𝑨𝑪𝑻 𝑻𝑾𝑶 ━ 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑺𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑵

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐎 carry the Oracle back to the attic and Iris thought it would be fun to follow them. Obviously, she didn't help. She leaned against the stair railing, smirking and watching the two idiots work, even though she had thought of helping, she didn't really want to. 

   "Watch her head!" Grover warned as they struggled up the stairs. Bonk! The Oracle's mummified face collided with the trapdoor frame, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

   "Ah, shit," Percy groaned, setting the Oracle down carefully and inspecting her face. "Did I break anything?"

   "I can't tell," Grover said, looking horrified and helpless.

Percy glanced back at Iris, who was busy picking her nails as if she didn't have a care in the world. "A little help?"

   "Nope," she replied, not even looking up.

With a sigh, they hauled the Oracle the rest of the way and plopped her onto her tripod stool. Both were huffing and sweaty by the time they were done.

   "Who knew a mummy could weigh so much?" Percy muttered, wiping his forehead.

The Oracle, as expected, sat silently, staring at nothing. Percy decided not to test his luck by asking her any more questions. He was relieved when they finally backed out of the attic and slammed the door shut behind them.

   "Well," Grover said, attempting a weak smile, "that was gross."

   "Tell me about it," said Iris.

   "You didn't even touch it!" said Percy only for Iris to smile innocently at him.

Percy sighed. The whole camp would probably blame him for losing capture the flag to the Hunters, and the Oracle's new prophecy had completely ignored him. It had even walked all the way to Zoe to deliver its message, leaving him out entirely.

And there was still no word about Annabeth.

   "What's Chiron going to do?" Percy asked Grover as they lingered on the landing.

   "I wish I knew," Grover said, staring wistfully out the second-floor window. Snow blanketed the hills outside, peaceful and quiet, in stark contrast to how Percy felt.

   "You're thinking about Annabeth, right?" Percy pressed. Iris pursed her lips and sighed.

Grover shifted uncomfortably, his hooves clopping against the wooden floor. His face turned red. "Oh, right. That too. Definitely."

Iris jabbed him in the side and Grover grunted, "Ow."

   "Why do I feel like there's more?" Percy asked, narrowing his eyes.

Grover avoided his gaze. "It's. . . something the manticore said. About the Great Stirring. I can't stop thinking about it. If all those ancient powers are waking up, maybe. . . maybe not all of them are evil."

   "You mean Pan," Percy said, realization dawning on him.

Grover's hopeful expression flickered, and Percy felt a pang of guilt. He'd been so caught up in his own problems that he'd completely forgotten about Grover's life goal. 

Pan, the nature god, had been missing for two thousand years. Most believed he was dead, but the satyrs refused to accept it. They were determined to find him, and Grover was convinced he'd be the one to succeed.

This year, though, Chiron had put all satyrs on emergency duty to find half-bloods, leaving Grover with no time to search for Pan. Percy could see how much it was eating at his friend.

   "I've let the trail go cold," Grover admitted, staring down at his hooves. "I feel restless, like I'm missing something really important. He's out there somewhere. I can just feel it."

Iris, who had been leaning against the banister, glanced up. "Grover... you'll be fine," she said reassuringly.

Percy looked like he wanted to say something to Grover but didn't. Iris rolled her eyes at him. 

Heavy footsteps echoed up the stairs, interrupting the moment. Thalia appeared at the top of the steps, still radiating irritation. She didn't even glance at Percy but fixed her stormy glare on Grover instead.

   "Tell Percy to get his ass downstairs," she ordered sharply.

   "Why?" Percy asked, unable to resist poking at her temper.

Thalia turned her sharp glare on Grover, ignoring Percy entirely. "Did he say something?"

   "Um," Grover stammered, "he asked why."

Thalia crossed her arms, sparks practically flying from her armor. "Dionysus is calling a council of cabin leaders to discuss the prophecy," she said, her voice dripping with frustration. "Unfortunately, that includes Percy."

Iris smirked at that, raising an eyebrow. "This should be fun," Percy just glared at her. "Do you not have anything to do Iris?"

   "Nope!"

𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐘 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋 her whatever they would discuss at the meeting, and to ensure she did learn what happened, she asked Silena to tell her when she came back to the cabins. She couldn't go to the meeting, obviously, because she isn't a cabin leader, yet. 

