Chapter 22 Chapter 22: The Prophecy Comes True

After Luke, we were the first people to return to the Hill of Half-Blood alive, so of course everyone treated us as if we had won the championship after participating in the TV adventure show.In accordance with battalion tradition, we wore great laurel wreaths to the feast we had prepared on our return, and then led the line to the campfire.There we burned the mourning garments that our cabin companions had prepared for us while we were gone. Annabeth's mourning dress was very beautiful, gray silk with owls embroidered on it, and I told her it was a pity she wasn't allowed to wear it.She hit me hard and told me to shut up.

I don’t have any hut companions in Poseidon, so Ares hut volunteered to make mourning clothes for me. They found an old bed sheet, drew a smiley face with XX eyes around the edge, and wrote a big “loser” in the center. " What a joy to burn it. As the Apollo hut leads the crowd in singing and the marshmallow sandwich begins to be passed around, I'm surrounded by old mates from Hermes hut, friends from Athena's hut, and Grover's satyr brothers.They were envious of Grover, who had just obtained his license as a scout from the satyr presbytery, who said that Grover's performance on this search mission was "too much courage to indigestion, and the horns and beard to be more beautiful than ever before." .”

The only ones who don't want to party are Cressa and her cabin mates.Their vicious looks told me they would not forgive me for humiliating their father. I don't care about them. Not even Dionysus' speech on our return was enough to break my spirits. "Yeah, yeah, the little rascal didn't kill himself, he'll be more cocky later on. Let's cheer for that, then. And besides, I'm announcing that there will be no canoe races this Saturday. .” I went back to Cabin Three, and I didn't feel alone here anymore.During the day, I trained with my friends, and at night, I lay in bed and listened to the sound of the sea.I know Dad's there, maybe he's not all that sure about me, maybe he doesn't even want me born, but he's watching me, and, so far, he's proud of what I've done.

As for Mom, she jumped at the chance to start a new life.A week after I returned to camp, I got a letter from her.She said that Gabor mysteriously left, it should be said that he disappeared on the surface of the earth.She reported him to the police as missing, but she had an odd feeling that they would never find him. Then she said something completely irrelevant.Through her Soho gallery, she sold the first life-size concrete statue, titled Poker Players, to collectors.She made a lot of money doing it.She put the money toward a down payment on a new house and her first semester of tuition at New York University.Galleries in Soho clamored for her new work, which they described as "a big step forward for super-ugly neorealism."

"Don't worry," Mom wrote, "I'm going to start writing now and get rid of that box of tools you left me. I won't be making statues anymore." At the end of the letter, she wrote: "Percy, I can help you find a good private school in the urban area. I have paid a deposit to reserve a place. In case you suddenly want to register for seventh grade, you can You can live at home if you need it. However, I can understand if you want to stay in Half-Blood Hill for a whole year." I carefully folded the letter and put it on the table next to it. Every night before going to bed, I would read it again and think about how to reply to my mother.

On the Fourth of July, the whole battalion gathered at the beach to watch the fireworks display at Cabin Nine.As Hephaestus' children, they couldn't just do a little red, white, and blue fireworks show.They anchored a large yacht offshore, carrying a rocket the size of a Patriot missile.Annabeth, who has seen the fireworks show before, said that because the timing of the fireworks is very close, the fireworks patterns look like an animation playing in the air. The final scheduled climax is a pair of Spartans more than 30 meters high. Fighters crackle across the sea, fight each other, and explode into a million colors.

As Annabeth and I spread out the picnic mat, Grover came to say goodbye.He was wearing his usual jeans, T-shirt and sneakers.But in the past few weeks, he has begun to look mature, almost high school age.His goatee has grown thicker, he's gained a lot of weight, and his horns have grown by at least two centimeters, so he now has to wear a Jamaican hat all day to successfully pass as human. "I'm leaving," he said. "I'm just going to say... well, you know." I tried to look happy for him, since it's not every day that satyrs are allowed to seek out the great god Pan.But saying goodbye is really difficult, I only knew Grover for a year, and he is my longest friend.

