chapter five
005. killer quest!

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    WENDY SHOULD have seen it. Destroying the bathroom plumbing? Being healed by the water?  It had been obvious the entire time who Percy Jackson's father was▬Wendy just didn't want to admit it. She wondered if she had jinxed herself, thinking to herself that the one person she wouldn't be able to work with would be a child of Poseidon (thinking, of course, that it would be the least likely outcome. There hasn't been a child of Poseidon in ... Wendy doesn't know, and that's a first), and here the Fates are, making jokes and sending her spiralling. How was she supposed to get the attention of her mother, get a quest, prove herself and figure out this mystery all at the same time if the person she had been thrown into this with was the son of the very God her mother rivalled with? Athena and Poseidon do not get along. They are not supposed to get along. It has been an eons-long rival between the god of the sea and the goddess of wisdom ever since Athens first chose its patron in Ancient times. 

    Sure, being friends with Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon will most definitely get Athena's attention onto Wendy, but that attention wouldn't be positive. The last thing Wendy needed was another reason for her mother to consider her useless and a disappointment. It wasn't like Percy made it hard to avoid, because Wendy was pretty sure he was avoiding her, too. She wasn't always the best at knowing the reasons why people did things, but this one wasn't hard to decipher. Percy was still annoyed over her plan to use him as bait for the Ares cabin during Capture the Flag. Wendy wanted to tell him that the plan had been fool-proof, and they weren't going to let him be beaten down too hard, and in the end, he handled himself▬but now that he was moved to cabin three, Wendy couldn't. 

    She felt frustrated and hurt, and couldn't help but wonder why the Fates gave her a friend, only for him to turn out to be the last person she should ever be friends with. Why make her have dreams about him, know that she was supposed to team up with him ... and then make him the son of Poseidon? It was stupid. Why couldn't he be the son of Zeus? Or Hephaestus▬or even Ares or Apollo! Anyone except Poseidon. 

    How was she ever going to prove herself now? 

    Wendy was stuck in her globe once again, watching the outside from the inside, and she hated it.

    She sat on the wooden bench, legs crossed up to her chest by herself. She glanced out at the lake and then beside her, deep down wondering if Percy would come out of nowhere and sit down beside her. 

    She wasn't good at making friends, but she wanted to be friends with him. 

     But now, what mattered most? Her mother's approval, Wendy's own, or finding the bolt before the solstice? She hated how she found it hard to choose between them. 

    Someone sat down on the seat of the bench to join her▬it was that alone that told her it wasn't Percy. Wendy glanced over and met the awkward concern of Annabeth Chase. She swivelled so her legs were inside and under the bench, sitting right beside Wendy's feet that moved to relax and rest on the seat. They sat in a good silence for a few moments. Neither one of them knew exactly what to say. Feelings were something both tangible and intangible at the same time. Both Wendy and Annabeth were terrible at trying to regulate and express their own, let alone help others express and regulate theirs. 

    Annabeth fiddled with her dagger and started scratching her initials on the wood of the bench which so many▬including Wendy▬had done before. The summer sun glared down through the treetops and bounced off the lake, making Wendy pull her baseball cap lower over her eyes to give her some relief from the glare. 

    Then, finally, Annabeth pursed her lips and spun her weapon, finishing carving her initials in the wood. "So ..." she began, glancing up at her younger sister carefully, "you okay?"

    Wendy nodded, humming. "Just reading for Chiron," she showed Annabeth her book on monsters▬this book included some less-known Ancient Greek monsters for Wendy to memorise just in case she ever faced them ... which was unlikely if she never left the camp border. 

