Percy Jackson - Beyond the Gods

"You will sail with bone warriors in an iron ship,

What you seek, you will find, and it will be yours.

But without hope, you will say, 'I bury my life in stone.'

Without friends, you will fail and, flying alone, you will return."

The explanation of this prophecy was simpler than the one when she went to the Underworld.

And as it was with the mission destined for Clarisse, everything involved her.

She sailed on a Confederate ship, which had skeletal warriors; she found the Golden Fleece, which was given to her by him to return; Polyphemus trapped Grover and Clarisse in his cave with a giant stone. The daughter of Ares needed Annabeth, Tyson, and Grover to reach her goal and to fly back to Camp Half-Blood. She made her flight alone, as there was only money for one ticket.

Walking along the beach of Camp Half-Blood at night, Percy thought about the prophecy and everything he had gone through that summer.

He remembered his fight against the two Colchian Bulls, made by Hephaestus, which had invaded the camp upon his arrival—something that shouldn't have happened due to the camp's magical protections. But Thalia's Tree, which was supposed to protect the camp from invaders, had been poisoned by an unknown intruder—which later turned out to be Luke's doing.

Thanks to his help, Tyson managed to knock out one of the bulls, while Clarisse dealt with the other.

The memories flashed in his mind, of when he discovered that Tyson was a Cyclops and also a son of Poseidon, even being claimed by him at the camp. The campers then began to tease him, leaving him quite embarrassed for having a "monster" as a brother. Something he deeply regretted...

He let out a sigh and thought about how difficult this summer had been. Chiron had been fired from his job for being suspected of poisoning the tree, as he was a son of Cronus. He was replaced by Tantalus in charge of activities, a man summoned from the Fields of Punishment.

That stupid man tried to revive an ancient chariot race tradition.

Annabeth and he teamed up, but the competition was interrupted when the camp was attacked by Stymphalian Birds. With the help of Annabeth and Tyson, the three managed to contain the attack, but Tantalus accused them of tormenting the birds with their "terrible chariot driving."

Clarisse was the winner of a solo race, as the other competitors abandoned the race midway to help the campers who were being attacked. She immediately became Tantalus's favorite demigod, who ordered a party and celebration for her triumph.

At the same time, he sentenced her, along with Annabeth and Tyson, to kitchen tasks. While they washed dishes in place of the harpies, he explained to Annabeth his dream, talking about his empathic connection with Grover and knowing that the satyr was in danger.

The two immediately went after Tantalus and asked for a mission in front of the whole camp, telling him that it would be possible to save the Tree using the Golden Fleece. It wasn't easy, but the campers helped pressure Tantalus until he finally gave in: sending Clarisse to visit the Oracle, and the daughter of Ares arranged this mission.

Annabeth, Tyson, and he obviously didn't stay idle and escaped with divine help to go after Grover, who was involved in this mission somehow. They sailed through the Sea of Monsters and went through a lot before getting the Golden Fleece, Luke was involved in everything, and it was then that they received terrible news...

He learned the reason for his best friend's disappearance.

He remembered how he made the Son of Hermes confess his crimes against the Camp in front of Dionysus and the other campers in order to bring Chiron back to his position, using the Iris Message. At that time, he was trapped with his friends and at the mercy of the Son of Hermes, who was furious when he realized he had been deceived like that.

"Percy. You're lucky we didn't give you the same gift we gave to Ikki..."

He fought with all his strength with Luke, furious after hearing that, fearing that something had happened to the son of Zeus, but the Son of Hermes merely revealed that whatever happened to his friend, he would never be the same, and he doubted the boy would come back anytime soon... He became desperate hearing this, and the worst part was that no one had seen Ikki, not even the Gods knew where he was, according to Dionysus—who told him this as thanks for bringing Chiron back to his position.

"I hope he's okay, Ikki..." He murmured, clenching his fists.

...

The next morning, Chiron made a surprise announcement: the chariot races would take place as scheduled. Everyone had thought they would be postponed since Tantalus was gone, but completing them seemed like the right thing to do, especially now that the immortal centaur was back, and the camp was safe.

Tyson wasn't too enthusiastic about the idea of getting in a chariot again after the first experience, and he was happy to let Percy form a team with Annabeth.

Although not very excited, Percy was going to drive the chariot, Annabeth would defend, and Tyson would act as the pit stop mechanic.

