Pre Algebra Teacher Get Blown Up
Life at school was anything but pleasant, explaining why Percy was often rude to others. He seemed to be the most disliked kid in the school due to the fact that he had minor schizophrenia, with most of his childhood spent in the psychiatrist's office. Additionally, his dyslexia and ADHD worsened the situation, and they seemed to become targets too, as their weird hair, names, lack of modern knowledge, dyslexia, and ADHD made them part of the "freak" crowd.
The bullying meant nothing to them, as they had already had their share of bullies. However, the same could not be said about Percy, as no one seemed to want to be associated with the kid who hallucinated magical creatures from his mom's bedtime stories. But he had two people who were friends, one being Mr. Brunner, a disabled Latin teacher who understood Percy's struggles and was patient. Percy's best friend was Grover, a tanned-skinned boy with black curly hair who was taller than Percy but seemed to be more of a target than Percy. He seemed nervous that they would steal Percy away from him, but they assured him that wasn't going to happen.
After seeing why Percy and he were so close, Grover proved to be one of the best friends a person could ask for. If Percy saw something, Grover calmed him down and pulled him back to reality. He also knew just as much mythology as Percy and played Mytho-Magic, a card game based on those old stories. Rainbow Dash particularly loved the game because it had the Minotaur wearing underwear as a playing card.
As amusing as it was to make light of their iron will, the girls were amazed by the stories, and the boys found them more relatable. The girls were enjoying their time there, but all of that changed when one of those creatures came for them.
A bus could be seen driving across a bridge, and then it stopped on a street across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
A statue's face came into view, along with many other statues of Greek heroes and ancient Greek relics.
"What you see here, they are not fictions. They are not fantasies. What you see here are the truest and deepest parts of yourselves," said Mr. Brunner. "Friends, the gods, the monsters, the heroes are reminders of what we're capable of," he finished.
Percy and the Mane 6 were seen listening with interest to his speech, as other students were too busy talking to each other.
"Now, on your worksheets, I want you to choose one of the subjects you see here and describe it, not just how it looks," said Mr. Brunner as he looked behind a statue and then turned back to the group. “but how it makes you feel.” He clapped his hands, and the students split into groups to do the assignment.
Grover went to one statue and gestured for his friends to follow him if they wanted.
“We'll just focus on our assignment," said Pinkie Pie with a determined look.
Twilight nodded in agreement. "Let's get to work," she said, leading the group to a nearby statue.
As they approached the statue, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but grumble. "I still can't read half the stuff here," she muttered.
Pinkie Pie patted her friend's back reassuringly. "Don't worry, Dashie, we'll figure it out together."
Meanwhile, Percy remained fixated on the statue of Perseus. Fluttershy gently called out to him, "Percy?"
"He's staring at Perseus," observed Twilight, recognizing the hero depicted in the statue by the decapitated head of Medusa.
Rainbow Dash, frustrated with the swirling words, sighed. "I wish I could understand what's written here."
Rarity placed a comforting hand on Percy's shoulder. "Percy, darling," she said, trying to draw his attention back.
Percy snapped out of his trance with a start. "Mom!" he exclaimed, momentarily confused, before realizing where he was.
“I'm right here, sweetie! Mommy ‘s here” said Nancy mocking him
“Mr Jackson”said no other Mrs Dodd. She also made the group's lives horrible but mostly percy as for some reason she hated him with a fury.
“You will learn to control yourself, do you understand me?” She said strictly.
“ But ma'am- was I talking to you, Ms Dash” said Mrs Dodds not even looking behind her, the fact she did send a shiver down her spine.
“It’s okay Mrs dodds he can’t help it if they’re special" said Nancy grinning wickedly, the class burst into laughter along with Mrs dodds while the girls watched as Percy stood there in embarrassment.
“I wished she was the thief,” Fluttershy whispered.
“That’s enough” said Mr Brunner in a stern tone that cause both Dodds and Nancy to back away along with ginger’s gang with Dodds walking off,
"It's okay," said Mr. Brunner, addressing the group. "Let's focus on our assignment."
“Pay them no mind,” said Mr Brunner after rode to them.
"Easy said than done, sir," chimed in Applejack, her tone reflecting skepticism. "I don’t even know why we bother with them," Twilight agreed, echoing her Southern friend's sentiments.
"You'll be surprised when that day comes," Mr. Brunner said, attempting to lift their spirits.
"When you are ready to hear what the gods have in store for you," he continued.
"They'll tell us?" the girls thought, their curiosity piqued.
"I believe in you, Percy," Mr. Brunner said, addressing him directly. "All of you," he added, turning to the girls. "And I believe you'll be needing this," he said, retrieving a blue ballpoint pen from his coat and handing it to Percy.
"Hang on to that, 'tis a mighty instrument," Mr. Brunner advised before wheeling away.
As the girls went off to explore the statues, Percy remained behind, gazing up at the Perseus statue. Twilight watched him, hoping her friend wasn't too affected by the harsh words.
Later, the group could be seen sitting at the edge of a water fountain, unpacking their lunches.
"There are all sorts of schools of thought about what drives that kind of bullying," Grover said, opening his sandwich wrapper to reveal a ham sandwich. "Childhood trauma, feelings of inadequacy—"
"Look, I get that Nancy has issues," Percy interrupted, taking out a veggie cheese sandwich. "I'm just tired of her taking them out on me."
As they exchanged sandwich layers, Grover taking the cheese and Percy the ham, Fluttershy spoke up. "And the rest of us," she said, taking a bite of her salad.
"I feel like maybe it's time to do something about it," Percy declared, prompting Grover to respond, "You could make an appointment to see Mr. Kane. He's really good at talking—"
"I was thinking more like shoving Nancy in the nearest dumpster," Percy interjected, eliciting a surprised agreement from Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and even Fluttershy. Grover chuckled at first, thinking it was a joke, but quickly realized Percy was serious.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no," Grover hurriedly countered. "No, if there's one thing I know about bullies, it's that you should never, ever stand up to them," Grover insisted.
"Wasn't it the opposite of—" Pinkie Pie began, but Percy interrupted, "Yeah, Pinkie has a point."
"Look, I know this place is hard for people like us, but we’re not gonna be here forever," Grover pleaded, hoping to prevent his friends from making a mistake. "There are better places out there."
Twilight agreed, causing the group to smile at their friend's words of encouragement. However, their moment was interrupted when a piece of trash hit Grover's face, prompting laughter from their classmates.
Turning to the source of the projectile, they saw none other than Nancy Bobofit, who mockingly said, "Oops," before joining her friends.
The girls looked at her with rage, but none could compare to Percy's anger as he stepped forward to confront her for messing with his friends. Rainbow Dash joined him, but Applejack, sensing trouble, tried to hold them back.
Before Percy could reach Nancy, two water tentacles emerged from the fountain, grabbing her and pulling her in with a bigSPLASH!
"Percy pushed me!" she screamed, soaking wet.
As the students gossiped about what happened, the Mane 6 approached Percy.
"Percy, how in Celestia's name did you do that?" Rarity asked, surprised to witness magic in a supposedly non-magical place.
"We should go before we attract too much attention," Fluttershy suggested, shivering at the memory of the scene.
"That was so cool! Can you imagine what you could do in a pool or water slide?" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, her imagination running wild with possibilities.
"Percy, you okay?" Rainbow Dash asked, noticing his lack of response to their questions and his distant demeanor. However, before she could ponder further, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of metallic droning. The girls and Percy seemed to hear it too, and it was coming from Percy's pocket. He checked to find the pen Mr. Brunner had given him was vibrating.But not like a toy from a mall, it was moving as if something was inside it trying to come out like a cocoon.
“There you are,” said an ominous voice.
The group looked to discover that it was Mrs. Dodds walking towards them in a slow, menacing manner. "We're not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said, but the thing was she wasn't even moving her mouth; she was speaking mentally.
“Mrs. Dodds, are you okay?” said Percy.
Applejack looked at him. “You seriously not gonna talk about her telepathy?” she said. Twilight hit her with her elbow.
“It was only a matter of time before we found you,” said Mrs. Dodds, but as she walked, she began to change. A kid ran in front of the view of Mrs. Dodds, but after the kid got out of the way and Mrs. Dodds's red scarf turned into a deformed neck with what looked to be red quill-like feathers sticking out, another kid ran in front of her. After they moved out of the way, an enormous bat-like wing appeared in place of the left side of Mrs. Dodds's leather coat. It spread out, revealing Mrs. Dodds's new body—a bird-like body with dark brown feathers covering the rest of her body and taloned feet. Another bat wing emerged, covering her face, to open and reveal a head full of red feathers that looked more like quills, pointed ears, an elongated face, and blood-red eyes. This form made the gang of friends stay still with fear. As she walked towards them, her wing hit a boy’s backpack, causing the young child to cower behind himself and then just return to looking at her with a drenched form.
The group, noticing the monster that was their pre-algebra teacher getting closer, started to walk back.
“Where is it, half-blood?” Mrs. Dodds screeched telepathically as she walked over the fountain’s steps. “Where is it?” she said before spreading her wings and flying in the sky over her youthful victims.
Percy, not knowing his step, tripped, causing him and the girls to fall, with him ending up on top. But before getting up, Mrs. Dodds landed on top. She all started with vicious intent as she lay her claws on Percy’s shoulder.
Though the girls were her target, they were still scared, as they were witnesses to be dealt with and without their powers or magic, they're goners.
But before the monstrous teacher could do anything, they all heard a mechanical noise, and the sound of slicing. They saw a shining golden sword in place of Mr. Brunner's pen, piercing through Mrs. Dodds's chest and disintegrating it, turning the horrible body into nothing but dust in the air.
Knowing her fate, she pulled back and reached her arm to attack her killer, but she had already turned to dust.
Before they could process everything, everything turned white.
But then, it turned back for them, and they saw a group of students, including Grover, surrounding them.
“Are they okay?”
“Are they dead?”
Two students said, with Grover looking at the latter with questioning, searching for the meaning behind the latter’s question.
Mr. Brunner rolled over to the previously fainted group. "Give them some room, please." The group went to pick themselves up, with Grover lending his hand to Percy and Fluttershy to help them up.
“What happened?" said Percy.
“Yeah, next thing we knew, we were all having the scariest nightmare, then POOF,” said Pinkie Pie, gesturing with her hands to represent the experience.
Applejack then turned to see Nancy Bobofit being comforted by a strange woman. "Who is she?" Applejack said in a frightened tone, as the last teacher that liked Nancy tried to kill them. The rest of the group looked at what Applejack saw, where Mrs. Dodds said, "Percy."
“I didn’t do anything to him!” said Nancy. The group looked at her, annoyed with the lie. “He pushed me,” she said as the unknown woman walked away with her.
“Everyone go back to their lunches,” said Mr. Brunner to the students. "It's alright, these kids just need a moment, that’s all.”
“I don’t understand,” said Percy, looking at his best friend and teacher. “Didn’t anyone just see that?”
“Where’s Mrs. Dodds?” said Fluttershy, before looking around frantically.
"Yeah, where is she?" said Percy.
Mr. Brunner looked at Grover before addressing the disturbed kids. “Children, there’s no one here with that name,” said Mr. Brunner.
Those words made the group freeze. They turned to Grover for an answer, only to see him shaking his head in denial.
“All right, class, let’s move along,” said Mr. Brunner. “Let's finish your lunch,” he added, while the group just stood there, questioning their sanity.
“The truth… can be so very hard to determine…," said an elderly Asian man.
This was the headmaster of Yancy Academy, and the group, along with Grover with his head down, sat on chairs in his office, with Mr. Brunner on the left side of his desk, and a man in his 40s on the right.
“But in this case, the truth seems very hard to deny,” said the headmaster. The group pretended, but inside, they were scared of what punishment they were about to get. Twilight was the most panicked; she had never been to the principal's office in her life because she was in trouble.
“Mr. Jackson, a number of your classmates saw you, along with Ms. Sparkle, Apple, Pie, Dash, Belle, Vänlighet, and Mr. Underwood, arguing with Ms. Bobofit,” said the headmaster. “Yet you have offered no explanation for how she ended up in that fountain,” continued the headmaster, “other than, ugh… ‘I didn't touch Nancy.’ Now, isn't there anything else you'd like to say for yourself?”
“I didn’t touch Nancy,” Percy simply said. The group looked at him.
“Sir, maybe the class could be lying," said Twilight. With that, the headmaster turned his gaze to the former alicorn.
“I believe Twilight is right. Almost every student is afraid of that fiend,” said Rarity
The headmaster turned his gaze to the girl; Rarity felt a shiver run down her spine. “Okay,” the headmaster sighed, “Mr. Underwood”? Grover looked up upon hearing his name called. “Do you have anything to add?” said the headmaster.
“Yes,” said Grover, gaining the attention of the group.
“Go on,” said the headmaster.
“Percy had told me earlier in the day that he wanted to get back at Nancy for all she’d done to us,” said Grover.
“Grover?” said Percy, shocked, looking at his friend.
“What are you doing?” said Rainbow Dash, equally shocked.
“And he isn’t being truthful about what happened at the fountain, and the girls are only covering for him,” Grover finished saying.
“Grover,” Percy repeated.
“Excuse me,” said the headmaster. “Are you saying you saw Mr. Jackson assault Ms. Bobofit?” The headmaster stated.
Grover looked at Percy with a sympathetic gaze before turning to the headmaster.
“Yes, I did,” said Grover.
Percy's eyes became bigger than plates, while the others had similar reactions. Twilight's jaw dropped, Fluttershy looked as if someone had destroyed her animals, Rarity gave a sympathetic look to Percy, as she had friends who had betrayed her secrets, Pinkie Pie's usual happy demeanor was replaced by a shocked face, but Rainbow looked at Grover with fury for betraying his friend, while Applejack remained neutral. Even though Grover had just turned his back on Percy, he told the truth.
Percy could now be seen sitting on a bench, not wearing his Yancy attire as he was expelled. He was wearing a red coat over a sweater, plain jeans, and shoes. Sitting next to him was Twilight, with the rest standing beside them, all of them trying to comfort the silent Percy over what happened.
“I still can’t believe he did that,” said Fluttershy.
“ Believe it, he double crossed us,” said Rainbow Dash. "We treat him with friendship and look at what he repaid us with”, fuming at the missing person to this group.
“Calm down, Rainbow,” said Applejack.
“Are you agreeing with him that he’s done”, said Rainbow Dash?
“No but he’s in the presence of an authoritative figure so he couldn’t lie," said Applejack.
“Of course honesty," said Rainbow Dash rolling her eyes.
“Girls not the time” said Twilight as she secretly points to a quiet Percy, the rivals come down as they realize that the topic was deepening their friend’s sadness.
“None of this was easy”, said a familiar voice.
The group turned to see Mr Brunner wheeling toward them. Not for you , not for any of us, Mr Brunner said. The girls offered to leave for them to talk, but that doesn't mean they couldn’t eavesdrop. They all walked to the brushes until the coast was clear they leaned by them to hear better.
“I’m very concerned about you, Percy” said Mr Brunner, “I saw what happened at the museum”. This got the girls attention as they thought them and Percy were the only ones to Mrs. Dodds transformation and death.
“I didn’t touch Nancy”, Percy answered the same answer he said before he got expelled as he turned to look at the handicapped teacher.
“I know you didn’t, " said Mr Brunner.
This got the attention of the girls and Percy and thought of the same thing if he would why didn’t he cover for Percy. Percy, now intrigued, his eyes widened in response to the counter.
“At least, I know you think you didn’t”, said Mr Brunner with this said got the group even downer as this proves they may actually be going crazy.
This statement grabbed the attention of the girls and Percy, making them wonder why Mr. Brunner didn't cover for Percy if he knew the truth. Percy, now intrigued, widened his eyes in response to the unexpected support.
“At least, I know you think you didn’t,” said Mr. Brunner, and with this statement, the group felt even more despondent, as it seemed to confirm that they might actually be going crazy.
“Do you want to tell me what you think did happen?” said Mr. Brunner. “You can tell me; I might just understand.
“You wanna bet?” said Percy in a sassy tone. The girls couldn’t help but chuckle, but they held back their laughter lest it reveal their position.
Mr. Brunner also chuckled at his response. “I've seen a lot of people go through this sort of thing in my time,” Mr. Brunner said, “but of all of them, I suspect that... you might have the most difficult journey.” This endeared the group to the teacher even more, as he still saw potential in Percy despite his situation and condition. “I suspect you are special, so much more so than you know—”
“Just… stop,” Percy interrupted. “Okay, I don’t need any more stories about how special I don’t realize I am. They aren’t helping," he said.
In that instance, the girls wanted to go over and hug their friend to remind him that he is special.
The sound of a car approaching was heard.
“This is my ride, I'm going home," said Percy in a realistic tone. He picked up his backpack and then his suitcase as the truck arrived. Mr. Brunner wore a defeated expression as his student lost hope in himself.
The girls sported even more defeated expressions because their friend drove off without even saying goodbye.
“We need to follow him," said Applejack.
“Yeah, he’s our help," said Rainbow Dash.
“No, just that he may be the hero we need to help,” said Rarity.
“Does anyone know his mom's apartment building?" asked Twilight.
“No,” said Rarity, as he, like many kids his age, wouldn’t just tell people where they live.
