The Animal Within

Chapter 62 - Arrival at Camp Jupiter

Luke was still waiting outside with Alabastor when Percy and Nico left the mansion. They were sitting on the steps heading down from the entrance, deep in conversation with each other. Luke glanced towards Percy as the door opened, grimacing slightly as he did so. "We can't get word to any of the Titans about Kronos' disappearance quickly," he said worriedly. "There's no way with nothing working anymore." The frustration was clear in his voice. Percy had to hand it to Luke, the other demigod was steadfast in his loyalty to Kronos and the Titans, even after everything that had happened.

"I've even tried a way with magic," Alabastor added. "But that's not working either." Some of the scrawled runes on his clothes looked burnt and used, whilst others glowed faintly. In his hands, he fiddled with two cards with a single rune carefully drawn onto the very centre. The son of magic shifted slightly before he extended them towards Percy. "Here. It's if you need anything," Alabastor said.

Percy eyed the cards warily, immediately drawing his fingers back from the green scribble. Touching them would probably give him a horrible and painful death. "You think I'm actually going to trust anything you might give me?" He demanded, glaring at Alabastor.

"Percy, he's offering to help," Nico protested with a frown. "It sounds like we can use all the help we can get now."

Alabastor held Percy's gaze steadily, his own carefully neutral as he nodded slightly. "It will let us contact each other, so you can talk to anyone here. There's no other way to talk across distances now. You're going to find Lord Kronos, right?" He asked, his fingers still extending the cards towards Percy.

"My priority is helping Camp Half-Blood with the immortal Roman Emperor kidnapping campers and trying to burn down an old Oracle in the forest, actually," Percy said stiffly.

Shock cut across Alabastor's expression, much to Percy's vicious satisfaction. "Who?" He demanded. "Are my siblings all okay?"

And all of Percy's glee with Alabastor's horror faded. Next to them, Luke's eyes had widened. "Who's gone missing?" He asked worriedly, fear tinging his voice. "You didn't say that was the issue at camp!"

Percy's eyes flicked between the two. He was immediately reminded that whilst Luke and Alabastor had both betrayed the camp by joining the Titans in the war, both of them still cared for other demigods and their siblings still at camp. Percy sighed. "Ellis Wakefield and Sherman Yang from Ares cabin, Cecil Markowitz from Hermes'," he said, with a quick glance towards Luke, noting how the son of Hermes' gaze tightened. "Miranda Gardiner from Demeter's and Austin Lake and Kayla Knowles from Apollo's. Those are the six. Rhea said apparently Nero's kidnapped them. It's complicated," Percy added when Luke's mouth opened.

Alabastor pressed his lips together, looking uneasy as he eyed Percy. "I remember Sherman and Miranda," he said. "The others, I guess they came to camp after I left." Alabastor Torrington frowned in thought.

Luke nodded his head slightly. "They did," he said to Al. "I met the rest between Manhattan and when we left for New Rome," he added. Luke clenched his jaw, looking back to Percy. "Do me a favour, yeah? Cecil seemed like a good kid," he said. "Try to keep my brother alive for me?"

Percy blinked. "I – I will," he firmly said. "I swear it on the River Styx," Percy said. The ongoing squabble was between the gods. The demigods had to try to at least still keep an eye on each other in all the madness. If they didn't look out for each other, no one else would.

Nico looked horrified with Percy's oath on the Styx, while Luke just seemed glad and nodded slightly. Alabastor, however, looked completely surprised that Percy had just made that oath. "Not the smartest decision, Jackson," he said dryly, even as he turned and instead offered the cards to Nico. "You should probably take these instead, since he won't," he said.