Iris had cornered Percy before the meeting, leaning casually against the cabin door with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. "You're going to tell me everything," she said in a mockingly sweet tone.

Percy frowned. "What?"

   "You heard me, Seaweed Brain." said Iris.

   "Yeah. Yeah, I will, whatever." replied Percy rolling his eyes. 

Iris shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll ask Silena too, just in case. She's good at sharing secrets."

Before Percy could respond, she walked away. The council was held around the Ping-Pong table in the rec room. Dionysus sat at the head, lazily waving his hand to summon snacks.

Chiron, seated next to him in his wheelchair, frowned. "Wine is against your restrictions, and most of us are underage."

Dionysus sighed dramatically, snapping his fingers. The wine transformed into Diet Coke, which no one touched either.

Zoe and Bianca di Angelo sat at the other end of the table. Bianca looked different—her dark hair was now neatly braided like Zoe's. Thalia, Grover, and Percy took seats along one side, while Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, and the Stoll brothers sat opposite.

The Ares cabin was absent—its members were all recovering in the infirmary after sustaining injuries during capture the flag, courtesy of the Hunters.

   "This is pointless," Zoe began, her tone impatient.

   "Cheez Whiz!" Grover exclaimed, grabbing crackers and spraying them with the topping as though this were the highlight of his day.

Zoe ignored him. "There is no time for talk. Our goddess needs us. The Hunters must leave immediately."

   "And go where?" Chiron asked.

   "West!" Bianca said, her voice firm.

Percy blinked, surprised at how much confidence she radiated. She'd changed so much in just a few days with the Hunters.

   "You heard the prophecy," Bianca continued. "Six shall go west to the goddess in chains. We can get six Hunters and go."

   "Yes," Zoe agreed. "Artemis is being held hostage! We must find her and free her."

   "You're missing something, as usual," Thalia interjected. "Campers and Hunters combined prevail. We're supposed to do this together."

   "No!" Zoe shot back. "The Hunters do not need thy help."

   "Thy," Thalia repeated with an exasperated sigh. "Nobody has said thy in like three hundred years, Zoe. Get with the times."

Zoe hesitated, her frustration visible as she tried to adapt. "Yerrr... we do not need yerrr help."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Forget it."

Chiron cleared his throat. "I fear the prophecy says you do need our help. Campers and Hunters must cooperate."

Dionysus, meanwhile, swirled his Diet Coke like it was fine wine. "Or do they? One shall be lost. One shall perish. That sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? What if you fail because you try to cooperate?"

Chiron shot him a sharp look. "Mr. D, with all due respect, whose side are you on?"

Dionysus raised his eyebrows, feigning innocence. "Sorry, my dear centaur. Just trying to be helpful."

   "We're supposed to work together," Thalia said, her voice firm. "I don't like it either, Zoe, but you know prophecies. You want to fight against one?"

Zoe grimaced, clearly frustrated but unable to argue with Thalia's logic.

   "We must not delay," Chiron warned. "Today is Sunday. This very Friday, December twenty-first, is the winter solstice."

   "Oh, joy," Dionysus muttered. "Another dull annual meeting."

   "Artemis must be present at the solstice," Zoe said. "She has been one of the most vocal in arguing for action against Kronos's minions. If she is absent, the gods will decide nothing. We will lose another year of war preparations."

   "Are you suggesting that the gods have trouble acting together, young lady?" Dionysus asked, raising an eyebrow.

   "Yes, Lord Dionysus," Zoe replied flatly.

Dionysus nodded approvingly. "Just checking. You're right, of course. Carry on."

   "I must agree with Zoe," Chiron said, his tone grave. "Artemis's presence at the winter council is critical. We have only a week to find her. And possibly even more important: to locate the monster she was hunting. Now, we must decide who goes on this quest."

   "Three and three," Percy said suddenly.

All eyes turned to him. Even Thalia stopped ignoring him long enough to look. "We're supposed to have six," Percy explained, feeling the weight of their attention. "Three Hunters, three from Camp Half-Blood. That's fair."

Thalia and Zoe exchanged glances.

   "Well," Thalia admitted. "It does make sense."

Zoe grunted, her expression still displeased. "I would prefer to take all the Hunters. We will need strength of numbers."