“I do," said Spike, appearing behind the girls
“Aaaah!” they screamed. “How did you—when did you guys get back but didn’t come to your rooms? I got suspicious, so I snuck out and found you in the headmaster’s office, a place I thought Twilight would never go to, and looked in the book of parent contacts and found his mom living in Manhattan,” said Spike, interrupting Applejack.
“Good, but does anyone even have money for a cab for six girls and a dog in New York?” said Rarity.
“I do,” said Rainbow Dash, going into her pocket and bringing out 20 dollars.
“How do you have that?” said Fluttershy. They were already in trouble today; they didn’t need to be in more.
“Let’s just say that Nancy is finally paying us back,” said Rainbow Dash, with a wicked grin on her face.
The cab ride was pleasant, to say the least, as the driver initially didn’t want that many people in the cab. He changed his mind after he got the money.
After they arrived at their destination, they found themselves in the rain. Rarity looked defeated, and Applejack smirked as she saw the Fashionista hair getting ruined. Spike led the way, as he knew the location and was tracking Percy's scent. They finally found the apartment building they were looking for. They went in and took an elevator to a floor, then got out and, after some looking and opening doors, found who they were looking for.
“PERCY!” said Pinkie Pie as she pounced on him.
“Pinkie!” said Rarity as she grabbed her off him. “Sorry, darling.”
“What are you guys doing here?” said Percy.
“We followed you,” said Rainbow Dash, shrugging it off as if they didn’t stalk him to his home.
“Look, I know you may not be in the happiest mood, so we decided to support you... at home,” said Twilight, trying not to sound weird. Percy just stared at them blankly.
“So, can we come in?” said Applejack.
“I don’t think that's not good—” But before Percy could finish, he was interrupted by…
“There’s nothing wrong with the plumbing in this building. Maybe you should go see a doctor,” said a man.
“How do you know I'm not a doctor, huh?” said an angry man.
“Have you considered eating more fruit?” the calm man said in an angry voice.
“Hey! I eat plenty of fruit,” said the previously angry man. “Have you considered eating more fruit?”
The girls and the dog looked bewildered, while Percy just had an annoyed look. The door of the arguing room opened to reveal a tall and stocky Asian man. He had a gray beard with tan skin, brown eyes, and black hair.
He turned to Percy. “Oh! Hello, Percy.”
“Hey, Eddie, sorry about that,” said Percy.
“I'm walking out, you're walking in. I should be apologizing to you, Eddie,” he then noticed the others. “Are these your friends?” said Eddie.
“More like stowaways,” said Percy.
He turned his attention to the girls and the dog. “Hi, I’m Eddie. As you probably guessed, I am the building superintendent,” said Eddie.
“Hi,” said the girls, while Spike just barked.
“Who was—the bane of my existence,” sighed Eddie, cutting off Rainbow Dash.
“Bye, kids,” said the superintendent.
Percy then went to the door, opened it, and went inside. The gang followed, worried about their friend’s home life.
“Well, hello,” said a middle-aged, out-of-shape man who was often unwashed. He had dark hair and blue eyes with a messy stubble beard. He was in a chair with a laptop on his legs and a beer in his hand. The girls and the dog were in shock at this man, whose smell may be the worst smell they had ever encountered. It even caused Spike to retreat back into Twilight's bag.
“Welcome home, genius,” said the disgusting man. “And you finally brought some girls home. How much have you paid them to pretend?”
The girls glared at him. They had faced jerks like him in the past, but something about him just enraged them to a boiling point.
"Is my mom home from work?" Percy questioned the man.
"Oh, is that all you've got to say to me? Huh? After failing out of school?" said the man. "I didn't fail out of school," said Percy.
"Your principal called, and that’s what he said. He said you got kicked out," smirked the man.
"They called Mom’s cell," said Percy. Before he answered in an angered tone, "You answer Mom’s cell? I answer whatever’s ringing," said the man in defense. "So what did you get kicked out for, hmm?"
"He said I attacked a kid on a field trip," said Percy, looking down. The man nodded, "Okay," as if it was normal. "All right, but still, if you’re going to be under my roof, you gotta live by my rules," the man pointed at Percy.
"Your roof? My mom is the only one employed here."
"Excuse me? I have a job. What does it look like I'm doing right now?"
"Losing at imaginary poker."
"You would think that because you’re a child, and you don’t understand things like—"
"Where’s my mom?"
"I don’t know. I don't know where your mom is. I'm not Nostradamus. What are we doing, Percy? Every time!" said the man.
Having enough of this, Percy walked away. "Wow! Wow!" said the man.
The girls and Spike watched every moment of that and were just flabbergasted. They ignored the man, who resumed his gambling, and went after Percy.
"Percy, who was that?" said Pinkie Pie.
"My stepdad," simply said Percy. The girls were surprised that his mom or someone sane decided to marry someone like that.
"What's his name?" said Fluttershy.
"You really want to socialize with him?" said Percy, looking back at Fluttershy as if she’s crazy. Twilight walked in front of the blonde boy and said, "You could at least tell us that." He just stared at her and then sighed, "His name is Gabe Ugliano," said Percy.
"That is no way his actual name," said Rainbow Dash.
"It is," said Percy without even looking at her.
"Now if you excuse me, there’s someone here I actually would want to meet with," said Percy, walking past the group.
They saw him walking toward a woman with long brown hair with a few streaks of gray, sitting outside a window in the rain, listening to music.
"Mom," said Percy.
The woman turned to see Percy, and she got back inside to reveal her sparkling blue eyes that seemed to change color in the light.
"I’m really sorry," said Percy as he and his mom walked toward each other. "I tried this time. You know how hard I've been trying, but this time, it really wasn’t my fault. It really wasn’t my fault—" Percy was then interrupted by his mom hugging him.
"I’m all wet now," Percy whispered.
"I’m sorry," she said. "I’m just very glad to see you."
The girls and the dog smiled wide as they saw this family affection. It made them a bit homesick as well.
Percy’s mom grabbed a towel and began drying herself. She turned to see his friends.
"Oh, and who may you girls be?" said Percy’s mom.
"Hello, madam," said Rarity, bowing and lifting her skirt. "I am Rarity."
"Twilight Sparkle," said Twilight.
"Pinkie Pie," said Pinkie Pie.
"Rainbow Dash," said Rainbow Dash.
"Fluttershy," said Fluttershy.
"Applejack," said Applejack.
"Sally Jackson," said the woman.
"I found Gabe on the phone with the headmaster. He told me what he thinks happened with Nancy Bobofit. I told him I believed my kid. It was a real short call."
The girls smiled at how protective Sally is, as she is willing to believe his side of the story.
"Hey, all that matters is that you’re here, okay?" said Sally, comforting her son. "And I had enough time…"
As she said that, she closed the window and brought out a bag of blue jelly beans. "To pick your welcome gift," said Sally.
Percy smiled a bit before returning to a sad demeanor and putting the bag in his pocket. The girls noticed this and remembered that the thought of Yancy reminds him of his first friend who sold him out to the principal. Applejack, noticing this, may have to talk to Grover about this and get them to work it out.
"Mr. Brunner called me, too. He told me about Grover. You wanna talk about it?" said Sally, noticing her son's mood.
Percy remained silent.
"Is there something else you wanna talk about?" said Sally, noticing that something else was bothering her son.
"Something happened to me," said Percy. "Something has been happening to me," "More than just my mind wandering, and it got worse, and… I’m scared," said Percy.
Sally's face then changed into a worried look that caught the girls' and Spike’s attention as Percy telling his mom about the incident might just worsen things.
"Gabe?" Sally yelled.
"Mom?" said Percy, as he and the girls wondered why Gabe was needed.
Gabe dropped his can as his name was called. "I don't know how anyone expects me to get any work done—"
"Percy and I are leaving for Montauk," said Sally in a stern voice. "I’ll…I'll have the car back by Sunday morning."
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Since when are you going to Montauk?”
"I called to reserve the place as soon as I got off the phone with Yancy."
"Who’s Yancy?" said Gabe. The girls glared at the lazy stepdad. Even Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie wanted the man to leave; Spike just put his leg over his face.
"The school," said Sally, shooting her husband a disappointed glance.
"Okay, and why exactly am I okay with this?"
"Because on my way home on Sunday, I’m gonna stop at D’Angelo’s and pick up sandwiches in time for tipoff. But if you make this miserable, I’m gonna go anyway, and then I’m gonna eat my sandwich and yours while I listen to the game on the radio," said Sally, raising her voice.
"You know I hate watching the Knicks alone," said Gabe in a pleading voice.
"So do I," Sally countered.
The equestrians and dragon just stood watching the married couple fight, completely wondering again why they even got married. By the look of Percy, this was a regular occurrence.
"Make sure they put the hot peppers on my sandwich, please?" said Gabe.
"Not if you're gonna ask like that," said Sally in a stern tone.
"I said, please."
Sally stopped talking, waiting for Gabe to ask politely. "Please, could you have them put the peppers on my sandwich?"
"You got it," said Sally.
As she walked to get packed, she stopped by the girls. "Do you girls have any clothes you left at Yancy?" said Sally. The girls nodded; when they arrived at Yancy, they were accompanied with spare clothes that they did leave behind. Even if they do go back, they would be in the same position as Percy.
"It’s okay, Eddie owes me one. I can get some clothes from the lost and found," said Sally, who returned to walk into her room.
Gabe sighed and then turned his gaze to Percy and the girls. "Take your shoes off before you get in my car," said Gabe as he pointed at Percy, then at the girls. "And make sure that dog doesn't pee in my car," Gabe said, while pointing at Spike. "Do you understand me?"
The group just stared at the man even as he left. Spike glared at the man for the assumption that he wasn't potty trained.
"We have a lot to talk about, but uh, that storm out there, it’s getting angrier, so let’s get ahead of it," said Sally as she got Gabe's keys.
"Mrs. Ugli- Jackson," said Sally, interrupting Twilight. "Mrs. Jackson, won’t we be ruining your and Percy's vacation?" Twilight said. "It’s okay, at least my son finally brings some friends home," said Sally.
"But ma’am," said Fluttershy, knowing that Sally had an alternative motive for bringing them.
"We’ll talk at the beach, okay? Pack your bags. I’ll call Eddie for those clothes," said Sally.
Leaving the group of friends questioning the mother’s mindset, "See you in the car," said Percy as he went to go into his room to pack.
Raining and night—that was where the group was. Alone and wet with no idea of how they got here. With no way out as thunder shook.
The said group, including Percy, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie, looked around to see a cabin with lights, unknown to the group except Percy; they were on the beach at Montauk.
But the group’s gaze turned to a cloaked figure holding a lantern in the mist. "Who are you?" said the figure in a raspy voice that sent chills down the gang’s spine.
"So weak. So scared. So sad," the figure said.
If it were a normal situation, Rainbow would have tackled him to the ground, but she was too scared, and Fluttershy would have been running to the hills if she weren’t frozen by fear.
"Run away, little heroes, before you get hurt," the figure finished before disappearing into the mist.
The gang woke up to find they were not in the storm anymore; they were in a car. And in front of the same setting they were in from the nightmare.
The girls tried to get comfortable, but it was challenging with six people and a dog squeezed into a three-seater.
They glanced at Sally, who was crying. She noticed them watching her and wiped the tears from her face.
"We’re here," said Sally, smiling at Percy, who returned the smile. Rainbow, Twilight, and Applejack quickly caught on as the cowgirl and athlete smiled as well.
"Wait, no—" but before Twilight could finish, Percy smirked at his mom. "On three?" Percy said.
"Ready?" Sally countered. She, Percy, Rainbow, and Applejack grabbed the door handles.
"One, two—" said Sally, who was interrupted by Percy quickly opening the door, grabbing his bag, and sprinting out. Rainbow Dash followed suit, with Applejack frowning.
"Three!" said Sally as she grabbed her bag and ran out along with Applejack. They followed suit to keep pace.
"Wait for us!" yelled Applejack, chasing after her friends.
"At least I brought an umbrella," said Rarity.
After they quickly got into the cabin and got out their stuff, thanks to Eddie, the girls now had non-Yancy clothes. However, they were now wearing shirts from the 80s or 90s, as they couldn’t exactly read the words, and jeans that were out of fashion, much to Rarity's displeasure.
Percy went to the restroom to freshen up, but he left out his jellybean bag.
"Why are all of these blue?" asked Pinkie Pie, as she questioned someone's taste in candy for the first time.
Sally, who was in the kitchen cooking, heard this and said, "Once upon a time, Gabe told Percy there was no such thing as blue food. So I went out of my way to prove him wrong by making every food I could think of blue," said Sally in a triumphant voice.
Rarity finishes checking her hair and sees Percy come out of the restroom with a worried face. She feels for him, knowing they are in the same position as him. Percy then sees Sally and a smirk appears on his face.
Percy walks over to her, gesturing to the girls to stay quiet as he goes to the kitchen. He taps his mom's left shoulder, causing her to look in that direction and then at him, seeing Percy smirking at her.
"I found the good marshmallows," said Sally. "Ones that don’t burn so easily."
"Are they the super gooey ones?" asked Rainbow Dash in an excited tone.
"Eeyup" replied Sally.
"What are you waiting for? Whip them out," urged Twilight.
"I don’t think it was ever the marshmallows’ fault I wasn't paying attention," said Percy. Sally smirked at him, and Percy's smiling face turned into a guilty one.
"Mom… I need to talk to you about something," said Percy. Sally crossed her arms, gaining a worried expression, while the girls and dog had solemn faces, knowing they were going to have to explain the reason for leaving Yancy.
Everyone gathered on the couch as Percy stared into the fireplace. "I’m used to feeling weird. I’m used to the world feeling weird to me," he began. "Like a puzzle with half the wrong pieces. I try to pay attention. I really try, but… then I'm daydreaming. I can’t help it."
"But lately, it hasn’t felt like daydreaming," continued Percy. "It felt… I don't know. More real, maybe? And then we were at the museum and…" The girls noticed he stopped longer but understood they were too traumatized.
"You saw something," said Sally. "Something that felt real to you, but no one else could see?" Percy remained silent, but Sally still knew the answer. The girls looked at her, except Pinkie, whose eyes widened. "Shudders" she whispered to the girls and dog, who then searched inside the cabin for anything dangerous.
"What did she say to you?" asked Sally.
Percy, the girls, and Spike looked at Sally with wide eyes the size of plates. "She? How did you know it was a she?" Percy demanded.
The girls looked at each other, knowing Mrs. Jackson was nowhere near the museum.
"Do you know why we come to this cabin every year?" Sally questioned. "Because it's near the septic tanks, so it's cheap," Percy answered. "Mom, how did you know about that thing we saw?"
"We come to this place every year because this is the place where I met your father," said Sally, silencing Percy.
The girls watched with intensity. They didn’t know much about his father, as Percy didn’t either, as his dad left Sally to take care of him before he was born.
"My dad? What does my dad have to do with this?" Percy said. The girls could understand as he wouldn't want anything to do with his father. Sally then rubbed a side of his hair with a smile on her face.
"A long time ago, I…" She then inhaled and exhaled, "met a man here on the beach. He was wise, brave, kind, and noble." Her eyes welled with sadness. "From the moment I first saw him, I knew that I had never met a man like him before," said Sally.
"And then I realized he was unlike any man I had ever met before… because he wasn’t a man at all," said Sally. “He was a god.” She blurted in a forced tone, but to the girls and the dog, it sounded more like a different tone.
"Can you please be specific?" said Twilight, speaking out the group’s thoughts.
Percy just stared at his mom with wide eyes before gaining composure. "You fell in love with God? Like… Like Jesus?" Percy questioned his mom, unsure if she’s religious.
Sally, realizing the confusion, decides to clear it up. "Not God. A god," Percy said Sally cleared her throat.
"The stories that I have told you about Greek gods and heroes, and monsters, they are real," said Mrs. Jackson. "Mom," said Percy, "what are you saying?" “Yeah Mrs. j what are you saying” said Rainbow Dash.
"In these stories, I have told you about how gods and mortals would sometimes have children together," said Mrs. Jackson.
"Mom, please stop. Children are called demigods—mom!" said Percy.
"And sometimes they are known as half-bloods," Sally finished. This got the kids' attention as they had heard that word before, that's what Mrs. Dodds called him," said Rarity in a shocked tone, as Sally may be telling the truth. "You're right, Rarity," looking at his mother with shocked eyes, "Mom, what’s happening?"
"Yeah, it involves us too," said Fluttershy.
"You all are half-bloods," said Sally, looking at Percy and the girls, "and half-bloods are not safe in the world. Once they reach a certain age and begin to understand what they are, terrible forces are drawn to them, driven to harm them before they can become strong enough to fight back," Sally explained. "That is what you have been feeling."
As the group listened, they began to understand what makes sense, as the creatures Percy had been seeing were from Greek mythology and Mrs. Dodds suddenly erased out of existence.
"It has always been a part of who you are, it was always coming, I just—why are you telling me this?" Percy demanded.
"Percy, I know that this is hard to understand, but you have to believe me that this is real," Sally added to her explanation.
And the girls and Drake knew why she was calming him as they saw a rage in his eye. He then got up and glared at his mother.
