𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖊𝖋

PHOENIX WAS CERTAIN SHE HAD EVERYTHING SHE NEEDED DESPITE LUKE'S RELENTLESS QUESTIONING. Any other demigod preparing for such a quest would pack up important things like ambrosia, drachmas and I don't know— maybe, a weapon.

But she looked at the leather bag and stuffed it with some black clothes, her sketchbook, charcoals, a baggie filled with Bella's homemade blondies, and called it a day.

The Hermes campers who remained in the cabin were too busy in their own world to pay her any attention. Percy had fewer things to pack and already walked off on his own.

"Phoenix, at least let me loan you some drachmas."

"Don't need anything from you Luke." She sighed, sitting crisscrossed in front of the cabin's only full-body mirror, the fancy golden trimmings told her it was likely stolen. That, and the fact the back had 'Property of the New York Public Library' in cursive font.

She bit down on a strand of her hair and continued to work on her infamous pair of lopsided braids.

"Phee..." Luke huffed, "Forget the loan, It's a gift."

Phoenix looked up at him through the mirror. His blue eyes caught on hers against the glass. "You don't need to pretend to care so much. Y'know?"

"Who says I pretend Phee?" Luke looked disappointed, but the expression held something deeper that Phoenix couldn't comprehend.

Phoenix shrugged, she let go of the rubber band as it snapped around her hair, fastening the end of her second braid. She stood up from the ground and slung up her bag with her. "It's just obvious. You're doing your job as head counselor Luke, but you don't have to act like...like we're....we're friends...."

"Phoenix." Luke laughed, "We are friends."

She looked down at the golden drachmas cradled in his hands. "You should know better than to believe that."

Luke countered, his voice stern.  "You should know better than to not to...."

Phoenix felt herself begin to become uncomfortably hot. Sweat dripped down her neck and her hands became clammy. It was a familiar sensation she usually woke up feeling after her nightmares.

"Come with me, there's something I want you to see. Then, I'll walk you." was all he said as he walked toward the exit of the Cabin. Stuffing the rejected drachmas back into his pocket.

"Fine." A grudging Phoenix reluctantly followed him, trailing over to the armory.

In the dim light of the room, Luke walked over to the weapons rack and handed Phoenix the Poleaxe by its staff. Its gleaming surface reflected the uncertain glint in her eyes. "A gift for getting your first quest, a real weapon, for a real soldier...."

Phoenix received the weapon, its forbidden weight hung in her hands. She looked at Luke. On her usual expressionless face, there was a subtle churn of gratitude and suspicion. "Chiron always said no real weapons for me. Why the sudden change?"

Luke's eyes sparkled. "Chiron has been alive for eons. He knows that some chances are meant to be taken for the greater good." He grinned, "Plus, there are worse monsters you'll have to fight outside of these boundaries. Ones you won't be able to take down with a wooden sword... You have to defend yourself somehow."

Her suspicion lingered, but she found herself nodding.

Luke chuckled, "This first quest is an opportunity for everyone to get a glimpse of your potential."

"Potential for what, exactly?" Phoenix's gaze narrowed, a tinge of pessimism in her voice.

Luke's blue eyes held a calculated warmth. "You're not like the others, Phee. Chiron might not understand why Percy chose you. But I do."

He chuckled smoothly. Phoenix wondered what was causing all this mirth.

She tightened her grip on the Poleaxe, conflicted. "What do you get out of all this, Luke?"

"What do you mean little Phee?"

"...Being nice to me...treating me like I'm more than some kind of...lethal burden..."

His smile remained. Hermes kids did have that fox-like essence that kept you guessing, but Luke was always such a master at it.

"I only want what's best for you, Phee. " He reminded once more, "Some campers might fear you without even knowing you, but I know you. You are mighty Phoenix....."

As they stepped out of the armory, Luke's hand rested reassuringly on her shoulder, the campers sent them wary glances as they made their way towards the hill. Luke grinned at some of them, and they eased up, some smiling and waving over.

Phoenix quickly shrugged off his hand.

She knew how to embrace the isolation she was born into, but it was the camp's disdain for her that fueled her detachment.

Luke, for years, had been the only one who did his best to understand her in some way, to attempt to make her feel welcome... wanted... A part of something...

The poleaxe felt cold against Phoenix's palm, a stark contrast to the warmth of Luke's words.

She mulled over what he told her, her thoughts a chaotic mix of confusion and defiance. "What if I don't want to be something greater? What if I just want to be left alone?"

Luke's smile faltered. "We don't get to choose our destinies, They choose us."

He looked at her intensely, but his smile picked up again. He looked lost in thought, "You might not like chasing glory like most demigods, but I know you love chaos...Being left alone, now that would be far too boring for you Phoenix..."

𓌪

WHISPERS FOLLOWED THEM LIKE SHADOWS the more they walked through camp. The campers kept their distance, shock, and envy etched on some of their faces.

