The Nature of a Demigod

The Camp Council

[Percy's POV]

The least the Oracle could've done was walk back to the attic by herself. Instead, Grover and I were elected to carry her. I didn't figure that was because we were the most popular.

"Watch her head!" Grover warned as we went up the stairs. But it was too late. Bonk! I whacked her mummified face against the trapdoor frame and dust flew. "Ah, man." I set her down and checked for damage. "Did I break anything?"

"I can't tell," Grover admitted. "It's all just dust."

We hauled her up and set her on her tripod stool, both of us huffing and sweating. Who knew a mummy could weigh so much? I was relieved when we finally got out of there and slammed the attic door shut.

"Well," Grover said, "that was gross."

I knew he was trying to keep things light for my sake, but I still felt really down. The whole camp would be mad at me for almost losing the game to the Hunters. Somehow overshadowing that we did in fact win the game.

And now there was the new prophecy from the Oracle. Y/N was looking at the oracle expectantly when it turned to Zoe. It almost felt like the oracle went out of its way not to look at anyone but Zoe.

"What will Chiron do?" I asked Grover. "I wish I knew." He looked wistfully out the second-floor window at the rolling hills covered in snow. "I want to be out there."

"Searching for Annabeth?" He had a little trouble focusing on me. Then he blushed. "Oh, right. That too. Of course."

"Why?" I asked. "What were you thinking?"

He clopped his hooves uneasily. "Just something the manticore said, about the Great Stirring. I can't help but wonder... if all those ancient powers are waking up, maybe... maybe not all of them are evil."

"You mean Pan."

I felt kind of selfish, because I'd totally forgotten about Grover's life ambition. The nature god had gone missing two thousand years ago. He was rumored to have died, but the satyrs didn't believe that. They were determined to find him. They'd been searching in vain for  centuries, and Grover was convinced he'd be the one to succeed.

This year, with Chiron putting all the satyrs on emergency duty to find half-bloods, Grover hadn't been able to continue his search. It must've been driving him nuts.

"I've let the trail go cold," he said. "I feel restless, like I'm missing something really important. He's out there somewhere. I can just feel it."

I didn't know what to say. I wanted to encourage him, but I didn't know how. My optimism had pretty much been trampled into the snow out there in the woods.

Before I could respond, Y/N and Thalia trumped up the stairs. Thalia was officially not talking to me now, but she looked at Grover and said, "Tell Percy to get his butt downstairs."

"Why?" I asked. "Did he say something?" Thalia asked Grover. Y/N massaged the bandages over his stab wound. He sighed greatly. "Dionysus called a cabin leaders meeting, Percy. Come downstairs."

[Y/N's POV]

We were all standing around a ping pong table in the rec room. Mr D waved his hands and served the snacks for the meetings. Crackers, spray cheese, and several bottles of wine.

After Chiron reminded Mr D that very few of the people in here could drink, including the god, and then he snapped the win into Diet Coke. Nobody wanted that either. I just had water. Being stabbed makes a man thirsty.