Percy Jackson: The Knight of Chaos

Hello

I don't know what I expected from the campers. Stunned? Maybe. Happiness? Hopefully. Apologies? Yes, please.

But the only reactions I got were .... screams of terror? The Greeks' and Romans' faces were masks of fear. It was unsettling, to say the least. Why were they afraid of me, for Zeus's sake? Then it became clear as a girl from the Demeter cabin shrieked, pointing at something behind me. Whirling around, I drew Aquisis and Triteia as a snarling hellhound came sprinting down the hill behind the dining pavilion amd launched itself at me, its ebony claws slashing. The heavy impact of the monster sent me falling backwards. As I fell, I stabbed my twin swords upwards, slicing cleanly through the gut of the hellhound. With a whimper, the monster dissolved into golden dust.

I jumped up, noticing the scene. While I'd been distracted by the hellhound, another pack of at least twenty were advancing on the campers, their ugly faces grinning at the demigods' horror. Grunting, I leaped toward the onslaught of hellhounds, just as Luke ran forward, his sword cutting another monster down. We exchanged a look with each that barely lasted more than a few seconds, yet we both instantly knew each others' plans. Luke would take all of the hellhounds on the left, and I'd take the ones on the right. Behind me, I could hear the rest of the Alpha Force shouting commands as another wave of hellhounds came bounding down the grassy knoll towards the pavilion to join the first attack.

With an angry roar, I sent the monsters back to Tartarus as Triteia carved their heads off their bodies. Within seconds, Luke and I had desecrated the first wave of hellhounds. Whirling around, I clenched my fist and from it burst fire, blazing and hungry. Beckendorf took note of what I was doing and summoned his own fire. Together, we shot twin columns of white hot fire, and the arid smell of burning hair and the sounds of dying souls rose up into the air as the rest of the hellhounds were burned alive.

The hill was empty, save for the last burning embers that twinkled and disappeared, like stars winking. I turned to face the campers, my previously discarded hood flopping around behind me. As they began to take in my face for the first time, I saw flickers of shock, amazement, and astonishment. But I also saw underlying regret and shame.

Then they all began to talk at once.

"Percy -- Percy Jackson?!"

"The son of Poseidon?"

"He's alive, after all this time? Di Immortales!""

"Holy Gods!"

"What the Hades happened to him?"

I coughed awkwardly. "Um, hi." I interrupted, and immediately the chatter stopped.

"I guess I should explain everything now." And I did, going through the entire story explicitly, leaving no detail behind. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw some demigods get up and leave throughout my explanation, tears bursting from their eyes or walking off somewhere, the sound of prayers of forgiveness trailing up to me. "And then, when I was killed by... Leo and Piper and Troy, Lord Chaos offered me a place in the Alpha Force."

The camp exploded into chaos. "You were killed?" Chiron cried from where he stood. "We never actually thought you had died!"

I nodded solemnly. "I trained with Lord Chaos and everybody else for two years, and then Hades requested that we return to Camp Half-Blood to help the ancient force that was rising."

"Who is everybody else?" Clarisse demanded, her fist coming down hard on the Ares table. Frank, who was sitting beside her, jumped from the sound.

I looked at the Alpha Force, who all smiled back at me. Hazel started first.

"I'm not Magia. I'm ... Hazel." Her golden eyes shone as her hood fell backwards. Frank rose from the table, his eyes wide.