𝐈𝐈. 𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐀 | 𝐏𝐉𝐎 𝐗 𝐇𝐏

one

"Chiron,"  Percy said. "What about the tree? What happened?"He shook his head sadly. "The poison used on Thalia's pine is something from the Underworld, Percy. Some venom even I have never seen. It must have come from a monster quite deep in the pits of Tartarus."

"Then we know who's responsible. Kro-"

"Do not invoke the titan lord's name, Percy. Especially not here, not now."

"But last summer he tried to cause a civil war in Olympus! This has to be his idea. He'd get Luketo do it, that traitor."

"Perhaps," Chiron said. "But I fear I am being held responsible because I did not prevent it and I cannot cure it. The tree has only a few weeks of life left unless ..."

"Unless what?" Annabeth asked.

Before Chiron could answer, however a confused voice interrupted them.

"Chiron, you're leaving?"

Lilith had went to the Big House, about to ask for information of what happened while she was gone, but when she came, she saw Chiron packing his things, Annabeth and Percy talking to him.

"Lilith, you're back." A tone of surprise laced his voice, before he answered her, "Yeah, Lord Zeus was upset about Thalia's tree being poisoned. Do you have a clue of what kind of poison it is?"

"I saw. And no." She shook her head, "I sensed it though, I think it came from Tartarus, it has a distinct smell." Lilith shuddered.

Sure she was a princess of the Underworld, but even her father had never allowed her to go there.

"No," Chiron said, continuing the previous conversation. "A foolish thought. The whole valley is feeling the shock of the poison. The magical borders are deteriorating. The camp itself is dying. Only one source of magic would be strong enough to reverse the poison, and it was lost centuries ago."

"What is it?" Percy asked. "We'll go find it!"

Chiron closed his saddlebag. He pressed the stop button on his boom box. Then he turned and rested his hand on my shoulder, looking Percy straight in the eyes. "Percy, you must promise me that you will not act rashly. I told your mother I did not want you to come here at all this summer. It's much too dangerous. But now that you are here, stay here. Train hard. Learn to fight. But do not leave."

"Why?" He asked. "I want to do something! I can't just let the borders fail. The whole camp will be-"

"Overrun by monsters," Chiron said. "Yes, I fear so. But you must not let yourself be baited into hasty action! This could be a trap of the titan lord. Remember last summer! He almost took your life."

"And you." Chiron turned towards the youngest in the room, before faltering. "I thought you were staying in the Underworld before you have to go back to school?"

"Huh?" Lilith looked confused, "I was planning to, but then Uncle Hermes picked me up and told me something was wrong in camp, and that I was needed."

Chiron looked surprised at the revelation, "Lord Hermes... told you to go back to camp?"