A Crown of Golden Leaves: A Percy Jackson Fanfiction

Caput LXIII: The Beginning of the End

"Every journey is simultaneously a beginning and an ending: I was leaving my old life behind and starting on a road trip to find a new me."― Debi Tolbert Duggar

Caput LXIII: The Beginning of the End

"So," someone asked suddenly, addressing him, and Percy looked up. "How are we going to get Roma back?"

And that was how the argument began. Percy listened to the people as they went around and around in circles about the best way to get Roma back. Some thought that they should move on and forget about taking Roma back; after all, this was the work of the gods, surely there was a reason for it? Others had to be held back from marching to Roma on their own - or from starting a fist fight.

"Enough!" Reyna roared suddenly, and even though she didn't have a table to slam her fists against, her voice carried enough power that everyone listened. She looked at him. "Perseus, you know the situation better than any of us. What do you think?"

She was directing the final decision back at him again. But he wasn't going to order his people to follow him - if they were going to fight, then they would vote on it. His gaze swept around and he took a shallow breath to steady his nerves. It had been a while since he had spoken before a crowd. And he had never held their fates on his shoulders - He had always been able to fall back on his pater in times of distress. But that responsibility was his now.

"We do have a chance to fight back and reclaim our city," he replied, raising his voice so that everyone could hear him. It was so quiet he could hear a pin drop. "When I threw a vial of Greek fire at Nox, she did not react well to it since it cut her off from her shadow. I believe that is her greatest weakness; she cannot stand light - and that is how we can defeat her."

I still can't do impromptu speeches.

"But how are we supposed to do that?" Hazel sounded confused. He focused his attention on her, and she bit her bottom lip - a nervous habit. "It's not like she'll just walk out into the sunlight because we asked nicely."

"No, and that wouldn't work anyway." He shook his head. There was a mumbling, and he brought his hand up to silence it. "Our highest chance to defeat her is on the Summer Solstice - the longest day of the year," he added when Reyna looked confused. "I discovered texts about a star made out of fire coming on that day in Nox's fortress. According to Diana - or Artemis," here, he looked at Annabeth, whose eyebrows rose minutely, "the texts are correct. Nox will be weakest that day because not only is it the longest day of the year: It will be the brightest as well."

There was a pause. Someone asked, "But this is the work of the gods. Surely they want us to leave Roma."

Percy wasn't quite sure how to respond to that - mostly because he didn't know how. Annabeth stepped up beside him, and her gaze was calm but piercing as she leveled it in the direction the voice came from.

"No, it is not. Mother Lupa came to me one night and told me that Nox enlisted the help of Hypnos and put the Olympians in a dreamless sleep."

"Then how did Lupa speak to you?"

"Lupa does not reside on Mount Olympus." Reyna's voice was smooth as she spoke too. "I doubt she would have been there to be put under a dreamless sleep. The same for Diana; she resides with her hunters." She paused. "Speaking of Diana, how did you run into her, Percy?"

Percy disguised a laugh behind a cough. "The leader of her hunt - Zoe - would have killed me after she helped me escape from Nox's fortress. Diana stopped her." Chuckles broke out. He allowed a smile to play at his lips. "I didn't expect Zoe to offer help to take Roma back from the way he met."