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English
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Part 2 of Percy Jackson One-Shots
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Published:
2024-07-04
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1,794
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1/1
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Camp Half-Blood Has Had Enough

Summary:

The actions during Percy's first game of Capture the Flag had unforeseen consequences. Just not from the immortal relatives. After Annabeth sacrificed Percy for a win, many campers were hesitant to trust the daughter of Athena.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for other works inspired by this one.)

Work Text:

Percy tried not to stare as Annabeth argued with Luke, semi-pubicly, in front of camp. It was Friday again, meaning another game of Capture the Flag. Percy, as the only member of Cabin 3, had an alliance with the Apollo, Aphrodite, Demeter, Dionysus, and Hephestus cabins. The other team had Ares, Athena, and Hermes cabins. A very large change from usual teams, but the cabin leaders were insistent on the teams, or his side’s cabin leaders. 

“Hey, Percy!” Lee Fletcher comes up to him. “You ready?”

“Sure, what’s up with them?” He jerks his head toward the still-arguing couple. 

Lee rolls his eyes. “Several of the Hermes cabin members are threatening to not play or throw the game.”

“Why?”

Lee looks at him in shock. “Umm, because of last week?”

“Because of the Ares campers?”

“In part,” Lee settled down the bench beside him. “No one knew about Annabeth’s plan with you. Well, some people think Luke knew, but, even the other Cabin 6 members just knew that Annabeth had a plan.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Lee sighs. “Percy, the other campers are, well, scared and angry. Clarisse and her siblings were punished.” This Percy knew. The five Ares kids were being forced to sit out Capture the Flag games for the rest of the month. “Annabeth got away scot-free.”

“She didn’t really attack me though,” Percy shrugs. “What’s she supposed to be punished with?”

Lee frowns. “I suppose with no other cabin members, you don’t have to worry about this as much, but Percy, a cabin leader is responsible for protecting other campers, especially those in their cabins. Annabeth put you in danger, on purpose, for a game. She did not know who your father was. Your injuries weren’t life-threatening, but electrocution and blood loss are no joke. Percy, if you didn’t use the water to heal yourself, you’d have been in the infirmary for a few days.”

“Oh.”

“I’m surprised Chiron hasn’t given you the usual lecture on cabin leadership.”

“Chiron hasn’t really talked to me since the game. Not that I think it would have helped. His tour of camp and his half-answered questions were horrible when I arrived.”

“The video probably didn’t help.”

“What video?”

Lee looks almost angry. “You didn’t see the video!”

“No, why is-”

“What!” Everyone snaps around to look at Annabeth as she yells. “I don’t get it! I’m the best strategist here!”

Luke frowns. It looked like he was trying to placate the younger girl. “Annabeth, it’s just for now.” Practically all of camp had shut up to listen to the conversation. There would be no privacy for the two now. “The campers are making a fuss.”

“So, tell them to stop!”

Luke’s frown deepens. “Annabeth-”

“Oh, give it a rest Luke!” One of the current Cabin 11 residents snaps. Percy didn’t recognize her. 

Lee leans over. “That’s Adrianna Silva, daughter of Palaemon. He’s the god of-”

“Sharks and harbors. He serves in the Atlantian court.”

Lee blinks. “Huh, guess you know your sea deities.”

“Adrianna-”

The girl, Adrianna apparently, rolls her eyes and scoffs, interrupting Luke. “Tell her the truth, Luke. She’s almost thirteen now, she’s not a little kid.”

Annabeth frowns. “Tell me what?”

“No one trusts you, Chase.” Adrianna stands up to her full height. “You used a brand new camper as bait and don’t feel sorry at all. It’s a miracle that Lord Posideon isn’t demanding retribution for your actions. That kid could have been killed or seriously injured.”

“I came back!”

“After the attack started, and with no backup! Five Ares kids Annabeth, Five! You could have set up a trap for the campers, or arranged for backup to be ready. You didn’t!”

“What does that have to do with anything!” Annabeth looks furious. 

Adrianna clicks her tongue. “Look, I can’t speak for everyone, but can for myself. I don’t trust you. I won’t be participating in any plan you make up. I won’t be some sacrificial pawn for your success.”

Annabeth looks like she’s been slapped. “I-”

“I don’t want to get hurt again.” This time, it’s a short daughter of Hermes who speaks up. If Percy remembers correctly, the girl had just turned 10. She won’t look at Luke or Annabeth, her eyes fixed in the distance. “I got hurt. I broke an arm because of your plans, and you just told me I should be better. I don’t want to get hurt again.”

Percy frowns. Frankly, he hadn’t thought much about Annabeth’s plan after his claiming. Now that he thought about it, Annabeth said she wanted him for her team days before the game. That meant that Annabeth had known for days that she was using him for bait. She hadn’t said or asked anything. She’d been very nonchalant when he accused her before the hellhound attack. I didn’t surprise him that Annabeth had done something similar before. 

Luke shakes his head. “Lizzy, that was an accident.”

Lizzy curls in on herself a little. “ I didn’t feel like one to me.”

“Pollux apologized.” 

