Chapter 18: The Breakfast Encounter

Chapter 18

The Breakfast Encounter

||Grover Underwood||

I frowned.

Something's different. I adjusted my backpack and headed to my very own cabin. I dropped all my stuff off and headed to some part of the woods where my girlfriend is, following her scent all the while trying to detect what's wrong with the camp. It's quiet and filled with tension.

The sun is barely reaching it's peak as it's quite early in the morning. Usually, everyone is bustling with movement at this time of day, at about 8 am but there's none. I kept walking, the sound of my hooves loud in the grassy soil of Camp-Half Blood despite the buzzing noises of early animals.

I called Juniper's name once and I found her pacing in front of her tree. She turned to me, relieved and impatient and worried. "Gods! Took you long enough, Grover."

"What?" I asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

She grabbed my hand, the color of her skin contrasting with mine, and pulled me with her. The waves of her reddish-orange hair bouncing. "Come on! Something happened last night and something is happening in the Mess Hall that you have to see. Everyone's already lurking, curious what it is."

"Well, I didn't expect this kind of homecoming." I retorted.

She just gave me a look, "Trust me, no one expected this."

In no time, we were close enough to the Mess Hall and still be hidden in the woods. I saw some of the nymphs peaking out, staring at one direction.

 Finally, I looked at what the fuss is about when suddenly everything had stopped and my blood ran cold as I saw the figures all sitting down on a table I've never seen in my life.

They sat casually but firm and proper at the same time, casually eating their foods as they talk to themselves totally ignoring the entire camp's whispering gossip, emitting intimidating powerful aura I've never felt before. 

I took a sharp intake of breath as I looked at Percy who was leaning back in his chair at the top of the table, drinking only. He didn't talk, he just sat there and listened to the talk around him, eyes bouncing from one camper to another. No warmth, no mischief, no lopsided grin that I've become so fond of. He has such a big aura around him that even staring at him sent fear coiling down my stomach. Everything about him screamed untouchable.

Nico sat on his right side who, like Percy, wore an unreadable mask.

They all wore that.

"Juniper......" I whispered, "What is happening?" I gripped her hand tight. I'm glad. Real glad that they're all alive and that Percy and Nico are back but their return must mean something....

"I heard the other nymphs saying that they would help us in the upcoming war."

"They're the Army of Chaos?"

I kept watching them from the tree, crushing the temptation to walk over there and hug the living beans out of my missing best friend. When all of a sudden, all chatter had ceased and all attention had been directed to the Poseidon's table and up stood the demigod that started everything years ago.

The Army table didn't even look at him. Timothy Leon seeing the lack of effect strode up to the table and stood a few feet away from Percy's chair at his side. Percy raised his eyebrows and turned his head, bored.

"Who the hell are you to just come in and make your own table, eat in here and have the guts to not offer anything to the Gods while acting all high and mighty?!"

Everyone aside from Percy began moving to defend him but he just raised a dismissive hand and they all stared at him before quietly sitting down, glaring at the demigod. I'm guessing that Percy is their commander.

Percy swiveled and said, "Why should we sacrifice our food to those who are lower than us?"

Whispers erupted, voicing out their confusion and disbelief no doubt. "They're the Gods!" Timothy answered.

"After all these years, Leon, you're still stupid. Stupidly trying to get into an argument with me with such arrogance. If it's a deathwish you are asking, son of Poseidon, then just say the word. I'll be generous and make it quick for you." Percy smirked, clearly enjoying seeing a riled up Timothy. The Army let out a quiet chuckle.

"You talk as if you aren't a demigod. In case you've forgotten, Jackson, you are a son of Poseidon."

The temperature dropped and it felt like everything had stopped moving like everything had turned darker than it is. "That's because I'm not a demigod. And I'm certainly not a son of Poseidon. I never was."

My brows furrowed in confusion, just like everyone. Timothy voiced out our thoughts and said, "What?"

Of course, Percy ignored the question and stood up. An inch taller than Timothy but still, his presence was bigger than anyone else's. "Let's be clear here in case you miss it again, son of Poseidon. The army would not bow down to the Gods. They don't deserve it and we would never bow down to someone lower than us. Clear?"

The chair that Percy sat on moved a second before he turned around and began stalking off calling out behind him, "Castor, when you're done eating, I need you to gather the information on every single one people in both camps before lunchtime."

"Copy that." Castor, the son of Dionysus nodded doing a small salute to his commander.

Timothy, however, was not taking it well that he'd been dismissed that easily. He yelled, "Come back here, you pretentious weak prick!"

Everyone on the Army froze turning almost robotically at their commander. Percy disappeared and suddenly appeared a few steps in front of Timothy Leon. The smile on Percy's face was blood chilling and spine-tingling as was that smile that was cold and cruel. The look in his sea green red tinted eyes promised of death.

Everyone, and I mean every one of us fidgeted, uneasy at the power rolling off him in waves. It was greater than the Gods combined. It made them small. A small star in a star sprinkled galaxy,

Timothy's eyes were wide and he was frozen. As Percy brandished a small decorated, jeweled dagger from somewhere in his armor. He looked at it, a tip of his finger at the end while twirling it at the handle with his other hand. The silver metal so polished it was like a mirror, catching the light on both sides as it's twirled.