    Her sister sighed and slumped forward, resting her arms on the edge of the bench, and setting her chin on her wrists. When she puffed her cheeks and let the air flow out with an exasperated sigh, Wendy was surprised. Annabeth was just a year older than her▬she would turn thirteen later this summer in July▬but she always seemed way older. Wendy supposed it came with being a daughter of Athena; they were always ahead of the race compared to everyone else, and that came with a sense of maturity. Or, so they liked to believe, but perhaps despite being the children of the wisdom goddess, they didn't all have what made true maturity▬the wisdom of experience. But Annabeth did. She had a breadth of experience far younger than any of them. At just seven years old, Annabeth ran away from home and fended for herself on the streets against monsters with only a hammer as a weapon▬and lived long enough to be found by Luke Castellan and Thalia Grace. After that, she travelled with them and continued to survive against monsters and angry immortal beings. Wendy didn't know the whole story as to what Annabeth faced right before they were taken to Camp Half-Blood, but every camper knew to story of how Thalia Grace died. They saw the large pine tree every day▬protecting them from the monsters that tried to get through the magical barrier. Annabeth had known Thalia. She had witnessed her death▬at just seven. 

    Wendy didn't remember too much of what it was like before the magical barrier. She had been just four▬nearly five▬when her father dropped her off at Camp. A kindergartener. They never let her on border patrol at that age. She didn't even get her first sharp weapon until she was six. Wendy remembered staying in the Athena cabin with campers who had left since then, given colouring books to keep her entertained and playing with stuffed animals. While other campers fought for their lives at the camp border, little Wendy had been making homes for her toy dinosaurs with well-built habitats made out of Mega Bloks safe inside the Athena cabin. 

     Her experience had been entirely different to Annabeth's, and while Wendy was still terrified of those spiders that had covered her bedroom walls▬still had nightmares about it▬most of her early years since she arrived at Camp Half-Blood until she was about seven herself had been blessed with a blissful childlike ignorance. 

    It was those things that Annabeth went through that made her seem much older than she actually was, until moments like this where the young daughter of Athena showed that she was still a child. She was twelve years old, nearly thirteen▬and it was almost sad to Wendy in ways she didn't truly understand, she just knew it was sad. 

    Annabeth met Wendy's gaze again as if she didn't believe her when she said she was okay▬but didn't know how to say it in the right way. 

    In the end, she decided to talk about something more practical. "Chiron and Mr. D are gonna give Percy a quest soon. They're gonna let him talk to the Oracle, I know it. I overheard them talking about it."

    Wendy stared at her, a little surprised at what Annabeth just admitted. "Did you turn invisible and eavesdrop?" she asked, her voice soft in shock▬and a little thrill that always came with doing or hearing about something that was against the rules. 

    Annabeth sent her a look that said, obviously. "It's getting closer to the Solstice, and now that Percy's been claimed by Poseidon, one of the Big Three, it's obvious. That's gotta be why you had that dream about him and the Minotaur horn. This means, if he's getting a quest, then you're supposed to go with him. And if you're going with him, that means I'm going, too."

    Wendy's eyes widened. She had been so caught up in her own woes about Poseidon and Athena and Capture the Flag that she didn't even think about those things. Wendy had wanted a quest so bad▬it would have been the best way to prove herself as something more than mundane, but now that Annabeth was saying that her chance was standing right in front of her and meant working with a son of Poseidon, Wendy was all of the sudden not so sure. 

    She shook her head and shrugged, fiddling with her fingers. She glanced out at the lake. Annabeth frowned. "What?" she demanded softly at her hesitance. "Isn't this what you wanted▬I mean, it's what we wanted. We get a chance to show that we're ready▬to prove ourselves. Don't you want to prove yourself? To show how good you are to everyone else? To the gods?"

    "Yes, but..." let out Wendy, troubled. She felt that fear creep up her chest to her throat. What if she was wrong? What if, for some reason, the dream had chosen the wrong person? If she was meant to do this▬to help Percy▬then why hasn't her mom spoken to her? Why hasn't she given her some cool, magical item like Annabeth's Yankee's cap? Why did Athena seem to not care about Wendy at all, even if she was about to have the chance to do something in her mother's name that would bring glory? None of Wendy's ambitions to prove herself would matter if Athena wasn't even watching. 

    If her mother didn't care about this at all, did that mean Wendy was bound to fail?

    Could she even risk the thought of failure? 

    No, I won't fail, she reminded herself. She was a daughter of Athena, she wouldn't fail. She has trained and trained and trained. She knew her monsters and knew her mythological tales. She was more than ready▬she was probably the best pick. She just had to show that to everyone else. She had to remind everyone else that she was right to think she wasn't mundane.

