Chapter 62

The rest of the day I tried to keep busy, I put the thought of what happened aside and tried to train my skills. I went to javelin-throwing class, but the Ares camper in charge chewed me out after I got distracted and threw the javelin at the target before he got out of the way. I apologized for the hole in his pants, but he still sent me packing.

I visited the pegasus stables, but Silena Beauregard from the Aphrodite cabin was having an argument with one of the Hunters, and I decided I'd better not get involved.

After that, I stayed near my cabin training on my own as I tried to get used to the weight of Gram. Using my shadows as training dummies. I stayed there for over a few hours training when I looked the other direction. At the top of Half-Blood Hill, Mr. D and Argus were feeding the baby dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece.

Then it occurred to me: no one would be in the Big House. There was someone else… something else I could ask for guidance.

My blood was humming in my ears as I ran into the house and took the stairs. I'd only done this once before. I opened the trap door and stepped into the attic.

The room was dark and dusty and cluttered with junk, just like I remembered. There were shields with monster bites out of them, and swords bent in the shapes of daemon heads, and a bunch of taxidermy, like a stuffed harpy and a bright orange python.

Over by the window, sitting on a three-legged stool, was the shriveled-up mummy of an old lady in a tie-dyed hippie dress. The Oracle.

I walked toward her. I waited for green mist to billow from the mummy's mouth, like it had before, but nothing happened.

"Hey, what's up?" I said. "I don't know if you can hear me but I really need some help. Maybe a prophecy or something?"

I winced at how stupid that sounded. Not much could be "up" when you're dead and stuck in the attic. But I knew the spirit of the Oracle was in there somewhere. I could feel a cold presence in the room, like a coiled sleeping snake.

"I have a question," I said a little louder. "I need some guidance, my powers although strong have started to fail me slightly. I ran into two children of Atlas that proved to be a greater force than I could stand. What advice can you grant me, Great goddess Python?"

No answer. The sun slanted through the dirty attic window, lighting the dust motes dancing in the air.

I waited longer. Then I got angry. I was being stonewalled by a corpse.

"All right," I said. "Fine. I'll figure it out myself."

I turned and was about to leave when the entire room changed into the once familiar cavern as a voice spoke up making me grin.

"My god you are impatient child."

"Lady, Python." I greeted, bowing slightly. The giant black snake smiled down at me. "Why did my powers fail me?" I ask, my voice tinged with frustration and confusion. "I hold so much power and strength that I could defeat gods yet couldn't beat two demigods withought help."

Python regards me with her piercing gaze, her eyes seeming to hold the weight of centuries. "Strength does not solely lie in power, Percy," she begins, her voice a melodic echo in the chamber. "It is often intertwined with one's history, with memories and emotions that shape who you are through your life, perhappes you have past regrets that you havent been able to let go."

I feel a pang of regret as memories of Viper and Hyper-Monkey flood my mind. My friends and students from a past life, comrades I had had made in my life. Their faces, their laughter, their betrayal– all etched into the fabric of my being.

"The children of Atlas, they remind you of your old friends," Python continues, her words like tendrils wrapping around my thoughts. "Their strength, their determination, it stirs something within you. But it also awakens memories of loss, of pain. Making you unable to fully utalize your gifts."

I clench my fists, feeling the weight of those memories press down on me like a heavy burden. "What should I do?" I ask, desperation creeping into my voice. "How do I overcome this weakness?"

Python smiles, a knowing glint in her eyes. "Embrace your past, Percy. Learn from it, but do not let it define you. Draw strength from your past, from the lessons you have learnt."

Her words resonate within me, like a guiding light in the darkness. I take a deep breath, feeling a newfound resolve coursing through my veins. "Thank you, Python," I say, gratitude lacing my words. "I know what I need to do now."

But before I can say anything else, Python raises her head, her eyes glowing with an otherworldly green light. "Listen closely, Son of Three," she intones, her voice carrying the weight of destiny as she coiled around me, green smoke filling the cavern as her eyes glowed. "You shall take five west to the goddess and girl in chains. A hunter shall be lost in the land without rain, A close friend shall join and show the trial. Campers and Hunters combined shall prevail, and the Titan's curse you alone will bare. And a choice shall be made be an enemies hand."

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That night after dinner, I was seriously ready to beat the Hunters at capture the flag. It was going to be a small game: only thirteen Hunters and about the same number of campers.

Zoe Nightshade looked pretty upset. She kept glancing resentfully at Chiron, like she couldn't believe he was making her do this. The other Hunters didn't look too happy, either. Unlike last night, they weren't laughing or joking around. They just huddled together in the dining pavilion, whispering nervously to each other as they strapped on their armor. Some of them even looked like they'd been crying. I guess Zoe had told them about her nightmare.

