Perseus and the Quest for 12

And the winner is…

Camp Half-Blood!

Final scores:

Option A, Camp Half-Blood: 26 votes.

Option B, Camp Jupiter: 7 votes.

Quick note: as mentioned in this chapter, in this world demigods arrive at Camp at 18 years old. This tweak to the universe is designed to give more diversity in future choices, so that there are more options for you all to choose from as Perseus progresses on his quest.

Enjoy!

When passing out injured on the border of a magical summer camp, Perseus had certain assumptions about how it should go. He would be discovered, brought inside, and helped to recover. A beautiful girl would nurse him as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Even in his sleep, Perseus let out a giggle as he imagined such treatments, as well as the thanks he would offer his nurse afterward.

Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

BLAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!

Perseus jerked in the dirt. His heart beat rapidly as the rude awakening settled in. He was face down in the same patch of grass where he passed out, completely unmoved.

No, this wasn't right. What about the help they would bestow on him? What about his treatment? His nurse? Maybe, if he pretended to still be asleep, things would get back on track. He carefully shut his eyes—

BLAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!

"Quit it already!" Perseus roared, surging up and knocking aside the red air horn that woke him.

What he found on the other side made him freeze. A stern bearded face was looking down on him, metaphorically but also literally. The man was at least seven feet tall… because he was only half-man. Chiron, centaur, trainer of heroes and director at Camp Half-Blood, glowered at him.

"Welcome, Perseus," Chiron said. "Explain why you're here, and if it's a good enough reason, I might not chase you off with arrows in your backside."

"Chiron!" Perseus said. "So good to see you. What's it been, twenty years?"

"Twenty-four years eleven months and nine days." Chiron's hand holding the airhorn jerked sideways. As it did, the metal cylinder shimmered, shifted, and grew into a full-sized wood bow lacking in adornment but certainly not functionality. "That isn't the answer I asked for."

"You sure missed me," Perseus said nervously. For the first time he noticed how Chiron was dressed: a light leather breastplate with a quiver fixed to the back. Like someone who came looking for a fight. Perseus took a single step back

"I certainly did not miss you," Chiron said coolly. "Coincidentally, should you follow through with that plan to run off, I will not miss you then, either."

"What'd I do to get a reaction like this?" Perseus complained.

Chiron's eyes flared, but someone else answered before he could.

"Want me to send this scrawny guy packing?"

The voice belonged to a burly girl standing behind Chiron. Her muscular arms were crossed, and she had long brown hair that hung past her neck, looking as if she hadn't styled it since the second grade. A spear leaned against her shoulder. The sneer on her face screamed that she was just itching for a good chance to use it.

She wasn't the only one with Chiron. A girl with blond curls and a beautiful face stood nearby, but Perseus recognized those steel-gray eyes. They were exactly the same as Athena's, down to the look of disdain whenever they looked his direction.

There were two others, but one he couldn't get a good look at. She was standing behind the other three, offering only a glimpse of her red hair, so Perseus turned his attention to the last one he could see.

She stood ahead of the others, almost at Chiron's side instead of behind him. She had black hair cut short enough to see her ears. All the others wore orange Camp Half-Blood shirts and so did she, except hers was underneath a black leather biker jacket. Her freckled face was gorgeous, but for once that wasn't what caught Perseus's attention. She stood with the sort of self-assurance he was used to seeing in gods, not their half-mortal children.

"Clarisse, if Chiron wanted you to beat this guy up and throw him out, do you think he would've come himself like this?" asked the biker girl. "Besides, has he ever asked you to throw someone out of camp?"

Clarisse crossed her arms. "Not yet. But he'll come around soon."

Biker Girl turned back to Perseus. She studied him a moment, then did something surprising. She stepped forward and held out her hand.

Chiron looked like he wanted to say something, but he held his tongue.

"Thalia Grace," she introduced herself.

If Perseus wasn't as amazing at controlling his expression as he was at most other things, his eyebrows would have shot up. That was a name he'd heard.

Only a few years ago, war had broken out. Perseus didn't fight himself, too busy fulfilling a different kind of mission for Olympus, but the girl in front of him certainly had. Thalia Grace led an army of demigods to defend New York, managing to stall their enemies the Titans for long enough that help could arrive. Perseus should've known from her electric blue eyes. Only one father passed those down.