    This was going to be her chance; her quest, too. 

    And she refused to let anything stop her from achieving what she wanted out of it. 

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    PERCY WOKE up from his nightmare feeling as if he was falling. He was falling and he hit his bed with a gasp, his eyes snapping open and his heart pounding. He heard a crash of thunder in the early morning and he frowned, glancing over as he slowly sat up in his bed. For a moment, he thought he was back at Montauk again▬and his mood turned as grey as the sky outside. His feet planted on the floorboards of the Poseidon cabin. 

    Cabin three smelt like Montauk, too. Percy thought he'd feel comforted by the sea salt and fresh air that seemed to creep out from every crevice; as if there were sand underneath the floorboards and in the walls. The many, empty, bunk beds were blanketed with coral green covers and yet were covered in a thin layer of dust▬like they had never been slept in for years; and they hadn't. Being by himself in this cabin meant he had all the space to put aside his one personal possession, the Minotaur Horn. Percy could put it anywhere, and yet he still kept it at the foot of his bunk bed▬he wanted to keep it close. He didn't know why, but he supposed it felt as if it was the only thing he had left of his mother. In the chest he kept his one set of spare clothes and in the bathroom, his small toiletry bag. But that was it. The cabin felt more like an abandoned beach in the mist, swallowed by the dark▬it was creepy, and it was unsettling. It reminded Percy of the nightmare he had▬the same one he had back at Montauk with those two guys arguing, and the sand swallowing him whole. 

    No, he did not feel comforted at all. 

    Percy still heard the laughter in the back of his mind. He shivered, even though it wasn't cold. 

    He rubbed his eyes and groaned softly to himself when he heard a clop clop clop at the door like a hoof was knocking on the threshold instead of someone's knuckles. Percy wanted to sleep more▬he was tired and frustrated, and ... and so alone. 

    That realisation made him sigh and call out: "Come in."

    The door opened and Grover trotted inside, fixing his bright orange Camp Half-Blood shirt nervously. Something was bothering him. Percy frowned. "Hey ... You good? Did someone eat all the enchiladas before you got to breakfast?"

    "Mr. D wants to see you," answered Grover, looking worried▬like he had just signed Percy's death sentence. 

     Percy made a face. The last person he wanted to see was that pot-bellied, leopard-shirt-wearing god. "Why?" He whined. "What does he want?"

    "He wants to kill▬I mean," Grover bleated anxiously. He shook his curls out over his tiny horns. He looked like he was drawing up a sweat, and Percy arched a brow, incredulous▬though, he couldn't hide his own nerves that were starting to crawl up his throat. Maybe it was the dream; that voice was making him on edge more than usual. "I'd better let him tell you."

    While Grover waited for him outside, Percy could hear the apprehensive drag of his hoofs on the cabin porch. He got dressed with those annoying nerves still twisting in his stomach. He pulled on his own Camp Half-Blood shirt that Luke had given him▬to try and make him feel better; to make him feel as if he belonged here. At first, it had helped, but after Percy got claimed by Poseidon▬his father (he was still comprehending that)▬, people started to avoid him like the plague. Percy never felt more unwelcome than ever. And now, all he could think of was the chance that maybe he had done something wrong, and Mr. D was going to kick him out. Well, why wouldn't he? Every other place has. 

    For days, he had been expecting to be called to the Big House now that he was declared a son of Poseidon▬one of the Big Three gods who weren't supposed to have kids. Percy wasn't stupid▬he had the feeling that meant he wasn't exactly supposed to be alive, and the gods were all probably trying to figure out the best way to punish him for existing. Perhaps Mr. D was going to deliver their verdict. What if the storm brewing was Zeus deciding the best moment to strike him where he stood? 

    Until he remembered something Wendy said. His lightning bolt was stolen▬Zeus had no lightning in the sky when storms were summoned. As he looked out of the window and towards the grey clouds, he couldn't help but feel a breath of dread to see no sign of any lightning. Some part of Percy hadn't wanted Wendy to be right▬that still wanted all of this to be some crazy dream he could wake up from. 