While he worked with the horses, Tyson fixed Athena's chariot and added a whole package of special modifications.

They spent the next two days training like crazy. Annabeth and Percy agreed that, if they won, the prize of not having to work in the kitchen for an entire month would be divided between their two cabins.

Since Athena had more campers, she would have the biggest share of the time off, which, for Percy, was fine—he didn't care about the prize. He just wanted to win.

The next morning, everyone was whispering about the chariot race, although they nervously looked up at the sky as if expecting to see Stymphalian Birds gathering. None appeared. It was a beautiful summer day, with a blue sky and lots of sunshine.

The camp began to look the way it should: the meadows were green and lush; the white columns gleamed in the Greek buildings; dryads played joyfully in the woods.

As Annabeth and Percy walked to the track, they couldn't help but admire the work Tyson had done on Athena's chariot.

The chariot gleamed with its bronze reinforcements. The wheels had been realigned with a magical suspension that slid without a bump. The horses' harness was so perfectly balanced that the pair turned at the lightest tug of the reins. Tyson made two darts for them, each with three buttons on the handle. The first button prepared the dart to explode on impact, releasing barbed wire that would tangle in the wheels of an opponent's chariot and shred them. The second button created a blunt bronze tip (but still very painful) designed to knock out the driver. The third button would produce a harpoon that could be used to lock the enemy's chariot or push it away.

Percy calculated that with this chariot, they were in excellent condition for the race, but Tyson still warned him to be careful.

The teams from the other chariots had tricks up their sleeves to pull from their cloaks.

"Here..." Tyson said just before the race began, handing something to Percy, a wristwatch. There was nothing special about it—just a white and silver dial and a black leather strap—but as soon as he saw it, he realized it was what his brother had been working on all summer.

Percy didn't usually wear a watch. What's the point of knowing the time? But he couldn't say no to Tyson, so he put it in his pocket, realizing it was light and comfortable while thanking him, "Thanks, partner..."

"I couldn't finish it in time for the trip..." Tyson murmured apologetically, "Sorry, sorry..."

"Hey, man. It's not important."

"If you need protection in the race..." he advised, "Press the button."

"Oh, cool!" Percy didn't see how knowing the time could help him in a race, but he was moved that Tyson had cared. He promised himself that he would remember the watch, took a deep breath, and tried to speak, "And... hey, um, Tyson..."

The boy looked at him.

"I just wanted to say, well..." Percy tried to think of how he could apologize for feeling embarrassed by his brother before the mission, for telling everyone that he wasn't his real brother. It wasn't easy to find the words.

"I know what you're going to say..." Tyson said, looking embarrassed, "Poseidon, in the end, cared about me."

"Uh, well..."

"He sent you to help me." Seeing Percy's confusion, Tyson explained, "Exactly what I asked for."

Percy blinked, confused.

"You asked... me to Poseidon?"

"I asked for a friend..." Tyson said, twisting his shirt in his hands, "Young cyclopes grow up alone on the streets, learning to do things with scraps. They learn to survive..."

"But that's so cruel!" Percy exclaimed, feeling even worse for treating his brother that way.

He shook his head resolutely.

"That makes us appreciate our blessings, not be greedy, bad, and fat like Polyphemus. But I was scared. The monsters chased me so much that sometimes they hurt me with their claws..."

"The scars on your back?" Percy murmured, remembering seeing them a few times while being with his brother.

Tears welled up in the boy's eyes.

"The Sphinx on Seventy-Two Street. Big troublemaker. I asked Dad for help. Soon the Meriwether people found me. I met you. The greatest blessing of all. I'm sorry I said Poseidon was bad. He sent me a brother."

Percy looked at the watch his brother gave him, wondering what to say, if Ikki were here, he would know what to do in this situation. He was better at this than him...

"Percy!" Annabeth called, pulling him from his thoughts, "Let's go!"

Chiron was at the starting line, ready to blow the conch.

"Tyson..." Percy said, swallowing hard.

"Go..." Tyson said, shaking his head and smiling, "You'll win!"

"I... yeah, right, big guy. We'll win this for you..." In the end, all he could say was that, Percy climbed onto the chariot and got in position just as Chiron blew the starting signal.

The horses knew what to do.

