Chapter 57: Arrival at Camp

"Okay, now I believe. Can you please start it again?" Grover requested.

"Okay," Alex complied, and time resumed its normal flow. Soon, the three of them arrived at Percy's home.

"Sally, we need to go now," Grover addressed Percy's mother.

"She is not going anywhere. Can't you see? She is serving my friends," Gabe, Percy's stepfather, interjected.

"Hey, we're not asking you!" Percy snapped at Gabe.

"Sally, we have to go. It's urgent," Grover insisted.

"Okay," Sally agreed, ready to leave.

"You are not going anywhere!"

Gabe stood up from his chair and grabbed Sally's hand. "We're going."

"Okay, you guys go to sleep and forget about all this," Alex said, activating his telepathy.

Gabe and his friends immediately fell into a deep slumber upon hearing Alex's words.

"What did you do to them?" Sally questioned.

"Nothing, they're just sleeping," Alex reassured her.

"Okay, let's go. We can talk while we travel," Grover suggested.

After a while, the sky darkened, and night fell upon them.

Inside the car, Percy asked, "So, where are we going now?"

"We're going to a camp for special people, like you," Sally answered.

"Special people? Who are they?" Percy inquired.

"Percy, it's related to your dad," Sally revealed.

"Dad? The guy who left when I was a baby?" Percy clarified.

"Percy, he loved you very much, but a situation forced him to separate from you," Sally explained with a hint of sadness.

"By whom? Who is my dad?" Percy pressed for more information, but Sally hesitated upon hearing Grover's warning.

"Sally, watch out!" Grover shouted, noticing a cow falling from the sky.

Reacting quickly, Sally turned the steering wheel, causing the car to flip upside down. Alex, who had been sleeping, woke up in confusion.

"What the hell happened?" Alex exclaimed.

"Is it just me, or are cows raining?" Grover joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Okay, enough joking," Alex scolded. Using his telekinesis, he lifted the car and flipped it back into its normal position. He kicked the door open and stepped out of the car.

"Guys, come out. We can't continue traveling in that anymore," Alex called out to the others.

As Percy stepped out of the car, he saw a large buffalo standing on its hind legs, approaching them from a nearby farm.

"What the hell is that?" Percy exclaimed in disbelief.

Seeing the danger, Grover shouted, "Run!"

They sprinted towards the forest, which was conveniently located by the side of the road.

"Why are we running?" Alex questioned.

"To save our lives from that thing," Grover replied, clutching his crutches tightly as he ran.

"Why can't we just kill it?"

"We're not that strong," Grover admitted.

"Have you forgotten that I am with you?" Alex reminded them confidently.

Hearing Alex's words, Grover and the others stopped in their tracks, contemplating their options.

Yes, why were they running when they had a god with them?

At that moment, the Minotaur caught up to them, its monstrous roar filling the air.

"Alex, can you deal with it while we run?" Grover asked, hoping for a solution.

"Sure."

"Thank you," Grover expressed his gratitude before they resumed running.

The Minotaur charged toward Alex, who stood his ground. As it reached him, Alex swiftly dodged its attempted grasp and delivered a powerful punch to its stomach, utilizing only 20% of his strength.

The Minotaur got sent flying, crashing through ten trees before collapsing onto the ground, motionless.

"It seems my strength has diminished a lot, otherwise the whole forest would've been destroyed," Alex remarked, gazing at the motionless Minotaur.

"Is it dead? It seems rather weak, or maybe I'm just too strong."

"Okay, let's meet the others," Alex suggested. As they walked, he tried to recall what was supposed to happen next, but couldn't remember a thing, so he let go of that thought and focused on Percy instead.

If I follow him, I might even find some system fragments, he thought.

"I'm also very intrigued by the camp, where there will be many remarkable ladies," he continued, his curiosity piqued. "They should be exquisite since they are the daughters of gods."

"I can't wait to meet them," Alex expressed his excitement.

Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the camp and noticed only Percy and Grover were present, with Percy appearing rather somber.

"Where is Percy's mother?" Alex inquired as he approached Grover.

"She disappeared out of nowhere," Grover replied.

"What? Did she disappear? How did that happen? Isn't she a normal human?" Alex questioned, puzzled by the sudden turn of events.

"Any idea where she might have disappeared?" he further probed.

"No," Grover admitted, shaking his head.

"I'm going to search for her," Percy declared with determination.

"No, you're not going anywhere," Grover firmly stated, attempting to restrain Percy. However, Percy's efforts were futile as he suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.

"What happened to you, Percy?" Grover asked, concerned for his friend's well-being.

"Leave him be. I simply put him to sleep. He will awaken tomorrow," Alex explained, assuring Grover that Percy was unharmed.

"Say it sooner next time, Alex," Grover added with a sigh of relief.

"Carry him. We're heading to the camp."

"Okay," Grover complied, hoisting Percy onto his back.

As Alex passed through the camp's gate, he felt as though he was crossing some sort of barrier, but it did not impede his progress.

The two of them reached the camp, and Alex instructed Grover, "Take him to the infirmary and check for any injuries."

"Okay. What will you be doing, Alex?" Grover inquired.

"I'm going to explore the camp. Don't disturb anyone," Alex replied.

"Thank you for treating us all equally. You're the first god I've seen who does so," Grover expressed his gratitude.

"No need for thanks. In my eyes, everyone is equal," Alex responded sincerely.

"Then, good night, Grover," Alex bid farewell.

"Goodnight, Alex. After you're done exploring, come to the infirmary. I'll show you where you can rest," Grover remarked.

"Okay," Alex acknowledged, observing Grover as he carried Percy to the infirmary.

"Now, let's explore this camp," Alex said to himself as he strolled towards the trees.