Annabeth gave him a hug and reminded him to remember to put on the prosthetic foot. I asked him where to start looking first. "Secret," he said, a little embarrassed. "I want you to come with me, but humans and Pan..." "We understand," said Annabeth. "Have you got enough tin cans for the trip?" "Have." "Do you have the reed flute?" "Oh, Annabeth," he complained, "you look like the old mother sheep." It didn't sound like he was unhappy, though. He gripped his cane and slung his backpack over his shoulders, looking a lot like a hitchhiker on the side of the road, not at all like the little boy at Yancy's school I had to protect him from the bullies.

"Then," he said, "wish me luck." He gave Annabeth a big hug, patted me on the shoulder, and walked back across the dunes. Fireworks explode overhead as Hercules slays the Lion of Namia; Artemis hunts down a boar; George Washington (son of Athena, by the way) crosses the Dravidian State. "Hey, Grover." I called him. He turned around at the edge of the forest. "Wherever you're going, I hope there's a good grilled enchilada." Grover laughed, and he left, disappearing into the forest. "We'll see him again," Annabeth said.

I tried to believe what she said, despite the fact that no explorer had survived in two thousand years... Well, I decided not to think so, because Grover would be the first survivor, he must be. Seven months have passed. I spent a lot of time planning new capture-the-flag strategies, and then allying with other huts to keep the flag off the Ares hut.For the first time I managed to reach the top of a climbing wall without getting scorched by lava. Day after day, whenever I walked through the main house, I would look up at the attic windows and think about the oracle.I try to convince myself that a prophecy has been fulfilled.