     Percy threw on his light jacket which still had mud stains on it from when he went diving in the mud to escape a charging Minotaur and stepped out of cabin three to join Grover. Despite it being summer, the storm brewing overhead added a freshness to the air. He glanced up at the hazy curtain of rain coming in their direction from the city. 

    "Hey, man▬should we grab an umbrella from somewhere?" he asked Grover as the two of them started the trek up the slope towards the Big House in the distance. 

    "No," said Grover, kicking his hoofs amongst the grass and watching the dirt skip. "It never rains here unless we want it to."

    Percy stared at him. Slowly and deliberately, he pointed up at the storm. "What the heck is that, then?"

    Grover followed his gaze. That nervous look returned to his face. His brows knitted with apprehension. "It'll pass around," he said eventually. "Bad weather always does."

    Percy frowned back at his friend but then started to consider his words. He soon realised that Grover was right. In the short time Percy has been at Camp Half-Blood, it had never been overcast. The few rain clouds he had seen had skirted around the edges of the valley▬almost like they were stuck in their own little summer globe. But this storm right now? It was huge. Percy didn't feel reassured. 

    They passed the volleyball pit. Some Apollo kids and satyrs were currently having a game, but at a rather nasty clash of thunder, they stopped. The volleyball struck one of them in the face and he let out an oof! as he fell to the ground. Over at the strawberry fields, the Dionysus twins, Castor and Pollux wandered around, helping the Demeter kids in making the plants grow. They all looked a little tense at the overbearing cloud above their heads. 

    Percy and Grover reached the front porch of the Big House. They saw Dionysus sitting at the pinochle table in a tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt. It was no better than the leopard-print▬it was just as loud and Percy was sure he needed sunglasses to even glance at it. The god of wine sipped his Diet Coke. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. They were playing against invisible opponents▬two sets of cards hovered in the air. One of the imaginary players seemed frustrated with their deck of cards and the floating cards dropped face down onto the table in dismay. 

    "Well, well," said Mr. D without even looking up. "Our little celebrity."

    Percy waited, silent.

    "Come closer," then said Mr. D. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father." There was a loud crash of thunder. "Blah, blah, blah," Mr. D rolled his eyes in response. 

    Chiron was showing a feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Percy glanced at him, frowning slightly. Grover was cowering by the railing, too scared to come any closer. 

    "If I had my way," went on Dionysus, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

    "Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," said Chiron pointedly. 

    "Nonsense," Dionysus waved his hand dismissively at Chiron. "Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."

    "Mr. D▬" 

    "▬Oh, all right," relented the wine god with a scoff. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus rose and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. if the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do."

    He picked up a playing card and spun it in his fingers▬the card twisted magically into a security pass. He snapped his fingers and before Percy could mention that he actually remembered his name right, the god was gone in the wind, leaving nothing else behind but the faint smell of fresh-pressed grapes. 

    Now that Mr. D was gone, Chiron set his own cards on the table and smiled at Percy. However, he looked tired and strained. "Sit, Percy, please. And Grover."

    They did. Both of them could feel the tension in the air▬like the static of the lightning missing from the thunderstorm instead were hovering right on their shoulders, making the hair on the back of their neck stand on end. 

    "Tell me, Percy," said Chiron, "what did you make of the hellhound?"

    Percy grew even more tense at just the mention of that beast that attacked him. He was sure Chiron wanted him to say something cool and heroic, but Percy couldn't lie to his old teacher. "It scared me," he admitted. "If you hadn't shot it, I'd be dead."

    "You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done."

    "Done ... with what?"

    "Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"

    Percy glanced at Grover who was crossing his fingers. He frowned, feeling his chest twist with those nerves that had moved up from his stomach to squeeze his heart. "Um, sir▬you haven't told me what it is yet."

    Chiron grimaced. He sighed. "Yes. Well, that's the hard part, the details."

    Thunder rolled across the valley, rumbling like the sky had a great, big stomach ache. The storm clouds had reached the edge of the beach▬the sky and the sea were boiling together; filled with anger. Percy realised and suddenly remembered his dream. He made a shocking connection. 

    "Poseidon and Zeus," he muttered. "They're fighting over ..." he decided not to delve into the details Wendy had given him. He didn't know why he was looking out for her after she totally threw him under the bus at Capture the Flag, but he did anyway, "... something valuable. Something that was stolen, aren't they?"

