LoSP Ch.63: Plans and Preparation

PERCY POV

I appeared upon the banks of a small stream, the waters frothing across the rocks as the stream twisted down the hill. On the other side, silver tents rose, and wolves prowled, and a distant chatter of voices drifted into the wind. I strode through the waters, petting a wolf as it bounded forward before continuing.

A couple of girls in silver parkas tensed, before relaxing as they saw me. I reached out with my senses, letting them guide me as I scanned through the hunt, their varied powers washing over me like moonlight falling upon waves.

“Here to see Lady Artemis?” A voice called from above, and I looked up to see Zoe crouched on a branch.

“No. Funnily enough, I’m here to see you today. I’m not sure if Artemis can help me today, Ancient Laws and all. So, you’re the next best thing available to me.”

Zoe jumped down from the branch, landing in front of me without a sound. “What do you need?”

“I want to know what you would do, how would you plan if you knew that my quest and I were coming for you?” I asked, and she blinked. “You’ve been coming up with strategies for thousands of years with Artemis. So, what would you do if we were coming to hunt you and Artemis down? If you know, you were a goddess too.”

“Lay a trap. Dictate the terrain, preferably where there’s higher ground and trees. But that’s for us. I suppose you’re asking for a strategy that the Titans would make.”

“Exactly.” I smiled, watching as she frowned thoughtfully. “Why don’t you think it over for a few? Take help if you need, and devise a strategy to kill us. Come up with the worst you can. Once you do, Iris message Annabeth or Clarisse. I’ve left strategizing to them for now. Meanwhile, I need to have a word with Artemis.”

“I thought she couldn’t help you with this?”

“She can help me with something else, though. Something where it might be better to have her with me as a witness anyway.”

Zoe’s eyebrow quirked. “She’s in her tent then.”

“I know. I can feel her. It is pretty impossible to miss an Olympian,” I said, turning to Artemis’ tent, before looking over my shoulder. “Devise a good plan for me, won’t you?”

“Annoy me enough, and I might just implement it too,” she growled, and I laughed, making my way toward Artemis’ tent, waving to some of the hunters on my way. 

The tent’s flap opened before I could knock, and Artemis stood on the other side, her molten silver eyes meeting mine.

“May I come in?” I asked. “I need to have a word.”

She nodded and slid to the side, closing the flap of the tent behind me as I entered.

“You know,” she whispered. “Are you mad at me?”

“Know what? That you send Clarisse to talk to me instead of coming by yourself? No. No, I am not mad.” I let out a breath. “I would even say that it helped, and it was a good call.” 

“But?”

“But I do wish you would’ve talked to me directly instead of relaying the message through her. I… I just feel slightly confused as to why you sent her to say the stuff you could have.” I turned to her, and she grimaced.

“I didn’t tell her what to say, Percy. I just told her about the situation and what you needed.” Artemis shifted on her feet. “Whatever she said were her own words. From her perspective, which was what I thought would help you.” Something shone in her silver eyes for a moment. “Percy, I… I am a goddess at the end of the day. I may have led the hunt for as long as I can remember, but I’ve not led quests. It is different.”

“I see,” I murmured.

“She can place herself in your shoes better, that’s all,” Artemis said, before her lips quirked slightly and she drifted closer. “And some might say that I have a girlfriend bias.”

I chuckled. “Fair. And it did help. Not in the way she or you probably thought it would, but it did. She said that I was just out of the available options. So, I need to make my own.”

“That’s good. What’re you going to do then?”

“Try to figure their plot out for one. For another, get some backup. Tell me, how… legal would it be for you and Athena to accidentally stumble upon us during the quest?”

“If you tell me, it won’t be accidental, Percy.” Artemis grimaced.“Fates know. They always know. It isn’t as easy to find loopholes like that. Even more so during a quest. With you, most of us bend the rules. But on a quest, all bets are off, I’m afraid. Not for our safety but for yours.”

“What about something like I did with Hestia? If I’m in trouble, I sacrifice something, say, a god, and could you two show up to help me with the fight?”

“Did Hestia show up?” Artemis raised an eyebrow.