"You will go west and face the transformed god." This sentence came true.Although the rebellious god becomes Ares, not Hades. "You'll find what was stolen and watch it return safely." That's right, one of the Lightning bolts has been sent back, and the other dark helm is back in the hands of that old slippery Hades. "You will be betrayed by someone who calls you a friend." This one still bothers me, it's supposed to be about Ares pretending to be my friend and then betraying me.That's what the oracle must have meant... "And, in the end, you will fail to save the most important." So why am I still feeling uneasy? The last day of summer classes is fast approaching. The students eat the last meal together and burn part of the dinner to the gods.Around the campfire, senior instructors hand out end-of-summer commemorative beads. I got an exclusive leather necklace.When I saw my first summer beads, I was so glad the firelight covered my flushed face.This year's design is pitch black with a sparkling sea green trident at the center. "This is a unanimous decision." Luke announced: "This bead is the first son of the sea god in the battalion for more than ten years, and his search mission. He went deep into the darkest part of the underworld and prevented a war! " The whole camp jumped up and cheered, and when the people in the Ares cabin obediently stood up, the people in the Athena cabin brought Annabeth to the front so that she could share the applause. I don't know whether to be happy or sad at this moment.I finally found a big family who cared about me and thought I was doing the right thing, but at dawn most of them would finish their year and leave. The next morning, I found a typewritten letter lying on the table next to me. Dionysus must have put my name on it because he keeps getting it wrong. Dear Peter Johnson: If you seem to be staying at Camp Half Blood all year, you must tell the main house by this afternoon.If you don't express your will, we'll assume you've moved out of the cabin or become a grisly corpse.The cleaning harpies will start working after sunset, and they are authorized to eat all unregistered cadets.All personal items not taken will be incinerated at the crater. have a nice day Battalion Commander Mr.D (Dionysus) Resolution XX of the Council of the Gods of Olympus passed This must be another dyslexia of mine, deadlines feel so unreal to me, and right now, it's looming.Summer break is over and I haven't heard back from mom or camp about whether I'm still here.I only have a few hours to decide. The decision should be simple, I mean, nine months of hero training, or nine months of sitting in a regular classroom.nonsense. But, with Mom in mind, this is the first time I've had the opportunity to live with her for a full year without Gabor.I have the opportunity to stay at home and hang out in the city during my free time.My machine Annabeth said a long time ago when we were looking for tasks: "The real world is where there are monsters. Only in the real world can you know whether you have learned well or not." I think of the fate of Talia, daughter of Zeus.If I leave Half-Blood Hill, how many monsters will attack me, if I stay in a place without the help of Chiron or friends for the whole school year, will Mom and I survive until next summer?Although the premise of this question is that spelling tests and five-paragraph essays didn't kill me.I decided to practice fencing in the arena, maybe that would clear my head a bit. In the sweltering August sun, the camp was almost forgotten, and all the students were either packing in the huts or running around with brooms or mops to prepare for the final inspection.Argus was helping some of Aphrodite's children carry designer suitcases and toiletry bags over the hills.There, the battalion shuttle bus waited to take them to the airport. Don't think about leaving yet, I tell myself, practice, practice. I walk out to the fencing arena to find Luke thinking the same, his gym backpack on the edge of the table.He was practicing alone, swinging his sword at the dummy.I never saw the sword in his hand, it must have been made of common steel, because he was beheading the dummy and then piercing the straw belly of the dummy.His orange instructor jacket was sweaty, and his expression was tense, as if his life was actually threatened.I was fascinated.He eviscerated a row of dummies, chopped off their limbs, and basically, the dummies had been disintegrated into a pile of straw and armor. They're just dummies, but I still can't help but be in awe of Luke's swordplay, he's an incredible fencer.I couldn't help but secretly wonder how his search could have ended in failure. Finally, seeing me, he stopped his half-swinged sword and said, "Percy." "Well, I'm sorry." I felt a little embarrassed, "I just..." "Never mind," he said, lowering his sword, "I'm just doing last-minute practice." "Those dummies don't bother people anymore." Luke shrugged. "We make new ones every summer." By this time his sword was no longer spinning, so I could see that the sword was a bit odd, the blade was made of two different metals, one had a bronze blade and the other a steel blade. Luke saw me looking at his sword and said, "Oh, this one? It's a new toy called 'Dark Sword.'" "Dark Sword?" Luke held the sword in the sun, its blade glowing with an evil light. "One side is celestial bronze, and the other is forged steel, which can be used against mortals and gods alike." I recall Chiron saying at the beginning of the quest that heroes should not harm mortals unless absolutely necessary. "I didn't know the gods could make such a weapon." "The gods probably can't." Luke agrees: "They can't do that." He smiled at me a little, then slid the sword into its scabbard. "Listen, I'm just going to find you. In this last bit of time, let's go to