Jiper's Child: Children of Olympus #2

Chapter Ten: I Hire Babysitters

*****AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know it's a been a while. I know this a pathetic update given the time I've been gone. However, please understand that while I love each and every one of you who is still holding on and reading this, school, work, family and relationships have to come before a Wattpad fanfiction. I wanted to make this update longer, but I've been holding on to it for a while and figured it would be better to publish it. Hopefully you can enjoy it!*****

GROVER

After proposing to Juniper, Grover could have stayed there forever in that forest with her by his side (presuming they had a supply of tin cans to keep him up). While that wasn't a possibility, they did stay the night within the shelter of the trees so that Juniper could recover before they continued on their journey back to Camp. He fell asleep next to Juniper, hoping to dream of the two of them and the many years to come.

* * *

Grover had no such luck. Instead, he found himself watching a scene play out in the forest at Camp Demigod. It took him a moment to orient himself; there were figures all around him, running and brandishing their weapons of choice at something he couldn't see. As he adjusted to the chaos, he noticed that that the figures appeared to me demigods from camp, along with a few women he recognized as the Hunters of Artemis.

A gap cleared in the crowd and Grover was able to see through the mass. In the center, a few dryads and nymphs were trying to fight their way away from a strange figure in a robotic suit. He was brandishing a weapon that seemed to be hurting them, and although Grover was just dreaming, even he could feel something terrible about the weapon. It seemed to be emitting a harmful wave, something that was hurting the dryads and nymphs and would likely hurt him if he were there. He saw the figure strike down one of the demigods: Will Solace. Nico di Angelo appeared at his side, whisking him away from the battle.

The strikes from the demigods and Hunters seemed to be doing little more than denting the man's suit, and he didn't seem in a hurry to leave until eight more people appeared at the edge of the woods. He recognized them with a jolt: Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Hazel Grace, Frank Zhang, Leo Valdez and a pretty girl with her hand on Leo's shoulder that Grover didn't know.

"What's going on here?" Percy asked.

Then, suddenly time stopped all around Grover. No one moved besides the man in the robotic suit in the middle of the mass of people, who was turning around slowly to face Grover.

"Grover Underwood," a deep, mechanical voice said. "I see you've woken up. I hadn't intended for that to happen, of course, as you always have been a bother. Nonetheless, your time in the cell served its purpose. You're too late now to undo what I've done."

Grover tried to say something, but this voice wouldn't work.

"Your god is dead. Pan is gone for good, and it's time for a new era. I'll be seeing you, I'm sure." His voice was as close to a sneer as an automated tone could get.

The chaos resumed in an instant, voices shouting, swords swinging, his friends yelling about what was wrong, but the strange man in the robotic suit was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Grover didn't wake up until the next morning, but the dream was still vivid in his mind. Suddenly a few things were clear to him.

For one, he knew who was behind everything that had been happening lately. He wasn't sure exactly who he was or what he was doing or why, but at least he had an image in his mind, an enemy to look for.

The other thing that came to him was an idea. He needed help, major help. He wasn't sure what was going on, but without his tools or any information, he didn't want to trust that he could get Juniper home safely. Clearly, whatever was going on in the forests of the Carolinas was also going on back at Camp Halfblood. Maybe his friends there would have some information.