   "You'll be retracing the goddess's path," Chiron reminded Zoe, his tone serious. "Moving quickly. No doubt Artemis tracked the scent of this rare monster, whatever it is, as she moved west. You will have to do the same. The prophecy was clear: The bane of Olympus shows the trail. What would your mistress say? 'Too many Hunters spoil the scent.' A small group is best."

Zoe picked up a Ping-Pong paddle, turning it over in her hands like she was contemplating who deserved to be hit with it first. "This monster—the bane of Olympus. I have hunted at Lady Artemis's side for many years, yet I have no idea what this beast might be."

Everyone turned to Dionysus, probably because he was the only real 'god' present, and gods were supposed to know these things.

He sighed, setting aside his wine magazine. "Well, don't look at me. I'm a young god, remember? I don't keep track of all those ancient monsters and dusty titans. They make for terrible party conversation."

   "Chiron," Percy said, unable to hold back his curiosity, "you don't have any ideas about the monster?"

Chiron's face grew even more serious. "I have several ideas, none of them good. And none of them quite make sense. Typhon, for instance, could fit this description. He was truly a bane of Olympus. Or the sea monster Keto. But if either of these were stirring, we would know it. They are ocean monsters the size of skyscrapers. Your father, Poseidon, would already have sounded the alarm. I fear this monster may be more elusive. Perhaps even more powerful."

   "That's some serious danger you're facing," Connor Stoll remarked, his tone light but his words grim. "Sounds like at least two of the six are going to die."

   "One shall be lost in the land without rain," Beckendorf said grimly. "If I were any of you, I'd stay out of the desert."

There was a murmur of agreement around the table. "And the Titan's curse must two withstand," Silena added, frowning. "What could that mean?"

Chiron and Zoe exchanged a nervous glance but didn't elaborate. "One shall perish by a parent's hand," Grover mumbled, pausing in his snack of Cheez Whiz-covered Ping-Pong balls. "How is that possible? Whose parent would kill them?"

A very heavy silence fell over the group.

Percy glanced at Thalia, wondering if she was thinking the same thing he was. Years ago, Chiron had prophesied that the next child of the Big Three—Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades—who turned sixteen would face a choice that could save or destroy the gods forever. Despite their oath to have no more children, Percy and Thalia had been born anyway, and both were now fifteen.

   "There will be deaths," Chiron finally said, breaking the tension. "That much we do know."

   "Oh, goody!" Dionysus said with mock enthusiasm.

All eyes turned to him. Dionysus glanced up innocently from his magazine. "Ah, pinot noir is making a comeback. Don't mind me."

   "Percy is right," Silena said. "Three campers should go."

Zoe's eyes narrowed. "Oh, I see. And I suppose you wish to volunteer?"

Silena blushed. "I'm not going anywhere with the Hunters. Don't look at me—maybe Iris, but not me!"

   "A daughter of Aphrodite does not wish to be looked at," Zoe scoffed. "What would thy mother say?"

Silena crossed her arms, her tone sharp. "Don't you remember the prophecy? Love shall seek refuge in vain. Obviously, it's about Aphrodite."

Percy tensed, fully expecting Iris to charge into the room and start an argument with Zoe, but she wasn't there. Instead, the Stoll brothers exchanged amused looks, clearly thinking of how Iris would have handled the situation if she'd been present.

   "Stop it," Beckendorf said, his deep voice commanding silence. "Let's start with the Hunters. Which three of you will go?"

Zoe stood, her posture firm. "I shall go, of course, and I will take Phoebe. She is our best tracker."

   "The big girl who likes to hit people on the head?" Travis Stoll asked cautiously.

Zoe nodded.

   "The one who put the fucking arrows in my helmet?" Connor added. Chiron cleared his throat and glared at Connor.

   "Yes," Zoe said sharply. "Why?"

   "Oh, nothing," Travis said, holding up a T-shirt from the camp store. It read ARTEMIS THE MOON GODDESS, FALL HUNTING TOUR 2002, with all the national parks underneath. "It's a collector's item. She was kinda admiring it. You want to give it to her?"

Zoe hesitated, clearly unfamiliar with the Stolls' antics. She took the T-shirt with a sigh. "As I was saying, I will take Phoebe. And I wish Bianca to go."

Bianca's eyes widened. "Me? But why... I'm so new. I wouldn't be any good."