"No, this is crazy. Okay? I am not a god. There is something wrong with my brain," Percy yelled. The action caused Sally to cry. "I understand that I'm weird, believe me, I get it, but I'm afraid something may be really broken now."
"Oh, baby, no—" and now you’re telling me stories like it’s gonna make it okay? Well, I'm not a baby!" said Percy, cutting off his mother.
"Hey, you can’t just speak to your mom like that," said Applejack, "Oh, so you're agreeing with her babying me and you guys even, Percy raged."
"No, Percy, we’re just saying you have to consider—"
"Oh, so you're just crazier than me!" Percy said to Rarity, "Twilight, you're the logical one here, explain how stupid this sounds," said Percy, pleading to his brainy friend.
"Percy, I want to disagree, but we all saw the same thing," said Twilight, her eyes screaming for Percy to calm down.
"No, what I see is my mom trying to make me feel special," said Percy before returning his gaze to his mother. "But I know there's no such thing as monsters, I know there’s no such thing as gods, and I know for certain that there is no such thing as demigods."
Before the girls could say anything, there was a knock on the door.
"Who’s there?" said Sally, then turned to see Grover standing behind the glass windowed door. "Mrs. Jackson?" said Grover.
"Grover?" said Percy.
"Why is he here?" said Fluttershy.
"Forget why, how did he find us?" said Rainbow Dash. The girls' and dog's creep level was at maximum.
"This is a little time-sensitive," said Grover. "Could someone maybe open the door?" Sally walked to his request. Seeing this, Percy asked, "What is he doing here? I don’t want to see him."
But his mom didn’t listen to his request and opened the door. "Wait, mom, I asked to have the night, you said we could all leave in the morning," said Sally in an angry tone.
"She knew about him coming," said Applejack, who, along with the group, was watching the exchange. "Sorry, I'm early, but I didn't have any choice," said Grover. "Things have changed, this is all developing a lot faster than we anticipated."
"Early?" said Percy.
"Looks like she made more of an appointment than knew Grover was coming tonight," said Rarity.
Sally then let Grover inside. Inside, they could see he was wearing a dark blue raincoat, a snow cap, his backpack, and shorts with revealing assets.
"You should have asked me before you—whatever it is you’re gonna say, I don’t wanna hear it," before Percy could finish, he looked down and noticed something odd about Grover.
"Grover?" Percy said, noticing something strange about his legs.
"Percy, okay, so something’s coming," Grover said, Percy looking at his legs. The girls and Spike took notice of this and looked down as well and found out why.
"Grover," said Fluttershy.
"But the important thing is not to panic," said Grover.
"I’m not panicking," said Sally.
"Grover!" Rainbow Dash yelled while she was still looking down along with the others.
"Great! I’m also definitely not panicking," Grover reassured, "I feel very good about how we’re doing so far—" "GROVER!" Pinkie Pie yelled at the top of her lungs.
"What?" Grover said, looking at the pink-haired girl. "Grover—" Applejack was then interrupted by Percy, "Why is there half a goat in your pants?"
"Oh, it’s…" before he stops and looks down to see that his legs, which they remembered were human, were now goat legs with hooves.
"Oh! Oh, boy, she didn’t tell you guys about…" said Grover as he looked at Sally. "You didn’t tell them about me?”
“You’re early," said Sally blankly and fake smiling. Grover then looks at the group and says, "The important thing is not to panic."
"I'm pretty sure saying it won’t stop the panicking," said Spike, causing the three non-Equestrians to look at the dog with wide eyes.
"Spike!" said Twilight in an angry voice.
"What? I thought with secrets coming out I could speak freely," said Spike in a scared tone as Twilight's stare decreased his confidence.
"We’ll continue this in the car," said Sally as she went to pick up the keys. "Let's go," she said. Percy then looks at the girls, then at Grover, who waved his hands in a sorry-like pose. He then went to pick up his coat, as the girls followed suit.
The orange Camaro could be seen driving on a country plain road with nothing but grass on the left side and forest on the right, with Percy and Sally in the front seats while the girls, Spike, and Grover were cramped behind them.
"My job has been to guide you to this moment," said Grover. "It’s always an emotional roller-coaster for a young demigod, so providing a support system is really—"
"Who are you?" Percy said. "And who sent the Illuminati?" said Pinkie Pie.
"Pinkie, there is no such thing as the Illuminati," said Applejack.
"Well, I'm Grover. I’m your best friend and—"
"What are you?" said Percy.
The kids and the dog looked at Grover with piercing eyes. Grover, realizing his trust as a friend is being tested, removed the snow cap, revealing two short horns on his curly-haired head. "I’m a satyr. And I'm your protector," said Grover to Percy.
"You're my protector?" said Percy, not believing him.
Rainbow Dash looked confused as well, saying, "How is the guy that avoids tween bullies supposed to protect a child of a god?” “
No offense, Grover dear, but does Rainbow make sense? How can you protect Percy?" said Rarity.
"I do protect him," said Grover, defending himself. "If I hadn’t gotten Percy kicked out of school, you’d have never survived the night. And what’s chasing us now would have found you there easily."
Percy then looked away, his distrust of his friend deepening. "I’m sorry," said Grover.
"Sorry doesn’t make up for the fact you got him kicked out," said Twilight.
"It’s not my fault," said Grover, trying to explain.
"Then explain it to us," said Applejack trying to look serious, looking at Grover while Pinkie was on her lap.
"Usually, I can sense danger coming a mile away, but this time… well, none of us saw Dodds coming," said Grover. The group looked at Grover with widened eyes, and Percy turned to look back at him.
"So you knew," said Percy in an accusatory manner, "that thing that Dodds turned into, you saw it happen?”
“Not just saw it, you couldn’t intervene or at least tell us," said Rarity angrily.
"Because I only saw some of it," said Grover, trying to calm them both down. "The mist kept her hidden even from us until it was too late."
"Mist? What mist?" said Percy.
"Yeah, it was clear—wait, what do you mean by 'us'?" said Pinkie Pie, noticing Grover's words.
"The mist," said Grover, correcting, "it’s the veil that hides the magical world from the human world."
The girls and Spike were dumbfounded by this revelation, as magic like that does not naturally exist in their world unless by an Alicorn’s assistance. "Like say, my legs. Dodds wings. Even Dodds' absence. So that’s why everybody forgot about her," said Rainbow Dash. "But it isn’t supposed to hide things from me. That never happens," said Grover, therefore explaining how he and his accomplice were fooled by Mrs. Dodds. "Something powerful is at work here," Grover stated.
"What's or who's powerful enough to control an already-placed worldwide magical veil?" the girls and Spike thought. "The sooner we get all of you to camp, the better off you’re…" Grover paused as Percy looked at him confused along with the others. "You told him about camp, right?" said Grover, looking over at Sally. "Not yet, no," she replied.
"Could you explain, then?" said Fluttershy.
"Camp is a sanctuary for half-bloods," Grover explained. "A safe space where you can learn who you are and what the world is like on the other side of the mist."
"So, a training camp? I'm in," said Rainbow Dash, smug with confidence. Percy and the girls looked at her as if she’s crazy.
"Uh, it’s not far, actually, just a little ways past the bend up there," said Grover, pointing out the front car window.
Pinkie's eyes then went wide, “Pinchy Knee Pinchy Knee”. The girls and Spike went pale as they knew that prediction.
"Mom, what else haven’t we talked about?" Percy accused. Sally briefly looked at him, wanting to say something but didn’t and put her eyes back on the road. "What else haven’t you told me?" Sally opened her mouth and was about to say something, but before she could, thunder roared, and everyone in the car looked behind them to see lightning hitting the ground, creating sparks that formed a bull-like creature running on four appendages at them.
"Is that the Minotaur?" Percy and Twilight both said, as they recalled the story of Pasiphaë’s hybrid son.
"Once the attacks start, they never let up," said Grover. "Okay? Dodds was just the beginning. He is next. He—he is brutal. He is relentless."
"He is still wearing underpants," said Percy, staring blankly at the beast. Rarity blushed from this comment but this led her to notice that the man-bull was indeed wearing undergarments.
"The Mythomagic cards were training," said Grover. "Everything has been training for what’s still ahead of you all. What’s ahead of me?" Percy blurted out.
"Kids," said Sally.
"Yeah," said the group, including Spike, but Grover.
"I’m actually 24," said Grover, causing the group to look at the satyr with widened eyes.
"Hold on, please," said Sally, as she sped up the car. But that wasn't enough to escape the Minotaur as it ran up by the car’s left side, its massive appearance now in a terrifying view, causing the group to lean back a bit. Fluttershy, being closest to the window, closed her eyes in fear.
Sally, in a desperate attempt, hit the car on the beast, but it only made it angrier. It returned the favor by slamming the car with its horn, going through the window, almost hitting Sally and getting interlocked with the steering wheel. To make matters worse, the headlights of a semi-truck appeared out of nowhere, driving toward them at full speed. Sally, noticing the danger, grabbed onto the steering wheel, trying to turn out of the way, but with no success. But an idea came to mind. She set the gears for the car to stop, and when it did, the horn came out of the wheel just in time for the truck to drive into the Minotaur, with Sally reversing the gears and getting out of the way.
"Mrs. Jackson, I owe you my life," said Spike, grateful.
But that commitment came too soon, as a noise came from behind the car. The group looked back to see the truck crashing, with the Minotaur nowhere in sight. But before they could react, the car slipped and crashed on its own. Sally held onto Percy while everyone in the back held on for dear life.
Before they knew it, everything went black.
The backside of the Camaro was seen on the ground, with grass everywhere, rain pouring down, and thunder booming. Sparks erupted by the side of it.
A bang was heard as the glass cracked, something inside was trying to get out. Another bang and the window fell out, with furry hooved legs shown pushing it. The legs went inside, and after a while, Grover came out limping, with Percy and Fluttershy appearing from the hole where the pushed-out window was. Fluttershy was holding Grover’s backpack, and Percy was helping her out of the car, visibly terrified. After she got out, Percy went too, as the others followed. Percy and Fluttershy held Grover up, with Grover’s arm over Percy's neck and Fluttershy holding his bag.
They went to the front side and opened the door to let Sally out, only it didn't open. "Let me," said Applejack. As she grabbed the door and pulled it off its place, the group was awestruck by her strength.
"Is everyone okay?" she said with worry in her voice.
"Yeah, I’m okay," said Percy.
"Okie dokie," said Pinkie Pie.
"Smooth sailing here," said Spike.
"Okay," Sally groaned as she walked out of the car and pulled out a flashlight to navigate the group throughout the scene.
Rainbow then walked over to Applejack and whispered, "Your strength came back."
"It did," Applejack whispered back.
"How?"
"Come in the moment, maybe your speed will come back too."
Seeing a path, she yelled, "This way," with the kids, satyr, and dog going in front of her. It's better to have an adult watching your back instead of the other way around. As they walked, they stopped when they saw something, getting out of his friend's arms and saying, "We’re here."
The group sees a hill with a tree on top of it.
"That’s the boundary," said Grover. "No monsters can cross it. Percy will be safe on the other side," said Grover, before the blonde boy was cut off.
"What about us?" said Spike, worrying that the barrier won’t let them in due to their otherworldly origins.
"Yeah, won’t all of us be safe?" Percy asked Grover before turning to look at his mother, expecting an answer as well.
Instead, the mother walked to Grover. "Grover, I am entrusting you to protect my son, my only child. Don’t worry, Mrs. Jackson, Percy will be totally safe at camp—I swear it," Sally said, cutting off Grover.
"Ma’am, why are you sounding like you're not gonna make—swear it," said Sally in a stern voice. Applejack's eyes grew to the size of bakery cookies. "Mrs. Jackson, don’t do this. As a kid who lost their parents, this will only hurt Percy more," she said. "What’s happening?" Percy said, as thanks to Applejack, he saw the full picture. "Swear it, Grover," she said again, with a small rage in her voice. "Keep him safe from anyone or anything that comes for him, that wants to do harm, that looks at him the wrong way," Sally explained to him. "Do you understand me?"
"I swear!" Grover declared.
A roar was heard from afar. The group knew what it was and knew the little time they had. Sally then walked to Percy; the girls and dog stepped away, knowing it would be emotional. "I gotta go now, sweetheart," said Sally with watery eyes. "Go? What do you mean go?" Percy demanded. "I can’t go with you," said Sally. "Why can’t you?"
"She’s human," said Grover, for Percy to understand.
The girls widened their eyes, as did Spike, seeing these types of moments in his stories, ones that don’t come with a happy ending.
"You’re gonna need to be brave now," said Sally, suppressing a cry. "Remember what I taught you. Remember the stories I told, especially the stories they will tell—" No, Percy cut his mom off, "you everything," Sally finished as she heard her son mid-sentence. "No way! Mom, I'm not leaving you!" Percy declared, as he wasn't going with the plan.
"Perseus!" Sally yelled. Everyone else watched intensely as they could see the love this mother and son shared. "Listen to me," Sally said, before cupping his face and pulling it close to hers. "You... are not broken. You are singular. You’re a miracle. And you are my son," said Sally with undetectable tears on her face as the rain made it impossible to know which is a raindrop or teardrop.
The girls were crying as they saw the scene unfolding sympathetically, as if they were in Percy's place with their moms. They would do whatever it takes to save them, while not caring what happens to themselves. Even Spike cried his heart out, watching his friend lose the one thing he holds dear in his life.
"Hold fast," Sally said with determination, but Percy knew where this was going and turned his head in a no gesture. "Brave the storm. I love you," she said, looking at him with love and approval.
But the moment was broken by a bestial roar in the forest, but this one was louder... and closer. As they saw trees being torn down.
"We need to move," said Grover to the mother and son, as well as the girls and dog. Sally, with a plan in mind, looked at Percy. "Give me your coat," she said. "What? What are you gonna do?" Percy asked.
"He smells half-blood, that’s what he’s tracking, yeah?" Sally asked Grover.
"That’s right," he replied.
"So if he smells you in two directions at once, maybe I can confuse him and him running away from here," said Fluttershy, cutting off Sally as she sees Applejack do that trick. "And buy us a little time to get away," the mother finished, confirming Fluttershy's response.
Percy went to stop his mom on her suicide mission. "Mom, please, don’t—" "Hey!" she said, "it’ll be okay," as she looked at Percy with a stare that said she would be okay. They both still looked into each other's eyes.
Again, the moment was ruined by the Minotaur’s wrathful roar. The group sees brushes rustle, and then they see it!
There, standing seven feet tall, his arms and legs were like something from the cover of Muscle Man magazine. His skin was vein-webbed, and he wore no clothes except white underwear. His thick fur was black, and his neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his enormous head, which had cruel black eyes, saggy ears with golden rings pierced in the left, a goatee believe me not, and curved horns pointing upwards.
This was the... MINOTAUR.
The man-bull walked toward them, growling to reach his prey. The girls and Percy stepped back in fear as they were his intended dinner. Sally, knowing the danger, kissed Percy's forehead. "Go! Now!" Sally demanded, as she and the youngsters went their separate ways. The kids went to the camp for safety, while Sally was trying to distract this beast.
Sally walked far enough to the Minotaur, as the kids were far away to be safe. The monstrous bull sniffed the air for his half-blood prize, while Sally, who was still holding onto Percy's red coat, then proceeded to hold it like a bullfighter would with a muleta and screamed at the creature. "Hey! Look!" This got the Minotaur’s attention as it turned its head down to Sally. Its emotionless gaze was enough to stop a row of cars.
"Come on, come on," she whispered for the giant bull to take the bait, as it kept staring at her with steam coming out of his snout.
The girls, Percy, Grover, and Spike walked quickly to the barrier, not looking back for their lives' sake. Percy was carrying Grover like before, and Fluttershy was holding on too. Twilight was carrying Spike, as she didn’t want to risk him getting in the Minotaur’s clutches. Percy and Twilight walked to a stone and dropped Grover along with Spike there, but they heard the Minotaur’s terrifying roar.
They all turned to see afar, his mom was bullfighting the Minotaur. Every time the man-bull charged, she dodged, but she was sloppy and getting overwhelmed. Seeing this, Percy ran with the girls in tow.
"Percy, wait!" said Rainbow Dash, running after her friend.
"Percy, don’t do it, it's too dangerous," said Fluttershy, almost crying.
Twilight said, "You stand no chance of stopping it." But they all fell on deaf ears.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no," said Percy as he and the girls ran close enough to see the attack. As the Minotaur tackled Sally to the ground, "Mom!" Percy yelled as the monster grabbed her. "Mom!" Percy yelled again, with fear in his eyes as well as the girls, as Sally was willing to put life on the line, but that didn’t mean they were okay with her dying.
Sally, hearing Percy's screams, looked to see Percy and the girls watching this unfold. She put out her hand, but anything she could do evaporated in a shimmer of gold before the Minotaur could crush her. Even the Minotaur was confused.
Percy's heart dropped as he watched his mom get vaporized in front of him, and the girls felt guilty as if they had their powers and magic, they could have stopped it instead of being scared and cowardly. Spike looked down in sadness as he couldn’t imagine losing his mom right in front of him. He looked at Grover and saw him grief-stricken, his body expressing it.
The situation got worse with the Minotaur looking in their direction.