Timothy took a sharp intake of breath.

Percy looked up a fire in his eyes. His smirk widened before pointing that end onto a frozen Timothy. With a swift move, the end point was a breath away from piercing into his throat. Sweat trickled down the side of the demigod's face like ice melting as his gaze followed the sharp, deadly pointed dagger.

"Do you know," Percy purred, "how easy to pierce this lovely dagger to your throat and shut you up for good?"

He didn't move. Everyone held their breath. Not even Chiron could do anything.

"It's very easy, I could even do it in a way that blood wouldn't even splatter on me even as I stood in front of you. I control your body right now. Coiling them tight making you unable to move. Whatever I say, your body would do so." Percy continued. 

Timothy still hasn't uttered a single word.

"Do you know how I got this dagger?" His voice dropping and we all inched closer even though we can still hear it. Hear the merciless and coldness of his voice. "Not even my Army knows but I'll tell you."

Silence.

"This dagger is my souvenir from my first quest and challenge alone, a challenge to see if I was worth it being the commander despite my bloodline." He began, "I was stripped bare of any magic, dumped into some land with only my clothes and a note of what I was supposed to do. It took me a whole day to find the base of the mafias--as you would call it here in Earth. Slowly, I infiltrated their ranks. Spending days fighting in the rings to show them who was the strongest. I rose to the top, and when I first fought the prince, he used the same dagger on me. When the time came, I sneaked into his chamber and used the same dagger to butcher him. The prince who thought was stronger than anyone had his throat slit by a newcomer. Then I burned the whole base down."

The whole camp shivered, fear was evident in their faces. Timothy's throat bobbed, looking on the verged of crying.

"The moral of the story is: you don't mess with me, Leon. Not even your father can stop me from doing the same thing to you. Mess with me or any of my friends and I will show you why I'm feared in the whole entire galaxy, and it's not just because of my position." The darkness that coated my old best friend's sent a lot of the nymphs cowering in fear and leaving. "Are we understood?"

Timothy nodded.

Percy removed the dagger and Timothy, as if the invisible hold on him disappeared, sank to the ground, breathing heavily. "Wonderful!" he said with no enthusiasm and just coldness.

He disappeared within a few steps away from the Mess Hall, the Earth rumbled as if in answer to him. He was so far. Farther than I'd ever seen Percy and I don't mean the distance. He was untouchable and not like the Percy I know.

I wasn't there during that night it happened but I knew what happened. I was away on another mission to restoring the Wild but I was called for a meeting with the Gods, when I arrived everyone was there but my best friend wasn't. The Goddess Iris showed what Percy did during those times he left for his mission and what they had done to him.

I was mad at them but they were under poison. I could sense and see the guilt they felt. I may not be mad at them but that doesn't mean I forgot what they had done to my best friend and the fact that the place that I considered as my home can do such a thing, under poison or not.

I met Annabeth's helpless look before turning around and leaving the Mess Hall together with Juniper, followed by the other nymphs who figured that there was nothing else to see.

"Are you okay, Grover?"

"I'm not sure, sweetheart. I don't know at all."

~

||Annabeth Chase||

I stood right next to Chiron watching the campers chatter curiously to themselves about what this meeting is about.

"Chiron," I called tentatively and quietly.

"What is it, my dear?"

"Percy...." I said hesitantly, his name on my lips was like a ripping open a fresh wound still. "Do you think he'll ever forgive us?"

"I don't know, Annabeth." He admitted shamefully when I looked up at him. "The only thing I can tell you at this point is that it would take time. That kind of betrayal is--it's hard to get over with, my dear. This was his home once, and it doesn't matter whether we were in a stupor or not, those actions came from us. His family. Not even a kind-hearted Percy could let go of something that easily."

Jason, who was listening in the conversation with Piper beside him said, "What part of him is kind? He was this--" he said, pinching his hands together for a demonstration, "--close to pushing that blade through Timothy's throat this morning."

"You have to see from his perspective, Jason." Hazel's soft voice added, "If anything, he has every right to do that to Timothy, after all, Timothy was the one who started everything. From manipulating us in the beginning to everything that happened that night." Her voice had taken a darker turn at the mention of him. Frank said nothing and embraced his girlfriend in a comforting hug, his hands trembling themselves.

Slowly, everyone quieted as the rest of the Army stormed in from the entrance of the Arena. A rush of air brushing past my skin at the force of the door opening.

It was all very cliche, to be honest.

We all took a collective breath as the campers made way for the Army to pass through. No sign of the commander. It was a minute to the allotted time of the meeting.

I looked around once more as if expecting him to be somewhere in the crowd even though the idea sounds ridiculous. I saw the nymphs peeking outside, waiting for what was about to happen. I suddenly looked saw Grover making his way towards us. I nodded towards him, motioning him to come closer. He looked nervous as hell, I suppose he isn't the only one.