They sped down the track so fast that Percy would have fallen from the chariot if his arms hadn't wrapped around the leather reins. Annabeth held tightly onto the railing.

The wheels slid beautifully.

They slid beautifully into the first turn, with a whole chariot's lead over Clarisse, who was busy trying to defend herself from a dart attack from the Stoll brothers in Hermes' chariot.

"We got them..." Percy yelled, but it was too soon.

"They're coming!" Annabeth yelled. She threw her first dart in harpoon mode, throwing a net with lead weights that would have entangled both of them.

Here is the continuation of the translation:

The chariot of Apollo had arrived next to ours. Before Annabeth could arm herself again, the charioteer of Apollo threw a dart at their right wheel. The dart shattered, but not before it broke one of the spokes.

The chariot swerved sharply and wobbled.

Percy was almost sure the wheel would disintegrate completely, but somehow they kept going. He urged the horses to maintain their speed.

Now, they were neck and neck with Apollo's chariot, with Hephaestus not far behind. Ares and Hermes were falling behind, side by side as Clarisse faced Connor Stoll in a sword vs. dart battle. If they were hit again in the wheel, they would flip.

"You're mine!" yelled Apollo's charioteer. He was a first-year camper. Percy couldn't remember his name, but he certainly had confidence.

"Oh, yeah?" Annabeth yelled back mockingly. She grabbed the second dart—a big risk considering they still had a full lap ahead—and threw it at Apollo's charioteer.

The aim was perfect.

The blunt tip hit just as the dart struck the charioteer in the chest, knocking him onto his partner and sending both tumbling out of the chariot in a backflip. The horses felt the reins loosen and went wild, galloping straight into the crowd. Campers ran for cover as the horses passed the edge of the stands, and the golden chariot flipped over.

The animals galloped back to the stables, dragging the overturned chariot behind them.

Percy managed to keep their chariot intact through the second turn despite the groans of the right wheel.

They crossed the starting line and entered the final lap.

The axle creaked and squealed. The unstable wheel was causing them to lose speed, although the horses responded to every command, running like a well-oiled machine.

Hephaestus' team was still advancing.

Beckendorf smiled as he pressed a button on his control panel. Steel cables shot out from the front of his mechanical horses, wrapping around the back of Annabeth and Percy's chariot. The chariot jolted when Beckendorf's winch system engaged, pulling them backward while Beckendorf was pulled forward.

Annabeth cursed and drew her knife. She slashed at the cables, but they were too thick.

"I can't cut them!" she yelled...

Hephaestus' chariot was now dangerously close, the horses about to crush them under their hooves.

"Switch with me!" Percy said to Annabeth, thinking about what Ikki would do in this situation. He said, "Grab the reins!"

"But..."

"Trust me!"

She moved to the front and grabbed the reins, seeing the confident look in Percy's eyes, the image of Ikki briefly reflected in him...

Percy turned, struggling to maintain his balance, unsheathed his faithful sword, Riptide, and slashed downward, severing the cables like kite string. They were thrown forward, but Beckendorf's charioteer simply swerved left, positioning his chariot beside theirs. Beckendorf drew his sword. He swung at Annabeth, and the son of Poseidon blocked it.

They entered the final curve, but at this rate, they wouldn't make it. Percy knew he needed to destabilize Hephaestus' chariot and get it out of the way, but he also had to protect Annabeth. Beckendorf was a good guy, but that didn't mean he wouldn't send them both to the infirmary if they let their guard down.

The two chariots were neck and neck, Clarisse catching up from behind, regaining lost time.

"See you later, Percy!" Beckendorf shouted with a grin on his face. "Here's a little parting gift!"

He threw a leather pouch into his chariot. It immediately stuck to the floor and started releasing green smoke.

"Greek fire!" Annabeth yelled in alarm.

Percy cursed. He had heard stories about what Greek fire could do. He calculated they had maybe ten seconds before it exploded.

"Get rid of it!" Annabeth screamed as he was lost in thought.

But he couldn't, Hephaestus' chariot was still beside them, waiting until the last second to make sure their little gift would explode. Beckendorf kept him busy with his sword. If Percy lowered his guard long enough to deal with the Greek fire, Annabeth would be sliced, and they'd both be wrecked one way or another.

All he could think of was trying to kick the leather pouch away, but it was stuck tight.

