Percy Jackson - Beyond the Gods

The campers were scattered across the Field of the Fist of Zeus, enjoying a break after their victory against the Hunters.

The tension of the combat still hung in the air, but most were relieved and in a celebratory mood. Some laughed, others recovered from minor injuries and exchanged comments about the battle.

Chiron, seeing that the Hunters were injured, immediately began administering first aid with the help of Ambrosia and some mortal items.

Suddenly, everything seemed to freeze as something began to emerge from the forest. A sinister, greenish mist spread across the ground, snaking between the trees and enveloping everything in its path.

The sound of shuffling footsteps broke the silence, each movement echoing with an unnatural weight.

Then, she appeared. The skeletal mummy, dressed in ancient, tattered clothes, wavered toward the group, shrouded in an aura of mystery and dread. The Oracle of Delphi, a figure who never left the confinement of the attic, was now there, walking across the snowy field like a living relic. Her body seemed fragile, as if a touch could disintegrate her, but the aura around her was intense and charged with undeniable authority.

The green mist swirled around her feet, transforming the white snow into a sickly, luminous stain. The campers and Hunters were petrified, watching with wide eyes and held breaths. There was something deeply unsettling about the way the mummy moved, each step a reminder that the supernatural was closer than they had ever imagined.

When the Oracle stopped in the center of the group, the mist around her seemed to grow, swirling in a slow vortex. Her eyes, empty and dead, fixed on those present, conveying a sense of despair and eternity.

Ikki watched with narrowed eyes as the Oracle, a sinister vision of wrinkled skin and empty eyes, advanced to the center of the group.

Chiron, who had finished treating another Hunter, looked incredulous, his normally calm tone betrayed by a note of panic: "This is impossible…" he murmured, his eyes fixed on the mummy. "She never leaves the attic. Never."

Ikki remained motionless, analyzing the Oracle's every move as the green mist spread across the ground, staining the snow with a sickly hue. The silence was broken only by the whisper of the Oracle's voice, a chilling presence that invaded everyone's mind.

"I am the spirit of Delphi," the voice hissed, "Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python."

Ikki remained silent, even as the voice echoed in his mind, cold and relentless. He watched as the Oracle turned to Zoë Nightshade, her expression unchanged, but her eyes glowing with a silent flame.

"Approach, Seeker, and ask," the Oracle commanded.

Zoë hesitated, but stepped forward, her voice trembling slightly as she asked, "What must I do to help my goddess?"

The Oracle's mouth opened, and a green mist began to flow, forming an image of a barren mountain. At the top, Artemis was chained, her expression of pain and despair etched on her face, as she raised her hands towards the sky as if defending herself from an attack.

Ikki fixed his eyes on the vision, a cold glint appearing in his pupils, a representation of him freezing the emotions that flowed in his chest through one of his abilities, knowing that it would be better to be rational than emotional on this occasion.

The Oracle continued, her voice ethereal and somber:

"Six shall go west to the goddess in chains.

One shall be lost in the land of the arid.

The trail, the doom of Olympus, shall show.

Campers and Hunters combined prevail.

The Titan's curse one shall endure.

And one shall perish by a parent's hand.

The King of Heroes shall face the Titan for the victory of all…"

When the last word was spoken, the mist retreated into the mummy's mouth, which then sat motionless, as if it were just another inanimate figure in the snow-covered scene.

Silence returned, but it was laden with tension. The silence that followed the prophecy was almost suffocating, and the expressions of Annabeth, Thalia, and Percy reflected a mixture of shock and apprehension.

Annabeth, always the most rational, was the first to react, frowning as she tried to decipher the meaning of the Oracle's words. "Six shall go west…" she murmured, more to herself than to the others. Her grey eyes were filled with worry. "The trail, the doom of Olympus, shall show… That doesn't sound good. Who will be lost in the land of the arid?"

Thalia crossed her arms, her face hardened. "And what does 'by a parent's hand one shall perish' mean?" Her voice was tense, laden with suspicion. She glanced quickly at Percy, remembering the complex web of family ties that always complicated their quests.

Percy, in turn, felt a chill run down his spine as he heard the prophecy. He knew the Oracle's words were never straightforward and always carried a deadly weight. "Campers and Hunters combined prevail…" he repeated, trying to find some comfort in the words. "At least that means there's a chance of success, right?"

Annabeth didn't look convinced. "But at what cost? The Titan's curse… that could be something much worse than we're imagining."

Thalia took a deep breath, trying to push away the fear that was beginning to settle in her chest. "We have no choice. Artemis is in danger. We need to do something."

Percy looked at his friends, determination growing within him. "Yes, Ikki will obviously go, without him victory is impossible…"

While the three exchanged glances and spoke in murmurs, as did most of the demigods, Ikki turned to Chiron, his eyes seeking an answer. His eyes landed briefly on Zoë, who was still stunned by the vision, her mind clearly processing the responsibility that now fell upon her.

"We're going west," Ikki said calmly with an emotionless expression. "We have to save Artemis."

Zoë looked up, meeting Ikki's gaze. There was a mixture of anger and determination in her eyes. "I don't need your help, Ikki. This is a quest for the Hunters."