the forest to find something to compare. What do you think?" I don't know why I'm hesitant, I should be relieved that Luke was so kind to me.Since I got back from my assignment, he seems to be a little distant from me, and I fear he's upset at the attention I've received. "Is this okay?" I asked, "I mean..." "Hey, come on." He rummaged in his gym bag and pulled out a set of six cans of Coke. "I have drinks here." I stared at the Coke and wondered where he got these things.There is no soda for mortals in the camp store, and it is impossible to sneak it in from outside, unless you tell the sheep man, maybe that's it. Of course, the magic goblet for our dinner can be filled with any drink you want to drink, but it always tastes different from real Coke, especially the feeling of drinking directly from a Coke can. Coke, your sugar and caffeine, smashed my willpower. "Okay," I said, "why not?" We walked into the forest, trying to find monsters to fight in exchange, but it is too hot now, as long as there are sentient monsters, they must take a nap in a cool cave. We found a shady spot by the creek, where we broke Cressa's spear in our first capture-the-flag contest.We sat on the big rocks and drank Coke, watching the sunshine in the forest. After a while, Luke said, "Will you miss the quest?" "Do you miss being attacked by monsters every time you walk? What a joke!" Luke raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I miss it," I admitted, "What about you?" A shadow crept over his face. I've heard girls say how handsome Luke used to be, but now he looks tired and angry, not handsome at all.His blond hair was gray in the sun, the scars on his face seemed darker than usual, and I could easily picture him as an old man. "I've lived on Half-Blood Hills all year since I was fourteen," he said to me, "since Talia...well, you know that. Being outstanding and finally being able to go out and see the real world. That's when they threw me a quest and I came back and it was like someone said to you: 'It's okay, the trip's over, have a good time.' " He crushed the Coke can and threw it into the stream.I was blown away by this gesture, and one of the first things I learned at Camp Half-Blood was that littering is prohibited.You'll hear about it from wood elves and water elves, and they don't just talk, they punish you, and when you go to sleep one night, your sheets are full of centipedes and slime. "What's a laurel wreath!" Luke said. "I'm not going to end up like this. I'm not going to do what the dirty oracle in the attic of the main house said." "It sounds like you're leaving." Luke gave me a wacky smile, "Oh, I was leaving, Percy, you were right. I brought you here. Just to say goodbye." He flicked his fingers, and a small spot of fire burned a hole in the ground near my feet, and a shiny black thing crawled out, about the size of a palm, a scorpion. I reach for my pen. "It's useless." Luke warned me: "The abyss scorpion can jump up to five meters high, its poisonous sting can pierce your clothes, and you will die in sixty seconds." "Luke, what..." At this time, the scorpion started to attack me. You will be betrayed by someone who calls you a friend. "You..." I said. He calmly stood up and patted the dust off his jeans. The scorpion ignored him completely, its black and round eyes continued to stare at me, and climbed onto my shoe, gripping it tightly with its pincers. "Percy, I've seen too much of the outside world." Luke said, "Don't you think the darkness is gathering now, and the monsters are stronger? Don't you understand that all this is a waste of effort? All heroes are the minions of the gods .The gods were supposed to be overthrown thousands of years ago, yet they continue to rule today, thanks to us half-breed people." I can't believe what's happening now. "Luke... you're talking about our parents," I said. he laughed. "Does that mean I should love them? Percy, the Western civilization they hold dear is sick, taking things that are destroying the world, and the only solution is to burn it to dust and start a new and better age." "You and Ares are both crazy." His eyes were burning with anger. "Ares is a fool. He never knew the true master he served. Percy, if I had time, I could explain it to you, but I'm afraid you won't live then." The scorpion crawled up my trouser leg. There must be a way to break through, I need time to think about it. "Cronus," I said, "he is your master." The air turned cold. "You shouldn't call him by his first name," Luke warned me. "It was Kronos who ordered you to steal the Lightning bolt and the rudder of darkness. He told you in your dream." Luke's eyes twitched. "Percy, he told you too, you should listen." "Luke, you've been brainwashed by him." "You're wrong, he let me know my talents were wasted. Percy, do you know what my quest was two years ago? Steal the golden apple from there and return it to Olympus. After all my training, it turned out to be the best task he could think of." "That's not easy," I said. "Hercules has done it before." "That's right," Luke said. "What glory is there in repeating what other people have done? All the gods just repeat the past. I didn't want to do this task at all, and the dragon in the orchard rewarded me This." He pointed to the scar on his face angrily. "When I came back, all I got was sympathy. At that time, I really wanted to destroy Olympus, but I decided to bide my time. I started dreaming about Kronos, and he persuaded me to steal some valuables. Stuff, stealing the kind that no hero would ever dare to take. When we went off-campus to teach on the winter solstice, after the other cadets were asleep, I slipped into the throne room and took the Lightning bolt from the throne of Zeus, even Hades' rudder. Take it all together. You won't believe how easy it is, the gods of