    Chiron and Grover exchanged looks. Percy realised that even saying that was too much. 

    Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair, looking very grave. "How did you know that?"

    Percy felt his cheeks burning. He wished he hadn't opened his stupid, big mouth. "Uh▬" he sighed and relented. "The weather since Christmas has been weird like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Wendy, and she'd ... she had suspicions about a theft. And ... I've also been having these dreams."

    Grover leapt up onto the porch, eyes wide. "I knew it!" he exclaimed. 

    "Hush, satyr," frowned Chiron.

    "But it is his quest!" the satyr's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!"

     "Only the Oracle can determine," Chiron stroked his bristly beard. He sighed softly. "Wendy is a smart girl▬she is observant of things that are out of the ordinary. Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

    That was it. That was the moment all of Percy's determination to be ignorant about all he was learning about this▬about all of this being real fell apart. The lightning bolt Wendy had mentioned, Chiron spoke of it like this was the worst thing that could happen. Percy went pale. He couldn't help but laugh nervously. 

    "Do not take this lightly," warned Chiron. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."

    "O▬oh..."

    "Zeus's master bolt," Chiron was getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

    That didn't sound good. "And it's missing?"

    "Stolen."

    "By who?"

    "By whom," corrected Chiron and Percy tilted his head, exasperated. Once a teacher, always a teacher. "By you."

    Percy's exasperation at being corrected fell away and his jaw dropped. He stared, shocked at Chiron. Before he could say something, Chiron cut him off. "At least▬" he held up his hand, "▬that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best', 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters', et cetera. Afterwards, Zeus realised his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly▬that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."

    "But I didn't▬"

    "Patience and listen, child. Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cycloples build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief."

    Percy couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wanted to show Zeus something▬perhaps his middle finger and a kick up the ass. "But I've never been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!"

    Both Chiron and Grover glanced anxiously up at the sky. The clouds weren't parting around them like Grover said they would. Instead, they were closing in▬sealing the camp in like a coffin lid. 

    "Er, Percy...?" Grover gulped. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."

    (Percy was about to say he could use whatever words he liked if Zeus was calling him a thief, but didn't get the chance).

    "Perhaps paranoid," suggested Chiron. "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam..." he looked at Percy as if he expected him to remember some random question on a random exam. Percy was ADHD, he can't remember stuff like that. He can't even remember if he had breakfast yesterday.

     But Chiron was waiting. He sighed and tried to think. He supposed it was good he had liked his classes with Chiron back at Yancy Academy. "Something ... about a golden net?" Percy guessed. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods ... they▬like▬trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?"

     "Correct," said Chiron. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offence at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along▬the proverbial last straw."

    "But I'm just a kid!"

    "Percy," Grover pursed his lips, shrugging, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War Two, that he's fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you ... Wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?"

    "I don't know," said Percy sarcastically, just to be a pain. "Probably not, because I'm not a god and I don't have brothers▬or a toga. I didn't do anything," he added, annoyed. "Poseidon▬my dad▬he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?"

    Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the sea god is too proud to try and convince Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hesita would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?"

    "Bad?"

    "Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilisation turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight."

    "Bad," repeated Percy in a mumble. 

    "And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath."

    It started to rain. Those playing volleyball at the courts stopped their game and stared up in stunned silence at the sky. Percy clenched his hands at a sudden realisation. He had brought this storm to camp▬Zeus was punishing everyone here because of him, and Percy was furious. 

    "So," he said angrily, "I have to find the stupid bolt and return it to Zeus."

    "What better peace offering," Chiron sat back in his wheelchair, "than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property."

    "If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?"

    "I believe I know," the centaur's expression was grim once more. He looked as grey as the storm above. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago ... well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."

    "Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?"

    "Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."

    Percy paused. He pursed his lips. "Good reason."

    "You agree then?"

    His gaze found Grover's, who nodded and gave Percy an encouraging thumbs-up▬Easy for him, he wasn't the one Zeus wanted to kill. 

    Percy took a deep breath. "All right," he decided, sounding a lot braver than he felt. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin."