"That's not what the prophecy says," Ikki retorted, his voice unwavering. "Campers and Hunters combined prevail. And besides, I'm the only one who has the title of King of Heroes, and as far as I remember, the oracle said that I need to face the Titan for victory to be achieved. We're in this together, whether you like it or not."

Chiron nodded, his expression grave. "Ikki is right. This quest will require the best of all of us. We need a strong and united group."

Knowing that it would be pointless to argue about it in this place, Chiron told Percy and Grover to take the Oracle back to the attic while he called the rest of the counselors to the Big House to discuss the quest.

Soon, everyone gathered around a ping-pong table in the recreation room. Dionysus waved his hand, offering snacks—cheese spread, crackers, and bottles of red wine.

Chiron quickly reminded Dionysus that wine was against their restrictions, and besides, many of them were underage. Dionysus sighed, and with a snap of his fingers, the wine transformed into Diet Coke.

No one seemed interested in drinking.

Chiron and Dionysus (he in his wheelchair) were seated at one end of the table. Zoë and another Hunter whose name was Phoebe were at the other end. Annabeth, Thalia, Grover, and Percy sat on the right, while the other head counselors—Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, and the Stoll brothers—were on the left. Ikki was among them, as he was also considered one of the counselors by the directors, and because he was the strongest demigod in the camp, his opinion carried more weight. There was also a representative of the children of Ares present, whose name was Mike…

The rest of the Hunters were in the infirmary.

Ikki was silent with a calm expression, thinking about whether or not he should go on this quest. He felt a certain conflict about going on a mission to save the woman who had rejected him.

Part of him wanted to go because, as Percy had seen in his dreams, Artemis had tried to save his mother's life, and his enemies had used her image to trap the goddess. He would encounter Zeus's enemies—Luke and Kronos—on this mission and destroy them. But another part of him felt bitter, going in search of the woman who had rejected him. How foolish was he?

As he longed for change, the first thing he needed to do was take more control of situations and not let the fatal flaw of inaction command him.

He wouldn't follow the prophecy to the letter; he would do it his own way. All to take revenge and finally be able to have some peace.

Despite still being somewhat injured, Zoë didn't want to stand idly by while her goddess was in danger. She started the meeting with a direct statement. "This is pointless."

"Cheese spread!" Grover exclaimed suddenly, grabbing a cracker and starting to spread it, trying to alleviate the tension in the room.

"There's no time for talk," Zoë continued with an implacable expression. "Our goddess needs us. The Hunters will leave immediately."

"For where?" Chiron asked, still worried.

"West!" Phoebe answered firmly, her voice full of determination. "You heard the prophecy. Six shall go west to the goddess in chains."

It was a difficult decision, and everyone knew it. Zoë looked at them with piercing eyes. "We can gather six Hunters and leave."

"You're missing something, as always…" Thalia, who was visibly frustrated, clicked her tongue and spoke. "Campers and Hunters combined prevail. We're supposed to do this together."

"No!" Zoë said, refusing the help. "The Hunters don't need your help."

"Your," Thalia grumbled, correcting her. "No one's said 'thy' in, like, three hundred years, Zoë. Get with it."

Zoë hesitated, as if trying to form the word correctly. "Youuur. We don't need youuur help."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Forget it."

"I'm afraid the prophecy says you do need our help," Chiron said thoughtfully. "Campers and Hunters must cooperate."

"Or they mustn't?" Mr. D said dreamily, waving his Diet Coke under his nose as if it had a lovely fragrance. "One shall be lost. One shall perish. That sounds a bit grim, doesn't it? What if you fail because you tried to cooperate?"

"Mr. D," Chiron sighed. "With all due respect, whose side are you on?"

Dionysus raised his eyebrows. "Sorry, my dear centaur. Just trying to be helpful."

"We must work together…" Annabeth said, entering the conversation. She asked the Hunter, "Zoë, you know the prophecies. Do you really want to go against one?"

Zoë grimaced, but the daughter of Athena had made a point.

"We mustn't delay," Chiron warned seriously. "Today is Sunday. This Friday, the twenty-first of December, is the winter solstice."

"Oh, joy," Dionysus muttered, remembering this. "Another boring annual meeting."

"Artemis must be present at the solstice," Zoë said worriedly. "She has been one of the most vocal on the council, arguing for action against Kronos's servants. If she is absent, the gods will decide nothing. We will lose another year in war preparations."

"Are you suggesting the gods have trouble acting together, little girl?" Dionysus asked.

"Yes, Lord Dionysus."

Mr. D shook his head. "Just checking. You're right, of course. Continue."

"I must agree with Zoë," Chiron said with regret. "Artemis's presence at the winter council is of paramount importance. We have only one week to find her. And possibly even more important: locate the monster she was hunting. Now, we must decide who goes on this quest."

"Three and three," Percy said.

Everyone looked at him.

"We have to have six," he said, embarrassed. "Three Hunters, three from Camp Half-Blood. It's only fair."

Thalia and Zoë exchanged looks.

"Well," Annabeth said. "It makes sense."

Zoë grunted. "I would prefer to take all the Hunters. We'll need strength in numbers."

