gnossienne
n. the realisation that you didn't actually know someone as well as you thought you did
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'Look, I never wanted to be a half-blood.
Let's start from the top, shall we?
My name is Cassandra Jackson, but everyone usually calls me Ca...
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I choked on my water.
"What?" Percy exclaimed as I patted my chest, clearing my throat.
"At least," - Chiron held up a hand - "that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best,' 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' et cetera. Afterwards, Zeus realised his bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly - that is forbidden by the most ancient divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."
"But we didn't-"
"Patience and listen child." Chiron cut off my brother. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclops are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon the influence over the makes of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now forcing the Cyclops to illegally copy it, which might be used to topple Zeus off his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero had taken it."
"And this is where we come in, right?"
"Correct. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you two as his children. You were in New York over the winter holidays-"
"At school!" Percy exclaimed, trying to defend us.
"You could have easily snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief. Or thieves."
"We've never been to Olympus though!" I exclaimed.
"Zeus is crazy!" Chiron and Grover glanced up at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be parting around us like Grover had told us. They were rolling over us, sealing us in a coffin of bad weather.
"Er, Percy...?" Grover said. "We don't usually use the 'c' word to describe the Lord of the Sky."
"Perhaps paranoid." Chiron suggested. "Then again Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty eight on your exam..." Chiron looked at us as if we would've remembered that.
"I'll take you word for it." I sat back in my chair, staring up at the sky.
"Something about a golden net?" Percy guessed. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?"
"Correct." Chiron said. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offence at the accusation. The two have been fighting for months now," I felt Chiron's eyes on me, "threatening war." I snapped my head in his direction.
"The voices were telling the truth." I mumbled, but Chiron heard.
"I'm afraid so, Cassie. May I ask, have the voices continued?" I shook my head.