She didn't need to guess what they were saying:

Phoenix, the ticking time bomb, was going on her first quest, and Oh no! It was with Poseidon's son! Oh gods! And she has an actual blade with her! Here comes Armageddon!

Her eyes stayed fixed on what was ahead of her,

She remembered her dream of the fighting voices and the pages of questionable drawings.

It's time, Phoenix.

Time for what? She asked herself.

She could almost feel the pages ripping themselves out of her sketchbook and plastering her skin with goosebumps.

"Maybe you're right, Luke. Maybe I'm destined for something more..."

His eyes gleamed with satisfaction, "That's the spirit, Phee..."

As they walked towards the hill, where the journey would begin, Phoenix felt a surge of emotion. "I've always wanted to be out of here, part of dangerous quests, part of it all...To feel like I'm living a real life instead of a never-ending cycle. I swear I've never felt so... Well I've had this weird sensation in my chest that just tells me..." Her words faltered, she didn't know how to explain things like this.

"Excitement." Luke's smile held a subtle triumph. "You are born for chaos, Phoenix."

Her steps quickened, the poleaxe now an extension of her desires. "Maybe this quest is exactly what I need. A taste of what I've been craving."

He nodded, encouraging her. "This is just the beginning, Phee. I can't wait to see how far you go..."

Phoenix reluctantly embraced Luke in an awkward side hug, a flicker of longing for connection surfaced beneath her stoic exterior. She pulled away quickly. As if his touch seared her skin.

"I don't need anyone," she muttered, her voice a shard of defensiveness and vulnerability.

Luke's shocked face was met with a cynical glance.

"Phee," He spoke, his voice a soothing cadence, "you've always felt out of place here, haven't you? A puzzle piece that doesn't quite fit."

Phoenix crossed her arms over her chest at his bluntness. Her response was a simple nod, her defenses momentarily lowered.

"You're not alone, Phoenix. Trust me, and I'll show you a world where you truly belong," he whispered. In his voice, Phoenix could feel a weight. "I'm your friend...I mean that..."

"If you insist... Fine" Her response carried a tinge of her usual skepticism, but she felt a tiny strike of comforting warmth in her chest.

The sensation was mostly foreign to her, but especially feeling it linger.

She didn't exactly despise it. For a moment, she wished she could magnify the feeling somehow, feel it more fiercely, but then it was gone and she was numb again...

He led them forward. A group of campers were gathered at the bottom of the hill toward Thalia's tree.

"Oh, You've just missed them!" Bella gasped, "You're so lucky they decided to wait a little longer up there, everyone totally tried to steal your spot Nix!"

Clarisse cursed Phoenix under her breath for showing up. Other campers' voices started overlapping hers. They all began to argue with each other about which of them deserved to go more.

"She needs to hurry before they leave without her," Silena informed Luke, her blue eyes flickering towards Phoenix in what could have been concern.

Luke nodded and turned to Phoenix. "Looks like we need to pick up the pace, Phee."

At the bottom, the remaining campers offered fleeting glances, curiosity etched on their faces. The departure of demigods on a quest was a common sight, but Percy, No, Not just him...Phoenix's presence added an air of unpredictability.

Luke pulled out something from the big duffel bag. Phoenix hadn't questioned the baggage before, but when she saw the basketball shoes in his hands she couldn't help but ask.

"What are those for?" Phoenix eyed the shoes in confusion.

Luke grinned, his charm oozing into his voice. "A little extra gift for Percy. Trust me, they might come in handy on your quest."

With determined steps, they began the ascent up Half-Blood Hill. The tall pine tree, a reminder of Thalia's sacrifice, stood tall at the summit.

𓌪

AS THEY NEARED THE TOP OF THALIAS PINE TREE,  Phoenix couldn't help but take one last look at the familiar sights below—strawberry fields, the vast ocean, the imposing Big House...

This place... It was truly all she knew.

She only snapped out of it when she heard Luke calling out to her quest mates. "Hey wait up! Can't forget the mighty Phoenix!"

Phoenix growled, her cheeks heating up. "Ew. Luke, shut up."

When they arrived Chiron was in his wheelchair handing out  Annabeth and Percy each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares.

A small feeling similar to relief hit Phoenix when she noticed he hadn't forgotten and had a third set ready for her.

Grover wore fake feet and pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, to hide his satyr horns. Behind him, he wore a bright orange backpack. And in his pocket was a set of reed pipes.

Annabeth had her magic Yankees cap hooked onto her shorts, her braids were pulled back into a long ponytail. She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve.

Percy stood beside her, a bag slung over his shoulder that looked basically empty. He was the first to see Phoenix and Luke when they arrived, his shoulders eased when he saw his last companion didn't ditch him.