Before the gang could interact, they heard a familiar noise of metallic vibration, and it was coming from Percy's pocket. The boy put his hand in that pocket and pulled out Mr. Brunner's pen, which was vibrating.
"What’s with that thing?" questioned Rainbow Dash.
"It’s just like before," Fluttershy said, recalling the attempted murder by Mrs. Dodds.
Twilight then remembered hard on that moment when she recalled the sword in Percy’s hand. The sword that was in place of—
"Percy, the pen—" but he already knew. Percy had the pen in both hands. He placed his right thumb under the cap and launched it off to the ground, and the pen began to change.
The pen turned into golden liquid metal, growing larger with the top part forming a u-shape until it all solidified, forming a handle with the blade materializing on top of the hilt, glowing a bright golden hue in the rainy night.
"Per- Percy! Percy, no!" Grover said, as he knew what his friend was about to do. "Percy, please listen and be reasonable," Twilight pleaded with her friend, but the boy didn’t listen as he readied his sword in a battle position.
The Minotaur, seeing his enemy with a weapon, went on all fours and charged at Percy. Percy, seeing the attack, charged as well as his mom’s killer. As he ran at the man-bull, he put the sword in his right hand. As the two fighters collided, Percy readied his sword and went to the right side of the Minotaur and hit the monster, with the beast returning the favor, causing both to fall back to the ground disoriented.
"Percy!" the girls yelled as they ran to their friend to check on him while avoiding the Minotaur. They saw the Minotaur struggle as he landed on his back.
"Darling, are you okay?" said Rarity as she and Applejack picked him up, but Percy didn’t answer. He just got out of his friends' arms, readied up his sword, and went to the fallen foe. The Minotaur finally got back on his four appendages, but Percy went in for a strike.
"Percy!" yelled Fluttershy, but Percy again didn’t listen. He just followed his boiling rage and sliced at the Minotaur’s right horn, causing the beast to groan in pain. In return, the Minotaur thrust that horn into Percy, causing him to fly back a few feet with the sword in front of him.
The Minotaur roared in anger, causing fear in the girls, who wanted to run to the hill, but that would mean leaving Percy, Spike, and Grover behind. That was not an option for them.
The man-bull tore a huge rock off the ground, carried it, and walked to the crawling Percy, snarling with the intention of crushing him like a bug. Rarity, seeing the opportunity, went for the sword, only for it to disappear, shrinking into nothingness. Rarity and Percy's eyes went wide, as did the rest, realizing the only weapon they had ditched them.
Percy, hearing the large footsteps, looked up to see the Minotaur with the stone boulder. The beast proceeded to hit Percy with the rock, only for the boy to roll away. Seeing that failed, the Minotaur then thrusted his horns into the grass to impale his prey, only for Percy to roll over again. For better or worse, the Minotaur appeared to be stuck, with his left horn tangled with a vine.
The girls saw this as their chance to run, but Percy had other ideas. He did something that even Rainbow Dash would label as reckless. When the Minotaur was still, Percy ran around to its left, jumped on its back, and held tight.
Even the Minotaur himself was surprised as he finally got out. He scrambled around, trying to get the boy off him. The girls were surprised, with Rainbow, Pinkie, and even Applejack impressed by this action. As the beast spun around, Percy held on for dear life. He almost slipped off it if it weren't for the underpants, and thankfully, he was able to climb on the back of its head, even though the beast tried desperately to shake him off by crashing into trees.
As Percy tried to figure out how he was going to get out of this, he saw a scar on the right horn, remembering it’s his doing, and found his key for victory and revenge. He grabbed onto that horn and pulled it off, making the Minotaur scream in pain. Percy then used the pointed end to stab the beast directly on the top of its head. The Minotaur then stopped all movement and began to turn into dust, similar to Mrs. Dodds. Percy then fell down as the body that was holding him up vaporized into nothingness.
Rainbow Dash, seeing her friend, went to help even though she was a far distance away. "Percy, I got you," she said as she ran, but she didn’t do what a normal kid could do. She ran at the speed of a fast-moving car. She ignored it, however, as she ran to her friend, just in the nick of time to catch Percy. Before she could say anything to him, he fainted.
The others walked towards her. They saw the fainted boy, so they carried him, along with Grover and Spike, up the hill. The only problem was it was a tall hill, and it was raining, making it muddy and harder to climb. Even after they reached the top, they collapsed unconscious by the tree, and everything went black.
As they temporarily regained consciousness, Percy and Twilight heard chatter around them, but it was mostly incomprehensible. They saw silhouettes of various people.
"Are they okay?" Twilight heard someone ask.
"Alone? How is that possible?" another voice responded.
"Yeah, they're okay."
"He must be the one," said a girl. "But what with the girls and dog "
"And what’s with the weird hair?"
“Hush, Annabeth” said in a familiar voice. “Everyone give them some space, please.”
The two friends regained eyesight to see the silhouettes moving out of the way, revealing a man with the body of a full-grown horse.
"Welcome to camp, Percy Jackson and Twilight Sparkle," said the centaur. "We’ve been expecting you," said the more friendlier hybrid as the two friends were starting to lose consciousness again.
Author's Note
sorry for being late had to work on another story but i make the the new chapter soon. but other than that here's the preview:
As Percy slept, a girl wearing an orange shirt was seen watching over him.
The girls observed as Percy opened the doors to a blue Greek temple-like building, while the rest went to similar buildings of different colors.
Spike followed Grover through a central council room full of satyrs.
Chiron, adorned in ceremonial garb, announced, "Let the games begin!" A satyr blew a horn, and various kids wearing bronze breastplates, helmets, and carrying shields with blue or red streaks, some wielding spears or swords, were seen.
Those with blue streaks ran through a treetop walk, while the same girl from before donned a blue cap and immediately turned invisible, leaving Percy and the Mane 6 stunned.
Kids with red streaks shouted and banged their weapons, and the same girl appeared again, pushing Percy towards a lake, as his voice narrated, "It was so important I got here because my father’s a god."
Percy and the Mane 6 were shown sitting around a campfire in the middle of the desert, turning towards an ominous light.
They were then seen running together from some of the kids with red streaks, and Percy declared, "So, I’m gonna go find him."
Percy was shown drenched in water, standing in the lake with the girls around him, all looking forward with confidence.
Hail Perseus Lord of the Bathroom
Twilight was tossing and turning in her bed, trying to decide if she wanted to wake up or sink back into unconsciousness. Her mind raced with questions: Was Percy really a demigod? Were she and the girls demigods too? What were they really here for?
As she turned again, her squinting eyes spotted Percy on another bed, doing the same thing, struggling to regain consciousness despite his body resisting. She then noticed someone else standing by, looking at Percy with arms crossed as if examining him. It was a girl, not just any girl, but the one from the hill! She was wearing an orange shirt, the lightning flash illuminating the darkened room.
Percy seemed to notice his watcher. “Where am I?” he asked weakly.
“You drool when you sleep,” said the girl.
“Huh,” Percy mumbled, but saying those words used the last of his strength, and he drifted off again. Twilight, too, ran out of energy and fell back into unconsciousness.
Twilight woke up, blinded by the light of the morning sun. She looked around and found herself in a room with lime green walls, windows with colorful glass, and a desk with a huge horn lying on top. She realized that last night had indeed happened. But she was mostly worried about how Percy would react to the news.
She felt a weight on her lap and got up to see Spike sleeping. She softly petted him, glad he had survived. She looked around to see the girls standing around her while Grover was near Percy. Grover was wearing an orange shirt with a black pegasus inside a black circle. The letters above the picture were hard to read due to her dyslexia, but she managed to decipher "Camp Half-Blood" – the camp Grover had talked about sending Percy to. And speaking of the devil, Percy woke up, turning to his left to see Grover staring at him with comfort.
“It’s okay, you're safe,” said Grover.
Percy then noticed the desk, causing Grover and the others to look as well, their eyes falling on the Minotaur horn. The sight filled the girls in the room with anguish.
“It really happened,” said Percy, his voice heavy with sadness.
“I’m sorry, Percy. I can’t understand how you must feel right now,” said Rarity gently.
“Why was it a good idea to bring down the proof that last night actually happened?” Pinkie Pie whispered.
“Well, it’s a big deal to kill a monster like that,” said Grover, trying to lighten Percy’s mood. “So, I wanted everyone to know—”
“Did you see it?” Percy interrupted, causing Grover to freeze, realizing his words weren’t helping. “Did you see what happened to my mom?” Percy’s voice wavered.
Grover lowered his head. “I did. I’m sorry...for everything. My job was to protect you, to get you here safely. Maybe if I’d told you the truth a little sooner, your mom would still be here—”
“Please…stop,” Percy interrupted, his voice filled with pain.
“Percy, I know you're angry, but you have to see that Grover was trying to help,” said Fluttershy softly.
“By being a liar?” Percy snapped. “Your job was to get me here alive, so your job is done.”
“Please try to see—” Rarity began, but Percy cut her off.
“I see myself leaving,” he said, standing up and putting on his pants and jacket. He walked towards the open doorway.
“Where are you going?” Grover asked, concerned.
“It was so important I got here because my father is a god,” said Percy, turning to face his friends. “So I’m gonna go find him.” With that, he walked out.
Rainbow Dash ran after him, the others following close behind.
“Yeah, but it isn’t that simple,” Grover said, trailing after them.
As the girls followed Percy, they found themselves near a large woodland lake. They turned to the left and saw a group of kids near canoes, all wearing the same shirt as Grover. Turning to the right, they spotted an office with a man sitting behind a desk. They headed towards him, eager to get a good look at him.
The man behind the desk had tan skin, curly black hair, and a bushy beard. He wore a shirt adorned with tigers and sported sunglasses. Holding a Diet Coke can, he seemed somewhat relaxed.
As they entered the office, the group noticed a wheelchair and a familiar jacket, but they brushed it aside.
“HI SIR!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed loudly, banging on the table. Before the girls could scold her, they saw that the man remained unaffected. Percy stepped forward.
“Excuse me? I’m Percy Jackson. I’m new here,” he said.
The man breathed in deeply. “Peter Johnson is here!”
“Okay, that isn’t…really my name. I guess I’m looking for the office? Or whoever’s in charge, so...”
“Could you please explain what’s going on?” Fluttershy asked politely, not wanting to disrupt who seemed to be the camp director. The man tilted his sunglasses down, peering at the strange new kids not wearing camp shirts.
“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,” Grover said, rushing to the group with Spike in tow, who must have woken up from the commotion.
Grover positioned himself in the middle of the group, and the girls noticed the fear in his eyes.
“Guys, this is Mr. D, the camp director,” Grover said, extending his hand towards the man. “Mr. D, this is, uh, Percy Jackson, Applejack, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie.”
“Yeah, Grover. I heard him the first time,” Mr. D said, taking off his sunglasses and giving Grover an annoyed glance.
The girls and Percy stared at the man with dislike but remained silent, unsure of his capabilities. The girls, however, had some ideas.
“Yeah. But did you?” Percy retorted in his usual sassy demeanor.
Spike almost laughed but held back, knowing it would blow his cover.
“Okay,” Grover said, pulling Percy aside and signaling the group to huddle up. “All of you really don’t want to start with this guy.”
“He started it,” Rarity huffed.
“Grover’s right. We need to show some respect,” said Applejack.
“No, the D is for Dionysus,” Grover said, fear in his eyes. “That’s Dionysus.”
The girls wanted to scoff, but seeing Grover’s serious expression, they knew he must be telling the truth.
“So that man over there is the god Dionysus, patron of wine, madness, and theater?” Twilight said, glancing at the literal god, who was staring back at them.
“Yes,” Grover confirmed.
“No way,” Percy said, incredulous.
“Yes,” Grover repeated.
“Then why—” Rainbow Dash began, but Grover cut her off.
“Just don’t get him angry,” Grover warned.
Twilight continued to look at Dionysus with wonder, her mind brimming with questions. But before she could act, Percy walked toward the deity.
“Excuse me, Your Highness?” Percy said.
The girls were confused about why Percy was addressing Mr. D as “Your Highness.”
“Oh,” Dionysus scoffed, waving his hand dismissively.
“I think my dad may be around here somewhere. I don’t know how to ask for him,” Percy said. “I don’t—I don’t even know his name. But I think I should see him. I just... I think I really need that right now.”
This finally made sense to the girls. Dionysus, one of the most well-known gods, might know Percy’s father. He could probably just call him.
“Can you help me?” said Percy.
“Actually…I think I can,” said Dionysus.
The group listened closely to what he might say.
“Son,” said Dionysus, smirking at Percy, who wore a shocked expression, along with everyone else.
“Dad?” Percy said.
“Yes, Peter,” said Dionysus, incorrectly saying his son’s name.
“It’s Percy.”
“Exactly.”
The girls looked at Dionysus, questioning if he had any motives for Percy, as Applejack could see he was lying and trying to use Percy to his advantage.
“Now, before we get to know each other, there’s something very important I want you to do for me, okay?” said Dionysus.
The gang was eager to hear what he wanted, wondering what a god could need his kid to do and why he couldn’t do it himself.
“In the gallery, there is a bottle of 1985 Chateau Haut-Brion,” said Dionysus. “Will you go fetch that for me?”
“Are you kidding me after all these years of neglect, that's all you say?” said an angry Spike.
“Hey, back off, dragon. This doesn’t concern you,” said Dionysus in an annoyed manner, as if the dog didn’t talk. Spike’s eyes widened, realizing Dionysus knew what he was simply by being near him.
While Percy just stares at Spike.
Grover then intervened, “Hey, um, Mr. D, even if Percy was—”
“Uh, uh, uh, hold on! Grover, didn’t you hear what I said to the pooch?” Dionysus cut off the satyr. “This is a nice moment, don’t ruin it. The gallery is right down that path. Grab that bottle, and I’ll talk to you about whatever you want,” said Dionysus.
“You know, uh…you, uh…me, who cares?” Dionysus cavalierly replied.
The girls and Spike glared at the man with fury, clearly seeing he was using Percy to his own advantage. But Applejack, knowing the truth, recognized that even a god could lie. She glanced at Grover, who was about to speak but stopped himself, his silence speaking volumes. She recognized the fear in his eyes—a fear that made her hesitate in confronting Percy about the task and demanding the truth.
Their attention turned as they heard hooves outside. Everyone looked to see Mr. Brunner approaching. He was here, but he wasn’t walking normally—Mr. Brunner was a centaur. His upper half was human, while his lower half was the body of a black stallion, with a brace on his left back leg. Now they understood why the wheelchair was there and why he wasn’t using it—Mr. Brunner was Chiron, a centaur.
Chiron entered the building, the newcomers still in awe. Percy looked the most shocked, followed by the girls and Spike, who had experienced centaurs but not in such a direct manner. Chiron gazed at his students, knowing they were likely in shock at seeing his true form.
“Children,” said Chiron.
“Mr. Brunner,” Percy replied, still bewildered.
“What—how did this—how?” Fluttershy stammered, unable to comprehend how Mr. Brunner used a wheelchair.
“Uh, Mr. Brunner’s real name is Chiron,” Grover explained, revealing their teacher’s true identity. “Camp activities director, immortal trainer of heroes. He is—”
“Grover, thank you,” Chiron interrupted, stepping in. “I’ll take it from here. Percy, this must be a lot for you to process,” he said to the boy who still stared at him. “And to all of you,” Chiron added, shifting his gaze to the girls and Spike
“It surely is,” said Rarity.
“Oh, no. It’s—it’s fine,” Percy replied sarcastically, clearly indicating the absurdity of the situation. “I mean, you’re a horse, my father won’t speak to me unless I get him a drink. Well, this all seems totally normal and reasonable.”
“Don’t forget about Goat boy over here,” Rainbow Dash added, pointing at Grover.
This elicited groans from Percy, Rarity, Applejack, Twilight, and Fluttershy, adding to the sense of insanity.
Chiron glanced at Dionysus, quickly realizing the situation, then turned back to the seven kids.
“Oh, no, no, no. No,” Chiron said firmly. “Mr. D is not your father.”
This statement shocked everyone except Applejack and Grover, the former having sensed something was off from the start, and the latter knowing the truth but unwilling to risk angering a god.
“I could be,” Dionysus interjected, trying to regain control of the situation.
“Yes, but are you?” Chiron questioned, his gaze steady.
Dionysus looked at the kids, especially Percy, with Applejack glaring at the lying god. He then turned back to Chiron. “Why must you ruin everything?”
Chiron groaned at his companion before addressing his former student. “Mr. D knows that Zeus has forbidden him from consuming alcohol, and demigods are able to do things for gods that gods are forbidden to do for themselves,” explained Chiron. “Mr. D was taking advantage of that, hmm?”
The boy and equestrians looked at the god, their suspicions confirmed.
Dionysus made a mocking sorry gesture with his hands and face.
With that, the group mentally agreed to be wary of Dionysus, knowing he could make life at camp unpleasant.
“Percy, girls, walk with me, and we’ll start again, hm?” Chiron suggested.
The girls and Spike exchanged looks. They wanted more answers, and Chiron was the only one who could provide legitimate ones. Plus, they were eager to explore the camp—this was a summer camp for demigods that trained them to fight monsters, after all, for Celestia's sake.
