The Betrayed Hero

Chapter 21

Zale was the first one to wake up, his eyes blinking open as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the trees. He stretched and yawned, feeling the stiffness in his muscles from sleeping on the bed that was not his, but he had slept at places worse than this.

As he sat up, he noticed the faint sound of birds chirping in the distance, a peaceful contrast to the chaos of the previous day. Zale took a moment to appreciate the serenity before preparing himself for whatever demands lay ahead. He quickly washed himself up and headed out of the camp that was set up for them. It was a small, wooden cabin built a bit further back, right in between Zeus and Hera's cabin for campers. It was warm and cosy inside, and most importantly, all the members of the elite team were comfortable in the cabin. The cabin was old, but a new addition since Percy's disappearance.

Zale pulled up his hood, stepped out of the cabin, and started walking around the other cabins. Not many campers were awake, and those who were did not acknowledge him. Zale walked along from the front of the Zeus cabin and stood in front of the Poseidon cabin. The cabin looked just the same as it did before Percy left, with the sound of waves crashing on the shore. Zale felt a pang of nostalgia. He shook his head, pushing the memories aside as he continued his stroll around the camp. Waiting for his team members to wake up.

As Percy walked up to the shore, moving up to the waves that were crashing into the sand, a gentle breeze caressing his face, his cloak fluttering behind him in a slow rhythm, he couldn't help but feel a sense of peace. The familiar sound of the waves brought back memories of his time at Camp Half-Blood, reminding him of the friendships and adventures and his last day that he had experienced there.

As he kept walking ahead, he saw a figure sitting on the shore with a fishing line. The figure seemed lost in thought, completely unaware of Percy's presence. Curiosity piqued, and Percy approached the stranger to see if it wasn't a mortal who had lost his way to the camp. Percy soon realised that the stranger he was approaching was none other than Poseidon, his father. Percy tried to turn away before he disturbed the god of the sea, but Poseidon looked up from his fishing line, a small smile playing on his lips as he recognised the hooded figure. He wore grey bermuda shorts and a red Hawaiian shirt with parrots. He had his green flip flops resting away from the water, along with his baseball cap, creating a stark contrast to the powerful deity he truly was in such casual attire.

Percy bowed towards the god and tried to turn around and walk away, but Poseidon gestured for Percy to join him, and as they sat together by the water, father and son unknowingly shared a rare moment of peace.

Posiedon was the first to break the comfortable silence; he asked, "You are still carrying that sword with you?"

"Anaklusmos? Oh yes, I'm going to keep it." Zale replied with firmness in his voice.

"It belonged to my son; it always returned to him whenever he lost it, but this time it didn't. I did try to get it removed, but it stayed stuck, and now you have it." Poseidon sighed, his speech soft and slow. He looked older as the gentle breeze swayed his black and grey hair back and forth, messing them more than they already were because of the cap. Percy stared at his father as he thought about whether he should reveal his true identity to him, to tell him that he is his son, the one who he made a distraction to escape for all those years ago, and that Riptide had rightfully returned to him.

"You feel like you belong to the sea," Poseidon further added. "You have sea running in you."

Percy felt a surge of emotion at his father's words, knowing deep down that he was indeed connected to the sea. As the waves crashed against the shore, Percy panicked before hastily answering. "My grandmother was born of a demigod and a nymph."

Poseidon hummed and nodded in reply. Before he could ask more, Vèlos called for Zale from behind, and Percy had never been more grateful for an interruption than he felt at that moment. It was hard to talk to your father about yourself while keeping it a secret.

Percy waved Vèlos away as he bowed towards his father and turned around, but stopped and turned around to face his dad once again. Poseidon looked at him, puzzled.

"My lord, can I tell you something?" Zale asked his father.

Poseidon nodded

"Can you swear on Styx that you would not tell anyone anything about what I'm about to tell you?" Zale further asked his father

Poseidon raised his eyebrow, his sea green eyes curious yet guarded.

"Why do I have to swear on Styx? You can just tell me," he asked, his voice firm.

"It is really important for you to know, I think, and you will like whatever I want to tell you; it is nothing bad. I swear that on Styx." Zale answered; he was confident in the way he spoke. The sky thundered at the seal of the promise. Poseidon hesitated but nodded, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips for confidence, in the commander's voice was reassuring.

"Alright, I swear on Styx," he finally agreed, his voice firm. Thunder exploded into the open sky, and the stormy sea seemed to calm as they sealed their pact with the sacred oath.

Zale took a deep breath before finally revealing the secret he had been keeping.

"Your son, Percy, I know about him." Poseidon's eyes widened in surprise, his expression a mix of shock and curiosity. Zale watched as the god's gaze shifted from disbelief to realisation, realising the weight of the information he had just disclosed. The waves lapped gently against the shore as Poseidon processed this revelation, his thoughts swirling like the depths of the ocean. Finally, after a moment of silence, Poseidon spoke softly, "How?" Zale hesitated before answering, "I saw him on a mission, my lord. You can say that now we are even friends." The god's eyes narrowed as he considered the implication of Zale's words, a storm brewing in his stare. Zale braced himself for Poseidon's reaction, unsure of how the god would respond to this unexpected information thrown at him. The air around them seemed to crackle with tension as Poseidon finally spoke, his voice a low rumble, "How is he?."

"He is good, he is safe, and he seems to be happy." Zale paused, hoping his words would be enough to satisfy the god's curiosity. Poseidon's expression softened slightly, with a hint of relief in his eyes as he nodded in response. "And you don't have to worry about the sword; I'll ask if he wants it back, but I'm still going to keep it; it chose me for a reason."

Poseidon just sighed and then vanished into the thin air, leaving a fresh ocean breeze and silence in Percy's face.

Zale stood there for a moment, feeling light after meeting both of his parents and revealing at least half of his secret, before turning around and joining his members at the dining pavilion for breakfast.