“Well, no. But she sent help,” I said. “She lent me her powers. Powers effective enough to reduce gods to ashes. And she’s not a fighter. And she is incredibly bound by being the bearer of the flame. You, on the other hand, have a good amount of leeway.”

“That’s not how it works. I wish it did, but even if I did stumble upon you, completely accidentally, during the quest, I wouldn’t be able to help you. The quest is to hunt gods, and thus, your job. Your destiny. So I couldn’t step in, despite how much I wanted to. I would just have to stand there unless the titan or god attacked me first. The best we can do is occasionally help you. Nudge you in the right direction.”

“But not come down there and throw in by yourself because the Ancient Laws prevent you. Even with a sacrifice as big as a god.”

“A god fighting a mortal’s battle has never happened, Percy. Fates wouldn’t allow us to be enslaved to a mortal’s will like that, regardless of whatever you give us in return. Regardless of how much we ourselves want to. Sure, we can make a deal. Give an arrow for a monster. Throw a lightning bolt. Guide your weapon in times of need. But a deal where we do your work for you? That’s off the table.”

“You can help us, but not do the job for us.” I sighed. “I understand.”

“If you sacrifice something to me, the best I could do is temporarily give you my strength. Maybe, if you could shoot an arrow, guide it so it strikes true and lethal. Blind your opponent if you’re fighting at night, under the moon. Send an animal, even a monster, to intervene. But I’m afraid that’s about it.”

I let out a breath before a thought crossed my mind, and I perked up. “What about sending your lieutenant to our aid? She is your handmaiden and thus, if you send her, she’ll have to come.”

“That could work.” Artemis nodded slowly. “My hunt is mine to command, and I can send them to aid. I have sent them to aid heroes— girls usually, in the way of recruiting them for the hunt. For a good enough sacrifice, then, I could send her your way. Teleport her to you.”

“Good.” I frowned. “But that’d mean putting one more person in harm’s way.”

“Say that in front of her and she’ll show you who exactly will be in harm’s way.” Artemis snorted. “I have seen her train in every possible way. She’s most definitely one of the best five archers in the world, and that’s counting Apollo and me. And she’s no slouch with a sword either. Even you have to put in some decent effort against her in a straight sword fight.”

“She hasn’t killed gods, though.”

She shrugged. “I’d chalk it up to a lack of opportunity rather than ability. She’s capable, believe me. And with her, I can help more than I can through you.”

“Archery. I suck at it while she’s, well, the best of the best, as you said. You lend her a hand, and it can be like you yourself are there in the field.”

“Well, yes. Nearly. She’d be my envoy, and being my lieutenant has its perks.”

“Perks that being your boyfriend doesn’t?” I asked innocently, and she grinned.

“You’ve got other perks, though. I don’t just kiss anyone, you know?”

“Lucky me.” I drew her closer, capturing her lips with my own. “Now, how would you like to get some intel alongside me?” 

“I wouldn’t be allowed to help directly. But I can watch and stand here for intimidation and witnessing if you wish.”

“Perfect. Then let’s go to some place we can call Enyo and see if she knows anything about the trap. I’ve a couple of backups now, and I have set Zoe, Annabeth, Malcolm, and Clarisse on brainstorming to create a plan that could defeat us.”

“Wonderful.” She took my hand in hers. “Close your eyes, Percy.”

The next moment, I felt a pair of lips on mine, and a flash of silver seared my eyelids. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A flash of golden light erupted between the trees, the shrieks of little animals and birds ringing through the wilderness as they fled, the branches above us shaking as leaves rained down. Beside me, Artemis’ lips thinned, her ears twitching as branches cracked.

“It’s her,” I whispered. “Don’t worry, she has sworn an oath.”

Artemis nodded stiffly, watching with hawk-like eyes as Enyo emerged from the trees, a long spear in her hand. 

“Lady Artemis. Perseus.” She gulped, dropping into a short bow. “What can I do to help?”

“I have heard that the Titan Lord is planning to lay a trap. We need to know the specifics.” I said shortly. “Tell us everything you know.”