Percy was the first to walk up to Chiron, with Pinkie Pie following closely behind, and the rest of the group trailing after them. Grover was about to join them when...
“Uh, Grover, please give us a moment,” Chiron interrupted, halting the satyr from stepping forward.
Though Grover understood that the kids needed guidance, he couldn't help but feel a pang of rejection. He stepped back as the group—consisting of the centaur, equestrians, demigod, and dog—walked out of the open office. Grover went to the window to watch the group wander off for their tour of their new, somewhat permanent home.
“This doesn’t feel right,” Grover muttered to himself.
“What, success?” Dionysus replied. “You got the boy to camp alive. Don’t overthink it.”
“Yeah, but it’s...” Grover started to say before he turned around and caught Mr. D glaring at him—a clear sign to stop worrying, though not out of concern but out of apathy. Grover reluctantly shelved his worries and turned back to watch the group as they walked away.
Meanwhile, the group was having an enlightening time as they strolled through the camp. The place was an expansive open space adorned with statues and structures that resembled ancient Greek architecture. Flags lay on the ground, each bearing symbols presumably representing the gods. They passed by a lake that flowed into a river used for canoeing, and they even spotted an amphitheater bustling with people, all wearing the camp's distinctive shirts. As they walked, demigods stared at them, assuming that Chiron was giving them a personal tour.
“This is a sacred valley, children,” Chiron explained. “Humans can’t see it, monsters can’t enter it, and the world can’t touch it.”
Continuing their walk, they passed an archery range where campers were practicing shooting at dummies resembling monsters. Further along, they spotted a mini volcano with kids climbing its sides.
While Fluttershy marveled at the natural surroundings, Twilight observed the agricultural area with interest. Rarity, however, turned her attention to the strawberry fields, noting their freshness. Workers tended to the fields—satyrs wearing camp shirts like Grover, their goat hindquarters visible. Rarity found it a bit strange, yet she appreciated the pastoral scene. In the field, she noticed two boys—one with black hair and the other with blonde.
“Great care was taken to bring you all here,” said Chiron. “And great sacrifice.”
The mention of sacrifice made the girls and Spike uneasy, thoughts of Sally’s death lingering in their minds.
“Hey guys, wait for me!” called out a random camper running to catch up with his friends. The group ignored him, and focused on their tour.
The tour continued through the forest, where woodland critters watched them with curiosity. Twilight glanced up and noticed two owls observing them from above. She couldn’t shake the feeling that they were staring at her specifically.
Checking on Percy, she saw a guilty expression on his face. Despite the excitement of the camp, he was clearly still affected by what had happened the previous night.
“So, there’s something I gotta tell you,” Percy began. “I lost your pen-sword thingy. Hopefully, that wasn’t your only one.”
“Check your pocket,” Chiron calmly interjected.
“No, I’ve— I lost it the other night, on the hill.”
“Check your pocket.”
Twilight almost intervened, but before she could, Percy reached into his pocket. His eyes widened as he pulled out the pen, the same one Rarity had claimed vanished into thin air.
“How did you do that?” Rainbow Dash asked, staring at Chiron after examining the pen.
“Unless you surrender it, it will always find its way back to you,” Chiron explained. “Magical objects don’t obey the physical laws of the ordinary world. Your pen, my wheelchair—they’re all part of Percy’s father’s world, as are you.”
Percy pocketed the pen again. “So, my world? When are you guys gonna tell me about yours?” he asked, looking at his female friends and Spike.
The group was shocked by Chiron's statement, realizing they had never disclosed anything about their world, and Grover had inadvertently mentioned the name. Now they faced the challenge of explaining it to Percy in a way that wouldn't overwhelm him.
“My fellow equines can explain their otherworldly origins after I show you what I have planned,” Chiron announced, leading them towards his surprise.
“Wait, equines?” Percy asked, confusion evident in his wide-eyed stare at his friends. He then glanced at Spike.
“Well, they’re ponies,” Spike explained simply.
Percy turned back to his friends, awaiting an explanation.
“We’ll explain later,” Applejack assured him as she followed Chiron, with the others quickly catching up.
“When is it later?” Percy called after them, hurrying to join them.
The girls and Spike marveled at what they saw next.
“Twelve cabins, for twelve Olympian gods,” Chiron declared.
Before them stood twelve temple-like houses, each with kids coming and going. The flags atop each cabin bore symbols identical to those outside. The first two cabins were marble, one with blue flags and the other with red. Next to the red-flagged cabin was a completely blue one. Following that was a black cabin with red flags, then a yellow wood cabin with a green roof and brown-colored flags. There was also a two-story teal wood cabin with a ledge on the second floor, and finally, a regular wood cabin with a green flag.
In the center, a campfire was surrounded by a pond.
“Each cabin is home to the children claimed by that god,” Chiron explained.
“Great. Which one am I?” Percy asked eagerly.
“I think you mean ‘we’,” Pinkie Pie chimed in.
Chiron looked at them with a hint of pity. “You haven’t been claimed,” he stated plainly.
“Claimed,” Applejack repeated.
“It's when a god acknowledges their child as one of their own,” Chiron clarified.
“Well, when do I—or we—get claimed?” Percy asked.
“The gods reveal their intentions in their own time, not before,” Chiron explained. “Your father might claim you tomorrow, next week, or—”
“I think we get it,” Twilight interjected, sensing Percy's growing frustration.
Percy absorbed the truth that his father seemed reluctant to acknowledge him. “Even now, he still wants nothing to do with me,” he muttered.
“Percy, I'm sure he has his reasons,” Fluttershy began.
“Don’t defend him,” Percy cut her off. “What am I even doing here? There’s no place for me here.”
The girls and Spike empathized with Percy, knowing his father's neglect weighed heavily on him, especially given the current circumstances.
“There is a place for you,” Chiron reassured him, pointing to the wooden temple ahead. “Hermes, god of travelers. His cabin is home to both his own children and the unclaimed.”
He led the group inside.
Inside, the cabin was modest, with rows of bunk beds on either side and a central fireplace where kids gathered. The ceiling bore flags displaying the Camp Half-Blood symbol and words similar to those on their shirts. It was a typical camp cabin.
“Everyone, everyone,” Chiron called out, trying to gather the attention of the demigods.
“Wait, wait a minute,” Percy attempted to interrupt, addressing the centaur.
“Don’t,” Rainbow Dash cautioned him.
“Everyone,” Chiron repeated firmly, clapping his hands to draw their focus.
The demigods all turned to the activities director, the seven kids, and the dog. Due to the amount of attention they’re getting, Fluttershy went behind applejack not even peeking her head.
“This is Percy Jackson, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie”. Chiron says as he points to each of them. “I trust you will see to whatever they need”.
Pinkie pie was about to properly introduce herself before Twilight stopped her.
The campers were staring at them for a while before going back to what they were doing.
The girls were embarrassed in a way as they were in a difficult place and the center of short lived attention, Percy was the most embarrassed as he turned his head down.
“Well this is the most embarrassing i have been”, said Rarity.
“I know you feel powerless”, Chiron said to Percy. “But you’re not. All will reveal itself in time." Chiron then turns around leaves as he has other duties to get to.
The girls took one last look outside, the campers were still having the time of their lives despite knowing that there are numerous monsters out there wanting to rip them apart just for existing. They walked inside to find a space to sleep beside each other but had a hard time since most of the place was crowded with neither children of Hermes or unclaimed demigods, as they passed they were getting glances from the other kids they finally saw seven sleeping bags and pillows arrange together with a doggy bed at the side. Laying on top of one of the bags was a backpack…it was Percy's, the said boy leaned down and opened it and pulled out a plastic bag of blue jelly beans.
The equestrians knew that Percy was saddened by this, so as comfort, rarity and fluttershy went down, hugged him from each side. Spike seeing this brushed against Percy. The half blood felt happy but didn’t wash away the grief.
“That’s the kid. I think. I think he’s the one who killed the Minotaur”, said a boy.
The group turned to see four boys observing them, each looking different but potentially half-brothers. One of them stepped forward, tall with black hair, brown eyes, and a scar running down the right side of his face. He wore a camp shirt over a gray long-sleeved shirt, beige pants, and had a chain of colored beads around his neck.
As he approached, Rainbow Dash stepped up, her protective instincts kicking in. "Hey, back off. My friend's had a rough day, so you and your buddies should just back off," she asserted firmly, defending Percy.
Percy and the girls stood up in solidarity, appreciating Rainbow Dash's defense.
"Thanks, Dash," Percy said gratefully, understanding that as newcomers, they were already attracting attention they didn't necessarily want.
Twilight, however, stepped in to smooth things over, wary of creating a bad impression in their new environment. "Please forgive my friends. They've had some rough experiences with new places," she explained to the tall boy.
The boy seemed understanding. "No worries. I heard what happened on the hill, and I just wanted to say I'm really sorry," he said sincerely.
The girls and Spike felt relieved to find someone they could potentially trust in this unfamiliar place. With Grover, Chiron, and Ms. Jackson being their only allies so far, having an older camper with knowledge of the camp could prove valuable.
"I know what you're going through. Believe me," the boy added, directing his empathy towards Percy, who was taken aback by his kindness. The girls understood that, aside from his mom, Percy hadn't had many people to rely on.
Rainbow Dash, realizing her initial misjudgment, apologized. "Sorry about that. I see now you're not the bad guy," she admitted, appreciating his understanding demeanor.
Luke extended his hand towards Percy, introducing himself. "I'm Luke," he said warmly.
"Percy," Percy replied, shaking Luke's hand firmly.
The rest of the group followed suit, introducing themselves one by one.
"I'm Rainbow Dash," Rainbow Dash stated confidently.
"Twilight," Twilight said with a nod.
"Applejack," Applejack greeted with a smile.
"Fluttershy," Fluttershy introduced herself softly.
"Rarity," Rarity said elegantly.
"And I'm Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed cheerfully.
Twilight then gestured towards Spike. "And this is Spike," she added, introducing her faithful dog, which was formerly her dragon brother.
As they all introduce themselves and get to know each other.
Nighttime. As it was hours before curfew, campers were walking around, heading back to their cabins or eating dinner. The latter activity took place in an area with Greek structures, featuring stone pillars supporting a stone circle, adorned with flags of different godly symbols.
Demigods and satyrs were hanging around, spending their time before sleeping. However, one satyr was on a private outing.
Grover was walking across the field towards an unknown destination, at least unknown to the campers. He made sure he wasn't followed, but one dog went past his line of sight.
Spike had gone out to do his business. He wasn't weirded out by having to do it in the woods; he had been camping with the girls before, and he had been a dog before. He was about to go back when he saw Grover. His mind told him to stay with his own business, but after Grover's world-turning secret led to this... yeah, he was following him.
The two boys went into the forest, Spike silently following the unsuspecting satyr. Grover walked a route down the woods, and after a few more steps, he stopped to stare at a tree. Or what Spike thought was a tree?
Upon closer inspection, Spike saw something move as it turned its head forward. It had bark-like skin with upwards roots on its head and some grass-like substance for hair, with moss covering most of its body, especially the arms and... skirt?! After close inspection, Spike realized this was a woman.
Spike tried to think of what this was. He recalled the Greek mythology stories Twilight had told him about tree people and remembered that gods didn't only pursue mortal women but also nymphs. This must be a dryad.
Grover walked to the nymph, and she walked towards him. They held each other's hands.
Is that his girlfriend? Spike thought, remembering that Grover had told them in the car that, despite his appearance, he was 24. Looking at Grover and the dryad, they did indeed look like a couple. The nymph looked at Grover's head and placed her hand on it.
"You’ve been picking at them again," said the dryad as she inspected his horns.
"Yeah," Grover replied sheepishly.
Spike knew that look; he himself did it when he was about to do something that would get him in trouble. But why was Grover doing it?
"You’re too hard on yourself, Grover," the dryad reassured him with a smile. "You always have been."
Spike then mentally gasped as an idea came to him. Is she Grover's mom? He realized he never asked about Grover's family.
"And your friend knows that too," said the dryad. Looking at the bushes.
Spike's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates when he heard that, but knowing his cover was blown, he came out of his hiding spot.
"Spike," Grover gasped.
"Sorry, I saw you and got worried," Spike explained, feeling he was in the same position Grover had probably been in at Yancy. "I know you're angry-
"No need to apologize, young one. You were protecting your friend," the dryad said. "Friends are needed for every challenge in life, especially ones that involve hardship."
"So I'm in trouble?" said Spike.
"Not in the slightest." the dryad said.
“Well, thanks for coming here, man, but you should really go now,” said Grover.
“What’s going on… and what’s in there?” Spike asked, his curiosity piqued as he noticed something else in the neck of the woods.
There was a tree den, but it was huge, large enough to fit people. It was on the ground with roots around the edge of its entrance along with moss. What was particularly odd was the light inside, which seemed to come from far away.
“You know what, I’ll get going,” said Spike, backing away slowly. But before he could run, he saw the look on Grover’s face—the same look from before. “Grover, do you actually need help?” said the drake.
The satyr nodded.
Spike walked to his friend until he was standing beside him. “Then I'm going with you,” said Spike.
“Thanks,” said Grover.
Grover turned back to the dryad who was watching the two friends talk. She then turned and looked at him with a protective gaze.
“Don’t be nervous. Just be truthful,” she said.
“Okay,” Grover responded. “Ready, Spike?”
“Eyup,” Spike said, not knowing what he was getting into.
The three walked into the den, which was a tunnel made of roots with vines dangling from the top. As they made it out, Spike’s jaw dropped as he saw dozens and dozens of satyrs. They were all wearing robes, their horns fully grown out, and looked like adults. There were three satyrs sitting on stone chairs, presumably thrones, with a campfire in front of them. They were all talking about their own business, but as Grover and Spike got closer, they turned their attention to them. The dryad went to the side to spectate.
Grover took a deep breath and stepped forward. Spike stayed by his side, feeling a mix of awe and apprehension.
“Mm,” said Chiron as he concentrated intently, his fingers deftly manipulating something with precision. He was dressed in a blue shirt with a vest over it, sitting in his wheelchair.
Beside him was Mr. D, both of them engrossed in a card game. Mr. D chuckled. “Sooner or later, you’re gonna have to choose,” he said to the centaur.
Chiron made a worried look before looking back at his cards. Just then, Grover and Spike hurried over to meet the two camp leaders.
“Sorry to interrupt. Is now an okay time to talk?” Grover asked.
“No,” said Mr. D, clearly uninterested in the problem and eager to return to his card game.
“Yes, go ahead,” Chiron said, seizing the opportunity to address the campers' concerns and needing an excuse to step away from the game.
Grover picked Spike up and placed him on a chair, positioning him in front of the god and centaur.
“It’s Sally Jackson,” Grover said.
“She’s still alive,” Spike interjected. “I know when a Minotaur kills someone, they probably look like a mashed banana.”
“Spike,” Chiron said, trying to get his attention.
“But she evaporated. Like a monster would,” Grover continued. “So Spike and I went to the Cloven Council, and they had actually heard of this happening before.”
“As the god of the dead, Hades knows when people are going to die and he can grab—”
“Yes, we know,” Chiron interrupted Spike.
Both boys paused, realizing that Chiron and Mr. D knew what had really happened to Mrs. Jackson but hadn’t said anything.
“But you haven’t told Percy anything yet?” Grover asked.
“No. No one is going to tell him anything,” said Mr. D.
“But it’s his mom we are talking about. He deserves some of the truth,” Spike reasoned with the adults.
“He should know all of it,” Grover added.
“Boys, the truth can be very dangerous if it isn’t handled carefully,” Chiron explained, trying to provide his reasoning.
“I don’t want to lie to him anymore,” Grover said.
“And I won’t, period,” Spike stated firmly.
“Come on,” Mr. D scoffed, slapping his cards down on the table. “There are powerful forces at work here, boys. Forces that have laid waste to the earth before and are close to doing it again,” said Mr. D.
Spike's eyes widened. What forces were they talking about? The gods were supposed to protect the camp, and the monsters had been around since ancient times. Were the gods afraid of them?
Mr. D continued, explaining the reason for this secrecy. “So, you don’t want to lie to your friend? Too bad.” Mr. D said. “I suggest you steer clear of him and those girls too. Because you will say nothing about this to him or those girls. Do both of you understand?” Mr. D said in an authoritarian tone that bordered on threatening. His stern gaze left no room for argument.
Grover stayed silent, his head bowed in defeat as he felt the weight of betraying Percy and the girls' trust once again.
Spike wanted to retort, but he remembered that Mr. D wasn’t just any authority figure—he could be dangerous. So, in his own shame, he nodded and stayed quiet.
How?
This was the question on everyone's mind as Percy and the Mane 6 found themselves sitting around a campfire... in a seemingly endless desert. It was nighttime, which made the situation worse. There were rocks scattered around the area and small hills of sand.
The group was still wearing the clothes from the Minotaur incident. They were all wondering why they were here and, more importantly, how they got here.
“This is unnerving,” said Rarity, recalling a past experience of being stuck in a desert for days with Pinkie Pie.
“I'm just gonna say it: this is how we got here,” said Applejack, breaking the silence. “We were in a cabin, right?”
Twilight saw Percy pick up some sand and did the same. She then felt a presence in the area. The others felt it too and turned to see a light in the distance. It was too far away to make out what it was, but their focus was shattered by a chilling, eerie voice that came out of nowhere.