In this situation, Percy remembered the watch. He didn't know how it could help, but he managed to press the button on the stopwatch. In an instant, the watch transformed. It expanded, the metal rim spinning outward like the shutter of an old camera, and a leather strap wrapped around his forearm until he was holding a round shield, about a meter and a half in diameter, the inside lined with soft leather, the outside polished bronze, with engravings he didn't have time to examine.

All he could think was that his watch was just like his friend's, a shield to protect others. He knew Tyson had done well creating something like this.

He raised the shield, and Beckendorf's sword rang out against it. Its blade shattered.

"What?" Beckendorf yelled, shocked. "How..."

He didn't have time to say anything else because Percy hit him in the chest with his new shield, sending him flying off the chariot and rolling through the dust.

Percy was about to use Riptide to strike the charioteer when Annabeth shouted, "Percy!"

The Greek fire was sparking, and Percy quickly shoved the tip of his sword under the leather pouch and used it like a spatula. The incendiary bomb dislodged and flew into Hephaestus' chariot, landing at the charioteer's feet.

He let out a yelp.

In an instant, the charioteer made the right choice: he dove out of the chariot, which swerved diagonally and exploded in green flames. The metal horses seemed to short-circuit.

They veered off and dragged the burning wreckage toward Clarisse and the Stoll brothers, who had to swerve to avoid them.

Annabeth pulled the reins for the last curve.

Percy hung on, sure they were about to flip, but somehow she managed to keep going and guided the horses across the finish line.

A cheer rose from the crowd.

After the chariot stopped, their friends crowded around them. They began chanting their names, but Annabeth shouted over the noise, "Wait! Listen! It wasn't just us!"

The crowd didn't want to quiet down, but Annabeth made herself heard. "We couldn't have done it without someone else! We couldn't have won this race, or gotten the Fleece, or saved Grover, or anything! We owe our lives to Tyson..."

"My brother!" Percy managed to say, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Tyson, my little brother."

Tyson blushed with happiness and embarrassment.

The entire Athena cabin lifted them onto their shoulders—Annabeth, Tyson, and Percy—and carried them toward the winner's podium, where Chiron awaited to hand out the laurel crowns.

That afternoon was one of the happiest Percy had ever spent at camp, which maybe shows that you never know when the world is about to be shattered. All that was missing was his best friend by his side for it to be perfect...

Where was Ikki...?

Grover announced that he could spend the rest of the summer with them before resuming his quest for Pan. His superiors in the Council of the Elder Satyrs were so impressed that he hadn't let himself be killed and had paved the way for future seekers that they granted him a two-month leave and a new set of bamboo flutes.

The only bad news: Grover insisted on playing those flutes all afternoon, and his musical skills hadn't improved much. He played YMCA, and the strawberry plants started going crazy, tangling around the campers' feet as if they were trying to strangle them.

Grover then told him he could sever the empathic connection between them, but Percy didn't agree and decided to keep the connection so that if his friend was ever in danger, he'd know about it.

In the end, he agreed not to sever the connection. He went back to playing YMCA for the strawberry plants.

Percy didn't need an empathic connection with the plants to know how they felt about that...

In the following days, his life went back to normal. Later, during archery class, Chiron pulled him aside and told him that he had resolved his issues with Meriwether College. They no longer blamed him for destroying the gym.

The police were no longer looking for him.

He spoke to his mom that day, worried about him leaving camp to go on the mission with Clarisse. After a long conversation, he spent the rest of the day doing camper things.

As for Tyson, the campers treated him like a hero. He would have been happy to have him as a cabin mate forever, but that night, when they were sitting on a sand dune overlooking Long Island Sound, he made an announcement that completely caught him off guard.

He would soon be leaving for the Cyclops forges underwater, Poseidon had called him to do an internship.

Percy said goodbye to his brother before walking to the mess hall with Grover and Annabeth, like old times, only Ikki was missing from their side.

There was a storm that night, but it split around Camp Half-Blood like storms usually do. Lightning flashed on the horizon, waves pounded the beach, but not a drop of rain fell in the valley.

They were protected again, thanks to the Golden Fleece, enclosed in its magical boundaries.

He tried to sleep for a while, but after a series of demigod dreams, Percy woke up startled—someone was knocking loudly at the door.