    "Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," nodded Chiron. "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."

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    WENDY DUCKED her head back down to ensure she wouldn't be seen as she watched Percy walk across the porch and step inside the Big House to make his way to the attic to consult the Oracle. She had been hiding, crouched in the shadow of the porch ledge nearby▬listening to the conversation with a bated breath. If anyone looked over to the left of the pinocle table, they might see the tuffs of little blonde curls poke over the edge of the wood as Wendy tried very hard to stay close enough to be covered from the sudden rain. Her grey eyes peered over the edge of the decking, waiting for Percy to return with a prophecy. Her heart was pounding with an excitement she hadn't had in a long time. She was finally going to have a chance at a quest▬to prove herself that she was good enough. For once in her life, Wendy was going to be able to step outside of her snow globe. She was going to be a part of the action instead of watching it happen through the glass. She wasn't going to be a mundane demigod with no special powers, and no special weapons or magical items▬she was going to be a part of a quest that would stop a war. 

    There was no way Athena would ignore her after this. She will be good enough for her mother, at last. Her strategy and her quick thinking skills which were prized by the children of Athena would be put to good use▬Wendy will be able to show she was worthy of being claimed, of being noticed. She was not mundane. She was special. 

    She knew Annabeth was hovering right beside her, masked by her invisibility Yankee's cap which kept her out of sight. Wendy could feel her shoulder brush beside her own, especially when she yanked Wendy back down to make sure she wasn't spotted. The two siblings eavesdropped and watched the conversation right before their eyes, both of them just as eager as the other to join Percy Jackson on this quest, even if he was the son of Poseidon. 

    Wendy nudged the space where she knew Annabeth was when she saw the porch door open again after about thirty minutes. There was a shuffle on the damp grass and then a shove back▬Wendy grasped the edge of the decking to keep herself from falling over. She scowled at the air where Annabeth was crouching. She went to push her sister again in retaliation, and Wendy would have scuffled with thin air if she hadn't seen Percy frown towards the slight noise of sneakers squeaking against wet grass and both children of Athena froze. Wendy ducked low again, holding her breath. 

    He moved on after a moment, looking pale and grim. He slumped into a chair at the pinochle table and Chiron leaned forward. Wendy peered over the edge of the decking again to see the anxious look on the centaur's face. She's never seen him this anxious. "Well?"

    Percy stared at the tablecloth. He looked sick. "She said I would retrieve what was stolen."

    Grover swallowed the remains of Mr. D's Diet Coke can quickly and soon grinned. "That's great!" 

     "What did the Oracle say exactly?" pressed Chiron, frowning. "This is important."

    Percy gripped the edges of the porch chair. "She ... she said I would go west and face the god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned." He hesitated at the end. Wendy's brows knitted when she noticed, curious at what he was holding back. That didn't sound like a complete prophecy. It wasn't a coincidence that the prophetic power belonging to the god of poetry also ended up rhyming and following poetic structure. 

    "I knew it," Grover was very supportive of his friend, pumping his fist and sitting back in his chair. 

    Chiron wasn't satisfied. "Anything else?"

    Percy hesitated once again. Wendy's eyes narrowed, suspicious▬he was hiding something. In the end, the son of Poseidon shook his head. "No," he said. "That's about it."

    Wendy wasn't great at understanding people and what they always meant being their words, but she knew Percy was lying. 

    Chiron studied Percy for a moment. Wendy always wondered whether the centaur had the power to read minds like one of the books he always gave her to learn from. He had seen thousands of years▬trained thousands of years worth of demigods. Perhaps he might not be able to read minds, but he has seen and witnessed enough to see through people like they were made of glass. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."

    "Okay," Percy wouldn't meet Chiron's gaze. "So, where do I go? Who's this god in the west?"

    "Ah, think, Percy," the centaur laced his fingers together, resting his elbows on the arms of his fake wheelchair. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"

    Percy's brow furrowed as he thought. "Somebody else who wants to take over?"

    "Yes, quite. Someone who harbours a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided aeons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."

    Percy's eyes widened as he came to a realisation. "Hades."

    Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."

