The Nature of a Demigod

Worried Mothers

[Percy's POV]

At least I got a good night's sleep before this quest, right?

Wrong.

That night in my dreams, I was in the stateroom of the Princess Andromeda. The windows were open on a moonlit sea. Cold wind rustled the velvet drapes.

Luke knelt on a Persian rug in front of the golden sarcophagus of Kronos. In the moonlight, Luke's blond hair looked pure white. He wore an ancient Greek chiton and a white himation, a kind of cape that flowed down his shoulders.

The white clothes made him look timeless and a little surreal, like one of the minor gods on Mount Olympus. The last time I'd seen him, he'd been broken and unconscious after a nasty fall from Mount Tam. Now he looked perfectly fine. Almost too healthy.

"Our spies report success, my lord," he said. "Camp Half-Blood is sending a quest, as you predicted. Our side of the bargain is almost complete."

'Excellent.' The voice of Kronos didn't so much speak as pierce my mind like a dagger. It was freezing with cruelty. 'Once we have the means to navigate, I will lead the vanguard through myself.'

Luke closed his eyes as if collecting his thoughts. "My lord, perhaps it is too soon. Perhaps Krios, Hyperion, or Orion should lead-"

'No.' The voice was quiet but absolutely firm. 'I will lead. One more heart shall join our cause, and that will be sufficient. At last I shall rise fully from Tartarus.'

"But the form, my lord... We still haven't found him. And if we don't-" Luke's voice started shaking. 'Show me your sword, Luke Castellan.' A jolt went through me.

I realized this was only the second time I'd heard Luke's last name. It had never even occurred to me. It made this monster seem so much more human. That didn't sit right.

Luke drew his sword. Backbiter's double edge glowed wickedly half steel, half celestial bronze. I'd almost been killed by that sword before. It was an evil weapon, able to kill both mortals and monsters. It was the only blade I really feared.

'You pledged yourself to me,' Kronos reminded him. 'You took this sword as proof of your oath.'

"Yes, my lord. It's just-"

'You wanted power. I gave you that. You are now beyond harm. Soon you will rule the world of gods and mortals. Do you not wish to avenge yourself? To see Olympus destroyed?' A shiver ran through Luke's body. "Yes."

The coffin glowed, golden light filling the room. 'Then make ready the strike force. As soon as the bargain is done, we shall move forward. It will be a shame if he cannot be found before then. Regardless, Camp Half-Blood will be reduced to ashes. With or without his body. Once those bothersome heroes are eliminated, we will march on Olympus.'

There was a knock on the stateroom doors. The light of the coffin faded. Luke rose. He sheathed his sword, adjusted his white clothes, and took a deep breath.

"Come in."

The doors opened. A girl I think I'd seen at camp before walked in. "Lou Ellen. What is it?" Luke asked. The girl wasn't exactly short, but she wasn't tall either. She had to look up at Luke when she spoke.

She had brown hair pulled up into a ponytail behind her, with more than a few strands of hair hanging over her face. She was pretty, but the weird kind of pretty where you're not sure if you think she's actually pretty or if it's something else.

"We've lost him, again, Luke." She said, annoyance on her voice. "Nothing we send after him ever comes back alive. And I've seen his endurance. It doesn't matter what we throw at him. He's going to go crazy before we find him."