While everyone was lost in their own thoughts, a horn sounded from the edge of the forest, and instantly the hellhounds stopped charging at random. Now they began working together, surrounding the campers in pairs.
The Empousai, for their part, quickly moved out of sight, preferring to use their agility and speed to attack from unexpected angles. That forced the archers to pay closer attention to every movement between the trees. At the same time, several skeletal warriors controlled with bronze emerged from the ground, raising their shields to test the campers' formations.
Annabeth's expression turned serious as she noticed the monsters' new tactics.
Chiron nodded from the center of the clearing, never taking his eyes off the field. "This is what monsters do when they know they can't underestimate you. They attack in hordes," the trainer explained loudly.
Percy grimaced. "Great... uh, what do we do now, Annabeth?" he muttered nervously beside her.
"Don't lose your head. That's what we do, Percy," Annabeth answered quickly, already tired of his questions.
That said, the new information Chiron gave them was helpful. Together, the demigods changed formation, locking their shields together and using their spears and swords to defend themselves. Kayla, for her part, led the archers, taking new positions with them and moving back a few steps to get a better angle without losing sight of the Empousai.
Meanwhile, the Aphrodite Cabin was not happy at all with their current situation. They were covered in mud, they had to worry about those damned monsters, and, worst of all, several of their makeup looks had been completely ruined.
Silena Beauregard, who had spent a good part of the morning complaining about the mud on her sandals, pressed her lips together and stepped forward. Her expression was still full of disgust, but her voice came out firmer than many expected.
"Aphrodite Cabin, with me!" she ordered, looking at her brothers and sisters. "For the love of Olympus, stop complaining and at least help with something."
One of her sisters looked at her in outrage. "But my makeup!"
Silena gave her a dry look. "The mud won't kill you, so please don't embarrass our cabin more than we already have."
Percy blinked from the side, moving just in time to dodge a spear that passed close to his shoulder. "Why is she good at this?"
Annabeth gave him a quick glance while adjusting her shield. "Aphrodite is the goddess of attraction, influence, and the way people react to one another. In a fight, that can matter more than you think. Not all of her children only care about hair, you know?"
Percy nodded dumbly, forcing himself to focus on the formation again. It held for almost a full minute. For everyone, that was already progress. However, the monsters did not take long to find their weak points. Two hellhounds separated from the main group and quickly began circling the right side, forcing several campers to retreat before Travis and Connor Stoll appeared between the trees.
The two sons of Hermes moved quickly, using the terrain to their advantage. Travis threw a small pouch of shining powder onto the ground, creating a cloud that made one of the hellhounds hesitate for an instant, while Connor slid in from the side and tried to stab the monster. He did not have enough strength to pierce through it, but at least he managed to divert its attention and give the other campers time to reform the line.
"You're welcome!" Connor shouted, retreating just as the hellhound tried to bite him.
Travis grabbed him by the back of his armor and pulled him away before he lost an arm. "Less showing off and more running, brother."
Connor stumbled, but managed to stay on his feet, quickly following his brother. "That was not part of the plan."
"The plan didn't work. Do you see the hellhound disappearing into golden dust?" Travis shouted back while both of them were forced to retreat toward the main formation.
Chiron observed the movement seriously, though he did not seem disappointed. "Very well done, boys. It did not work the way you wanted, but it helped someone else," the centaur said. "Remember that. Your actions can be a great help to others, even when they do not turn out the way you expect."
Travis and Connor exchanged a look with fire in their eyes. They would not fail next time.
Despite the failed attack, the demigods did not lose hope. Clarisse strongly resisted the advance of the skeletal warriors and brought one down with a spear strike that scattered it into a rain of bones. At the same time, Kayla quickly fired another arrow of light, forcing an Empousa to retreat before it could attack. Katie, for her part, took a deep breath and raised roots from the ground again, but this time she only wrapped them tightly around one of the monster's legs without losing concentration.
Chiron observed that with approval. "Better, Katie. Control before strength. One step at a time."
Katie smiled, still nervous, but more confident than before.
Percy, for his part, was trying not to die of embarrassment. After what had happened with Clarisse, the last thing he wanted was to do something stupid again. He knew they would mock him for weeks if he messed up again. Unfortunately for Percy, the monsters cared very little about the black-haired boy's declining reputation.
The hellhound charged quickly toward Jackson. Percy moved to the side, using the previous lesson, but the monster had no intention of falling for the same trick. It turned quickly and slammed into him with its side, throwing him into the mud. The air left his lungs in one blow, and for a moment all he could do was roll to avoid the monster's paws.
"Percy, get up!" Annabeth shouted.
"I'm going, I'm going!" Percy answered, rolling through the mud while pushing himself up with one arm, trying to recover his sword.
The hellhound did not give him even a second to breathe. Percy panicked, but at the same time, he felt a pressure in his chest, a sensation both familiar and strange. The moisture in the mud beneath his hands began to move. A small line of water slid from the nearby puddles to his fingers.