“Ah, he left you here. They all did,” said the voice, sounding familiar. “Left you with nothing.”
The group stood up to get a better view but couldn’t see much.
“I know how you feel. You want what’s been taken from you,” continued the voice.
It was obvious to the girls that the voice was mainly addressing Percy. But they also realized they had faced this voice before, on the night at Montauk. The figure came closer, revealing his tattered appearance and holding the same lantern.
“You want justice,” the voice stated.
The group then heard the sound of crumbling behind them. They turned around to see the ground sinking in, dragging the surrounding mass with it. Before they could run away, the ground beneath them gave way, making them fall to their demise.
They woke up panting, even Rainbow Dash's heart racing, glad it was just a nightmare.
They looked around, finding themselves back in the Hermes cabin with Luke and his brothers talking around the bunk beds on the other side.
“Are you all okay?” Luke asked as he got up and walked over to them.
“Super,” Percy replied with a sarcastic demeanor.
“Real doozy,” Pinkie Pie added, also sarcastically.
The group was surprised by Pinkie Pie’s tone. She never acted like this, even after a nightmare. But they had seen what happened and couldn’t blame her.
The seven kids got up from their temporary beds, revealing the camp T-shirts they wore.
“We all have them, you know,” said Luke.
This caught the friend group's attention, and they got up to face Luke.
“Intense, recurring nightmares. That’s normal here,” said Luke. “And the daydreams, the ADHD, and dyslexia. Demigods just process reality differently than humans do. For the first time in your life, you're like everyone else.”
“So, are you also… do you not know who your-” Percy began.
“Am I unclaimed?” Luke interrupted. “No, Hermes is my father,” Luke said in a dark, emotionless tone. This caused the group to wonder about his relationship with his father.
“That doesn’t matter. We’re all on the same team here,” Luke added, forcing a smile to ease his bunk mates.
“Why is that okay?” Percy spoke out. “Why do they get to bring us here just to ignore some of us?”
“Percy’s right. We get that they’re busy, but a letter or a text once in a while would be nice,” Twilight agreed with her friend. She herself was a Alicorn—well, a god in Equestria—and still made time to spend with her friends. Cadance, her sister-in-law, had a kid and could still spend time with her.
“Spend too much time trying to figure out why the gods do whatever it is they do, and you’ll drive yourself crazy,” Luke retorted.
“And we don’t want a crazy Twi again,” said Rainbow Dash, recalling the time Twilight cast a love spell on her stuffed donkey.
Luke ignored that comment. “The sooner you stop worrying about that, the sooner you can enjoy what this place actually does offer,” he said.
The group looked at each other before all replying to the son of Hermes.
“And what’s that?”
“Glory,” Luke said, grinning.
Rainbow Dash then grinned as well, widely.
The seven friends walked out of the cabin, following Luke. Spike stayed behind, telling Twilight he wasn’t feeling well. Twilight knew he was lying but didn’t push him.
“Demigods have always fought for glory. They used to call it ‘kleos,’” Luke explained. “It’s like this stuff that attaches itself to your name. Makes it bigger, scarier, more important.”
The group listened closely, especially Rainbow Dash. Glory was something she held just as close as her friends, and if she and the Mane 6 were to stay here, she was determined to make a name for herself.
“People listen closer when you talk, they work harder to be your friend, and they think twice about messing with you,” said Luke, finishing his monologue.
“So this place is some high school hierarchy,” said Applejack, recognizing the methods Luke described.
“This place is full of kids. What do you expect?” Luke said.
As the group continued walking, a girl bumped into Percy.
“Hey,” Percy said.
Before he could say anything else, the girl lunged forward and pushed him to the ground.
“Hey, jerk—” Rainbow Dash started, but the girl grabbed her arm and bent it behind her.
“Woah,” said Luke before grabbing the hostile girl. “Hey, knock it off, Clarisse. It’s like their first day, come on.”
Clarisse obliged, letting go of Rainbow Dash and stepping back. This allowed the group to get a good look at her. She was tall, with medium brown skin, curly brown hair, and dark eyes filled with rage. She wore the camp shirt with a dark green long sleeve underneath, camouflage pants, and the bead necklace like Luke's, with the same beads.
Percy tried to pick himself up, but a boy came over and helped him. This was Chris Rodriguez, son of Hermes. He was almost the same height as Luke, taller than Clarisse, with curly black hair, dark eyes, and a dark complexion. He also wore the camp shirt with a white shirt underneath and the identical beads.
“Wait, so this is the kid who killed the Minotaur, is that right?” Clarisse said to Luke before looking at Percy.
“Yeah,” Percy responded quickly, not wanting to anger her.
“And it’s true, punk,” said Rainbow Dash, going to Percy’s side to back him up.
Rarity sighed, as they had once again gained a ‘reputation’ in the morning no less.
“I’ll bet,” said Clarisse, looking at Percy as if inspecting him. “Look, you want attention around here, dummy? You better be ready for it when it comes.”
She then lunged at Percy, but it was an act to scare him, and it worked. Percy stepped back in response, and Rainbow Dash did the same. Clarisse and her group laughed.
As the bullies walked away, Rainbow Dash, ticked off, attempted to grab Clarisse back, but Applejack stopped her by holding out her palm.
“Well, she seems nice,” Percy replied sarcastically.
“A real mean bully,” Pinkie Pie added.
She didn’t like Nancy back at Yancy Academy because she made the students' lives miserable. As the element of laughter, it was her duty to make everyone smile, and Nancy and Clarisse were opposing that.
“Ares kids,” Luke sighed. “They come by it honestly.”
“And of course, they would be the children of the god of violence,” Rarity said.
“Why don’t they mess with you?” Percy asked.
“They know better,” Luke said proudly.
The group looked at Luke questioningly. Twilight, using her prodigy mindset, started to understand why the now-known daughter of Ares wasn’t keen on fighting him. Chris then proved her theory true when he said, “Luke’s the strongest swordsman at camp.”
“So, they leave you alone because of ‘glory’?” Percy asked.
Luke nodded.
“So if I get glory, Clarisse wouldn’t mess with me either?” Percy asked.
“Exactly,” Luke said.
“And people would think I’m a big deal?”
“All right,” Rainbow Dash said, starting to like this place more and more.
“Well, sorta, but—”
“And my dad’s got no choice but to claim me,” Percy interrupted Luke.
The girls now understood why Percy was so persistent in his questions. It was obvious that he disliked his dad, and being ignored increased that anger.
“You can’t force the gods to do anything,” Luke said, trying to console Percy.
“But Percy gaining attention would persuade his dad to claim him,” Applejack said, stepping in for Percy’s sake.
“Along with all our parents,” Pinkie Pie added.
“What they said,” Percy stated.
“Maybe,” Luke said, giving it some thought.
“Great. Where do we start?”
The group of campers found themselves at the archery range once again, adjacent to the sparring practice area where other campers were busy with their sword and shield training, using punching bags for practice. The Mane 6, Percy, and Luke all had quivers with practice arrows and a long leather strap around their left forearm, but Luke was the only one with a wooden bow.
Their attention was drawn to a dummy on the side of the field, suspended by a large wooden holder. The dummy depicted a two-legged creature with a tail and five snake heads sprouting from the front—an obvious representation of a hydra. It had red circles for eyes and a black bullseye on its side.
But the group's real attention was directed to a girl with black hair in a high bun, brown eyes, and the same camp shirt and beads as Luke, Chris, and Clarisse. She was in a wheelchair but skillfully wielded a wooden bow with a fire-tipped arrow. She held the burning projectile for a moment before releasing it, hitting the bullseye dead center.
The girls were surprised by her proficiency in archery despite her disability. She turned to face Luke, Percy, and the Mane 6, who were standing in that order.
"A good source of glory is feats of skill," Luke explained. "So, we gotta figure out what you're good at."
"I want to be very clear about this. I've never done anything like this before, and it looks super dangerous," Percy warned, uneasy about handling dangerous objects.
"And you never killed a Minotaur before either, 'til you did," Luke replied, trying to calm him down.
"That was a whole different situation," Twilight said, wary of finding Percy's talent, especially since they were practicing archery outside.
"Fine, to show that it's easy, I'll have Fluttershy do it before Percy," Luke said, gesturing for Fluttershy to come forward. She hesitated, living up to her name.
The pink-haired girl was hesitant, not wanting to hurt anyone. She hoped to be a child of a nature god. But seeing the dummy reminded her she was in a world where creatures saw her as food. She needed to step up for her own sake.
So, Fluttershy stepped forward, staring at the fake hydra. She readied her arrow and bow, declining the wheelchair girl's offer to light the arrow tip to avoid causing too much damage if she failed. Mustering all her courage, she released the arrow.
It went straight through the previous arrow, a perfect bullseye.
The girls were shocked, wondering if they all had specific powers and if they could keep them when they returned home.
"See? If Fluttershy did it, would you do the honor, Percy?" Luke asked.
Percy took Fluttershy's place, and she handed him the bow. The wheelchair girl offered again to light the arrow, but Percy refused for the same reason as Fluttershy.
He took aim, straightening his bow and arrow, and fired. But unlike Fluttershy, Percy missed the dummy altogether. The arrow went out of sight, causing everyone to jump to the ground, including Percy and the kids practicing with swords.
"Should I try again?" Percy asked timidly.
"No!" Luke, the Mane 6, the campers, and Chris all yelled in unison, Chris responding a bit late.
With archery not being a skill Percy or the other girls possessed, they decided to try a different talent known in the camp.
The gang found themselves at an open forge. The area was bustling with activity, the sound of hammers clanging against metal and the roar of furnaces filling the air. At one of the forges, a boy with black hair was hard at work. He wore a camp shirt and necklace, with the sleeves cut off to show his arms. His eyes were hidden behind protective goggles, and he wore gloves and an apron to shield himself from the heat.
The boy was mending a hot metal object, holding it with pliers and banging it with a hammer. After a while, he paused and looked up, noticing the group approaching.
Standing there were Percy, Twilight, and Rarity, all wearing goggles on their foreheads, gloves, and aprons. Luke stood beside them, with the rest of the girls and Chris behind them. The three were hesitant, and their nervousness was justified given the intimidating task of working with hot metal.
Seeing their reluctance, Luke gave them a gentle push forward. "Come on," he encouraged.
The trio stepped up to the boy at the forge, who handed them sets of pliers and hammers. They took the tools, and Percy was the first to give it a try.
He grasped the metal with the pliers and gave it a tentative tap with the hammer. Gaining a bit of confidence, he hit it again, but the impact caused the metal to fly out of his grip and land on a pile of clothes, setting them on fire. The workers quickly scrambled to extinguish the flames.
Luke swiftly grabbed Percy, signaled to the girls, and led them away from the forge.
The group was now seated at the dining pavilion, gathered around the Hermes table. The mood was somewhat somber, especially for Percy, who was feeling down about not discovering his talent yet. Unlike Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, who had found their strengths, Percy, Rarity, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie were still uncertain about their abilities. Pinkie, however, didn’t seem too concerned as she happily munched on her cinnamon rolls.
“Is there a Greek god of disappointment?” Percy asked. “Maybe someone should ask if he’s missing a kid.”
“Or two,” Twilight added, sharing Percy’s sentiment.
Luke was about to respond, but Chris spoke up first. “Oizys… but she’s a goddess. And her whole thing isn’t disappointment, it’s more like failure.”
“Thank you,” Rarity said in a sarcastic tone, making Percy crack a slight grin.
Luke shot his brother a glare before turning to Percy. “We’re gonna find the thing you're good at. I know it,” he said, trying to be reassuring.
Twilight wanted to comment but held back. She noticed that Luke seemed particularly focused on Percy. While she understood the importance of helping Percy find his place, she couldn't shake the feeling that this could be indicative of something deeper about his parentage.
Before she could dwell on it further, a bell chimed.
Luke’s annoyance was clear as he heard the sound. “Our turn,” he said, getting up and carrying his food. Chris followed suit.
“Our turn for what?” Percy asked, looking puzzled.
“Burnt offerings,” Luke replied.
“Why?” Applejack asked.
“The gods like the smell, so it gets their attention before you say a prayer,” Luke explained.
“Never knew gods liked the smell of sweets,” Pinkie Pie said, taking another bite of her cinnamon roll.
“They like the smell of begging,” Chris added with a smirk
“Is it already enough that they’re immortal and control the world?” Rainbow Dash said, her ego not as big as the gods'.
Luke shrugged.
“You burn what you’ll miss the most. Then they know you really mean what you’re about to say, so they listen,” he said, though the others could tell he was not happy about the arrangement.
While the girls questioned what they heard, they noticed a look on Percy’s face. They had seen this look back at Yancy and knew they had to help him with whatever he had on his mind.
The next thing the girls knew, they were watching Percy go outside the Hermes cabin at night.
The reason was that Percy was trying to make an offering. They didn’t know why, but he was determined to do whatever he was going to do. He wanted to do it alone, so they decided one of them should watch over him, and Rainbow Dash quickly volunteered.
Rainbow Dash herself didn’t know what to expect tonight. What she saw was Percy sitting on a log next to a can of coffee beans with a fire in it on a rock. He was wearing a gray hoodie and had a bag of his blue jelly beans. He picked one of them out and dropped it into the fire.
Rainbow Dash then remembered what Luke said and realized what Percy was doing. It made sense—sort of. She thought he was contacting his father to get him to claim him, but she was dead wrong when she heard Percy speak.
“Hi, Mom.”
Rainbow Dash went stiff as she realized why Percy was there, but she doubted this would work since sacrifices were meant for gods, not mortals or the dead.
“I don’t know if I’m doing this right. I hope you can hear me,” Percy said. “I think you used to hate this. When the phone would ring the night after you left me at a new school, I’d tell you that the people are awful, that I wanted to come home.”
“Well… the good news is… this isn’t that call. I hope you’re sitting down, but… I think… I’ve made some friends here. Like, real friends. I think they might really like me, imagine that.”
Percy continued, “He isn’t here. My father, he just… didn’t show. I mean, ignoring me is one thing, but he doesn’t get to ignore you. I’m gonna make him come down here. I’m gonna make him see me.”
“I’m gonna make him see us both.”
Rainbow Dash stood in shock, seeing her friend in a new light. Percy’s declaration showed that his father’s neglect wouldn’t go unpunished, and the fact that his father was a god didn’t hinder his silent rage. She wondered how deep Percy’s resentment ran.
After he was done, Rainbow Dash decided to come out of hiding with the excuse of checking up on him. Percy was skeptical but let it slide, understanding that he had a lot on his plate.
As they were walking back to the Hermes cabin, they encountered an unexpected and unwelcome surprise.
Standing there was Clarisse with four others, her half-siblings. They remembered those four from earlier, and it was clear from their expressions that they were figuring out ways to beat the life out of them.
“Hey, guys. Can’t sleep, huh?” Percy tried to play it cool.
Rainbow Dash wanted to slap her forehead. She hoped Clarisse would be done with whatever blackmail she had on them and let them go.
She was wrong.
They were wrong.
The five children of Ares threw Percy and Rainbow Dash down onto the restroom floor. The restroom itself was made of yellow wood with the stalls being green, and the door having no color at all.
They snapped out of their thoughts when they saw Clarisse and her siblings looking at them with anger, no, bloodlust. It was like their eyes were wanting to jump out and attack them.
“Every new kid shows up here and thinks they’re special,” said Clarisse. “Do you think you’re special?”
Rainbow Dash was about to say yes, but Percy beat her to it.
“No,” said Percy, giving her a look that said not to enrage the bully who might leave them in a hospital bed.
However, this didn’t work as the four lackeys glanced at each other before going to the downed demigods to pick them up forcefully. The girl and one of the boys were holding Percy, while the other two boys held Rainbow Dash.
Clarisse stepped closer to them and said, “Tell me you made it all up about the Minotaur, and I'll let you go.”
“Really? That's what this is about? Your jealousy that Percy did something awesome while you get 'Bully of the Year' awards?” Rainbow Dash spat at the girl.
“Not the time, Dash,” said Percy.
“You’re not answering my question,” said Clarisse, her tone indicating her impatience.
“I didn’t make anything up,” Percy pleaded.
Clarisse glanced at her siblings and then to a nearby stall. The girl and boy holding Percy went into the stall and proceeded to try to put Percy’s head in the toilet. They were going to give him a swirly!
“Some kids gotta learn the hard way,” said Clarisse.
“Seriously, a swirly? So original,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Oh, it’s okay. We’ll find something just for you,” said Clarisse, her voice reeking with sadism.
Rainbow Dash hoped that the others would notice their absence and come to the rescue. With the sons of Ares holding onto her, she couldn’t dash the bullies and save Percy.
The said boy was in his own struggle, using every bit of his strength to keep his head out of the toilet water.
Then something strange happened.
As if with a mind of its own, the water in the toilet suddenly flushed down the siphon jet, leaving the toilet dry.
The demigods were stunned seeing this. The two bullies let go of Percy and walked away from the toilet, while Percy just stared in silence.
Rainbow Dash couldn’t see anything since she was being held and Clarisse was blocking the way, but she knew it was related to the toilet as she heard the noise of water gurgling. But the noise soon stopped, and then it got even crazier.