That seems to snap the girl out of it. “Yes, Pollux did, for an unplanned mistake. But it wasn’t unplanned to Annabeth.”

“Lizzy-”

“Luke!” Adrianna snaps her fingers, reclaiming everyone’s attention. “You’ve heard our demands. Either you get someone else to make the strategy, or we sit the game out.”

A throat clears, and Chiron steps into the middle of the conversation. “Adrianna, that is enough!”

The girl is barring her teeth at Chiron. They were sharper than normal. “No, it’s not. I come to camp to train and to be safe for a few months. This does not make me feel safe.”

“That does not mean you get to make such demands. You cannot sit out the game because of a petty squabble.”

“This isn’t petty! She’s gotten people hurt, for years, and you just pretend like it’s fine. Just because Annabeth is your favorite camper, doesn’t mean the rest of should be scared.”

“Adrianna!”

“I will sleep outside. I will sleep in a fucking canoe if I have to. I will even leave camp before I trust Annabeth Chase with my life. She had shown, more than once, that other people don’t matter so long as she gets the results she wants. This time was just the worst. Let’s just be glad that Lord Posideon’s children are so durable, otherwise we’d be dealing with a very angry sea god. Honestly, I’m amazed that camp has been dealing with a storm of some kind or some flooding after last week. History is riddled with tales of an overprotective sea god.”

Annabeth scoffs. “Who says Posideon even cares about Percy! He’s probably embarrassed by him!” Percy frowns and looks down at those words. Percy didn’t know if his father cared. 

Well, he got his answer pretty quickly. A few seconds after Annabeth’s words, the ground started to shake. A few younger campers scream as the shaking increases. Chiron, however, looks scared. 

Adrianna groans. “Great, now you’ve done it! You’ve pissed off one of the oldest and most powerful gods. Fantastic.”

That manages to snag Annabeth’s attention. “You said his name first.”

“I mentioned the god, I didn’t insult him or his children! Good lord, what is wrong with you!”

“I didn’t do anything wrong! You’re the one making problems up.”

“Of course,” Adrianna’s voice is dripping with sarcasm. “Little Annabeth never does anything wrong!”

“You all are the problem!”

“You’re just made because you’re finally being called out for your actions. After years of just getting away with rule-breaking, half of cabin 11 is calling you out!”

Annabeth rolls her eyes. “At least my parent claimed me.” A few people gasp at that “And at least my parent is important enough for a cabin. Unlike me, you’re stuck living as a guest in Cabin 11, because your father doesn’t matter!”

Camp is oddly quiet after that revelation. The ground almost seems to hesitate too, but returns, with even greater pressure after a second. 

“Annabeth!” She pales and shrinks under Chiron’s angry gaze. “Apology now!”

“What!”

“Oh my gods!” Lee groans next to me. His eyes snap toward one of his little sisters when she screams.

Percy could see why she did. He didn’t feel afraid of the earthquake, but the shaking had easily gone from a 4.5 to a 6 on the Richter scale. Which, apparently, he instinctively knew. Weird.

Lee darts over to his little sister. Percy instead fixes his gaze on the lake. “Hey, Dad? Lord Posideon? Could you tone down the shaking, please? I get it, you’re mad, and I’m mad too, but you’re scaring the kids. They don’t deserve to be punished because Annabeth is being stupid.”

“Hey!”

Percy ignores her. “Dad? Please?” A few seconds later the shaking decreases in intensity. After a minute, it stops altogether. “Thanks, Dad!” In response, a cool sea breeze, that smells of saltwater, ruffles his hair.

After a moment, Percy realizes all of camp is watching him. “What?”

Adrianna snorts. “You just talked down your father, who is known for his temper in mythology, from defending you?”

Percy shrugs. “Well, now I know he cares. Anyone can say what they want, but I know the truth.” He shifts his gaze back to Annabeth. The girl is trying to look defiant, but he can see the spark of fear in her eyes. “That, Annabeth, was a low blow. A very low blow.” 

She purses her lips, crosses her arms, and looks away. Percy rolls his eyes in response. “No offense, Chiron, but I don’t think tonights game is all that good of an idea.”

Lee nods. “I’m with Percy on this. Emotions are high, and so are tempers. It might be a good idea to let everyone cool off.”

Chiron looks back out at the beach front. “Capture the Flag is a tradition.”

Percy looks up, a ‘why me?’ expression on his face. “Well, I’m not going. Frankly, I’m turning in for the night.” He turns away from Chiron. “Hey, Adrianna, feel like moving into Cabin 3?”

She smirks. “Think your dad is ok with that?”

Percy shrugs. “I’ll ask.” In an overly exagerated manner, Percy puts his hands together, closes his eyes, and tilts his head up. “Oh, immortal father of mine,” Some of the children start to snigger. “May I move some people into Cabin 3? Pretty please?”

Percy stands there for a moment, peer open one eye, and looks around. “Well, I don’t feel any earthquakes. I think he’s ok with it.”

Adrianna snorts. “You are very immpertinent.”

Percy smiles. “I try.”

The two walk back towards cabin 11, leaving everyone else behind. After a moment, Connor Stoll starts to laugh. “I think Percy broke Chiron.”

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