The End of an Olympian

19 | Long Discussions

Nothing more was said as I went off to round everyone up and Percy went off to organize whatever he needed to organize for the war effort. My people were in for a surprise. But this time, the surprise was a welcomed one.

1216 words

Percy

It was nearly time to address the Maris Astéria people. Almost all were patiently and nervously waiting in the throne room for the announcement I was soon to make. I was pacing in my bedroom thinking about how I got here. How my crazy mess of a life came to be. I had arranged with both camps that the younger campers and Maris Astérians go to Camp Jupiter and that the older ones would stay at Camp Half-Blood to learn to fight.

The Romans pledged their allegiance to my Roman counterpart, Confectorus, which definitely left a dent in Zeus/Jupiter's ego. I felt my power grow as I gained followers, so Uncle Drama Queen was probably getting slightly weaker as he lost followers. Only time would tell if it would be enough.

Lucius pulled me from my thoughts. "They're ready for you."

I nodded, walked over to the doors, then took a long, deep breath. The handles turned as I exhaled and made my way to the front of the crowd. They all bowed as I passed despite my assertion that they never needed to.

"Thank you for gathering," I started, "The reason I've called you all here is to announce a few things. First off, I know you must be worried or confused or both. And I'm sorry for that. Hopefully, this meeting will clear things up and you don't have to be as worried. I'll just go ahead and say it: I've declared war on Zeus for your freedom."

After that, it was a long discussion about the war and the prophecy and my stance on the matter. I invited my people to talk and ask questions and voice their opinions or concerns.  They also agreed to learn how to fight from the demigods while the younger and elderly went to Camp Jupiter. Overall, the meeting went fairly well, but it left me completely exhausted. It wasn't long before I retired to my chambers.

The next day, the plan was in motion and a mass transportation of people was aided by the gods in support of me. I could sense the guarded nature the Maris Astérians adopted when the other gods arrived. But to the gods' credit, they were polite if not friendly. It took a while to organize, but the actual transport part was easy. Hestia agreed to be the one to watch over them at Camp Jupiter while the rest helped with training at Camp Half-Blood.

Upon arrival to camp, I was greeted with a stressed Caleb Zahlar.

"Percy, we set up tents along the beach and stocked each with sleeping bags and blankets and such, but I'm not sure they're enough."

"Don't worry, Caleb," I quickly assured him. "It'll be fine. I'll provide them with any other equipment they may need. Thanks for getting it all setup."

I turned to Lucius and saw him gapping slightly at camp. Looking around, the others had much the same look on their face. I knew I loved the place, but it always made me smile when I saw other people appreciate it too.

"Caleb, why don't you show Lucius here the tents. They can all settle in before lunch."

He nodded and led the way. Lucius and the others dutifully followed, but they were still looking around in awe. In the meantime, I called a meeting with the gods supporting me and the senior counselors. We had to talk training and strategy. I had no idea how long it would be until Zeus sent forces after me, but he knew I was at camp, so the camp had to prepare to defend itself.

"I knew my father was paranoid, but this?" Thalia fumed.

"Are you really that surprised, Pinecone Face?" Nico asked dryly.

Thalia maturely stuck out her tongue at him. He returned the gesture, but it was a lot more awkward since he was so much older than Thalia appeared.

I, being unabashedly immature, added to the exchange. "Yeah, he's almost as paranoid as Nico is about his action figures. I mean seriously, I accidentally touched one of his Mythomagic figurines and he goes off on a twenty-minute rant."

Nico glared at me before butting in. "Taking it off the shelf and using it to play catch with Thalia is not an 'accident'."

Thalia and I couldn't hold back our laughter. It went on with Nico grumbling about mean cousins until we were interrupted by Chiron.

"Could we please start this meeting?" he suggested. Then with a twinkle in his eyes, he said, "Unless, Lord Percy wishes to postpone?"

That sobered me up quickly as I mock glared at him. Chiron was completely unfazed and had a knowing smirk carved on his face, though he tried to hide it. Settling down, we took out seats and officially began the meeting.

"The head counselors know how to train newbies best," the head of Athena's cabin spoke, "so they can cover basics with the Maris Astérians and anyone with less than a summer's worth of training."

Everyone concurred with the proposal. Next, Apollo added, "We can teach our children or those with similar fighting styles. If Zeus sends his best forces to take you down, Percy, then they'll need the help."

I nodded in agreement. "Because it's a war, are you all able to get involved without consequence?" I wondered.

It was Hermes who answered. "Yes and no. We can fight other deities, but if he sends monsters or something, we cannot get involved. He would never work with mortals, so we won't have to worry about being attacked first."

"You think the minor gods would side with him?" the head of Hecate's cabin inquired nervously.

No other god wanted to respond to that question, but that was answer enough. I felt bad for the children of minor gods. They worked hard to get their parents recognized and respected. If we won and their parents chose the wrong side yet again, it might not bold well. That is, however, if I were not the one leading this war.

"I'm sure if they are following Zeus it is not entirely willingly. He is still very powerful and persuasive. And I think they too are tired of Zeus's rule, even if they cannot voice their opinions. Some, of course, may support him willingly. In that case, I can only promise to treat them equal to the Olympian supporters, if I win." The unspoken deal was that I would not do to them anything I would not also subject my father to.

Those who were descendants of minor gods looked at me with gratitude. I was basically giving their parents a free pass if they were coerced to support him. I didn't say it, but they knew I would not alienate or punish them for loosely supporting Zeus in this war. But I was still hopeful that some would speak up against him.

The meeting went a little into lunch as we hashed out the details of training the Maris Astérians and the demigods. Defensive traps and scouts and such were arranged. And a solid plan on what to do should Zeus send forces at us was made. Everyone felt just a little more confident. Unfortunately, confidence alone is not enough to win a war.