Enyo frowned. “I’ve not heard of anything like that. I know nothing of a trap.”

“Nothing?”

“The Princess Andromeda was headed out the last I saw, but beyond that? Nothing. Hecate’s a lot in Othrys these days, though, I hear. Word is that she was scared shitless after encountering you. And the other gods and Titans are afraid. Afraid that they’re next. Some are thinking of abandoning the cause. But they’re scared of the Titan Lord too, especially after he executed one of Iapetus’ offspring… permanently.”

“For them, fading’s a lot scarier than Tartarus, I suppose. Which means I need to instill the same fear in them.”

“You cannot fade us despite whatever you do.” She snorted before blinking as I raised an eyebrow. “You can’t, can you?”

“Keep your ear out for any of the trap plots. I'd better hear something. You’ve not been a great help, Enyo. Remember what our deal’s based on.” The color drained from her face, and I gave her a severe look. “So, get out and get me something useful by tomorrow morning. I don’t care what you need to do. Remember, you’re at my mercy. Oath or not, I still hold your fate in my hands.”

“Yes, I understand. I will try my best.”

“Make sure you do. Tick tock, Enyo.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunlight streamed through the high windows, Thalia’s shadow falling across the carpeted floor as she paced up and down its length, tiny sparks of electricity fluttering between her fingers. Annabeth sat in the corner, talking quietly to Beckhendorf, her laptop in her lap, while Grover played a little tune on his reed pipes, sitting on the floor near them.

On the other side, Nico and Bianca played with a set of cards against Chiron, while Clarisse had propped her legs on the table, a magazine on her face as she snored.

“I take it that you’ve been waiting for me a while,” I said, and Thalia jumped. “I’m sorry. But I was talking to a few sources. It took a while.”

“What’d you find?”

“A lot,” I said briskly, striding over to Clarisse and waking her up with a sprinkle of water from my hands. “Wake up. Let’s get to the ping-pong table and close the room so we can’t be overheard. Annabeth? Beckhendorf? You two can continue working later.”

Chiron gave me a disapproving look before rolling his wheelchair into the ping-pong table room, where the camp meetings were usually held, as the rest followed him. 

I closed the doors behind me, locking them. I paused for a moment, debating whether or not to secure the room further, until I decided to do it anyway. Raising my hand, I tugged on my powers, feeling the ocean within me. I imagined the solitude of the waves, with nothing but the sea in all directions, and snapped my fingers.

A breeze ruffled through the room, carrying the salty gale of the ocean, as I felt the magic settle around the room.

“We can talk safely now. We won’t be overheard, even by the gods.”

“Impressive. I didn’t know you had progressed to the finer manipulations of power,” Chiron commented. 

I smiled at him, feeling a warmth blossom in my heart as I remembered the lessons where I had been taught that, Artemis’ warm smile, and tinkling laughter sweeping me in like a tide. 

“Thanks,” I said. “Artemis taught me.”

Grover gave me a weird look, but said nothing, while Chrion nodded. “I see that Lady Artemis and her lessons have helped you. No god or goddess understands heroes as well as she does.”

“I agree.” I smiled, smothering the butterflies that fluttered in my stomach. “Anyhow, I got a response from my sources about what’s in Pittsburgh and whom we will be hunting down— Astraeus and Asteria.” 

“The Titan and Titaness of Stars,” Chiron stroked his chin. “They’re good fighters. Asteria even survived the first war but has lain low for eons. Astraeus, though… he died at Hades’ hands when the Olympians first sieged Othrys.”

“Quite a few Titans have returned from Tartarus, so it is not surprising.” I shrugged. “Astraeus would be no different. He has had eons to reform, just like the rest of them.”

“Perhaps.” Chiron frowned. “I do not know much about Asteria, but Astraeus was a decent fighter. And both gods with the same domain fighting against you may not end well if they’ve figured out a way to work together.”

“And it is not only them,” I said in a low voice. “They have a battalion of monsters who they’re training alongside a forge— one of Hephaestus', which they’ve taken over.”