Olympus are so arrogant, they never thought anyone would dare steal from them, and their guards suck. On crossing Newzee Halfway west, I heard loud thunder, which is how I knew they found something stolen." The scorpion is now on my lap, waiting for me with round eyes.I try to keep my voice calm. "Then why don't you take it to Kronos?" Luke's smile froze a bit. "I... I was too confident. Zeus sent his daughter to find stolen Lightning bolts, like Artemis, Apollo, my father Hermes, and it turned out that Ares caught me. I was He can be defeated, but I was not careful, and he disarmed me, took the two treasures, threatened to return Olympus, and burned me alive. At this time, the voice of Kronos appeared, telling What should I say, I instilled in Ares the idea of ​​causing the battle of the gods, and I told her that he only needed to hide the treasure for a while, and watch others fight. Ares' eyes burned with evil flashes, I knew he was hooked. He let me go, and I made my way back to Olympus before I was found out." Luke drew his new sword, sliding his fingers on the flat side of the blade. However, it seems that he is deeply fascinated by the beauty of the sword. "Later, the Titan King, he...he punished me with nightmares, and I swore I would never fail again. After returning to Camp Half-Blood, I was told in a dream that a second Half-Blood was coming, and I could design him with a Lightning bolt and The Helm of Darkness continues with the rest of the mission, to deliver these two treasures from Ares to Tartarus." "That night in the forest, you summoned the Cerberus." "We had to make Chiron think the camp was no longer safe because of you, so he'd let you start the quest. We had to heighten his anxiety into thinking Hades was following you, and it worked." "The Flying Shoes are cursed," I said. "The Flying Shoes are programmed to drag me and the pack into Tartarus." "Flying shoes would do that, if you were wearing them. You gave them to a satyr, though, which wasn't part of the plan. Anything Grover touches will screw things up, didn't he It actually interferes with the curse." Luke looked down at the scorpion, which was now resting on my lap. "Percy, you should have died on Tartarus, but don't worry, I'll leave you to my little friend to set things right." "Talia saved you with her life." I gritted my teeth and said, "Is this how you repay her?" "Don't mention Talia!" he yelled. "The gods killed her! They will pay for many things, and this is just one of them." "Luke, you're being used, both you and Ares, don't listen to Kronos." "I'm being used?" Luke's voice became shrill. "Look at yourself, what did your dad do for you? Kronos is coming back, you're just delaying his plans a little bit, he's going to take Olympia Throw the god Si into Tartarus and drive mankind back to the cave. Only those who serve him are spared and can become powerful." "Tell this worm to leave," I said, "If you're really that strong, fight me yourself." Luke smiled and said, "Percy, well done, but I'm not Ares, and I won't fall for it. My master is waiting, and he's given me a lot of quests to do." "Luke..." "Farewell, Percy, a new golden age is upon us, and you will not be a part of it." He swung his sword in an arc, disappearing in dark ripples. The scorpion pounced. I slammed it down with my hand and drew my sword.The thing tried to jump on top of me, and I sliced ​​it in half mid-air. I was about to congratulate myself, but when I lowered my head, I found a red welt on the palm, oozing yellow mucus, and still smoking.The thing finally stung me. There was a buzzing in my ears, and my vision gradually blurred.I thought of water, which had healed me last time. I staggered into the stream and dipped my hands in the water, but it didn't seem to help.The toxicity was so strong that my eyes gradually turned black and I could barely stand. "Sixty seconds," Luke said. I must go back to the battalion, and if I fall here, my body will be the monster's dinner, and no one will know what happened. My feet are like lead and my forehead is burning.I staggered towards the camp, and the forest elf ran out of the tree. "Help me." My voice was hoarse, "Please..." Two of them took me by the arm and pulled me forward, and I remember reaching a clearing where a guide yelled for help and a centaur blew a conch horn. Then, it was pitch black. I woke up with a straw in my mouth.I sip the drink, it tastes like a chocolate chip cookie, it's divine. I open my eyes. In the ward of the main house, I sat up on the bed with my upper body, and my right hand was bandaged like a baseball.Argus stood guard in the corner, and Annabeth sat next to me, holding my drink glass and patting my forehead with a towel. "Here we are again," I said. "You idiot," said Annabeth, and I could hear her delighted to see me wake up. "When we found you, you were blue and starting to turn grey, if Chiron hadn't healed you..." "Okay, okay," Chiron's voice sounded, "Percy's physique also has some credit." He was sitting at the end of the bed in human form, no wonder I didn't see him just now.His lower body was impossibly tucked into a wheelchair, and he wore a suit jacket and tie for the first half of his life.He was smiling, but his face was tired and pale, as he had been when he had stayed up all night grading Latin reports. "How do you feel?" he asked. "It's like being frozen inside the body and then microwaved." "This metaphor is very appropriate. It is the venom of the abyss scorpion. If you can still speak now, you must tell me what happened?" In between sips of the divine drink, I told them what happened. The room was silent for a while. "I don't believe Luke would…" Annabeth's voice trembled, her expression turning angry and sad. "Yes, yes, I believe, may the gods curse him... After finding the mission, he is completely