Grover interrupted his sleep without waiting for permission.

"Percy!" he stammered as he tried to explain. "Annabeth... on the hill... she..."

The look on his face told him something was terribly wrong. Annabeth had been on guard that night, protecting the Fleece. If something had happened...

Percy pulled off the covers, his blood freezing in his veins. He threw on some clothes while Grover tried to form a complete sentence, but he was too dazed, too out of breath.

"She's lying there... just lying there..."

The son of Poseidon shot out and across the central courtyard, Grover right behind him.

The whole camp seemed in turmoil.

The news was spreading.

Something gigantic had happened.

Some campers were already heading toward the hill, satyrs, nymphs, and heroes in a strange mix of armor and pajamas.

I heard the pounding of horse hooves, and Chiron came galloping up behind them, a terrible expression on his face.

"Is it true?" Chiron asked Grover.

Grover could only shake his head, his expression confused.

Percy tried to ask what was happening, but Chiron grabbed him by the arm and effortlessly lifted him onto his back. Together, they ascended Half-Blood Hill, where a small crowd was starting to gather.

The son of Poseidon hoped not to find the Golden Fleece in the tree, but it was still there, shining in the first light of dawn.

The storm had stopped, and the sky was blood-red.

"Damn that Titan..." Chiron said, his voice thick with emotion. "He tricked us again, giving himself another chance to control the prophecy."

"What do you mean?" Percy asked, confused.

"The Fleece..." Chiron decided to explain. "The Fleece did its job too well."

The two galloped forward, the crowd parting for them. There, at the base of the tree, a girl lay unconscious.

Another girl, in Greek armor, was kneeling beside her.

Blood throbbed in their ears.

Percy couldn't think straight. Had Annabeth been attacked? But why was the Fleece still there? The tree itself seemed perfectly fine, intact and healthy, permeated with the essence of the Golden Fleece.

"It healed the tree," Chiron said in a harsh voice. "And the poison wasn't the only thing purged..."

Then Percy realized that Annabeth wasn't the girl lying on the ground. It was the one in armor, kneeling beside the unconscious girl. When Annabeth saw them, she ran to Chiron.

"She... she... just suddenly there..."

Tears ran down her face, but Percy still didn't understand. He was too terrified to make sense of it all. He jumped off Chiron's back and ran toward the unconscious girl.

"Percy, wait!" Chiron said.

Percy didn't listen and knelt beside the girl. She had short black hair and freckles on her nose. She had the build of a long-distance runner, flexible and strong, and wore clothes that were somewhere between punk and goth—a black T-shirt, tattered black jeans, and a leather jacket with buttons from a bunch of bands he'd never heard of.

She wasn't a camper. He didn't recognize her from any of the cabins. Yet, he had the strangest feeling he'd seen her before...

"It's true..." Grover said, breathless from running up the hill. "I can't believe it..."

No one else approached the girl. Percy placed his hand on her forehead. Her skin was cold, but the tips of his fingers tingled as if they were burning.

"She needs nectar and ambrosia," he said to everyone.

She was clearly a demigod, whether or not she was a camper. He could feel it just by touching her.

He didn't understand why everyone seemed so terrified.

Percy lifted her by the shoulders and sat her up with her head resting on his shoulder.

"Come on!" he shouted to the others. "What's wrong with you? Let's take her to the Big House."

No one moved, not even Chiron. They were all too stunned.

Then the girl took a breath, wavering.

She coughed and opened her eyes.

Her irises were surprisingly blue—an electric blue.

The girl looked at him, perplexed, trembling, her eyes wide.

"Who..."

"I'm Percy..." Percy said with a small smile. "You're safe now."

"The strangest dream..."

"It's okay..."

"Dead..."

"No..." Percy assured her. "You're fine. What's your name?"

That was when he knew. Even before she spoke.

The girl's blue eyes locked with his, and he understood why the Golden Fleece had been on its mission. The poisoning of the tree. Everything. Kronos had done that to put one more chess piece on the board—one more chance to control the prophecy he had heard from Chiron that year.

Even Chiron, Annabeth, and Grover, who should have been celebrating that moment, were too shocked, thinking about what this could mean for the future. And he was holding someone destined to be either his best friend or, possibly, his worst enemy.

"I'm Thalia..." the girl said, breathless. "Daughter of Zeus..."