“That means trouble,” Beckhendorf rumbled. “My dad has all sorts of things in his forges, including an armory. Not to mention, Automatons, and all sorts of other inventions. Of course, there is a self-destruct too, but… it could be bypassed by someone skilled enough.”

“How skilled?” Clarisse asked.

“Any one of my brothers or sisters could bypass it. At least all but the most complicated ones,” Beckhendorf said. “Of course, it isn’t as easy for anyone else not familiar with engineering. Of this group, I’d only give Annabeth a chance.” He hesitated as Annabeth raised an eyebrow. “Ok, maybe more than a chance. She could do most of it if she compensates for the engineering fast enough.”

“Let’s assume that they did get it,” Thalia said. “That they got all the stuff there and are actively using them. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, you know? So, what do we do? We have to face two Titans, a battalion of bloodthirsty monsters, and some unholy mechanical abominations straight from the god of engineering. Did I get it right?”

“Yes,” Grover said. “Oh, and Percy has had a dream where the Titans were planning a trap for us. Let’s not forget that one.”

“One thing at a time.” I interrupted. “First, let us neutralize the machines. They could be the biggest problem yet, probably the easiest solution. Beckhendorf?”

“A powerful enough electromagnetic pulse intermingled with a bit of divine energy should disable most of it. Dad doesn’t keep the absolute big stuff in abandoned forges. There may be good stuff, but nothing that good.” He paused. “I could make a machine that’d create the right pulse, but someone would’ve to power it.”

“I heard electromagnetic and divine. Sparky could do it.” 

Beckhendorf nodded. “Easily.”

“Great, then make it.”

“Speaking of machines, we have already created a few things,” Annabeth said, pulling up a sizable briefcase.

With a pop, its locks clicked open, and Annabeth removed a large, silver and bronze instrument the size of a football that gleamed in Annabeth’s hand, its little golden gears clicking softly, its edges catching the sunlight. 

“That, ladies and gentlemen, is an anti-teleporter,” Beckhendorf announced. “It creates a field powerful enough to trap gods.”

“What do you think?” Annabeth asked as we stared at it. “It is a Daedalus design. He used a prototype to integrate in the Labyrinth workshop to keep people— namely my mom out. I just turned the mechanism inward, and Beckhendorf made the device I designed on pretty short notice.”

“That’s great.” I grinned at her. “Did you test it?”

Annabeth nodded. “Nico and Bianca can’t teleport out. I was hoping you’d try it too. And get some god to try it afterward.”

“I see. So, we wouldn’t be capable of teleporting either?” 

“You could teleport into the dome, yes,” Annabeth typed something on her laptop. “But once you’re into it, you cannot teleport out or even within the limits of the field. That’s a problem that we can’t solve, since we’re working with technology, not magic. You can’t be choosy with how the anti-teleportation field goes up here.” 

“The disk allowed us to teleport, though,” Nico piped up, twisting a shiny playing card between his fingers. “Percy’s disk.”

“That was made by the gods, and thus, it was divine magic. Divine magic is based on will. This is technology. It just puts the field up, no exceptions. On the plus side, Hecate will not be breaking this, unless she does it physically.” 

“On the negative side, you do realize that we’re walking into a trap and thus—”

“Will need a possibility of a quick escape, yes, I know.” Annabeth smiled smugly. “Which is why I have built in a bypass for the device, one which can be triggered either by a remote or a voice-activated command. The field goes down immediately, and Nico, Bianca, or you can teleport us out.”

I slowly inclined my head. “Cool. Now—”

“That’s not all,” Annabeth cut in, removing a thin, bronze circular band from her bag, a small light blinking on top of it. “In case Hecate or anyone plays the same trick twice by trapping us in fear, or anger, or something similar, I have made these for all of us. They prevent magic or divine power from affecting your mind. I based it off on Percy’s helmet. Hecate’s magic— or the presence of Eris, which was driving both Clarisse and me blind with anger didn’t affect me once I wore the helm. I recreated something similar.”

“Damn,” Clarisse muttered, plucking the band from her hands and inspecting it with a savage grin. “I am going to kick Hecate’s ass to Tartarus now if she comes for us again.”

