The Betrayed Hero

Chapter 8

Camp Half Blood

It's been an hour since everyone's returned to the camp. The mood at camp was tense; no one spoke to anyone; the sea had just calmed down after the argument at Olympus.

Flashback

At Olympus

The ground was trembling; there was no doubt that the damage had been done to the earth after something so big hit them. Poseidon was doing his thing, taking his own sweet time to help the hero run. After a few moments, Poseidon cooled down and sat back on his throne calmly, but Zeus was far from calm; he was furious. Zeus let forth his fury at Poseidon in a booming shout that echoed throughout Olympus's corridors. Even at Camp Half Blood, there was a noticeable ripple effect from the clear dislike between the two brothers.

With a roar, Zeus turned to face Poseidon. "What were you thinking?" and the Lord of the Sea, even more angrier, retorted, "What do you mean? You were attempting to murder him over an act that he did not commit."

"It could be dangerous for us to let him go; Perseus will be dangerous for us, and you think that you can just teleport him anywhere and we would not be able to find him?" Zeus sneered at his brother while everyone else was just watching the conversation taking place between the two gods. Poseidon hissed at Zeus, looking done with his temper tantrum. "I'm the God of the Sea, and you know well that I can't teleport anyone. I just created a distraction and asked him to run. I don't know where the flash came from." Poseidon shrugged, looking nonchalant, but he was internally freaking out. Percy had just disappeared from his arms, but he was glad that he was not here and was potentially somewhere safe. Everyone looked baffled at the seriousness and nonchalance of God. They couldn't understand how Poseidon could simultaneously appear calm and worried. Zeus, on the other hand, was clearly frustrated by Poseidon's lack of responses and demanded a more thorough response. But all he got was a passive look and a half-hearted shrug. Zeus turned to face the twins and nodded as if sending a quiet message. They swiftly nodded and vanished into thin air. Everyone knew where the siblings had gone.
To hunt down the hero.

Annabeth was pale, unable to think of anything, not knowing what she had done. Her thoughts were divided; one side warned her that the decision was harsh, but the other side insisted that it was the correct thing to do or else everyone would suffer. As the weight of her actions settled on her, Annabeth's heart sank. She realised the gravity of her betrayal and the consequences it would have for those she cared about. The guilt gnawed at her, leaving her torn between the belief that she had made the right choice and the remorse for hurting those she loved. She took too much pride in herself and her decision and betrayed her boyfriend, her best friend, and her loyal seaweed brain.

Today Pride broke loyalty.

All of a sudden, the fire in the hearth roared to life, and the ever-peace-loving goddess stood up, looking outraged. There was fire in her eyes as she spoke. "What did you do? You just drove away your hero—the same hero whose fatal flaw is personal loyalty—the same boy who was part of prophecy twice, the same boy who nearly died every time, the one who protected your throne. Just because you thought that he would be more powerful than you, you all tried to kill him; you all broke someone's loyalty and trust; you all betrayed him." Before she could continue, Katie let out a shocked gasp. A green mist was surrounding Rachel; she was going to give a prophecy; her eyes were glowing like serpents; and then the Oracle spoke.

'Once defeated shall rise again,

Vengeance would be wanted again.

would be the hero and the broken,

Olympus would fall again'.

And then Rachel collapsed. The Stoll brothers and Katie helped her, while Will rushed forward to help. No one spoke; everyone looked worried, even the gods. The prophecy sounded terrifying while some tried to break it down into parts, not liking the way it was sounding in hushed whispers, while others stayed quiet. The atmosphere grew tense as the weight of the prophecy settled upon them. The words echoed in their minds, each syllable carrying a sense of impending doom. Some began to question if they were prepared for what lay ahead, while others searched for any glimmer of hope within the cryptic message.

Everyone was anxiously waiting for the duo to return since, for the past two hours, Grover was pale and sweating, Chiron looked worried, his brows furrowed, and Nico looked ready to murder anyone but was kept in place by Will. After a few more minutes of waiting, Apollo arrived first, followed by Artemis. Both bowed down in front of their father, and Apollo started speaking first: "We could not find him anywhere, not even his scent." The news sent a wave of unease through the group as they realised the gravity of the situation. Apollo continued, his voice filled with concern, "It's as if he vanished into thin air. We searched every corner of the camp, but there was no trace of him."
"Even his cabin does not have his scent," Artemis continued. "It will be difficult to find him without his scent."
Everyone frowned. It was not easy for a demigod to cover their scent, and for a child of the big three, it was even more difficult to do so. The group knew that if someone like Percy Jackson could disappear without a trace, it meant that something powerful and dangerous was at play. They had to act quickly and find a way to track him down before it was too late.
Glancing at her father, Athena stated, "I think it's someone's doing." She went on, "He disappeared from the arms of Poseidon, and there is a new prophecy, so I think someone might be behind Percy's disappearance," as the other people stared at her in confusion. Poseidon sat with a decided poker face and appeared a few years older than the others, yet they all nodded, agreeing with the goddess.
"We need to find Percy, like Hestia said, because he did not do anything wrong." Hermes added quickly, and the fire flickered in the hearth as if daring anyone to disagree.
Zeus sighed and looked at Chiron and said, "Campers can go on a quest to find him; you all can leave for the camp," and many campers cheered at the decision. Chiron looked at Hermes and said, "My lord."
"Oh, yes, you need to get back," and he snapped his fingers, flashing everyone back at camp.

Flashback over
Camp Half Blood

After dinner, everyone started heading back to their cabins when, all of a sudden, Mehir from the Aphrodite cabin appeared out of nowhere, shouting for Chiron and panting as though he had just sprinted a mile. Mehir had gathered everyone by the time Chiron emerged from the big house. "The sword is here at the beach!" he exclaimed, charging forward as soon as he spotted the centaur.
Chiron looked confused. "What sword?"
"Riptide It's at the shore." Mehir shouted, Chiron looked shocked, and the campers looked stunned with eyes wide open and their mouths open. "Chiron cleared his throat and said, "Show me." Mehir nodded and speed-walked towards the beach, the campers and Chiron following him. As they reached the beach, Mehir pointed towards a gleaming sword embedded in the sand. Chiron's eyes widened in recognition as he realised it was indeed Riptide, the weapon of Percy Jackson.

Everyone was surprised to see the sword here, as Riptide was always with Percy, the bronze sword shining in the light of the moon and thousands of stars in the sky, proudly standing near the sea. Campers were looking at Chiron, trying to figure out what the camp director would do in this situation, but Mr. D beat him to it: "Well, someone pull it out from there and get back to your cabin." Anxiety was evident in his tone. Annabeth took a step forward, but Mehir, who was standing near Riptide, reached and tried to pull it out. But when it did not move, others also tried to pull it out, even Annabeth, Grover, Nico, and Chiron.

The campers pulled with all their might, their determination visible on their faces as they desperately struggled to pull the riptide from its fixed position. Despite their attempts, the blade remained securely embedded in the ground, sending a wave of fear through the group.

Everyone returned to their cabin slowly, fatigued by the events of the day. While Annabeth and Chiron stood back, staring at the sword, she looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown, but Chiron made her go back to bed. Reluctantly, Annabeth returned to her cabin, her head filled with concern and frustration. She couldn't sleep because she couldn't escape the idea that something sinister was looming over them all.

Chiron sighed, glanced down at the blade, and turned around.