Percy Jackson: The Knight of Chaos

Disguises

"What?!" I hissed. Over the past two years, I'd had enough time to mull over the betrayal. Sadness had long ago turned into fury.

Lord Chaos nodded solemnly, "You must return. If this 'ancient force' destroys Order's realm too much, it will sever the ties between myself and Order, causing this realm to be obliterated as well. Also, the eight of you - my army - are the only people who could possibly stop this destruction. Together, you are more powerful than myself."

"Why won't you help stop it, then?" Luke demanded from his throne at my right.

"I will assist you as best I can from my realm," Lord Chaos explained, "But I fear my help alone will not be enough."

The room plunged into total shocked silence. If even Lord Chaos could not stop this force, how powerful was this thing?

"You leave in an hour. Pack your deadliest weapons. I shall do the same." Lord Chaos commanded. Suddenly, he was gone. Probably teleported back to his own weapon chamber, I assumed.

"That's it, then," Silena muttered, "We're going back."

"I don't want them to know it's me." I burst out. Panic rose up in me at the thought of seeing Annabeth and Troy again, mixed with trickling plans of revenge.

They all agreed. Just then, Bianca reentered the throne room, having dealt with the rescued girl. "We're going back to Camp Half-Blood?!" She exclaimed.

"Lord Chaos told you?" I guessed.

"Yes."

"We don't want the campers to recognize us," I filled her in.

"I think I have a solution," Beckendorf said, an eager grin spreading across his face.

-

Thirty minutes later, we stood with doubtful looks on our faces in Beckendorf's forge. In his large, scarred hands were eight dark black cloaks.

"So you just put it on ...," Beckendorf explained, placing one cloak on Silena. "And then - oh, Hazel, I need your help - and then, Hazel will make it so no one can see under your hood past your mouth unless you wish them too. Uh, you can do that, right, Hazel?"

Hazel laughed. "Yes, I can." She concentrated, waving a hand around Silena's face. Shadows dripped across the girl's features, masking her face, until all we could see was her pink, upturned lips.

"Now allow only one of us to see your face," Zoe instructed.

While it remained dark to me, Beckendorf sighed with relief. "I'm glad that worked. Can you let everyone see you?"

"Sure," the mouth replied. The shadows crawled away, revealing Silena's baby blue eyes.

"Fireproof, waterproof, and it'll stay on your head no matter what unless you yourself remove it." Beckendorf rattled off.

I grinned.

"Perfect."

-

The eight of us stood in the throne room once more, cloaks on and weapons stashed. We were dressed in the battle clothes Beckendorf and Hazel had designed for us. Black pants and form-fitting long black shirts made of a flexible material, same as the cloaks, that allowed us to channel more of our powers. A breastplate made of what seemed to be plastic, but was actually a bulletproof silicone material that deflected all Celestial Bronze, Imperial Gold and even Chaotic Titanium. Our long cloaks spilled off our shoulders like waves crashing onto a shore.

"You know," Luke mused, "If we don't want people to know our identities, it's probably not a good idea to call each other by our names."

"You're right, Luke." I agreed. "What should they be?"

"They shall reflect our Greek ancestry, but display our looking only to the future." Zoe decided.

Nico started, "Percy should be Omega. The last letter of the Greek alphabet."

I shrugged, "Sure. Luke, as second in command, you could be Beta. The second letter."

"Works for me," Luke grinned.

"I would like to be known for my potential, not a letter," Zoe said firmly, "I shall be Luna."

"Zoe's got the right idea. My code name will be Forge," Beckendorf stated.

Silena, her arms wrapped around him, said, "I'll be Rapture."

"Necrosis," Nico ventured.

"Can I be Terria?" Bianca asked, to an enthused bunch of nods.

"As for me, I will be Magia." Hazel finished.

I was growing more excited by the second. This was something out of a spy movie - code names and secret weapons everywhere. But I was also anticipating seeing Camp Half-Blood again. Not because I missed it, but because I knew that it would only take me a matter of days to tear it to pieces.