Grover shook his head. “The fear and discord were one thing though, and it wasn’t even caused by Hecate’s magic. That was divine influence because of Phobos, Deimos, and Lyssa. The magic Hecate did was limited to the illusions, which made the fear real. And it is nowhere close to what she can do. She ripped my nature magic apart and reversed it on me with a wave of her hand.”

“Well, I’ve thought of that too,” Annabeth declared, removing the third device from her bag, this one having three bronze claws at its top. “It’s an Illusion Disruptor. I’ll pair it with the anti-teleportation field generator, and if we see Hecate, or an illusion for that matter, we will activate it, and all illusions within the field should be disrupted immediately. But it also means there’ll be no mist manipulation within the area.”

I nodded slowly. “Do it. Mortals, we can deal with. But if we take Hecate’s illusions away from her, she’ll only be left with necromancy to hit us with. Her direct magic would not affect her anyway, thanks to Hermes’ gummies. Indirectly, she could throw elemental or physical attacks at us, but she would still be playing within our field.” My jaw twitched. “We would need to make other preparations, of course, but nothing we can do until and unless we survey their forces in Pittsburgh.”

“We can plan that there itself. Monsters, we can deal with. Titans, too. And as for Hecate, we could neutralize most things she throws at us. At some point or another, she’ll be just another goddess we have to kill,” Clarisse growled. “And we will. This time, if she shows up, we will not bargain. Just kill her and be done with it. We gave her a chance once, and I see no reason to give it to her again.”

“I agree,” Bianca’s eyes darkened, and for a horrible moment, she looked like the female version of her father. “Kill her immediately, Percy. I am through on the bargaining stuff anyway. It has only worked once, and that was because we were dealing with a rich, prissy princess. We just waste time and give the enemy time to think of a way out.”

“See? She gets it.” Clarisse cracked her knuckles. “Stab first, ask questions later… You know, if they’re alive. All upsides, none of the downsides.”

I frowned, looking around the room. “And are all of you for it? Go for the kill, instead of having them surrender?” 

“If they surrender, like Theia did, we do get plenty of intel, which would be a strategic blunder to waste,” Annabeth said. “But at the same time, Bianca’s right. If we hit them hard and fast, they won’t have time to formulate any strategy or escape plans.” Her grey eyes bore meaningfully into mine. “Or worse, spring a trap.”

I felt waves chop across my heart before I nodded. “Alright. So be it. We’ll now hit them hard and fast. The only case we stop is if they surrender or beg for mercy. And we only give that to them once they’re disarmed, preferably injured.”

“Percy…” Chiron trailed off. “That’d be murder if you pull it off that way.”

“It is a hunt of gods, Chiron. Believe me, I’ve been around the Goddess of the hunt long enough to know that you don’t ask permission from the prey when you go to kill them. You kill them.” I drew myself up. “Till now, I was offering a chance to surrender because it could lead to an easy way out for all of us involved. One without a fight or the danger of dying, which also provided us with a lot more than a simple kill.”

“It is a strategic blunder, but it is one that we can afford, given that the Titans have caught up now.” Annabeth added. “Since they know that we’re coming to kill them, they could throw their weapons down and surrender immediately once they see us. And if they do so, we won’t kill them instantly.”

“Sounds fair.” Thalia grunted, hefting her ax, which cracked with faint tendrils of electricity. “Let’s go get those bastards.”

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

AND… DONE! I hope you all liked the chapter!

I am aware I am a couple of days late, but I got ill all of a sudden due to the changing weather.  It has been a hassle and caused me a lot of trouble. I may relook this chapter on a later date when I’m better. I have made it as good as I could but idk how good it is with half my brain being sluggish.

Anyhow, so Percy’s now moving the board, making his own moves. Next chapter, we’ll be jumping back onto the quest, with a LOT of action and excitement lined up.

A Huge thanks to Zaby and Tulayb for betaing this chapter!

.

Stay Happy! Stay Safe! Keep Smiling! Keep Reading!

HPfanfictioner66