different from before." "I have to report to Olympus." Chiron murmured, "I'll go right away." "Luke's gone outside," I said. "I have to go after him." Chiron shook his head and said, "No, Percy, the gods..." "Can't talk about Kronos." I interrupted him. "Zeus announced the termination of this matter." "Percy, I know it's difficult, but you can't rush for revenge recklessly, you're not ready yet." I don't like it, but a part of me realizes that Chiron is right.I looked at my hands and knew it was impossible to pick up a sword and fight right away. "Chiron... the prophecy you got from the oracle... is about Kronos, isn't it? Am I in it? Where's Annabeth?" Chiron glanced nervously at the ceiling. "Percy, that's not my identity..." "You were ordered not to say that to me, were you?" His eyes acquiesced, but with sadness. "Son, you're going to be a great hero, and I'll do what I can to prepare you, but about the path ahead of you, if I'm right..." The thunder crashed overhead, making the windows rattle. "Okay!" Chiron yelled, "Okay!" He sighed, deeply frustrated. "Percy, the gods have their reasons, and it's not good to let you know too much about the future." "But we can't just sit here and do nothing," I said. "We're not going to sit here," Chiron promised. "But you must be careful. Kronos wants to get rid of you. He wants to mess up your life and fill your head with fear and anger. Don't let him do so. Be patient and practice hard. Your time is coming." "If only I could live that long." Chiron puts his hand on my ankle. "Percy, you have to trust me, you're going to live, but first you have to decide what path you're going to take this year, and I can't tell you what the right decision is..." I think his opinion is very clear, but he used All the willpower to hold back don't affect me. "You have to decide if you want to stay at Camp Half-Blood all year, or go back to the world of mortals for seventh grade and only come here for summer camp. Think about it, when I come back from Olympus, you have to tell I make your decision." I want to protest, I want to ask him more questions, but his expression tells me that there is nothing to discuss, he has said all he can say. "I'll be back as soon as possible," Chiron promised. "Argus will take care of you." He looked at Annabeth the same. "Oh dear... whenever you're ready, they're here." "Who's here?" I asked. No one answered. Chiron pushed the wheelchair out of the room by himself. I heard the sound of the wheelchair going down the steps carefully, two wheels at a time. Annabeth studies the ice cubes in my other drinks. "What's wrong?" I asked her. "No." She put the quilt back on the table. "I... I took your advice on something. Do you... um... do you need anything?" "Well, help me stand up, I want to go outside." "Percy, that's not a good idea." I slid my foot out of the bed and Annabeth grabbed me before I hit the floor, and a wave of nausea came over me. Annabeth said, "I'll just tell you..." "I'm fine." I insisted.I don't want to be lying in bed like a sick man while Luke's gone outside planning to destroy Westworld. I struggled to take a step forward, and collapsed on top of Annabeth again.Argus followed us out, but kept his distance. This time we went to the balcony.My face was beaded with sweat and my stomach felt like a knot, but I managed to reach the rail with all my strength. It was dusk, and the camp looked completely deserted.The cabins are dark, the volleyball courts are silent, the canoes sail across the lake, and beyond the woods and strawberry fields the Long Island Sound glistens in the last rays of the setting sun. "What are you going to do?" Annabeth asked me. "I have no idea." I told her that I think Chiron wants me to stay all year and train more, but I'm not sure I want to do that.I admit it's a bad idea to leave her here alone so she can only be with Cressa... Annabeth pursed her lips and whispered, "Percy, I'm going home this year." I looked at her with wide eyes. "You mean, go to your father's?" Her finger pointed to the top of Half-Blood Hill, next to Talia's pine trees, at the magical boundary of the camp, where stood the silhouette of a family, two small children, a woman, and a tall, blond man, who As if waiting.The man was carrying a backpack that looked a lot like the one Annabeth had taken from Waterworld in Denver. "When we got back, I wrote him a letter," said Annabeth. "As you suggested, I told him . . . Write back to me right away and we've decided... we're going to try again." "It takes a lot of courage." She pursed her lips and said, "After the mortal school starts, you don't want to do stupid things, do you? At least... don't forget to ask Elise to send me a message, okay?" I force a smile. "I don't go for trouble, it's usually trouble that comes to me." "When we come back next summer," she said, "we'll go hunt Luke together. We'll ask for a quest, and if we don't get granted, we'll just slip out on our own, and that's it." "The brain that came up with this plan is no worse than Athena." She held out her hand and I shook her hand. "Take care, algae-head," Annabeth told me. "Keep up." "Smart girl, you too." I watched her walk up the hill to join her family.She hugged her dad awkwardly, then looked back down the valley for one last look.She touched the Talia pine tree before allowing herself to be carried across the hilltop into the mortal world. For the first time, I felt truly alone in the camp.I looked out at Long Island Sound and thought of what my dad said: "The sea doesn't like to be held back." I made a decision. I wondered, if Poseidon was watching, would he approve of my decision? "I will come back next summer vacation." I promised him: "I will live until then, after all, I am your son." I asked Argus to take me to the third cabin and let me pack my luggage and go home.