Chiron's disapproving gaze bore into Phoenix as she walked forward, He handed her the supplies.

"Late on your first quest, Phoenix," Chiron remarked sternly.

Phoenix met his gaze with an unblinking stare. "Guess punctuality isn't my strong suit."

Luke, ever the smooth talker, intervened. "Chiron, it's my fault. We were just making sure everything was in order beforehand. The Mighty Phoenix needs the right gear for her first quest, after all."

Phoenix grumbled,

Chiron sighed, his patience tested. "Yes, Yes, But remember every moment counts and—" Chiron stopped himself without a word, "Let us proceed. Phoenix, I'm glad you could join us."

She didn't believe that.

Phoenix nodded without uttering a word, her stoic facade unyielding. The disapproving glances at her tardiness from Annabeth and the fearful ones from Grover burned the sides of her face.

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told the group.

He had Annabeth blushing strawberries in seconds which caused Phoenix to clench her jaw and look away. He only had to breathe to get a reaction from her, meanwhile Phoenix was invisible to her. And the rare times that she wasn't, she struggled to just say the right thing to the Blonde.

"And I thought ... um, maybe you could use these."

He handed Percy the sneakers, Luke said, "Maia!"

White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling Percy so much that he dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.

"Awesome!" Grover said.

Phoenix wondered how Luke thought flying shoes would help a son of Poseidon.

Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days...." He frowned slightly.

He was doing with Percy what he always had done with Phoenix, offering a bit of help. It was his duty as head counselor but....She was starting to see that maybe it was also his choice as a friend.

Phoenix guessed Luke was too blinded by his own sentimentality and personal disillusionment from his past quest that he blanked on the fact that Percy couldn't go into Zeus' territory.

Phoenix just couldn't understand being so emotional you miss out on an obvious detail. Yet then again, Phoenix hardly understood any emotions, especially, the morsel of the ones she possessed.

Percy flushed, his paler skin was scarlet compared to Annabeth's which Phoenix questioned. "Hey, man," He said. "Thanks."

"Listen, Percy..." Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just...kill some monsters for me, okay?"

They shook hands. Luke patted Grover's head between his horns, then gave a goodbye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she might pass out.

Before Luke could even turn to her, Phoenix denied the hug, keeping him at arm's distance.

He chuckled. "Pushed my luck" Luke, ever the optimist, walked beside her. "Ready for this, Phee?"

She glanced at him, monotone. "I guess."

After Luke was gone, Percy turned to Annabeth. "You're hyperventilating."

"Am not " Annabeth hissed.

"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?" Percy hummed, his question seemed to have some double meaning behind it because Annabeth scowled fiercely.

The blonde grumbled, "Oh.....why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?"

She stomped away, unintentionally bumping into Phoenix who was beside her.

"Shit—Phoenix I didn't mean to—" She steadied her shoulders before the girl could stumble back, Phoenix felt the electricity of her fingers on her shoulders and tensed at the touch.

It was shocking, and utterly foreign, the way the sensation shot through her body.

She could feel it all the way down to her toes, in her veins. It was such a disorienting feeling, The raven-haired girl was caught too off guard.

She blurted out, "Your hair smells like coconut and vanilla."

Phoenix coughed when she realized what she said, She scowled and said the first thing that came to mind, unknowingly digging herself into a deeper grave. "Luke hates coconut."

Annabeth glared, "Forget it. I should have let you fall!" She continued down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys.

"Probably shouldn't have said that." Percy grinned nervously.

Phoenix turned to him and growled, She spun her poleaxe with one hand and slammed the blunt end into the dirt. "I will stick this thing so far up your blowhole, Fishface!"

Percy's eyes widened, his mouth fell open. He looked at Grover and Chiron. The look on his face was confusing to her, he didn't look completely horrified. In fact, he was kind of amused. "She's a sweetheart, No?"

Grover shook his head viciously, "Don't provoke her Percy!"

Phoenix was frustrated. She huffed in annoyance. The arms crossed over her chest signaled that she was done speaking.

Percy diverted his attention and picked up the flying shoes. He looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"

He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air...that would not be wise for you."

He nodded, disappointed, but then he got an idea. "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?"

His eyes lit up. "Me?"

Pretty soon Percy laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the goat boy was ready for launch.

"Maia!" he shouted.

He got off the ground okay but then fell over sideways so his backpack dragged through the grass. The winged shoes kept bucking up and down.

"Practice," Chiron called after him. "You just need practice!"

"Aaaaa!" Grover went flying sideways down the hill, heading toward the van.

Phoenix watched intently with a blank face, "That was the best thing I've seen all week."

Before she could follow behind him,  Chiron stopped her and Percy. "I should have trained you better, Percy," He said
"If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason—they all got more training. And Dear Phoenix...Since the day we met, I have only wanted to look out for you...."

