everything he could, but the entire ordeal was an absolutely exhausting hour, and combined with all of the stress of everything else that had happened, when he finally freed the creature, he had a momentary flash of adrenaline at his success, before he found his eyes drifting closed. The sum total of the days events had all been weighing on him, and after a poor night's sleep last night, it all caught up to him now.

Unfortunately, this rest would be just as disturbed as the previous. There was Annabeth again, crushed under the weight of something that he just couldn't see. Luke was there too, acting like he actually cared about her, while speaking to an entity hidden in the shadows. It was a dark and booming voice, but not Kronos. This voice was smoother and vibrations ran through him like it was triggering an earthquake.

And slowly, a huge hand pushed forward Artemis into the light. She was bound from head to toe in Celestial Bronze chains, and she did not look to be in a good state. She was in an older form then she had been previously, somewhere in her mid 20s by the looks of things. Her dress was ripped and torn, and he almost growled at the way that exposed one of her breasts for the viewing pleasure of Luke and whatever that other foul presence was. Her face and arms were littered with cuts, and there was golden blood running down her body in rivulets.

"Decide!" The voice boomed, and Artemis cast a look over her shoulder that should have incinerated anyone that was exposed to it. Unfortunately Luke didn't spontaneously combust and save them all the trouble of hunting the traitor down.

"How dare you!" Artemis cried as she shuffled forwards towards Annabeth. "To **** a Maiden like this." He definitely appreciated the way that she showed such concern and outrage on Annabeth's behalf. If he was there he would cut her free from those chains and watch her go ballistic on whoever it was that was keeping them all imprisoned like that. She had definitely earned a good cathartic beatdown on someone who absolutely deserved it like Luke. But unfortunately he couldn't do a thing. He just had to stand there and watch as some intangible form, while his Goddess and one of his best friends were **** into an impossible situation.

Whatever Annabeth had been **** underneath, Artemis chose to take her place, and Luke proceeded to do the only good deed in his entire worthless life by stopping the other figure from executing her on the spot now that she had 'served her purpose' in imprisoning the Goddess. There was a brief mention of a plan, and ominous laughter, and then more and more of everything began to fade away into darkness.

Normally that would be the point when he woke up. But this time he didn't. Instead, he was left within a black void, his surroundings completely invisible save for Artemis herself, still holding up something that he couldn't see, the pain and exertion of it clear on her face. He wanted to save her. He wanted to have her in his arms again. He wanted to tell her how much of a bitch Zoe was.

Slowly, he walked towards her, making his way to being right in front of her. She was shaking so much, the burden she was **** to carry intense even for a Olympian. He couldn't help himself, he reached out with one hand, and gently cupped her cheek in his hand.

"Percy." She said the moment he made contact, and there came a vulnerability in her form that hadn't been there before. But to him that didn't matter. What mattered was that she could sense him, could feel him. He immediately swept her into a hug, pulling himself against her without dislodging her from what she was doing.

"I'm coming Artemis. I'm coming for you, I promise." He whispered into her ear, just trying to make it clear that nothing in the world was going to stop him, not Luke, not his Monster army, and not even Kronos himself making a personal appearance. He was going to get his Goddess back, consequences be damned.

"Please hurry." She whispered back.

And then, before he could reply, the darkness closed in on him, and he realised he was drowning in it.

He broke through the surface of the water to the sun just beginning to rise over the horizon. That had been intense. But now he knew Artemis was waiting for him, and he was more invigorated than ever to go and save her. But as he willed himself back to the coast, the sight of the sun pulling up higher and higher into the sky niggled at the back of his brain, until all at once he realised just why.

Zoe and the others were planning to leave at Dawn. It was Dawn now, and he hadn't claimed Zoe yet, nor got her to agree to take him with them. They would already be gone by now. He'd missed his chance.

"Shit!"