    Wendy felt a chill down her spine when he said this. The Lord of the Underworld was a threat not to be taken lightly▬at all. He was powerful and dangerous. She wasn't the only one who was stricken with fear at this. Scraps of Diet Coke can spluttered out of Grover's mouth when he coughed in surprise. "Whoa, wait. Wh▬what?"

    "A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminded him. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."

    "Yes, but▬but Hades hates all heroes," protested Grover, his furry legs bouncing with his nerves. "Especially if he has found out Percy is a son of Poseidon..."

    "A hellhound got into the forest. Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill this young half-blood before he can take on the quest."

    The moment Chiron mentioned the word spy, Wendy frowned to herself. A horrible feeling▬something worse than a chill▬crawled down her; it was the same feeling of eight little legs that had haunted her since she could remember from that dreadful night. Fear. 

    "Great," muttered Percy. Instead of looking terrified, as would be the normal response to hearing this, he looked as if he found out he had to foot-race the wood nymphs again▬disgruntled and annoyed. "That's two major gods who want to kill me."

    "But a quest to..." Grover trembled. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like▬I don't know▬Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year."

     "Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," insisted Chiron. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."

    Wendy watched Percy's face. She couldn't decipher exactly what he was thinking, but she couldn't help but wonder whether that set of his jaw and the thunder in his eyes▬the swirl of an ocean storm, like the one happening right now at the boiling sea of the Long Island shore▬was a breath of determination. He then glanced at Grover, and the look in his eyes softened to see his friend trembling with fear he so desperately tried to hide, but couldn't. 

    "Look," he then said, "if we know it's Hades, why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads."

    "Suspecting and knowing are not the same," advised Chiron. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades▬and I imagine Poseidon does▬they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"

    "You're saying I'm being used."

    "I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you."

    Something changed on Percy's face again. That dark, twisting whirlpool▬a high, crashing tide▬returned to his gaze as he frowned at Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?"

    "I had my suspicions. As I said ... I've spoken to the Oracle, too."

     Wendy's interest piqued once again at those words. She tilted her head, her eyes peeking back over the porch deck. She wondered what Chiron must've heard from the Oracle for him to know about Percy. She thought of Annabeth's insistence that there would be a child of the Big Three▬and that Percy was the one. It made Wendy wonder whether there was something Chiron and Annabeth knew that she didn't. 

    "So, let me get this straight," said Percy. "I'm supposed to go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."

    "Check," nodded Chiron.

    "Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."

    "Check."

    "And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."

    "That's about right."

    Percy looked at Grover who had started eating the pinochle cards in his distress. "Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" asked Grover weakly.

    Percy pursed his lips. "You don't have to go," he said gently. "I can't ask that of you."

    Grover's tremors faded away at the look on Percy's face▬at the tone of his voice. He glanced at the ace of spades he was about to gobble up and then back at his friend's gaze. He shifted his hooves under the table. "Oh ... No. It's ... it's just that satyrs and underground places, well..."

    Then, the satyr took a deep, courageous breath that Wendy didn't expect from him. He stood up, brushing the shredded cards and aluminium bits off his camp shirt. "You saved my life, Percy," said Grover, locking eyes with his best friend. "If ... if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."

    Percy nodded. His brows softened with a breath of vulnerability and he sent Grover a little smile. "All the way, G-man." He turned to Chiron. "So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west."

    "The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America."

    "Where?"

    Chiron blinked, surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."

    Percy closed his eyes briefly. "Oh," he let out. Wendy quickly learnt that sarcasm was just a part of Percy Jackson's overall vocabulary. "Naturally. So, we just get on a plane▬"

     "No!" shrieked Grover, horrified. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?"

     He shook his head, cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Chiron titled his head. "Percy, think," he said at his reaction. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an aeroplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."

    Overhead, thunder boomed loudly as if to exaggerate this point. Wendy glanced upwards and thought Zeus was being very dramatic right now. 

    "Okay," Percy clenched his hands. "So, I'll travel overland."

    "That's right. Three companions may accompany you. Grover is one. The other two have already volunteered, if you will accept their help."

     Wendy frowned. She felt Annabeth grow tense beside her, the same thoughts going through her head. Who else volunteered? Who was stealing their chance at going on this quest?

