Percy might have said Annabeth was actually offended by his statement if it weren't for the sparkle of accomplishment in her eyes. He didn't know what he had just done to create that spark, but he knew it was certainly his actions. And that worried him. He had confirmed one of her suspicions, that much he understood, but what that suspicion could be was a mystery to him.

The others in the room seemed to fall for her antics, looking at Annabeth sympathetically and eying at Percy with a cold gaze. Everyone but Grover, of course. He was his oldest friend, and the Empathy Link they shared meant they could often feel the other's pain, emotions and, though it took a lot of energy, sometimes hear each other's thoughts. They both shared a glance at the other, and Percy nodded, tilting his head the fraction of an inch in a way only Grover would understand through their many years of knowing each other – at least five years longer than anyone else he knew due to his little disappearance, it had only been Grover and his mom who he'd kept in contact with (his mom would have murdered him if he'd disappeared again)

Annabeth looked at him, a fake tone of hurt carried in her words as she spoke, "What makes you think that we would ever do that?" she cried out. "That's basically the reason the gods are trying to kill us for!"

She looked away from him, a dark smile hidden to everyone else behind princess locks of golden hair as her eyes brimmed with false tears. The salty tears were faker than Drew Tanaka's face, and held the same poison in them that Percy knew could be found in Aphrodite's words. He grimaced and looked to the group surrounding him, receiving many dirty looks and one of hopelessness from Grover that he replied to with a shrug.

"Hold on," he said, pressing a finger and thumb onto the bridge of his nose. "Why are gods trying to kill us again?"

Piper glanced at Annabeth, wincing, before opening her mouth to speak, "Well, you s–"

"Not you," Percy cut off the daughter of Aphrodite. "You've got magic in your words, whether your using them consciously or not."

Piper looked offended for a moment, until her shoulders sagged, but she didn't open her mouth to speak. She leant on Jason, who glared fiercely at Percy as if to blame him for her not being allowed to explain – which he kind of was. He rubbed Piper's back softly, whispering quiet words into her ear that none of them could make out.

Percy looked at the people around him before his gaze settled on Grover. He gave him a lopsided grin and raised his eyebrows in question, "G-Man?"

The Lord of The Wild bleated nervously, tugging at a loose strand on his shirt before nodding and starting to speak, "Like Annabeth said, it all started at the Summer Solstice. The gods were arguing, as most solstices seemed to involve that, but this time all the gods were involved in one arguement – not the pettier fights that usually composed of their meetings.

"There were three sides to this argument: the gods who were in favour, the gods who weren't in favour, and the ones who wanted to stay neutral. But what were they arguing about?"

Grover paused for a moment, meeting each of their gazes with a sad smile. His expression was passive, blank-faced as he tried to explain the story from a neutral point of view.

"They were arguing about the fate of demigods; were they to live, to die, or to be left in peace? The side arguing for them to be brought to their deaths is lead by Hera and backed up by most of the minor gods without children, though it is causing plenty of arguments between her and Zeus; the side arguing for them to live is being lead mostly by Apollo and Hermes, which isn't very surprising as they have the most Greek and Roman demigods combined, but they're being backed up by all the demigods and most of the council; and the side trying to let us all live in peace without having the life expectancy of demigods reviewed is being lead by Hestia and Artemis, and they have a lot of supporters from the satyrs and wood nymphs, alongside quite a few of the minor gods and the Hunters.

"The point is though, all sides of this decision are calling for war, and Pan know it's going to happen. But the only way we can stop it, is with a hero – someone who's lead wars before and survived countless prophecies – a hero like you, unfortunately, Percy."

Grover sighed glumly, taking a tin can lid out of his pocket and chewing on it. The sound of it crunching broke the tense silence in the air, a trigger that sparked them all into action.

The others began to talk amongst themselves, nervous chatter that spoke of the war ahead. It was mainly Greek demigods who filled the space, but a few Roman representatives – like Jason – also lingered about, whispering tactics to each other with worried frowns.

Percy rolled his shoulders back and rubbed his hands on his camouflage jeans, furrowing his eyebrows as he thought to himself alone. He leant forward, his chin resting on his fist. He looked at Grover and shot him a smirk, one that confused him until Percy disappeared. His best friend sighed, shaking his head humorously when he figured out his plan.

Shrieks and shouts of shock rang through the whispering as more people noticed Percy's absence. Annabeth stood up in a rage disguised by her sadness as she stared wide-eyed at the place he had been stretching a moment before. Her mouth dropped open, "Where'd he go?!"

"Give it a minute, he'll be back," Grover put his hands behind his head and leant back in his chair.

All eyes snapped back to him, again. The Lord of The Wild shifted nervously under their looks, but didn't give in to their demanding stares. A bead of sweat formed on his neck and he coughed, breaking the daunting silence that threatened to crush him underfoot like a bug. He glanced around, his gaze darting between them faster than a tree could run. A shimmering figure stood in the corner of the room, practically invisible to the naked eye but Grover knew better.

The figure was most certainly Percy, otherwise why would they have revealed themselves to him? He watched the figure but frequently looked in other directions, lest anyone else spot the son of Poseidon, trying to work out where he was going to. It only lasted a few seconds, however, maybe half of a minute at the most.

Percy's voice echoed around the room, startlingly low, the words came out slightly garbled, as if they were all underwater, but at the same time it was clearer than an empty blue sky on a summers day. His voice disoriented the group of demigods but at the same time they knew exactly where they were and what they were doing. It was confusing but obvious, humorous but serious. He was playing some kind of trick on them, one that they walked right into.

"Next time you capture a son of the sea," Percy's voice taunted them, "At least make sure you block out his powers because gods know how badly he'll kick your butt after you kidnap him and try to force him to fight a war for you."

His voice paused, the echoes slowly fading and leaving the group in ominous silence, "Or at least give them a chance to decide what side of the war they want to join, 'cause that hasn't happened enough in the past eleven years." Percy laughed bitterly, "So, to end your little party: No, I will not fight for you, nor will I fight for the gods. I am my own person and I'm not letting you lot decide my fate and make my decisions for me – I have free will and that is what I'm fighting for, but that's a battle taking place somewhere far away and that's where I'm going. Find yourself another hero, or better yet, step up to the mantle and try it yourself."