He took the hand she offered, noticing a thick bracelet hanging off her wrist.

"Perseus at your service," he said. "I'm—"

"A minor god."

It was the blond daughter of Athena who interrupted, staring stonily at him. Perseus tried a disarming smile. He really nailed it, too, but unbelievably her expression didn't change.

"Specifically, the god of sexual delight, satisfaction, and orgasms," the blond continued. "Olympus's number one troublemaker."

Perseus laughed, but it sounded tinged with sadness, even to him. "Formerly."

That got a reaction. Chiron stared at him with pure surprise, as if Perseus was a pinochle hand that he hadn't won. "No longer Olympus's troublemaker? Are you claiming to be reformed?"

"I never had anything to reform from!" Perseus complained. "All I ever did was spread a little excitement in that stuffy old place. Just ask the goddesses." His eyes dipped quickly to Annabeth. "Well, ask most goddesses, anyway. But I think it's the Olympus part that's over for me… And maybe the god part, too."

Chiron looked at him, really looked at him for the first time. Perseus couldn't say what Chiron saw, but it did soften his expression slightly.

"You've become mortal," he said.

Thalia twisted to stare at the centaur. "Is that even possible?"

"Well, it happened to me," Perseus said. "Zero out of ten, would not recommend the experience. I feel like three-quarters of me got scraped away on the trip here. I had no idea being mortal hurt so much. The bruises on my arm from the landing still haven't healed, and it's already been more than five minutes."

"Perseus…" Chiron had an inscrutable expression on his face, but whatever he planned to say was interrupted. Something exploded, far to their left.

A plume of fire columned into the air. Voices shouted from that direction. Soon after, the sound of striking weapons started up.

Clarisse cursed under her breath in Greek. "I knew something would happen while I was messing around here. You all can handle mister ex-god on your own."

She took off at a sprint, snatching up her spear in the same movement. At the speed she was moving, it wouldn't be long before she arrived where the explosion had been.

Perseus watched her go. "What in Hades is going on over there?"

Thalia and Chiron traded looks.

"Don't worry about it," Thalia said. "It's nothing unusual these days."

"If anything, that seems more worrying."

"We have much to talk about," Chiron said, and Perseus looked at him. "This is not the best venue. We'll move the conversation to somewhere more secure. Follow us."

"Just to check," Perseus said, "you aren't going to shoot me with a million arrows once I step over the border, right?"

"Coward," Thalia said.

"Hey, I have to be careful with this body! A lot more is riding on keeping it in one piece than self-interest alone. Do you know how many goddesses would be distraught if it picked up even a single injury? Whole forests would wilt as nymphs mourned. Even a single one of these fingers has made hundreds of women—"

"Alright, lover boy," Thalia interrupted. "You can tell us all the details on the way."

"Please don't," Chiron said warily.

Thalia snickered. The whole group started walking, her and Perseus at the back.

"If Chiron doesn't want to hear, then you can tell me later," she muttered to Perseus.

He flashed a winning smile— and unlike with her blond friend, this one seemed to have an effect.

"It would be my pleasure."

The redhead that had been tucked at the back was named Kayla Knowles, and in truth her hair was only half red. The rest was dyed green, a color combination that reminded Perseus of a watermelon, although he wasn't quite brave enough to voice that thought. The girl was a daughter of Apollo, and she was the nurse he'd been expecting to wake up next to. As they walked through camp, she cautiously approached Perseus and asked a few questions, gauging how he was feeling.

The other girl was Annabeth, a daughter of Athena like he'd guessed. She walked beside Chiron, ahead of the other three, but glanced over her shoulder every ten steps as if checking Perseus hadn't tried anything. He wasn't sure what exactly gave her such an impression of him, but he did his best to smile each time he caught her looking.

Soon the destination came into sight. Perseus had been inside once, the last time he visited, and it seemed like over the course of the two decades since there hadn't been a single renovation.