Five water spouts rose from the toilet, targeting the five tormentors. The water went straight to them, blowing them away with such force that the stall doors broke. One of the boys even landed on a sink. All of them were soaked with toilet water, lying on the ground dazed. It would have been funny for Rainbow Dash if she wasn’t soaked too.
Though she wasn’t a target, she was behind Clarisse, causing her to get soaked and crash as well. She lay on her back beside the daughter of the war god. She mustered the strength to get up, and the bullies did too, and they ran to the door. But not Clarisse and Rainbow Dash. Both looked at each other with disdain before turning to Percy, who was completely dry.
Rainbow Dash was shocked to see this. Percy, in general, just stared back down, equally curious and questioning all of this.
Clarisse then ran out as well, leaving the kids wondering what happened.
Percy stepped out of the stall, looking around to see the damage.
“Dude, what happened?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I don’t know,” Percy answered.
“Then how did this happen?” she pressed.
“The water just flushed down and bam!” he answered, his hands pointing everywhere.
“What the hay?”
The two looked at the door to see Applejack standing there with Fluttershy.
“We can explain,” said Percy and Rainbow Dash in unison.
“You better,” said Applejack as she walked in.
Fluttershy followed, along with the rest of the girls, with Rarity being the last as she tiptoed in to avoid splashing.
Before they could ask questions, they saw Percy look at the door. They turned to see someone leaning against the frame.
Standing there was a 12-year-old African-American girl with dark skin and intelligent-looking brown eyes. She had curly black hair styled in box braids and thick eyebrows usually worn in a serious/determined expression. She wasn’t wearing the camp shirt but a yellow jacket over a blue shirt and green pants. She had the necklace, but unlike the other campers, hers had a ring.
The girl was looking at them, specifically at Percy, inspecting them as if analyzing them like an officer interrogating a suspect.
“I can explain,” said Percy.
The girl turned her head. “No, you can’t,” she said flatly.
“Okay,” said Percy.
“Hi, I’m—”
“Pinkie, we don’t introduce ourselves to strangers,” Rarity cut off Pinkie Pie.
“Wait, I know you,” Percy said.
“No, you don’t,” the girl replied.
“Me too. From last night,” said Twilight.
“You were there the night of the infirmary, watching me?” Percy stated.
The girl, despite being revealed as a stalker, didn’t have any facial expressions. But her eyes said it all, like she was surprised that Twilight and Percy found out so quickly.
“Yes. I’m Annabeth,” said the girl.
Everyone was shocked that the girl just revealed her name out in the open.
“Well, thank you, Annabeth. I’m Pinkie Pie,” said Pinkie Pie.
She tried to walk to her, but Applejack held her back and gave her an expression that said, ‘Not the time.’
“Are you stalking me, Annabeth?” Percy asked.
“Yes,” said Annabeth after giving herself a moment to think about it.
“Okay. Why?” Percy asked again.
“Is it because your parent is the god of stalking or something?” said Rainbow Dash.
“Well, I’ve been waiting to see if something like this would happen,” said Annabeth as she waved her hand around the room. “So I know you… and your friends could help me.”
The group looked at each other before looking at the strange girl.
“Help you do what?” they all said in unison.
“Win Capture the Flag.” She told.
After that exchange, the Mane 6 and Percy went to talk to Luke the next day about it.
They were now walking outside with Luke in a field, with rows of kids practicing battle stances. Some had shields and swords or spears, while others carried bows and quivers. In the middle of the field stood a statue of a goddess holding a spear with either a child or a small god beside her in robes.
“You’re gonna love this. Camp-wide mock warfare, all glory to the victors,” said Luke.
“Cool,” said Pinkie Pie.
“Wa-Warfare?!” Fluttershy stammered, stumbling in fear.
“And Annabeth’s part in this?” asked Applejack.
“Annabeth’s the head counselor of the Athena cabin,” explained Luke. “She’s led our team to three straight wins. It’s been a long time since anyone won a fourth.”
“An entire cabin of eggheads? That sounds like your perfect place, Twi,” Rainbow Dash teased.
Twilight rolled her eyes at her friend.
“She was there in the bathroom,” said Percy.
As the group spoke about the girl, Annabeth herself was training some campers on the side. She saw the group and stared, most notably at Percy.
“Yeah, and she didn’t help,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Annabeth sees the world differently. Always six steps ahead of everyone else,” said Luke.
“Thanks, that explains everything,” said Applejack sarcastically.
“You should cut her a break,” said Luke.
“Whose side are you on, anyway?” Percy asked.
“Oh, hers, always,” Luke said simply. “She’s my little sister.”
This got the attention of the group with even more questions.
“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!?!” Pinkie Pie said so loudly that the kids around them looked over in surprise.
“Sorry, everyone, too much sugar in this one,” Luke said to the campers. “Maybe I should back up.”
“Yes, please,” said Rarity.
They moved to the dining pavilion. The group sat on one side of the table while Luke sat on the other. Behind them, they could see a lake with canoes on the sand.
“Before camp, I was on the road with a forbidden kid I met along the way. Her name was Thalia,” said Luke.
“What does that mean, forbidden?” Percy asked.
“A long time ago, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades agreed their children were becoming too powerful, so they made a pact not to father any more,” explained Luke. “And it held for a long time, until Zeus broke that pact. Thalia was his daughter.”
“So Zeus has another kid?” Rainbow asked.
“A forbidden kid attracts trouble. Monsters everywhere, it’s just a constant battle to stay alive,” Luke answered. “One day, we found this girl hiding in an alley.”
“Annabeth,” Twilight said quickly.
Luke nodded. “We were worried about taking her in, exposing her to all that danger. Then we saw her fight,” Luke said, smiling at the memory.
“So where is Thalia?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Luke’s face changed to a depressed state. “Thalia didn’t make it,” he said quietly. “But Annabeth and I did. And we’ve been family ever since.”
“She’s been watching me since I got here. Why?” Percy asked.
"Annabeth is the strongest warrior in the camp. The only way left for her to prove herself is to go on a quest," Luke explained.
"And what does this have to do with Percy and us?" Rarity questioned.
"Chiron’s been promising her for years. One day, a demigod would arrive who was fated to go on a quest that even Chiron couldn’t prevent. And when that happened, she could join it. Every new arrival, Annabeth watches, looking for a sign they’re the one. Usually, she gives up after a day or two, but she’s still watching you," Luke answered, glancing at Percy.
“Can you ask her to knock it off?” Percy said.
“Yeah, sure. But what if she’s right?” Luke said.
The girls pondered what Luke had said. Annabeth might know they’re not from here, or suspect something else about them. As for Percy, it seemed there was a mysterious connection he had yet to understand.
Before they could dwell on it further, the sound of a conch shell caught their attention. They looked over to see Chiron standing in front of the pavilion.
“Heroes… it’s time,” he announced, checking his pocket watch. “The game begins.”
The group, along with Luke, looked at each other, realizing that their training had finally come to a conclusion.
They were now at the riverside of the forest, where the river culminated in a majestic waterfall. On either side of the river, campers were gathered.
The campers were clad in bronze armor—breastplates adorned with shoulder pads, helmets with plumes of either red or blue, and wrist straps. Each side was distinguished by the color of their plumes and flags, either red or blue. They held bronze swords, spears, daggers, and shields, some also equipped with bows and arrows.
As they observed the scene, Chiron’s voice rang out across the field, signaling the start of the game. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation and excitement, and the group knew they were about to participate in something significant.
The scene was set for the camp-wide capture the flag game, with both teams visibly geared up and ready for action. The blue team, comprising the Mane 6, Percy, Luke, Annabeth, her cabin, the Hermes cabin, and the Apollo cabin, stood prepared with their blue-painted breastplates and shields adorned with a blue V. Each member wielded bronze weapons suited to their strengths: Percy with his pen sword, Rarity and Pinkie Pie with swords, Fluttershy with a bow and arrow, Rainbow Dash with daggers, Twilight with a spear, and Applejack wielding a bronze club reminiscent of Hercules's cudgel.
Percy's shield stood out among the group's equipment. It was darker in color with distinctive features: the edges adorned with bolts, the sides cut off, and a central emblem resembling a flower within a sunburst design. This shield, unique to Percy, hinted at his individuality and perhaps a deeper connection to his lineage.
In the middle of the river stood Chiron, in ceremonial garb, accompanied by a satyr, on a large rock. “The first team to retrieve the opposing flag and return it across the river shall be the victor”, said Chiron. “As always there will be no maiming and no killing. I trust these rules will be respected.”
As he says this, Clarrise walks through the crowd of the red team to the front.
On the opposite side, leading the red team, she stood out with her red-plumed helmet, shield, and spear, adorned with red paint on her breastplate. Her fierce demeanor and glaring gaze directed towards the blue team indicated her determination to lead her team to victory.
While standing together, the group noticed another difference between the teams. The blue team stood in disciplined poses akin to actual soldiers, while the red team members were either crouching or standing in more casual, relaxed stances. Another distinguishing feature was the faulds on their breastplates.
“Any magical items you may possess are permitted as well,” Chiron announced.
Percy held out his pen, feeling reassured about its use.
“Every camper who is not injured—it's okay,” Luke whispered to Percy, interrupting the centaur. This caught the attention of the Mane 6 as well.
Luke was in front of them, not taking his eyes off the front. “Let it rip,” he quietly said.
Chiron continued speaking, but the group tuned him out, focusing on Luke instead.
“But we don’t know what our job is,” Fluttershy said.
“Maybe I won't even need a sword for now,” Percy replied.
“Let the games begin,” Chiron declared.
The satyr beside him blew a conch shell, officially starting the game. This prompted the red team to yell, with some members even banging their shields with their weapons.
“I'm gonna need a sword,” Percy said.
“You're gonna need a sword,” Twilight echoed to Percy.
The blue team also banged their shields, then raised their weapons in the air and shouted, “Blue!” before heading to their assigned positions.
As the group, along with Luke, were about to walk, Annabeth approached them and went straight to Luke.
“All right. We have 20 minutes before the second conch and game on. You know what you’re doing?” Annabeth asked Luke.
“Yes, ma’am,” Luke replied as he was about to turn away, but Annabeth called him again.
“Hey, does today feel like a winning kind of day to you?” Annabeth remarked, smiling at her big brother.
“I’ll see you on the other side,” Luke said as he went to give out orders to the team. “Company! Move out!” Luke commanded, pointing his sword in a direction.
The blue team then marched off, with Luke following them. The group was about to follow until Annabeth stopped them.
“Not you all, sun shines. You’re with me,” said Annabeth.
She led the group away, and they followed her to wherever she was heading. Meanwhile, the blue team was running across an elevated walkway, with Luke leading them. After that, they ran into the forest before stopping.
“Move ahead!”
“Stay in position!”
The campers communicated with each other, each taking a designated spot in the area. One camper stood on a rock, holding the flag. The flag, as previously mentioned, was blue with the camp's Pegasus symbol in gold.
Was the group involved in this? Nope. They were walking with Annabeth, along with Spike, on a forest path. While walking, they tripped over a branch and fell to their knees.
“I’m fine, thanks. But I appreciate you, you know, standing there silently,” said Percy.
“Yes, splendid,” added Rarity.
The group then got up, with Percy putting his now transformed sword back in its scabbard. They resumed the path.
“Listen, I-I get it. Okay. Y-you’re better at this than us,” said Percy.
Annabeth, unknown to them, made an agreeing expression.
“What Percy is trying to say is, he needs this to go well today,” said Pinkie Pie.
“I can’t really get into it, but I need my father to see it go well,” said Percy. “So, if you’re gonna expect me to know how to do something I don't know how to do…”
“And you end up falling flat on your face,” interjected Pinkie Pie.
“I-I can’t really have that right now,” said Percy.
The girls weren’t surprised by this, as Rainbow Dash had told them about last night. The subtle mention of forcing his father’s attention was something that made the group uneasy.
Suddenly, Annabeth stopped and turned around to face Percy. She noticed that his breastplate strap was poorly done, so she corrected it for him.
“You still don’t get where you fit into all this, do you?” Annabeth said.
Before Percy or the Mane 6 could respond, the conch shell blew, announcing the start of the game. Everyone turned to see where the sound originated, knowing everything now was fair game.
Annabeth turned back to the group and said, “Game on.”
She then pulled out a blue baseball cap and placed it on her head. When she did, she vanished into thin air.
“Wait, what?” Percy asked, shouting into the air.
“Annabeth?” Fluttershy called out.
Annabeth reappeared with the cap in her hand, away from her head. Upon closer inspection, they discovered it was a Yankees cap.
“Gift from my mom,” said Annabeth casually, as if she hadn’t just become invisible.
The group looked at her, shocked.
“Don’t worry, you all will do great,” said Annabeth.
“Do what great?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Annabeth just looked at them before putting on her cap and disappearing again.
They stared at the spot where Annabeth had been, then noticed a footprint appearing on the ground, indicating her invisible presence. They sighed, realizing they were being kept out of the main action. Percy and Rainbow Dash were especially frustrated by this turn of events.
As the group stood stranded in the forest, the blue team was busy engaging in their own battles against the red team.
Back at the blue team's position, it resembled miniature warfare. Campers clashed against one another, using their wit and strength to defeat their opponents.
In the midst of the chaos was Luke, fighting a boy from the red team. Fast like lightning, Luke dodged and struck whenever the boy attacked, and within moments, the boy was defeated. But the battle wasn't over, as more red team campers were approaching. Luke, however, continued to beat them effortlessly.
On the side, a member of the red team stood out due to his large size and the club he wielded, giving him an advantage as he knocked away blue team members with ease. That is until a blue team member jumped on his back, forcing the large attacker down in defeat.
Meanwhile, Luke was in the middle of fighting another red team member, this time a girl. They clashed swords, each trying to overpower the other. Like before, Luke emerged victorious, knocking the girl's sword down and pointing his sword at her.
The girl looked around, seeing that the red team wasn't faring well. The entire team was on the ground, being held down by the blue team.
"We give up," said the girl in defeat.
But his confidence might have been poorly placed, as Percy wasn’t doing what Luke believed he was. In fact, Percy was doing the floss dance, and the girls were watching—well, five of them were. Rainbow Dash was sulking, frustrated that she was missing all the action and couldn't navigate the forest alone.
"So that's how you dance there," said Applejack.
She, like Percy and the others, had her helmet off, which lay on a log nearby. They were on a rocky side of the forest with a stone ground apart from the surrounding dirt, offering a decent view of the woods. It wasn't high, but it provided a good vantage point.
After dancing, Percy went to do his business on the rock. Twilight was nearby, looking the other way to give him some privacy.
"Done," said Percy as he zipped up his pants.
Twilight then proceeded to do her business while Percy looked away.
Later, Percy was with Fluttershy, both of them watching a lizard on the log. It was pale yellow with brown markings. Percy gently stroked it down to its tail.
Finally, Percy sunbathed on the log with Rarity. The other girls were doing the same, lying on their backs and feeling the sun's rays—well, all but one.
"How are you guys okay with this? We got benched!" Rainbow Dash yelled.
"Relax, it's for our own good with Clarisse being on the other team," said Applejack.
"Well, I don’t mind, given the scenery," said Rarity.
"Sent to another world in teenage bodies and in the middle of a game where weapons are allowed, and you still act the same," Applejack said, shaking her head.
Rarity ignored her while Percy chuckled. He wasn’t asking questions about what Applejack said because they had explained everything to him an hour ago. He was shocked at first but quickly accepted it, already accustomed to the magical world.
Spike then sniffed the air. “Some people are coming,” he whispered.
They all heard him and sat up to observe the area. Soon, they heard footsteps approaching.
Soon enough, they emerged: none other than the daughter of Ares herself, Clarisse, accompanied by the four siblings from earlier. Clarisse wielded her bronze spear, while the others had swords and shields. Once they had taken their positions, Clarisse removed her helmet, revealing her hair tied into a ponytail.
The girls quickly got up and raised their weapons at the five children, with Spike positioning himself behind Twilight.
"The flag is that way, it's not here," Percy said.
"We know," Clarisse replied.
This statement caught the group's attention, and they tensed up.
"Yeah, glory's fine. Revenge is more fun," Clarisse said with a wicked grin. She then stomped her spear, causing electricity to spark out from the blade, which glowed a sinister gold.
Percy quickly grabbed his shield and sword and stood with the others as the five children of Ares circled them.
"Is this the excitement you wanted?" Applejack whispered.
"Nope," Rainbow Dash whispered back.
"No maiming. It's like the one rule," Percy said defensively.
"Yeah, I guess I'll lose dessert privileges for a while," Clarisse said, not even looking at Percy but instead at her spear, as if she had answered this question several times. "I'll live," she smiled at her victims, implying her intent.
She then struck Percy, but he dodged. She struck again, and again Percy dodged, but on the third strike, Percy held his shield to block the impact. However, the attack was too powerful, and Percy was shocked, the pain forcing him to his knees.
Twilight immediately leaped into action, using her spear to counter Clarisse's attacks. She aimed for Clarisse's breastplate, but Clarisse dodged and retaliated, swinging her spear towards Twilight. Twilight managed to dodge the attack and tried to strike back, but Clarisse blocked her with her own spear. Electricity crackled down Twilight’s weapon, forcing her to readjust her grip to avoid the shocks. While Twilight was distracted, Clarisse drew her spear back and then slammed the butt of the spear with full force, sending Twilight flying backward.