"You'd be retracing the goddess's path," Chiron reminded the immortal girl. "Moving quickly. Artemis no doubt tracked this rare monster's scent, whatever it is, as it moved west. You'll need to do the same. The prophecy was clear: The trail, the doom of Olympus, shall show. What would your lady say? 'Too many Hunters spoil the scent.' Better a smaller group."

Zoë picked up a ping-pong paddle and studied it as if deciding whom she wanted to hit first. "This monster—the doom of Olympus. I have hunted beside Lady Artemis for many years, yet I have no idea what this beast might be."

Everyone looked at Dionysus, as he was the only god present, and gods supposedly know things. He was leafing through a wine magazine, but when everyone fell silent, he glanced up. "Well, don't look at me. I'm a young god, remember? I don't keep up with all these dusty old monsters and Titans. They're a terrible conversational topic for a party."

"Chiron," Percy asked. "Do you have any idea about the monster?"

Chiron chewed his lip. "I have many ideas, none of them good. And none of them make sense. Typhon, for instance, would fit the description. He was a real bane to Olympus. Or the sea monster Cetus. But if either of those were stirring, we'd know. They're skyscraper-sized sea monsters. Your father, Poseidon, would've sounded the alarm by now. I'm afraid this monster may be more insidious. Perhaps even more powerful."

"That's a pretty serious quest you're going on," Connor Stoll said. "Sounds like at least two out of five of you will die."

"One shall be lost in the land of the arid," Beckendorf said. "If I were you, I'd stay away from the desert." There were murmurs of agreement.

"And the Titan's curse one shall endure," Silena said. "What could that mean?"

Chiron and Zoë exchanged nervous looks, but whatever they were thinking, they didn't share.

"And one shall perish by a parent's hand," Grover mumbled between bites of ping-pong balls and cheese spread. "How's that possible? Which parent would kill them?"

There was a heavy silence around the table.

Percy glanced at Thalia and wondered if she was thinking the same thing he was. Years ago, Chiron had overheard a prophecy about the next child of the Big Three—Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades—who turned sixteen. Supposedly, that child would make a decision that would save or destroy the gods forever. Because of that, they had sworn an oath after World War II to have no more children. But Ikki, Thalia, and Percy had been born anyway, and now all three were nearing sixteen.

Speaking of Ikki, he just sat silently, thinking about the prophecy. He had already deciphered most of it, but he was willing to break something made by the cruel fate of this world.

"There will be deaths," Chiron decided. "That much we know."

"Oh, good!" Dionysus said.

Everyone stared at him. He looked back innocently from inside the pages of Wine Connoisseur magazine. "Ah, pinot noir is making a big comeback. Don't mind me."

"Percy's right," Silena Beauregard said. "Three campers should go."

"Ah, I see," Zoë said sarcastically. "And I suppose *thou* wishest to volunteer?"

Silena blushed. "I'm not going anywhere with the Hunters. Don't look at me!"

"A daughter of Aphrodite doesn't want to be looked at?" Zoë scoffed cruelly. "What would thy mother say?"

Silena started to get up, but the Stoll brothers pulled her back down.

"Stop it." Ikki spoke, his calm voice silencing everyone present. He looked at Zoë and said, "Make your choice, only three Hunters, nothing more than that."

Zoë flinched under the boy's gaze. She tried her best to say, "I must go, of course, and I'll take Phoebe. She's our best tracker. Besides her, I'll take Atalanta, who is one of our best archers…"

"And from the campers?" Chiron asked. He looked at Ikki, saying, "Besides Ikki, obviously. The prophecy said he has to face a Titan to bring victory."

All the campers looked at Ikki, a little worried.

"Relax, I'll be fine," Ikki seemed casual in his response.

Silence prevailed, but was soon broken by an eager satyr.

"Me!" Grover stood up so fast he bumped the ping-pong table. He brushed cracker crumbs and ping-pong ball remnants off his lap. "Anything to help Artemis!"

Zoë wrinkled her nose. "I think not, satyr. Thou art not even a half-blood."

"But he's a camper," Thalia said. "And he has satyr senses and forest magic. Can you play a tracker's song yet, Grover?"

"Of course I can!"

Zoë faltered. That was a very subtle and useful song for tracking.

"Very well," Zoë said, conflicted. "And the second camper?"

"I'll go." Thalia stood up and looked around, daring anyone to question her.

And then, an argument began.

Annabeth and Percy also volunteered, but Zoë refused Percy's help, saying she would not travel the country accompanied by a boy—Percy argued, since Grover and Ikki had been selected, but the lieutenant just refused, saying the two were special cases. The satyr wasn't technically a boy, and Ikki was someone needed for the mission according to the prophecy.

As for Annabeth, she wasn't as skilled as Thalia or Ikki, so she wasn't chosen. This upset the daughter of Athena quite a bit; she left the meeting angry, and Percy, who had also been denied the opportunity to participate, went after her.

With that, the meeting ended. Ikki, Thalia, and Grover would have to go west after Artemis with three Hunters: Zoë, Phoebe, and Atalanta.

Chiron told them to prepare and leave at dawn.