The Big House stood four floors tall, not counting the attic and basement. Its blue and white paint was faded and chipped despite the weather at Camp being kept mellow by its borders. A weathervane on the roof slid in slow circles with a graining whine, while windchimes hanging off the porch clinked loudly off one another. A short ramp paralleled the stairs for wheelchairs or, apparently, hooves. Chiron cantered up it, coming to a stop beside a small fold-out table.

"Take a seat," Chiron said.

There were four seats spread around the table— one for each of them but Chiron. It wasn't like a chair would've fit him in the first place. When the demigods sat, he folded his legs underneath his body and lay down like a horse, his human half coming to rest at a convenient height. Perseus wondered if that was why this particular table had been picked for the porch.

"So," Chiron said, eyes settling on Perseus once more. "You've been punished."

"You're telling me."

"Not just any punishment," Chiron carried on, "but the most extreme I've seen in a very long time. From the top of my head, only confinement in Tartarus would have exceeded this, and even then some immortals would prefer such a fate. At least then, they would know they cannot die."

Perseus chuckled. "You really know how to lift a guy's spirits."

"Your father allowed this?"

"He didn't have a choice." Perseus remembered Poseidon's tears and had to fight to keep the distaste off his face. "There was a vote. We lost. Can't go kicking up a fuss after that."

He was trying to seem nonchalant, and overall he succeeded. But he did have to avoid eye-contact at the end, turning his eyes out to the view across the valley so no one could see the look in them.

"You believe you'll become a god again."

It was Annabeth that spoke up. She had one hand on the table and the other down by her side, as if ready to draw something from her belt.

Perseus smiled at her. "Not sure I follow what you mean."

"You're too calm about this. You shouldn't be smiling."

"That's just my unflappable personality and natural charisma."

"No, it's not," Annabeth said.

"Sleuthing aside," Thalia said, ignoring the way Annabeth gave her a short glare, "what'd you do to earn all of this."

"I… might've pushed Zeus a little too far," Perseus said. "He got worked up and— well, here I am now."

Thalia snorted. "My dad? Mad? Imagine that."

Perseus raised an eyebrow at the sarcasm. He knew demigods could have estranged relationships with their parents, but it seemed like there was something extra there.

"But…" Kayla said. "What did you do, exactly?"

"I fear that's the wrong question to be asking," Chiron said. "What you should be asking, is who he did."

"That's exactly what Hermes said," Perseus muttered. At the expectant looks fixed on him, Perseus sighed. "I… might have slept with his wife."

"Wife?" Chiron's eyes widened. "Mnemosyne?"

"Of course not!" Perseus said. "I haven't seen her in years. Her daughters, though… The muses are the best for orgies, I'm telling you."

Kayla blushed. Annabeth narrowed her eyes. Chiron, though? He was just getting paler.

"Leto?" he asked. "Please, Perseus, if it was her Artemis will hunt you to the ends of the Earth."

"Of course not. Apollo would kill me too, and it would really suck to piss off the chillest guy on Olympus. Although after a certain vote earlier, he'd totally deserve it."

"Then… Hera?"

The table went quiet. The only sound was the chimes clinking in a breeze that carried a faint whiff of salty seawater. Chiron sighed.

"Of course it wasn't, that would just be—"

"That's right," Perseus spoke over him. "It was Hera."

"You're lying," Annabeth accused. "She's the goddess of marriage. She's never cheated."

"Correct. She hadn't, until—" Perseus checked his wrist for an imaginary watch, "—two hours ago."

He paused, and when nobody else spoke, added, "Actually, two hours since we finished. So I guess technically it's been six hours since she cheated, considering that's when we got started."

"What I said earlier, about the severity of your punishment?" Chiron said. "I take it back. You're fortunate to be in one piece."

"I think he wanted to blast me," Perseus said, "but then he decided it would be better to embarrass me, so he went with this."

As the shock wore off, Chiron shot to his feet so quickly that his hooves cracked against the floorboards.

"What could have possessed you to go so far?" he cried.

"Because I felt bad for her."

They all stared at him, but it was Kayla that actually asked, "What?"

"The way I see it is this," Perseus said. "They've been married for centuries. And across all that time, Hera's been holed up on Olympus, sitting in her temple with a million colorful birds for company while the world passes her by. And that entire time, the only dick she felt was Zeus's. Ask anyone that's been with him and they'll all tell you the same, it's seriously mediocre." He turned to Thalia. "No offense.