   "You will do fine," Zoe insisted. "There is no better way to prove thyself."

Bianca's face tightened as she considered her words.

   "And for campers?" Chiron asked, his gaze lingering on Percy.

   "Me!" Grover shot out of his seat, scattering crumbs. "Anything to help Artemis!"

Zoe wrinkled her nose. "I think not, satyr. You are not even a half-blood."

   "But he is a camper," Thalia pointed out. "And he's got satyr senses and woodland magic. Can you play a tracker's song yet, Grover?"

   "Absolutely!" Grover said, his enthusiasm unshaken.

Zoe hesitated, then finally relented. "Very well. And the second camper?"

   "I'll go." Thalia stood, her determination clear in her voice.

   "Whoa, wait a sec," Percy interjected. "I want to go too." Thalia stayed silent, while Chiron's eyes, heavy with concern, lingered on Percy.

   "Oh," Grover said, suddenly realizing the dilemma. "Whoa, yeah, I forgot! Percy has to go. I didn't mean... I'll stay. Percy should go in my place."

   "He cannot," Zoe said firmly. "He is a boy. I won't have Hunters traveling with a boy."

   "You travelled here with me," Percy reminded her as if it were obvious.

   "That was a short-term emergency ordered by the goddess. I will not go across the country and face dangers in the company of a boy."

   "What about Grover?" Percy demanded.

Zoe shrugged dismissively. "He does not count. He is a satyr, not technically a boy."

   "Hey!" Grover protested.

   "I have to go," Percy insisted. "I need to be on this quest."

Silena stood suddenly, her voice cutting through the tension. "Maybe an Aphrodite child should go? The prophecy did say something about love."

   "Like Iris?" someone asked.

   "She's not here right now," Silena said, shaking her head. "But she would be the best camper for this."

Zoe sighed and looked at Bianca. "Is Iris the one we were with on the way here?"

   "Yes!" said Thalia.

   "Fine, the Aphrodite girl can come," said Zoe, she whispered to herself, "Though we won't get along."

Silena looked surprised but gave a small, triumphant smile, clearly ignoring Zoe's whisper.

   "But," Zoe added firmly, raising her voice to address the group. "I insist upon this. I will take a satyr if I must, but not a male hero."

Chiron sighed deeply, the weight of the situation apparent in his expression. "The quest is for Artemis. The Hunters should be allowed to approve their companions."

Percy sat down heavily, his ears ringing. He felt the sympathetic gazes of Grover and some of the others, but he couldn't bring himself to look at them.

   "So be it," Chiron concluded. "Thalia, Grover, and Iris will accompany Zoe, Bianca, and Phoebe. You shall leave at first light. And may the gods"—he cast a pointed glance at Dionysus, who pretended not to notice—"present company included, we hope, be with you."

Zoe gave a curt nod, while the others silently exchanged uncertain glances. Percy stared down at his hands, the sting of being left behind gnawing at him. 

𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐀 𝐓𝐎𝐋𝐃 her, she was mad at the leader for mentioning her name without her knowing. But now that she was chosen to go on the quest with the Hunters, she really had no idea what she would do.

   "They fucking what?" she snapped, her voice echoing in the cabin.

Silena flinched but tried to keep her composure as the others walked out scared. "I only mentioned you because the prophecy mentioned 'love,' and you seemed like a good choice! I didn't think Zoe would actually agree—"

   "Without telling me first?" Iris interrupted, her anger sparking like a live wire. She paced the room, her fists clenched. "Now I have to go on a quest with the Hunters, who can't even stand me! Do you know how unbearable that's going to be?"

Silena stepped back, looking sheepish. "I thought you'd want to go. You're always talking about how quests are important and Thalia is going—"

   "Yeah, with people I like!" Iris groaned, running a hand through her hair. She paused, then muttered to herself, "What am I even supposed to do with a group that hates me on sight and Thalia, she's gonna get them to hate us even more?"

Silena crossed her arms, frowning. "Well, it's not like you can back out now. They already made the decision. And besides, you might surprise yourself. You're good in a crisis. Just... try to get along with Zoe, okay?"

Iris snorted, shaking her head. "Sure. Let me just become best friends with someone who thinks my mom is the worse, sorry mom."

