Unlikely Heroes

Chapter 82: Discussing The Next Objective

A tense atmosphere surrounds the pingpong table. All the head counselors who are in camp are in the meeting, plus Bianca, Nico, and Zoe. Chiron was very much shocked to see her walking into camp. Let alone not seeing and feeling the power of Artemis surrounding her when she was a Hunter. He even stared at her for a good minute or two, just letting it process. I found it amusing, but Zoe found it more irritating and offensive, as if she was not capable of change.

Dionysus is still away and probably on Olympus. I hope he gets all the quality time with his wife before he is forced to be here. It is no wonder he is not happy here. Who would without the person they care and love for? Clarisse cleared her throat a bit as she looks at Chiron.

"I have news. It's bad," she mutters out.

"We will talk about it later," Chiron says, as he first wants to be hit with some positivity for once. A feeling I very much share. "The important thing for now is that Annabeth has returned to us! Welcome home."

Annabeth smiles appreciatively. "Thanks, Chiron. However, Luke is still out there. He fell off the mountain but survived."

I along with my siblings nod. We would have felt his passing. "He is still alive, but his soul... It is not whole. There're cracks and fractures in it. Like pieces are missing or something," Nico adds.

"I feared that would be the case. Percy turns sixteen in roughly two years. It may seem like a long time, but it will pass in a blink of an eye. The Second Titan war will soon start," Chiron says through a sigh while stroking his beard.

"It already has begun. Kronos does not sit still and knows he has to prepare with care to assault Olympus or anywhere else. Battle lines are drawn. Gods and Titans are taking sides. And the first place Kronos wants to destroy is this camp," Vincent explains as he thinks. His right leg goes up and down as he thinks things through. He knows better than most. Vincent was part of their army for a while. Even in a leadership position.

"Yes, he will attack here next. Half-Bloods are the most potent weapons the Gods wield. Take it out and they will be left crippled. We must prepare for the army that will come this way. It will contain mortals, Demigods, monsters... and Luke," Chiron says in a saddened tone.

A full-out battle will be hard. There will be death. It is unavoidable and Chiron's purpose is to protect us. Must be hard for him to witness his pupils dying. Furthermore, this is our home. I do not want it to burn down or be destroyed.

"We can rest easy at the very least for a while. The attack won't happen till next summer. Their failure at Mount Tam was costly from what you've told. Also, Luke will need time to recover. What did he look like? Be very detailed," Vincent asks Annabeth.

"Not good. His skin was paler than normal. The hair was not as full and bright. His eyes were like they were holding some sort of pain. The whole appearance was as if he was sick," Annabeth explains.

"Are you sure about what you felt, Nico? About Luke's soul?"

Nico nods in confirmation. "I did. His soul was not at his strongest. It felt as if it was fractured," Nico says to Vincent.

"This is bad. Very bad," Vincent mumbles.

"What is bad?" Selina asks hesitantly. Every pair of eyes were trained on him with worry.

"Kronos is trying to take Luke's body. I have read about it in certain spell books that were available when I was with Luke. Have you not noticed any strange behavior when you're around him? Something that does seem like Luke?" Vincent asks.

"There were brief moments, but I am not sure if Kronos was controlling him," Annabeth answers softly. It hurts her to hear about this. No wonder I hardly recognized Luke. Thalia also noticed it.

"Can this be done...? A Titan manifesting in a Half-Blood?" Chiron asks with furrowed brows and a hardened gaze. Vincent shakes his head.

"No, our bodies are too fragile. It will only work for a short time. A Titan's spirit holds too much power for a Half-Blood to handle. A portion of the spirit could work, but I highly doubt that will let him control Luke," Vincent says. Sighs of relief come from multiple counselors.

Chiron was not more at ease. Worry is still etched on his face as he thinks. "We must make sure that we are as prepared as possible. Training will continue and it will be harsher and more intense. War is coming. Have you found it, Clarisse?"

She shakes her head. "It is stretched far and wide over the country, but I found no path leading to the camp. But Chiron... this place is huge. It shifts constantly. Horrors lie in every corner," she explains.

"I see. We must find it," Chiron says mostly to himself.

"What exactly do we need to find?" Annabeth asks.

A deep sigh leaves Chiron. "The Titan army can't pass the border of the camp. Therefore an alternative path must be taken by them. There is a labyrinth that grows and shifts. It has paths that go all over the world most likely. I fear that an exit will be located within this camp, but Clarisse has not been able to find one yet."

"Where is the closest to this camp?" Beckendorf asks.

"There is one outside of camp, but far enough away it will not be a danger to us," Chiron answers.

"Xandra's compass could work," he says and takes one out of his pocket. He whispers into it as he placed it in the middle of the table. We all look with anxiety at it to see where its arrow will point to.

As Beckdorf finished the arrow comes to life. It usually shows one direction and shifts to make sure it is pointing correctly. This time however it was spinning around in all directions. The speed only became faster and faster till it completely broke with smoke coming from it.

"It was worth a try," Beckendorf says with a sigh.

"We have time. Take care of yourselves first. This can be discussed at a later time," Chiron says to finish the discussion. His gaze then turns to Zoe.

"Zoe, I am unsure where you will be staying. The Hermes cabin is of course open to you, but..." Zoe was already shaking her head, "... you wouldn't want to stay there," Chiron finishes.

"I can camp out in the forest. It is nothing new for me," she says. "Are you sure..." Percy asks before his words trail away as he looks above Zoe's head. Chiron smiles a bit while the others look surprised. This has never happened before after all.

Zoe follows the gaze of Percy. A smile forms on her lips. There are even some tears in her eyes. Floating above Zoe is a silver bow with a moon behind it. Artemis claims and supports her. It makes me smile too. She did say that Zoe is like a daughter to her. Claiming Zoe makes sense. Artemis does not abandon her daughter.

"Artemis. Goddess of the Hunt and Wilderness. Protector of Maidens. Honor her for she is your patron, Zoe Nightshade," Chiron says. His gaze is soft as he looks at an emotional Zoe. I can tell everyone is happy for her. Or at least those who know a bit more about her than most people.

"Thank you, my Lady," Zoe says softly like a prayer.