A second later, Percy struck the ground with his palm, and the water rose in a small, unimpressive spit. It was nothing impressive, much less something worthy of a legend, but it was enough to crash into the hellhound's snout. The monster backed away with a growl, shaking its head.
Percy quickly stood and recovered his sword. The clearing fell silent for an instant.
"That..." Percy swallowed. "What the hell did I just do? That wasn't normal, right?"
Annabeth stared at him with wide eyes. Chiron straightened, his eyes fixed on Percy with renewed attention. Artemis said nothing, but her silver eyes narrowed slightly.
The hellhound growled again and launched itself toward him once more.
Percy raised his sword with both hands. He was terrified, but he did not retreat. When the monster jumped, Percy moved clumsily, but with courage as well. His sword struck the hellhound's unprotected chest, the monster not expecting the demigod to defend himself head-on. The blade pierced through it, and the hellhound quickly disappeared into golden dust.
Percy remained there, breathing hard, covered in mud up to his elbows, with the sword trembling slightly between his fingers. The nearby demigods quickly approached him.
"Whoa, Jackson, what the hell got into you?" Travis shouted, impressed.
Percy blinked. "Uh, I don't know. I just felt this heat inside me and then..."
He could not finish explaining. Artemis's voice interrupted him.
The moon goddess approached the demigods, and her voice spread firmly across the entire clearing. "Enough."
Quickly, the monsters around them lowered their heads and moved away, retreating to their predetermined positions.
The campers remained standing, breathing heavily, covered in dirt and sweat. Artemis looked over the field seriously. "You did well. Better than yesterday, at least," the moon goddess admitted grudgingly.
Some campers straightened with pride.
"But you still have much to learn."
The instant they started feeling proud, several of them deflated with lazy disappointment.
"And here I thought I could already survive ten seconds against Lord Damon," Connor shouted, half joking, earning flat looks from almost everyone.
"You are good. Many of you have instincts, though whether you are truly good is still debatable. At the very least, all of you have courage, but courage without discipline is basically garbage. It only delays the inevitable, which in this case would be your deaths. So this is not a time to celebrate."
Leto's voice, soft but firm like a mother scolding her children, was heard as she approached Artemis's side. The mother of the sun and moon decided to make her point a little clearer, in contrast to her daughter's sharper words.
The clearing fell silent. Everyone processed Leto's words, many taking them seriously. But before anyone could say anything else, several campers gasped at the same time, staring at the new symbol that had appeared above Percy Jackson's head.
Annabeth's eyes slowly widened. Recognition quickly appeared on her face. She already had all the clues, but having it finally confirmed was still a surprise.
"Percy..."
Above Percy's head, a blue-green light began to form. It quickly took shape until it became a glowing trident floating above him, shining with the depth of the sea.
"That means..."
"That's right," someone murmured. "A child of the Big Three..... actually big two..."
Chiron lowered his head with a mixture of solemnity and resignation. "Poseidon," he said quietly..... The murmurs spread quickly.
Percy looked up, seeing the trident above his head. He felt something strange in his chest. For a moment, it was a feeling of belonging. An answer. A sign that his father was not simply a faceless shadow. But that feeling quickly mixed with disbelief, confusion, and finally anger.
Until that moment, Percy had wanted answers about his father. He had wanted to know who he was. But now that he had the answer, honestly, he did not know what to think.
Thalia looked at him with an expression that was difficult to read. More than anything, she was worried about the boy. Not because his father was the king, as in her case, but because she understood all too well what it meant to be the child of one of the major gods. From now on, Percy would be a beacon for monsters, just like her.
Leto and Artemis simply observed the symbol seriously.
Percy slowly lowered his gaze toward Chiron. "That... does that mean my father is Poseidon?"
Chiron took a deep breath. "Yes, Percy. You have been claimed."
Percy looked at the campers around him. Many of them were staring at him as if he had turned into some kind of freak from one second to the next. And he did not entirely blame them. They had spent weeks mocking Jackson because his father had not claimed him. Now, the fact that he had not only been claimed, but claimed by Poseidon himself, felt like a slap in the face to many of them.
Percy let out a low, almost incredulous laugh. "Great," he muttered. "Surprise, guys. What do you think?"
No one knew whether to laugh or feel uncomfortable because of the way they had treated him before. Clarisse was the first to break the silence, crossing her arms. "That explains why you're so annoying. Son of the sea."
Percy looked at her. "Is that the best thing you have to say?"
Annabeth closed her eyes. "Percy, maybe this isn't the best moment."
Percy nodded slowly. "Right. Serious moment."
The trident continued glowing above him for a few more seconds before slowly dissolving into particles of blue light. When it disappeared, the clearing did not feel the same again. Something had changed. Everyone knew it. Percy did too.
Chiron placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "We will speak about this more calmly later. For now, everyone go clean yourselves up."
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P@treon: Brotato up to chapter 156