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Percy stares at Annabeth, who is looking at him all cocky. “Why would I want you with me?”
Annabeth blinks. “What?”
“Percy-”
“No!” He stands from his chair. “Why would I want to take you with me? You’ve been nothing but rude and condescending since I arrived. You set me up less than a week ago to get beaten up for a game! Why would I want to take you with me on a quest to save the world?”
“Athena always has a plan!”
Percy rolls his eyes. “I don’t need a plan. I need someone who isn’t going to stab me in the back at the first convenience.” He turns to Chiron. “I’m not taking her!”
Chiron’s eyes dart between him and Annabeth. “Percy-”
“No! You said this is my quest. I get to pick my companions. I’m not taking Annabeth.”
Chiron sighs and turns to Annabeth. “Perseus is right, even if I don’t agree with him.”
“What!” Annabeth stomps her foot, almost like a child. “You promised!”
Percy rolls his eyes and turns back to look at camp. He needed a third member, but his options were rather small. His first thought was Luke, the older demigod told him that he would always take Annabeth's side. Luke was not an option. Then, he remembered. She might not agree, but Selina was one of the few demigods who treated him like normal after he was claimed. She even promised to introduce him to all of the pegasi, as soon as Chiron let him near the stables.
With one last look at the angry daughter of Athena, Percy walks away from the Big House. He had a daughter of Aphrodite to convince.
Percy looks out at the water, considering. Hermes was giving him three bags so that he could have two companions. Obviously, Percy was taking Tyson. He wouldn't leave Tyson to deal with Tantalus alone.
His first thought was Selina. She went with him last summer. However, despite remaining a good friend, she told him flat out that she was not going on another quest with him. One quest of constant near-death experiences was enough for her.
He thought through his circle of friends before one immediately popped out at him. Charles Beckendorf. Someone he trusted and who welcomed Tyson without question.
He turns back to Hermes. “Can you call Tyson and Charles Beckendorf? I’ll be taking them.”
The god gave him a winning smile. “Sure thing, little cousin.”
Thalia finally turns to look at him. She’d been practically ignoring him since Chiron asked for him to join Thalia and Annabeth with Grover’s two new demigods. She was increasingly hostile after Annabeth was taken, which he did understand. Then, the horrible Capture the Flag game. Finally, the last straw was when Zoe, to the complete surprise of everyone, asked him to join the quest when her fellow huntress was injured by a prank by the Stoll twins.
“Why don’t you like Annabeth?”
He blinks at her. “What?”
“Why don’t you like her? Annabeth says you hate her? Is this all because of the rivalry?”
He snorts. “Is that what she told you? Look, I don’t hate Annabeth. We’re not friends, but I don’t hate her, but she hates me. When I showed up at camp, she was super condescending when I asked questions, and she was super rude to me and my dad after I was claimed. Then, she basically demanded that I take on my quest to find your dad’s lightning bolt after she set me up to get beaten.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You don’t know? Weren’t you at camp for like four months?”
“And?”
“Look, Clarisse and I had a little spat and she wanted revenge. Annabeth set me up as bait for the Ares cabin. She didn’t tell anyone about her plan or give me any backup. If I hadn’t gotten a water boost, I would have gotten my ass handed to me. Then, Annabeth had the gall to ask like it was no big deal. Like using me as bait for a stupid game, without my permission, wasn’t a problem. After that, I didn’t trust her for a quest.”
“She never told me that.”
“Whatever.” He rolls his eyes. “She was even more upset after I went to rescue Grover last summer, and inadvertently helped Clarisse get the Fleece, and didn’t take her. She kept insulting Tyson, so I took Charles with me instead.”
“Tyson?”
“My Cyclops baby brother.”
Thalia sighs. “We ran into one, a bad one on the way to camp. We probably would have made it had we not run into him.”
“I’m sorry, I really am, about your past experiences. But, Tyson, he’s a baby. Other people had bad experiences, and they avoided him. Annabeth went out of her way to insult Tyson and me. I wasn’t going to take her on a quest to rescue my best friend. It wasn’t about Annabeth, it was about saving Grover.”
Thalia humms. “So, you really don’t have an issue with Annabeth?”
“I don’t like her, we’re not friends, and I certainly won’t take her on a quest with me. I won’t lie about that. That doesn’t mean I’m going to leave her to die. I’ll help you save her because it’s the right thing to do.”
“Thank you, Percy.”
Annabeth is furiously whispering to Chiron. She’s gesturing up to the attic as she rants. Chiron looks upset as she speaks, but Mr. D starts to laugh after a minute.
“Alright, campers!” Mr. D puts his Diet Coke can down. “It seems Annabelle is not meant to lead this quest. The oracle refuses to give her a prophecy. So, who do we think should go?” Everyone turns to look at me. Mr. D smirks at me. “Perry?”
He sighs. “I’ll try the oracle.”
Five minutes later, Percy comes back down.
Mr. D looks up. “So, Perry, any luck?”
He nods. “Yup. I’ve got a quest.”
Annabeth shrieks. “Are you kidding me? How is this fair?”
Chiron sighs. “I can’t argue with the oracle, Annabeth. If she didn't give you a quest, I’m sorry.” He turns to Percy. “Who will you take?”
“He’s taking me!” Annabeth crosses her arms and raises her nose into the air.
“No, I’m not.” Percy turns to look back at the campers. Clarisse is avoiding his eyes. He knows she won’t go back. Selina has her arms crossed over her chest, a challenging look in her eyes. Seems she hadn’t forgotten his first quest and was refusing to do a second one. When his eyes shift to Beckendorf, Selina literally moves in front of her boyfriend. A few people snigger.
“Why not?”
Lee Fletcher clicks his tongue. “Annabeth, the oracle refused to give you a prophecy, maybe you’re just not meant to go on this quest?”
“That’s not fair!”
Micheal Yew raises an eyebrow. “Prophecies aren’t fair.”
Percy's eyes look through the children of Apollo, most of whom he considered friends. His eyes find Will Solace. Will was a year younger than him, but he was one of the best healers and a pretty decent archer, even if Will claimed otherwise.
Will’s eyes meet his. He hesitates for only a moment before giving a small nod.
Percy turns back to Chiron. “I’m taking Tyson, Grover, and Will.”
“Four for a prophecy, that’s ill-advised.”
“The prophecy said it’s fine. Besides, we’ll be picking up a few friends along the way.”
Annabeth stomps her foot again and storms off.
Percy stares down at Annabeth because he is finally taller than her. She was lecturing him about being involved in the war. As if he hadn’t stopped one three years prior, saved camp two years ago, saved a goddess and her life 18 months before, and then saved camp just last year.
“I’ve been preparing. Just because I haven’t been preparing like you, doesn’t mean I haven’t been preparing.”
“Like what?”
“Annabeth, we’re not having this argument, alright? We have a battle to plan for.”
“I have a battle to plan for. My mother is a war goddess, she is the goddess of wisdom and warfare. Athena always has a plan.”
“And before Athena, Poseidon made the plans. In case you’re forgetting, Poseidon was Olympus’ strategist for several millennia until Zeus handed that role to Athena.”
Annabeth blinks a few times then straightens. “Lord Zeus gave my mother that role because she was better.”
“No, he gave her that role because he believed her more loyal.”
“No, he-”
“I’m not arguing about this with you Annabeth. The cabin leaders will come up with a strategy together. We have a war to win, not an argument.”
“Who put you in charge?”
Percy shrugs. “The prophecy?”
“Camp.” Clarisse steps forward. “Camp put him in charge, Wise Girl, not you. So, Prissy, what’s the plan?”