BY fates design

Part ponies

"Sorry, old friend." Luke smiled. "Just give me the Fleece and I'll leave you to return to your, ah, little nature quest."

Cassiopeia decided that she didn't care enough to listen to the rest of this conversation, the quest was over, she had done her part, that was all that mattered.

She could hear them argue about sending the Fleece on ahead with Clarisse, Luke demanding someone bring him his steed while he paced back and forth before the pool.

It was rather comical, in her opinion, how worked up he was getting about not having the Fleece. He was an excellent actor. But she knew all he tells a little too well. That's what happens after years of teaching someone. You learn things.

He argued with Percy for a while, but her attention wasn't really caught until Percy yelled. "You tricked all of us! Even DIONYSUS at CAMP HALF BLOOD!"

"You really were smarter than they credited you for." Delilah said, glancing up at him from where she lay on Cassiopeia's lap. "I remember that dinner. Rather entertaining."

Behind Luke, the fountain began to shimmer, but everyone's attention had to be forward, so Percy uncapped Riptide. Luke sneered. "This is no time for heroics Percy. Drop your puny little sword, or I'll have you killed sooner rather than later."

"Who poisoned Thalia's tree, Luke?"

"I did of course," he snarled. "I already told you that. I used elder python venom, straight from the depths of Tartarus."

"Chiron had nothing to do with it?"

"Ha! You know he would never do that. The old fool wouldn't have the guts."

"You call it guts? Betraying your friends? Endangered the whole camp?"

Luke raised his sword. "You don't understand the half of it. I was going to let you take the Fleece... once I was done with it."

"That made Percy hesitate. Why would he let the take the Fleece? He must have been lying. But Percy could afford to lose his attention.

"You were going to heal Kronos." He said.

"Yes! The Fleece's magic would've sped up his mending process by tenfold, and made up for the time Cassiopeia lost us. But you haven't stopped us, Percy. You've only slowed us down a little."

"And so you poisoned the tree, you betrayed Thalia, you set us up - all to help Kronos destroy the gods." Percy summarised.

Luke gritted his teeth. "You know that! Why do you keep asking me?"

"Because I want everyone in the audience to hear you."

"What audience?" His eyes narrowed. He looked behind him and his goons did the same. They gasped and stumbled back. Above the pool, shimmering in the rainbow mist, was an Iris message vision of Dionysus, Tantalus and the whole camp in the dinning pavilion. They all sat stunned.

Even Athena had to reluctantly admit his plan was good one, forcing Luke to publicly confess like that.

"Well," said Dionysus dryly, "some unplanned dinner entertainment. Hi Soppy." He waved back to Cassiopeia as she grinned at him.

"Mr D, you heard him." Percy said. "You all heard Luke. The poisoning of the tree wasn't Chiron's fault."

Mr D sighed. "I suppose not."

"The Iris message could be a trick," Tantalus suggests, but his attention was mostly on his cheeseburger, which he was trying to corner with both hands.

"Of course it isn't you fat fuck." Kira yelled in the background, "go back to Tartarus you fucking idiot!"

Ares bit back his amusement at his daughter's unfiltered speech, she always was his most vocal child.