    Percy seemed to know before Wendy did. His face went flat. "Oh, gee," he feigned surprise, though his sarcasm was evident. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?"

    Chiron bit back an amused smile. Then, he glanced over to where Wendy and Annabeth were hiding. Wendy ducked down again, her eyes wide. "Wendy, Annabeth," the centaur called out, and both girls went stiff. The younger daughter of Athena pursed her lips, flushed at being caught. "Care to step out of your hiding place, or would you rather continue to eavesdrop on this conversation?" He didn't say this in a chiding manner, but as if he had known all along they would have done this▬knew all along where they had been hiding. 

    Slowly and very sheepish, the two children of Athena showed themselves. Annabeth shimmered into view as she took off her Yankees cap. She stood up and Wendy followed, peeking over the edge of the deck with shy eyes. She awkwardly met Percy's gaze as she climbed up onto the porch after her sister, fiddling with her fingers. 

    While Wendy was shy like a scolded child found stealing from the candy jar, Annabeth was quick to recover her pride and stuffed her Yankees cap into her back shorts pocket. "Sorry, Chiron, but we need to go on this quest." She crossed her arms and tilted up her chin, trying to make herself look as competent as possible. "I know how to fight, can strategise, and Wendy had the dream about Percy's arrival in the first place."

     "I know a lot about monsters," Wendy offered, her voice soft, but determined. "And I know how to stop them. I've read all about the ancient stories, Chiron ..." Her eyes were fixed on Percy, though▬she tried to hide the plea in her voice. "I've wanted a quest for a long time▬we both have. Athena might not be a fan of Poseidon ... at all ... but if you're going to save the world, Annabeth and I are the best people to keep you from messing up."

    Percy stood up, watching Wendy with an expression she couldn't read. "If you do say so yourself," he muttered. "I suppose you have a plan, Einstein?"

    Wendy's cheeks flushed a rosy pink colour and she clenched her hands, knowing exactly what he was referring to. She grew flustered as she tried to think of a witty comeback to meet his sarcasm, but failed. Some daughter of Athena. "Do you want our help or not?"

    She knew he needed their help. He knew that, too. Percy relented. "Four of us," he glanced at Chiron. "I guess that'll work."

    "Excellent," said the centaur. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."

    Rain started to bucket down and demigods were racing to get inside. 

    "No time to waste," murmured Chiron as he watched the storm. "I think you should all get packing."

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   a/n: december 20 can't come quick enough.

   hi, i still exist, i'm just as adhd as the guys in this book so haha and i'm hyperfocused on my spider-man games on the playstation currently so.

    wendy and percy are cute in such a different way than percy and claire, or even percy and fiona (i haven't forgotten about them, i promise, i might even rewrite that series because my writings changed and there's a few things i'd like to change in my descriptions etc so when i continue with silent weapons, the change in writing isn't so drastic). 

     anyway, that's off topic. 

    wendy is soft and quiet, and percy is loud and reckless, but they're both incredibly smart and while they balance each other out, are also quite similar. wendy is a sweetheart. percy is also a sweetheart. just don't get on their bad sides. their dynamic is totally different to my other oc x percy stories and i can't wait to explore it. 

     i haven't written twelve year olds in ages, and i'm friken twenty. i've written adults and teenagers for so long since i wrote claire when she was younger so i'm like trying so hard to not make them seem like they're older, because they're just kids, but the situations they're also in makes them grow up quicker in some ways. 

     wendy deserves the world, as always. 

    i totally changed up the bit where annabeth volunteers and just shows up because i thought it would be super cute and twelve-year-old-ish for her and wendy to be hiding in plain sight and eavesdropping like the adorable siblings they are. 

     sibling relationships are so important to me in books. i feel like i've trauma dumped this in every book, but because i don't have close relationships with my siblings, i always like to create these relationships in my books. 

     i'm about to apply to go to university in canberra to study archaeology btw guys ... this is a full circle moment for me that is all thanks to annabeth <3. my archaeology is her architecture. and maybe i'll end up seeing the parthenon one day, too 🫶🏻. just needed to share that because i owe her sm and i love her. she is me. i am her.