The Harvest Trials

Chapter I

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What we now call the "Harvest" started on one fateful day in New York. I guess you could say it was all my fault. But let's back up a second here. I shouldn't rush into things. We have to start at the very beginning. The beginning of the path I started us on.

So picture this, the Second Giant War. You remember that, right? The Seven of the prophecy teaming up with the gods to defeat all of those bloodthirsty sons of bitches. Oh sorry, there was a female in there somewhere.

Anyway, we were kicking ass up until the point where my nosebleed started the apocalypse. Yeah, I know, it sucked a lot.

And then we went to Camp Half-Blood, stopped a demigod war from happening, and defeated Gaea, yada yada yada. Boring.

Leo came back with Calypso and that was all fine and dandy, but get this: Gaea didn't like being defeated. Big surprise there.

So as she was dying, she set a little curse on the earth. Well, I shouldn't say little since it pretty much meant the end of all life, but hey, I'm just trying to tell the story.

Alright, cutting to the chase, she damned the earth. She took just about all of Earth's resources and energy sources and disappeared with them. Just like that. The mortals were freaking out. To be frank, so were we.

People were already dying by the thousands, strange diseases were spreading, plants and trees were dying, fresh water sources were drying up. Animals were dying off. Everything was just descending into a hell on Earth. Nothing made sense.

We demigods tried to help where we could, but there wasn't much we could do without exposing ourselves. We knew that in times of crisis, mortals would stop at nothing to get what they want, or rather, what they need. At the time we didn't know how right we were.

I will now recount that faithful day, the one that eventually led to the "harvest".

It was just Leo, Jason, and I that day. We just went into New York City, a place that used to buzz with activity and light and power, but which now stood still.

Well, I shouldn't say still. It was more of a sinister feel to it. Buildings already look thousands of years old, though it had only been six months since it started. The sun was scorching, as per usual.

We hadn't heard from the gods since Greece, and we had had suspicions about the conditions of the earth. We knew they usually didn't like to help us, but considering the severity of the situation, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that they would be helping us right now. Something was wrong. And I wouldn't find out what for a very long time.

New Yorkers and tourist that had been stranded here bustled about, holding scarfs and towels over their heads. I remember seeing a screaming child just sitting on the sidewalk.

We had come that day to try and aid the mortals. Since the water supply was depleting, I would purify water from the Hudson and the East and leave it for the mortals. Jason would provide them with some rain and clouds and Leo would try to fix things and build things and provide fire in the nights.

That's another thing. Days were hot but nights were so freaking cold. The people who didn't die of heat stroke or dehydration would surely freeze to death if caught outside during the night.

And I know it was my fault we ever got caught in the first place. I should have been more careful. Looking back on it, I remember seeing the agents. I remember them, those horrible people who worked for HARVEST: Human. Administered. Rescue. Vitalize. Earth's. Supply. of the Taken. I hate those guys so fucking much.