On our team, we had Beckendorf and two other Hephaestus guys, a few from the Ares cabin (though it still seemed strange that Clarisse wasn't around), the Stoll brothers from Hermes cabin, Nico and Bianica. And a few Aphrodite kids. It was weird that the Aphrodite cabin wanted to play. Usually they sat on the sidelines, chatted, and checked their reflections in the river and stuff, but when they heard we were fighting the Hunters, they were raring to go.

"I'll show them 'love is worthless,'" Silena Beauregard grumbled as she strapped on her armor. "I'll pulverize them!"

That left Thalia and me.

"Thalia, you go on the defense. I shall go on the offense." I told her as I summoned my recurve bow.

"You know how to use a bow?" Thalia asked shocked.

"Yeah, I mostly used swords and spears." I responded strapping my quiver as I tested the string to the bow. "Can you take Nico and Bianica to the flag and have them guard it? Can you give Bianica some tips on a spear, she wanted to use Gun."

"Yeah, no problem," She replied as she turned to help some of the Aphrodite kids, who were having trouble suiting up their armor without breaking their nails. Nico di Angelo ran up to me with a big grin on his face.

"Percy, this is awesome!" His blue-feathered bronze helmet was falling in his eyes, and his breastplate was about six sizes too big. 

Nico lifted his sword with effort. "Do we get to kill the other team?"

"Well… no."

"But the Hunters are immortal, right?"

"That's only if they don't fall in battle. Besides—"

"It would be awesome if we just, like, resurrected as soon as we were killed, so we could keep fighting, and—"

"Nico, this is serious. Real swords. These can hurt."

He stared at me, a little disappointed, and I realized that I'd just sounded like my mother. Whoa. Not a good sign.

I patted Nico on the shoulder. "Hey, it's cool. Just follow follow Thalia. Stay out of Zoe's way. We'll have a blast."

Chiron's hoof thundered on the pavilion floor.

"Heroes!" he called. "You know the rules! The creek is the boundary line. Blue team—Camp Half-Blood—shall take the west woods. Hunters of Artemis—red team—shall take the east woods. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. No intentional maiming, please! All magic items are allowed. To your positions!"

"Sweet," Nico whispered next to me. "What kind of magic items? Do I get one?"

"Nico, stop talking and go to your sister." I responded. Finally getting the kid off my back.

 "Blue team! Follow me!" Thalia called as I vanished into the shadows as I used it to expand my senses everywhere. 

We set our flag at the top of Zeus's Fist. It's this cluster of boulders in the middle of the west woods that, if you look at it just the right way, looks like a huge fist sticking out of the ground. If you look at it from any other side, it looks like a pile of enormous deer droppings, but Chiron wouldn't let us call the place the Poop Pile, especially after it had been named for Zeus, who doesn't have much of a sense of humor.

Anyway, it was a good place to set the flag. The top boulder was twenty feet tall and really hard to climb, so the flag was clearly visible, like the rules said it had to be, and it didn't matter that the guards weren't allowed to stand within ten yards of it.

"We'll send out a decoy to the left," Thalia told the team. "Silena, you lead that."

"Got it!"

"Take Laurel and Jason. They're good runners. Make a wide arc around the Hunters, attract as many as you can. I'll take the main raiding party around to the right and catch them by surprise."

Everybody nodded. It sounded good, and Thalia said it with such confidence you couldn't help but believe it would work. I walked out of the shadows behind Thalia.

Thalia looked at me. "Anything to add, Percy?"

"You were all given your tasks. Do not leave your posts for any reason. I shall serve as an archer this game and have my shadows help even the playing field." I responded. As a wall of shadow appeared behind me and 10 cyclopes stepped out, one alot larger than the others. everyones eyes were wide in shock as they looked at the cyclopes.

"Everyone, these are my soldiers, my shadows. Piss them off and find the hard way that you are no match for them." I continued. "You ma have noticed one of the cyclopes is taller than the other. Let me introduce you to none other than, Polyphemus the Elder Cyclopes."

"Wait you mean the same of of the Odyssey?" Travis asked raising his hand.

"The exact same. Though now reborn as my shadow he is loyal to me and his eyesight was healed." I responed as Polyphemus cracked his knuckles. As several campers flinched. "Worry not they know better to kill anyone withought permission." 

"You did not tell me that you could summon monsters." Thalia muttered as she touched my arm and shocked me. Though of course I was a son of Zeus so it didn't hurt.

"Now, is everybody clear?" Thalia asked.

Everybody nodded. We broke into our smaller groups. The horn sounded, and the game began.

Silena's group and four cyclopes disappeared into the woods on the left. Thalia's group and the other three cyclopes gave it a few seconds, then darted off toward the right.

"Alright Polyphemus, take those two and stop the hunters." I ordered as I vanished into the shadows. "They shall know defeat!"