Other than the announcement of the meeting, there was nothing else and I know everyone is itching to know what to do about this war we didn't expect to have.

I look down my watch just as the number nine turned to zeros.

I counted down the seconds. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5---

We felt him rather than see him. We felt the power radiating off him from whatever distance he is in and the earth trembling to his footsteps, the air stilled around him, answering--bowing down to the might of him.

Timothy was stupid to even take a footstep closer to Percy, the very person whose life he destroyed when you can feel such power coming off him like giant ocean waves.

If my assumptions are right then, I know he isn't just a commander. There's something more to him than there already is. Something regal about him. Down from the way he moved to the way he speaks.

When I saw him appeared walking towards his army, I couldn't help but think that he's still breathtaking as ever. His eyes stayed on us for a millisecond before darting over to somewhere else. That's what he's been doing too during breakfast. He just sat there, drinking whatever it was in his hands occasionally talking to his friends while his eyes darted back and forth between campers.

I'm assuming he was assessing each and every one of us.

But I wanted to meet his eyes, to convey the message that I wanted to talk to him. I've been trying to do so and if he ever noticed it, he ignored it. I need to talk to him.

To say sorry.

He waved his hands around the arena and within the blink of an eye, I wasn't standing at the side of the arena anymore; instead, I found myself seated in the front row of the chairs arranged in a U-shape, the immortal campers seated next to me. Behind me are the campers looking confounded as I am, even the nymphs are much closer now and aren't just lingering in the background but they're also seated too.

A few feet away from me are Percy and the rest of the Army in a concave shape. In front of them and us is a shiny wooden table.

I studied him up close. Dark circles under his sea-green with red tinted eyes are prominent just as his jaw that seemed to be so much more perfectly carved. There was something unnerving in his unreadable hollow eyes.

Even with his armor, you could still see how lean and well built he is. Not bulky or anything but perfectly proportioned to his body. I looked at his hands and forearms, they had some faint light scars. Some more visible than the other and I wondered just how many does he have hidden underneath that dark heavy looking armor he and everyone in the Army have on.

I met each and everyone's eyes before finally landing to his unusual vortex ones. He merely raised an eyebrow before speaking. "Well, it looks like everyone is on time after all." He leaned back in his chair casually, his eyes assessing and calculating once more.

"They're certainly much better than Taruiwa." Percy's third in command, Sylas, said with a chuckle. "Remember that, Perce?"

A smirk appeared on Percy, his eyes glazing for a moment as if looking at a memory. "Of course, they weren't very fond of us wreaking such beautiful building."

"You fixed it again, didn't you?"

"But that didn't stop Chaos from being up my arse."

The people opposite us all chuckled while we only shared a look from our side, wondering if we should interrupt them. Thankfully, I didn't have to wonder much. Being the strong headed Reyna is, she cleared her throat.

We held our breath.

The turn to us and waited for Reyna to speak again with raised eyebrows. I looked at the long time praetor of Camp Jupiter, her hands shook as she put them on her lap but her voice was as strong and her eyes were determined. "Sorry to interrupt you," she said as if she was spitting the words sorry. "But we are at war and we'd like to know if there's a point to this meeting other than a walk to the past showing how strong you are. Everyone pretty much knows it."

"Hmm..." the pretty girl that I don't know hummed. It was Harmony who leads the Section 4, I think. She had her brown ombre hair in some intricate braid that ends into a ponytail, her sharp purple eyes gleamed in approval looking at Reyna. "I like her, Perce. She's got some guts. How good is she?"

We looked at Reyna whose eyes were wide in surprise and then back to Harmony who supported a close-lipped smile, her chin resting on her hands.

"Stand down, Harmony," Percy said, eyeing Reyna, his eyes stopping at the purple robe still slung across her. " Apologies," he said though nothing on his face said genuine apologies.

"Let's start the meeting, shall we?" 

~

Hello, everyone! Having a wonderful summer? I hope you are. 

I'd like to know, like really really would like to know if I am dragging this story out or not. I absolutely love writing this story but if it's too long for you, I'd like to know and change it slightly and not make it less....dragged out. Tell me what you think. 

Has anyone read The Trials of Apollo yet? 

I'm halfway done and I'm really loving it so far. Apollo is hilarious and I really like him. Reading about Percy after the war makes me want to cry, like seriously and hearing about the others. My baes are all grown up now, studying for test and such. I miss them so much and I'm going to miss the adventures with them. *sobs in the corner* 

Anyone read A Court of Mist and Fury? *more crying*

Also, yes, I put some Grover in cuz I love Grover and I miss him. Like he's barely mentioned in the HoO and in ToA. I gotta put some, he is after all Percy's best friend in the actual books. 

Anyway, thank you for reading and as always, I hope you enjoyed it. 

Do vote and comment and tell me what you think! 

Also, thanks guys for the 7K reads! I really appreciate it and thank you so so much. I love you all!

Anywho, I hope you have a good day, you lovely human beings. 

~Leannexo

P.S. Gods dammit, I keep leaving big authors note. Sorrrryyyyyy.