"None taken." Thalia grimaced. "Although I'd really rather not be talking about this."

"Meanwhile, we have her husband. He's running all over the world, having whatever type of fun he wants. He knows exactly how great it is to cut loose. Hera doesn't. How is that fair? So I took it on myself. If Zeus can have fun, so can Hera. I just showed her what her husband has been keeping for himself."

Perseus sat back in his chair, fairly proud of himself. Chiron and Thalia were staring at him like they were wondering whether he'd hit his head when he crash landed. Kayla was staring straight down into her lap with red cheeks to match her hair. And Annabeth? The daughter of Athena was scowling.

"You're pretending that's noble, but it's not," she said.

Perseus shrugged. "If that's your opinion."

"All you did was seduce her and ruin centuries of loyalty!"

"That's also your opinion."

"And what's your opinion?"

"I already gave it at the start," Perseus said. "You really ought to keep up."

Annabeth looked ready to leap across the table and throttle him.

He wasn't usually so caustic, especially not to beautiful women, but it seemed her mother had really gotten under his skin. He suspected the only reason Athena suggested a vote, instead of just allowing Zeus to blast him away, was to trap his father. If Zeus was acting unreasonable, Poseidon would've had grounds to stop him. But if Zeus was acting on the will of the council, anything Poseidon did would only turn Olympus against him. It was simple strategy.

And just thinking about it made Perseus grind his teeth.

"Perhaps we would be best off quitting here for the day," Chiron said, glancing between Perseus and Annabeth. "Perseus does not seem to be in any immediate danger, so Ms. Knowles can offer a more thorough checkup in somewhat better circumstances. And as for the two of you…" He fixed an intense stare on Annabeth and Thalia. "Go ensure that Ms. La Rue has been successful in reinforcing the border. She usually is, but that explosion today was a bit extra."

They nodded and rose. Annabeth dutifully didn't look at Perseus once.

"You can count on us Chiron," Thalia said.

Annabeth and Thalia left in the direction of the border, while Kayla wandered to the center of Camp. Considering he was alone with Chiron after the reception he got earlier, Perseus should've been nervous. But something about the atmosphere just didn't feel threatening.

"They are good children," Chiron said.

"One of them is a clone of her mother."

"Annabeth does take after Athena. She would be delighted to hear that assessment."

"I didn't mean it as a compliment."

"I know," Chiron said. "But she would take it as one."

Perseus crossed his arms. They still stung, even now, nearly an hour since he'd been blasted into the dirt. He'd know mortals dealt with pain differently to gods, but he hadn't realized just how persistent even minor aches could prove.

"How do mortals accomplish anything with weak bodies like these?" Percy complained aloud.

Chiron studied him. "Annabeth is correct, isn't she? You really do believe you'll become a god again."

The thought of lying drifted through Perseus's head, just to spoil Annabeth's prediction. He quickly dismissed the idea.

"I do," he confirmed.

"Then there were terms?" Chiron said. "You know what you must do?"

"I do," Perseus repeated.

He paused, hesitating. Chiron's demeanor had changed somewhat across the day, but his bold threats and cold mood from the start hadn't exactly morphed into warm acceptance. If anything, it felt like he was content keeping Perseus close just to better understand him, as if the ex-god were nothing but an unfinished puzzle. When the last piece clicked into place, what then? Could he trust Chiron, or would he be run off and cast into the mortal world at the first misstep he made?

It was a pretty silly thought that finally pushed Perseus to make up his mind: he didn't want to be like Athena. He would be honest with Chiron here. If the director understood Perseus's position, life at camp would become far easier for him. If Chiron instead chased him off because of it, he would deal with that too. Not because he was too stupid to lie and play others for fools, but because he'd rather have them work with him for who he was.

"I have to sleep with twelve women."

Chiron's eyebrows shot up. "That's all? I can't imagine Zeus giving such an easy task to complete."

Perseus winced. "It is a bit more complicated. I have to satisfy them, beyond simply getting them to bed. I think our wonderful king is under the misconception that the female orgasm is a type of magic only possible through divine powers."

Chiron coughed a cough that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.

"The real challenge," Perseus said, "is that they need to be the children of different gods."