Phoenix didn't react, "You don't even like me. "

"Phoenix that is not the case," Chiron inhaled sharply, unable to find the proper words. Phoenix stared at him defiantly. "Forgive me...There isn't enough time for us, Perhaps we can speak of this once you return home...." 

Chiron sighed, he looked away from the girl and glanced at the boy. "Percy, I can't let you get away without this."

He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to the boy. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents.

The son of Poseidon responded with. "This is a pen,"

"Yes, Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one."

Percy seemed to remember something as he took off the cap, and the pen grew longer in his hand. In half a second, he held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs. It was the first weapon that actually looked balanced in his hand.

Phoenix had a bitter taste in her mouth. A dull spike of resentment hit her the moment she saw that what Chiron handed him was a weapon.

Sure it was technically a gift from someone else, but Phoenix wasn't thinking it through that way.

She felt wronged.

It took forever for Phoenix to get what Percy got in a matter of days.

The thought almost caused an ache to bubble within her, but she remembered what Luke had told her. That ache quickly distorted into contempt.

Screw Chiron.

"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told him. "Its name is—"

"Riptide," He translated, his face twisted in surprise when the Ancient Greek came out so easily. He glanced at his fellow demigod with a sense of pride. She responded with an unimpressed nod.

"Use it only for emergencies," Chiron said, "and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case."

Percy looked at the wickedly sharp blade. "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals?"

"The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill. That is why Phoenix only wounded the Hellhound, she did not have a celestial weapon at the time...But I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."

"Good to know."

"Now recap the pen."

Percy touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly Riptide shrank to a ballpoint pen again. He tucked it in his pocket, his hand shook slightly.

"You can't," Chiron said.

"Can't what?"

"Lose the pen," he said. "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it."

The boy was hesitant, but threw the pen as far as he could down the hill and they all watched it disappear in the grass.

"It may take a few moments," Chiron told him. "Now check your pocket."

"Okay, that's extremely cool," He admitted pulling out the ballpoint pen. "But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword?"

Chiron smiled. "Mist is a powerful thing, Percy."

"Mist?"

"Yes. Read The Iliad. It's full of references. Whenever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a half-blood, but humans will interpret things quite differently. Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality."

Percy put Riptide back in his pocket. "Chiron." He began "When you say the gods are immortal... I mean, there was a time before them, right?"

"Four ages before them. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age."

"So what was it like before the gods?"

Chiron pursed his lips. "Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals. Kronos, the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden
Age because men lived innocent and free of all knowledge. But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind. It was only in the early reign of Lord Zeus, when Prometheus the good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually, the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born."

"But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So...even if I fail, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?"

Phoenix bit her tongue. She'd definitely kill all of Percy's hopes and dreams with her response. definitely...

Chiron gave him a melancholic smile. "No one knows how long the Age of the West will last, Percy. The gods are immortal, yes. But then, so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in their various prisons, forced to endure endless pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that we should ever return to the darkness and chaos of the past. All we can do, child, is follow our destiny."

"Our destiny...assuming we know what that is." Percy sighed

"Relax," Chiron told him. "Keep a clear head. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history."

"Relax," He nodded. "I'm very relaxed." He turned to Phoenix. "You relaxed, Phoenix?"

Phoenix shrugged, "It's your job to prevent the war, I'm here to fight."

"Cool. Cool."

When the conversation died down, Phoenix paid Chiron no mind and walked away from the pair in an instant. Percy trailed behind her, When the demigods made it to the bottom of the hill, Phoenix looked back once more.

Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full centaur form, holding his bow high in salute.

Phoenix blinked. She made her way inside the Van without a wave goodbye or a nod of acknowledgment.

When the machine revved on, a weird noise erupted from her. One that made everyone turn their heads. She gripped slightly onto her seat bottom as the vehicle began to move forward.

Annabeth, Percy, Grover, and even Argus glanced at her curiously.

A weird sensation filled her and she avoided their eyes from how rattled she felt. She became super conscious of the way she reacted to the SUV moving. That sound that came out of her, was one of fear...

Luke wouldn't panic inside of a moving vehicle. Get a hold of yourself Phoenix.

It was then that another realization hit her.

She was in a car.

She was outside of camp.

She was on her first quest!

Phoenix felt that feeling Luke called excitement return and it snuffed out all her shame.

She sank slowly into her seat on the other side of Percy. Annabeth and Grover sat in the seats behind them.

Phoenix pulled out her sketchbook and leaned on the door beside her. She began to draw an abstract of the landscape outside the SUV's window. Capturing the chaotic shapes and shadows that reflected on the countryside.

For the first time in all her fourteen years, Phoenix was now a bird set free from her cage.

But even with the gate unlocked, it was difficult to fly freely with the chains of destiny tugging at her heels.

A Phoenix may emerge from ashes, but preceding those ashes, a catastrophe shall ignite.