The five attackers seized the opportunity and launched their assault. Pinkie Pie was the first to be targeted. One of the boys attacked her, and she swung her sword, but he quickly countered by blocking her strike with his own sword. He then followed up by hitting Pinkie Pie with his shield, knocking her backward behind the log where Spike was hiding.
Applejack was grappling with another son of Ares, attempting to bash him with her club. However, he deflected her blows with his shield and slashed at her. Realizing she needed a different strategy, Applejack switched between using her club and shield. The boy tried to strike her with his shield, but Applejack countered with her club. When he attempted to stab her, she blocked it with her shield. He then spun around, launching a powerful blow that sent Applejack tumbling backward, landing behind the log.
Rarity was facing her own challenges, engaged in combat with another daughter of Ares besides Clarisse. She skillfully dodged the girl's swift attacks, trying to avoid getting slashed while delivering her own strikes. When the girl attempted a slash, Rarity dodged, but the girl quickly followed up with a powerful kick. The force of the kick sent Rarity sprawling to the ground, landing behind the log where the others had been forced back.
Fluttershy was firing arrows at the last son of Ares, but he expertly blocked them with his shield. He charged at her with his sword, and she narrowly dodged each time. This pattern continued until Fluttershy reached the edge of the forest clearing. The boy charged again, and Fluttershy leaped to the ground to avoid him. She quickly tried to get up, but the boy pointed his sword at her, causing her to back away in fear. She continued to retreat until she tripped over the log, landing beside her friends who had also been forced back.
Finally, that left Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Percy to take on Clarisse three on one. Easier said than done, as Clarisse handled them without breaking a sweat. Anytime one of them struck, she would dodge and counter with a swift blow. Out of nowhere, she hit Percy hard, sending him stumbling back. Percy tried to retaliate, but one of the sons of Ares slashed his arm, causing him to cry out in pain and drop his weapon.
Rainbow Dash saw this and tried to attack the boy, but he used his shield to block her daggers. He then attempted to slash her, but Rainbow Dash was too quick and dodged. However, he used the opportunity to thrust his shield at her, sending her flying back behind the log. She landed with a thud, momentarily dazed from the impact.
Percy saw this but was left distracted. Clarisse seized the opportunity and swung her spear at him. Percy quickly presented his shield to protect himself, but Clarisse deftly maneuvered her spear to the side, hooking the shield and yanking it away. With a powerful strike charged with electricity, she sent Percy flying backward, crashing into the log behind him. The impact left him stunned and gasping for breath, his body tingling from the shock.
Twilight looked around at the state of her friends, not surprised by the brutality of Clarisse and her siblings but struck by the vivid reality of the close-quarters combat. As she stood momentarily stunned, Clarisse seized the opportunity and delivered a powerful punch, sending Twilight sprawling to the ground beside her friends. The pain throbbed through her, leaving her momentarily dazed and vulnerable.
The group then look up to see the five tormentors standing before them with Clarisse in the front staring down at them.
“I’m not actually interested in maiming or killing you, believe it or not,” said Clarisse. “I just want him to admit he’s a fraud. It’d make me feel better. Are you feeling up to that yet?”
“Really? That’s why you’re mad? Because Percy did something you couldn’t believe because you didn’t do it?” Applejack yelled. “Here’s something I can confess: you’re a spoiled brat who wants attention from your father.”
Clarisse looked at her with enough anger to make a herd of animals move to the next state. Applejack was intimidated but stood her ground, even though it could very well be her murder scene.
“Time’s up,” said Clarisse.
The Mane 6, Percy, and Spike all looked at each other before doing the one thing that could save them: running for their lives.
“Guess that’s a no,” said Clarisse as she and her siblings chased after the fleeing demigods and dog.
The eight were running through the forest, with Rainbow Dash leading the way. This wasn’t a race; it was a run for survival. Each of them took turns glancing behind to ensure they weren't being followed. Their instinct to survive overrode any concern for direction, causing them to lose track of where they were headed. Branches and leaves whipped past them as they dodged obstacles, their hearts pounding in their chests.
Meanwhile, Clarisse and her lackeys were hot on their tail, running with murder in their minds.
As the eight ran, they took a sharp right turn to evade their pursuers. However, this turn proved to be their downfall as three of the sons of Ares ambushed them, pushing them down. They rolled across the ground, unable to regain their footing, and tumbled onto a gravel floor.
They looked up to see the boys who had pushed them, along with their sister. Scrambling to their feet, Percy and the girls held their weapons defensively as they backed away. Turning around, they saw Clarisse pointing her spear directly at them. Percy stumbled and fell to the ground,
Twilight wanted to facepalm herself; they had gotten what they wanted—Percy isolated and vulnerable. She couldn’t imagine how Percy was feeling, surrounded by bullies who intended to do more than just bruise him. As she looked at her friend, she noticed a cut on his cheek, likely from being thrown to the ground, and saw that he had lost his shield as well.
Another thing that caught Twilight's attention was their proximity to the canoes and the dining pavilion. She weighed the pros and cons in her mind, recalling that this place was overseen by a god.
Clarisse let out a laugh before charging towards Percy. He rolled away just in time to narrowly avoid her stabbing spear. Before he could react further, the female lackey swiftly ran past him and slashed his other arm, leaving a horizontal cut. Percy struggled to his feet, shaking with fear, but as the girls and Spike watched, they noticed something different about their friend.
The two unnamed children of Ares then tried to cut Percy with their swords. Each time they lunged at him, Percy retaliated by blocking their strikes with his sword and swiftly dodging whenever they aimed for his head.
Clarisse, having had enough, went to stab Percy, but Percy dodged and grabbed her spear. Both of them were momentarily surprised. Clarisse then tried to rage-fully pull her spear back, but Percy held on with miraculous strength.
The male lackey then rushed at Percy, but Percy swiftly sent him away with one slash from his sword. The female lackey tried to do the same thing, but Percy lunged at the part of the spear he was holding and knocked her down like her brother.
Percy then let go of the spear and picked up his shield from the ground. The three attackers resumed their assault on him.
Clarisse went first, sending her spear towards Percy, but he blocked it with his shield. As the male went for an attack, Percy used the same shield to block that strike as well. The girl then made her move, but Percy swiftly countered, hitting her with his shield. The unnamed boy attempted another attack, slashing at Percy’s head, but Percy dodged with lightning-fast reflexes. The boy then brought down his sword on Percy, who once again used his shield to defend himself.
Percy swung his sword, aiming for Clarisse, but she dodged the strike. Frustrated, she took a step back and tripped, attempting to throw something towards Percy, but it didn't go as planned.
As Percy was thrown back, he clutched something in his hand. Clarisse looked down and saw the bottom half of her spear in her hand, while Percy held the top half.
Percy swung his sword, aiming for Clarisse, but she dodged the strike. Frustrated, she took a step back and tripped, attempting to throw something towards Percy, but it didn't go as planned.
As Percy was thrown back, he clutched something in his hand. Clarisse looked down and saw the bottom half of her spear in her hand, while Percy held the top half.
“Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!” Clarisse screamed, her voice echoing with a hellish shriek, that everyone around her motionless. She got up and stormed towards Percy, her face contorted with an unknown amount of anger.
Percy, sensing the danger, tried to get up and run away, but Clarisse was too quick. She grabbed hold of his breastplate, preventing his escape.
"Percy, no!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she tried to rush towards her friend.
But one of the two sons of Ares blocked her. "You're not going anywhere," he said, pointing a sword at her throat.
Spike, having had enough of being defenseless, started barking at the boy. The son of Ares didn’t care at first, but the harmless barking became louder and more aggressive, and Spike's eyes seemed to glow red. Before the boy could react, Spike leaped towards him, knocking him to the ground while barking viciously at him.
"Oh gods, get it off me!" he screamed in fear.
His brother went to slash at Spike, but Applejack tried to stop him by holding him down with her strength. Before she could lay a hand on him, vines emerged from the ground, wrapping around the boy’s legs and making him fall down.
"At least I know who my parent is," said Applejack.
The girls and Spike rushed to Percy, but before they could stop Clarisse, the sound of the conch shell blew, accompanied by cheering.
Everyone looked behind to see the blue team carrying the red team’s flag. They looked closer and saw Luke leading the team while holding the flag. The blue team was now on the gravel, and Luke placed the flag there. Chris went behind him, and he and Luke did a mid-arm wrestling grip, then turned to the blue team and cheered.
"Yeah!" Luke said as he raised his sword.
The blue team was split between those who were on the gravel and those standing above in the grass.
Clarisse then let Percy go, but not before giving him a stare that conveyed her determination. She walked into the wilderness, presumably to find a way to fix her spear.
Percy then dropped to his knees and let out the biggest sigh of his life.
"Not bad, hero," said a voice that the group recognized.
They turned to see Annabeth standing to Percy's right, having appeared out of thin air with a shimmer. In her hand was her Yankees cap. She walked over to Percy.
The girls were visibly angry at her, suspecting she had orchestrated this outcome to favor their team or to test Percy's abilities.
Percy was equally frustrated. "Were you here the whole time?"
"Yes," said Annabeth, her tone unyielding.
"You were here the whole time and you didn’t help us?" Percy said incredulously.
"Yes," Annabeth repeated, unmoved. She faced the Mane 6 and Spike, who were glaring at her accusingly.
"How could you do this? I get you needed a way to distract Clarisse, but this is too far," Twilight said sternly.
"You're not gonna find your 'powerful person' if they’re dead. Percy almost got killed, you know," Rainbow Dash added sharply.
"Yeah, why?" Percy demanded.
"You owe Percy here an apology," Applejack insisted, stepping aside with the others to let Annabeth approach the injured boy.
Annabeth put her Yankees cap in her other hand and extended her now free hand to help Percy up. Percy accepted and stood facing her.
“Percy…Percy,” Annabeth began, but she seemed to struggle to find the right words. Before the girls could intervene, she did something unexpected.
“I’m sorry,” said Annabeth, pushing Percy away.
Percy staggered before he entered the lake and fell down on his butt.
The blue team's attention shifted to the lake as they saw Percy in it.
“What is wrong with you?” Percy said.
The girls looked at Annabeth with rage but knew better than to confront her, as Clarisse had made it clear that the Mane 6 were heavily under-trained.
The girls went to Percy, who got up still staring at Annabeth. Rarity and Fluttershy checked on Percy to see if he was okay. Then they saw something that blew their minds.
Annabeth stared at Percy with curiosity before looking above him, her face turning to shock and then breaking into a smile.
The group, curious about her sudden change in expression, followed her gaze upward and were shocked by what they saw.
Above Percy, there was a blue glowing trident.
"Your dad's calling," said Annabeth.
The group turned to look at her, all sharing the same thought: Was this her plan all along?
The girls looked at the blue team and saw the red team standing beside them. They must have arrived while they were talking to Annabeth. Both teams were just as surprised as they were. Chris and Luke were also taken aback, with Chris looking at Percy but his brother still staring at the claimed boy.
"You have been claimed by Poseidon, Earthshaker, Stormbringer. Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon," Chiron said.
What made things even weirder was that Percy wasn’t the only one claimed at that moment. After returning from the infirmary, the girls were all claimed at once, breaking their anonymity and thrusting them into the spotlight. Twilight was claimed by Athena, no surprise there. Applejack was claimed by Demeter, her connection obvious after the stunt she pulled on the son of Ares. Fluttershy was picked by Apollo, explaining her archery skills. Rarity was sent to the Aphrodite cabin, and, to everyone’s confusion, Pinkie Pie was claimed by Dionysus. Rainbow Dash remained in the Hermes cabin, as she was a daughter of Hermes.
This meant they had to separate into cabins with their new siblings. “Yeah,” Rainbow Dash sighed.
As the girls moved into their new cabins, they saw Percy walking with his bag slung over his shoulder towards the Poseidon cabin, walking as if he was to remain an only child.
"As a forbidden child of the Sea God, you are singular among demigods," Chiron narrates.
"And your father’s only hope to prevent the outbreak of war," Chiron continued.
The eight were back at the office, or rather, the outer part of it.
The walls were glass, adorned with pictures of flowers and stars. Outside, there were two holders with cups full of grapes, likely for Dionysus.
There with them were the god himself and Chiron, explaining the situation. They elaborated on why the girls were claimed, as they needed them and picked those with the closest attributes to them and their children. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash asked why Artemis didn’t claim Fluttershy, since she would be better for their nature-loving friend. The god and centaur gave them a real look, making them realize that a maiden goddess having a kid out of nowhere would be problematic, so Apollo was the next best option.
“For months now, Zeus and Poseidon have been locked in a dispute over the master bolt. The symbol of Zeus’s authority has been stolen,” Chiron said.
“Who stole it?” Percy asked.
“Who has stolen it,” said Twilight, correcting Percy's grammar.
“He did,” said Dionysus, pointing at Percy.
“What?” Percy said, the girls and Spike were just as shocked by the answer.
“Zeus is looking for a thief, sees a forbidden child claimed by his jealous brother… it doesn’t look good for you, kid,” Dionysus explained.
“But Percy wouldn’t,” said Twilight in Percy’s defense.
“Of course, he didn’t. But his father needs his help,” said Chiron. “As do the rest of the gods. An ultimatum has been given to Poseidon by Zeus: if he doesn’t return the bolt by the summer solstice in one week… there will be war.”
“That is your quest. You must leave immediately,” he said.
“Leave? Leave for where?” Percy asked.
“Zeus is king on Olympus, and Poseidon has always resented it, but… there is a third brother who has always deeply resented them both,” said Chiron.
“It’s Hades,” Percy and Twilight both said simultaneously.
“Yes,” Chiron answered.
“The bolt is with Hades. In the Underworld,” said Percy.
“I know it sounds daunting. But you all won't be alone. A quest is normally undertaken by three; you'll have two more people with you,” said Chiron.
“Great. Good luck finding those guys 'cause it ain’t gonna be me,” said Percy.
“Poseidon has claimed you. This is his will,”.
“Poseidon has ignored me my entire life.”
“You are his son,” insisted Dionysus.
“I am Sally Jackson’s son,” replied Percy.
“Who’s Sally Jackson?” Dionysus asked.
The girls then saw red in Percy’s eyes as the same rage that helped him kill the Minotaur resurfaced.
“She’s the one who cared enough to call herself my mother. She’s the one who got herself killed, so that I could be safe here,” said Percy.
“The fate of the world hangs in the balance. You will accept this quest!” Dionysus yelled at the boy.
“I won’t!” Percy said defiantly.
“You—”
“Hey, everybody,” said another familiar voice. It was Grover walking into the room.
“Grover, now is not the time,” said Chiron.
“I’m sorry, sir. But I have news,” said Grover.
“Grover,” said Chiron.
“Sally Jackson is alive,” said Grover.
The group's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates from that revelation, with Percy being the most shocked.
"He’s right, she never died in the first place,” said Spike.
“Spike,” said Chiron in a warning manner.
“Spike is right. It just looked like she died, but it didn’t seem that way,” said Grover.
“Grover,” said Dionysus in a threatening tone.
“Your mom was kidnapped—”
“SHUT UP!” Dionysus yelled at Spike to interrupt him.
“By Hades,” said Grover. “Which means she’s with him now, in the Underworld.”
“It’s where we were going already anyway, isn’t it?” said Spike.
Percy and the girls looked at the leaders of the camp, both of whom stared back with Chiron showing remorse, though Dionysus offered only a perfunctory apology.
“If you can find her there…we think you can bring her back,” said Grover.
The girls contemplated whether they truly wanted to embark on this quest, but then they saw Percy. He was seething with anger, and it was completely understandable given Mrs. Dodds, his expulsion from Yancy Academy, and now the revelation about his mom—all seemingly part of Hades' plan to overthrow Olympus. Before, Percy might not have cared whether the gods fought among themselves, but now that he knew his mom was alive and in danger, he was willing to do anything to rescue her, no matter the cost.
He looked at the girls, who nodded eagerly in support of helping their friend, and then turned his gaze to the god and centaur.
“When do we leave?” he asked.
Author's Note
Sorry for being late guys, graduation came so yeah i'm officially done with high school but that doesn't mean I'll making chapters and stories so get ready for the man-verse to begin.
preview:
Percy could be seen holding a box with the symbol of Hermes on it, containing red shoes adorned with the same symbol.
Luke held one of the shoes. "Maia," he said, and the shoes materialized wings.
Percy, the Mane 6, Grover, Spike, and Annabeth were seen walking past a tree and then getting into a minivan.
The Empire State Building was visible in the background.
A hand turned a key, and a button labeled 600 appeared.
Mrs. Dodds was seen on a bus, sitting down and reading a newspaper.
The group of ten could be seen outside, with Percy holding the shoe box, while Mrs. Dodds flew down behind them in her true monster form.
The scene then shifted to the group in a dark basement with a stairway, suddenly illuminated by flames along the edges of the stairs.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, son of Poseidon," said a female voice.
A woman in a white gown and veil was seen in a kitchen, cooking.
The scene showed her head as she spoke. "I'm Medusa."