"Children of different gods…" Chiron rubbed his chin. "What of goddesses? They are born to other gods themselves. And many nymphs or naiads are themselves children of minor gods. Do these count?"

Perseus held his hands up helplessly. "No idea. I couldn't exactly stop and ask for the fine print while I was in the process of being smited out of my home."

Chiron winced. "Fair enough, I suppose."

A bout of silence settled over the table. Far off, shouts and laughter echoed off a volleyball game. It was too distant to make out the players, but Perseus and Chiron both found themselves watching in silence.

"You don't even remember, do you?"

"Hm?" Perseus said, still watching the game. "Remember what?"

"Your last visit— No, if you don't remember then telling you won't do any good." Chiron sighed. "I don't know if that makes me dislike you less or more."

Perseus frowned. It was clear the centaur held a grudge against him. It must've traced back to when he was last at the camp, decades in the past. But he was telling the truth when he said he couldn't remember a thing. "Did I do something that pissed you off?"

"Don't go out of your way to try and remember," Chiron said. "Instead, listen well. I'll only say this once."

His voice went almost as stern as when he first woke Perseus, such a shift that Perseus quickly offered him all his attention.

"As everyone knows, demigods only mature and arrive at this camp after their eighteenth birthday—"

"They do?"

"Here they do. Now focus! Everyone at this camp is an adult in their own right. I'm not so selfish as to deny that. But at the same time, each feels like my son or daughter. Adopted, perhaps, but no less loved. I cannot stand in the way of the quest ordained to you by Zeus himself, nor would I be willing to even if I could. You told me what I asked when you didn't need to, and above all, I respect that."

A warm feeling started rising in Perseus's chest. This was such a wholesome moment, where two men overcame their differences and—

Chiron's palm smashed against the table. He leaned forward, glaring.

"However," he growled, "should I find out that in the process of this quest, you hurt any of my campers, physically or emotionally, simply because you put your own interests first, I personally guarantee that you won't make it to the border in time to be kicked out. Am I understood?"

Perseus gulped. "Yes, sir!"

He even threw in a salute. To be safe.

Chiron straightened. The dark mood disappeared as quickly as a storm cloud hitting the camp's magical barrier.

"Very good," Chiron said. "In that case, we can see to getting you set up here. I imagine the lifestyle will take a bit of adjusting to, but I'm sure a hardy god like you can manage."

"Then you're letting me stay?" Perseus asked hopefully.

"Against my better judgment perhaps, but yes," Chiron said. "You can stay in your father's cabin. It sits empty at the moment, and I assume he won't have any complaints about that arrangement. Should I call someone to show you the way?"

"I'll walk myself," Perseus said. "I might not remember much about being here, but that place I know for sure."

"If you're sure."

Chiron himself didn't sound so sure, now that the time had come to leave Perseus unattended. He'd given his word though. There was no getting cold hooves now.

As Perseus stood and wandered down the steps, Chiron called, "I will send someone to take you to dinner!" Perseus waved a hand over his shoulder to show that he had heard.

In truth, though, he was only half-listening at best. Instead his thoughts were miles away, pondering a question much more important than the route to his new cabin or any dinnertime guides.

He was at Camp Half-Blood now, the greatest concentration of demigods in the whole eastern side of the country. Even better, he had the director's green light to get started on the task facing him. Only one thing remained.

Which girl to go for first.

Choice: Which girl should Perseus target?

Option A: Thalia Grace.

Option B: Annabeth Chase.

Option C: Kayla Knowles.

Option D: Clarisse La Rue

Option E: None of the above (see more of camp first to discover other options)

Additional Info: Choosing a girl does not guarantee that Perseus can pull it off right away. The ex-god of lovemaking has some serious skills, enough to seduce almost anyone, but even he is capable of failing sometimes.

How to Vote: Write a review which says/includes A, B, C, etc. You can just write the letter, or feel free to type out all your reasoning. Who knows, you may even sway others to back your vote if you make a really good case.

I will count votes cast across all the sites this story is posted to (see my profile for details) and go with whatever has the majority. Chapters will generally be spaced out by at least a week, to give plenty of time for everyone who wants to vote to get the chance to.