Iris stormed across the campgrounds. She didn't bother knocking when she reached the Poseidon cabin, shoving the door open, then closing it behind with a slam.

Percy looked up from where he was sprawled on his bunk, tossing Riptide into the air and catching it absentmindedly.

   "You're just lounging here?" Iris snapped, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed.

Percy blinked at her, sitting up. "Uh, hi to you too? What's your problem?"

   "My problem," Iris said, stepping inside and letting the door slam behind her, "is that I just got roped into a quest I didn't even agree to, and now I find out you're not even going?"

Percy frowned, standing now. "Yeah, because Zoe won't let me. Something about 'boys not being allowed.' Believe me, I tried."

   "Try harder," she shot back.

His eyes narrowed. "What?"

   "You heard me," Iris said, her voice rising. "You're supposed to go, everyone knows this. Do something? Talk to Chiron?"

Percy's face flushed. "Do you think I don't want to go? Zoe made it clear I'm not welcome. And Chiron backed her up. What am I supposed to do, fight my way onto the team?"

   "Maybe!" Iris shot back. "If you cared enough, you would."

Percy took a step closer, his frustration bubbling over. "You don't get it, do you? I care about this. About Annabeth. About saving Artemis. But it's not my choice! And guess what? Not everything is about you and what you want!"

The words stung more than she expected, and for a moment, Iris was silent, her breathing heavy. The tension crackled between them, and Percy took a step back, running a hand through his hair. 

Iris couldn't believe what he had just said. She didn't even think of herself when she had walked in, she just knew that if he wouldn't come on the quest, it wouldn't work. 

   "I didn't mean—" he started, but she cut him off.

   "Forget it," she said, her voice tight. She turned toward the door but paused. Without looking back, she added, "For what it's worth, I thought you'd fight harder. Guess I was wrong."

Iris reached for the door, but before she could pull it open, Percy was suddenly behind her. His hand shot out, slamming the door shut with more force than she expected. The echo of the impact hung in the air.

She whirled around, confused, her brows furrowing. "What the fuck are you doing?"

   "You don't get to storm out like that," Percy said. His sea-green eyes blazed as he leaned against the door, blocking her way.

   "Excuse me?" Iris snapped, placing a firm hand on his chest and pushing him back. He barely budged.

Percy said, his tone steady now, though his jaw was tight. "Don't run off just because you didn't like what I said, I'm sorry—."

Her confusion morphed into anger, and she took a step closer, jabbing a finger at his chest. "Oh, I didn't like what you said? How about you don't like hearing the truth—that maybe you're not trying as hard as you should!"

Percy let out a humourless laugh, stepping forward so there was almost no space between them. "You think this is easy for me? That I'm okay with sitting back while Annabeth is still missing? You don't know what it's like to feel powerless!"

Her glare softened for a fraction of a second before she shook her head, refusing to back down. "You think I wanted to be dragged into this? Silena threw my name in without even asking me! And now I'm stuck going on this quest with people who don't even want me there—"

   "You think I don't know what that feels like?" Percy interrupted, his voice rising. 

Their voices overlapped and then silence fell as they both realized how close they were standing. Neither backed away, their breathing heavy as they stared each other down.

Iris's heart was racing. She noticed the way Percy's fists were clenched at his sides, like he was holding himself back, and the way his jaw tightened as his gaze locked with hers.

For a moment, it felt like the cabin walls were closing in on them, the air thick with everything unsaid.

Percy finally stepped back, his shoulders sagging. "Just go, I'll find a way of coming, you know that," he said, his voice quieter now. "But don't act like I don't care."

Iris hesitated, her hand hovering over the door handle. She glanced back at him, her expression unreadable, before shaking her head. "I know nut maybe you should show it more, then."

Without another word, she yanked the door open and walked out, leaving Percy alone in his cabin.

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❪ ៸ 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 ━━━━━ ! ﹆◞ ❫
━━━━━
━━━━━ . . .
❪ . . . the 7th chapter for act 2 of LOVE STORY everyone, 😘😘 ❫
❪ . . . PERCY AND IRIS SCENEEEE 😆😆😆 This is about 4k words ❫
❪ . . . PLEASE tell me how you guys feel about it ??❫
❪ . . .PLEASE don't be a ghost reader, comment and vote, I love to reply to everyone and interact with my readers, love all of you darlings <33 ❫