Princess Andromeda, Part III
Percy and Annabeth followed Luke, though it was not as if they had much of a choice; the two bear-men and Alison kept a constant, watchful eye on them.
They took the elevator down to what seemed to be the lowest level of the ship. The moment they stepped out, they noticed a large number of people moving through the area. Some of them stared openly at Percy, and he recognized several as the same boys he had fought the day Luke took them with him.
Farther ahead, the constant sound of metal clashing echoed through the space, mixed with shouted battle cries. As they walked, the noise grew louder and more intense.
When they passed through a set of doors, they finally saw what it all was. Dozens of young fighters were training relentlessly, either sparring with one another or striking training dummies that wore the distinctive Camp Half-Blood shirt. And that was not all. Among them were monsters, helping with the training or acting as opponents. These were not battles to the death. They were something far stranger; an uneasy alliance between demigods and monsters.
There were hellhounds, dracaenae, harpies, and many other creatures that belonged to no human or demigod training ground.
“Why are they together?” Annabeth could not help but ask as she took it all in.
“And why wouldn’t they be?” Luke replied calmly. “After all, we’re all children of the gods, aren’t we?” he added, before his tone darkened. “Abandoned children of the gods.”
“Isn’t it the same with Tyson?” Luke said, turning and pointing toward a corner of the room.
There, they could see Tyson, wearing a rather cheerful smile as he worked on a strange circular object, surrounded by several Laestrygonians.
“Tyson, are you okay?” Percy asked immediately.
Tyson lifted his head from his work and looked at his brother, raising both thumbs proudly.
“Almost done, Percy,” he said with a wide grin.
“Great,” Percy replied, returning a faint smile and giving him a thumbs-up as well.
Annabeth watched the two of them for a moment and could not help narrowing her eyes, though she quickly returned to a neutral expression so as not to give anything away.
“He seems quite comfortable here; his skills as a master craftsman are far more appreciated,” Luke commented, noticing nothing out of the ordinary.
“I need something with more energy. Can you lend me a fireball?” Tyson asked the nearest Laestrygon.
The creature nodded without hesitation and pulled out a large metallic sphere. He blew lightly on it, and it burst into flames before he handed it over.
Tyson took the sphere without difficulty, showing no sign of pain, and slowly placed it at the center of the object he was building.
“You more than anyone know how horrific the gods can be, Percy Jackson,” Luke said seriously, fixing his gaze on him. “You saw it with your own eyes. You suffered it firsthand when Zeus blamed you for the master bolt. Ares nearly killed you, and your father did nothing.”
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“The bolt you stole?” Percy replied, staring straight back at him.
Luke smiled faintly.
“That part is true. That was my fault. But even so, do you really think Zeus would have let you live? You are one of the children of the Big Three,” he said coldly. “He even buried his own daughter in a curse, because that is what it was. I know about the confrontation you will face against Olympus’ champion, Percy. So tell me, why do you keep trying to save the enemy camp?”
Luke took another step closer.
“Do you know the saying? The enemy of my enemy is my friend. You can join me and the Titans. The gods would be attacked on two fronts they could not stop. Join us, and you will live in the world they create; a world where demigods and monsters can be allies. Where they are respected for who they are and what they can do,” he said, his tone carrying a sense of superiority.
“And where do humans fit into that?” Percy asked, meeting his gaze directly.
That brought complete silence from Luke.
“If a war between the Olympians and the Titans happens, not many survive, right?” Annabeth added seriously. “And even if they do, like in the past, they will only live as food for the Titans. Their slaves. Nothing more.”
“There is nothing that can be done,” Luke replied without hesitation. “It may be a decision many will hate, but it is the best one. And I am willing to make it, even if it means the end of humanity as it exists now.”
“And the camp? You know they will never surrender. Will you destroy them too?” Percy asked. “Your brothers. Your family.”
Luke’s expression turned cold.
“They are no longer my family,” Luke said without looking away. “When the barrier falls, many of the smartest will understand that they cannot stand against us and will join us. That is why they will be spared. Then they will be able to belong to what is now my family.”
Luke raised both hands.
All the demigods and monsters stopped and nodded, positioning themselves behind him as they stared at Percy and Annabeth.
“You can join me, Percy. You can join us,” Luke said with a smile. “It does not matter that you are a son of Poseidon, or the student of an entity that stood against Zeus. We want you because you yourself have shown a potential greater than anyone else’s. Because you are who you are. And because you hate the gods as much as we do.”
Percy stared at him in complete silence. To everyone watching, it looked as if he were hesitating. His gaze slowly swept over every person present; and there were many of them.
Percy opened his mouth at last, while Luke waited for his answer.
“Tyson, are you done?” Percy asked instead of replying to Luke.
“Oh. Yeah. I’m done,” Tyson answered with a calm smile as he stepped away without any hurry.
That confused everyone, Luke included.
“What is that?” Luke asked seriously.
Tyson paused for a moment, completely unfazed, and looked at him.
“A fire rune bomb,” he said.
Then the sphere gave a soft click before detonating in a massive explosion of flame that engulfed everything around it in an instant.
Percy moved immediately, throwing himself in front of Annabeth to shield her with his own body. Around them, several were sent flying by the blast; others, with faster reflexes, managed to throw themselves to the ground. Amid the flames, Tyson walked forward without any difficulty, moving effortlessly through the fire, straight toward Percy, who was busy extinguishing the flames on his jacket.
Percy lifted his gaze and looked at Luke, who was completely stunned by the explosion, just like everyone else.
“Well, I think that should count as a rejection,” Percy said, before turning and sprinting away with Annabeth and Tyson.
“Rip them apart!” Alison shouted as she struggled to her feet, still dazed and burning with fury, already giving chase. Luke remained on the ground, clearly in pain, part of his hair scorched.
Alison, followed by the bear brothers, Oreius and Agrius, whose fur was also badly singed, pursued them, but they were too late. The three had already taken advantage of the chaos, boarded a lifeboat, and were blasted away from the ship using a device that released powerful gusts of wind; one Hermes had given them.
“Aaaargh!” Alison screamed in rage as she watched them escape, her hatred sharpening into something truly lethal.
A laugh echoed behind her. Alison turned around.
Luke was standing there, looking in the same direction, laughing with clear amusement.
“Do not let his foolish behavior and stupid personality fool you. He has not survived this long by accident,” Luke said calmly.
Then he turned away, and for an instant his smile darkened.
“No matter how much you run, we will meet again, one way or another, when that day comes,” he added, before continuing on his way, Oreius and Agrius following close behind.
