Drowning in the Siren's Song -II

Chapter 14

The first time Percy met Blackjack, he was still gangly, not quite grown into the muscular form of a stallion. His wings were much too big on him and the thinness of his legs did not match his height. But now that same young foal was a strong stallion whose muscular back supported him as they flew back to the Nature Reserve. 

Percy had decided to go back once and for all. Singing had brought him the closure he needed to move on with a full heart. It had been a long journey, but what he brought back with him from the Wolf House was ever so worth it. He sent a quick prayer to Lupa, hoping that she, Reyna, Jason, and the wolves were doing all right, knowing that the Russo couple was looking after them.

While drifting through the air, Percy took the opportunity to seriously think about plans, both immediate and long-term. Till now, he had been living sort of ambiguously, thinking about nothing but survival and peace. But he knew that no matter how stealthy he was, getting involved beyond the mortal world would be inevitable considering the sheer amount of gods and entities who knew of him. And now that the world was calling for a change, he understood that it was not one which was positive. 

The mist around him fluctuated and the nature spirits were restless. They didn't know what was happening, but Percy could conclude that the gods were uneasy. It might have been an ulterior motive of Apollo to suggest the Wolf House. Stepping out of the reserve made him aware of what was beyond the safety of nature. It forced him to observe the atmosphere which terrified him. 

He was fearing his days of anonymity were coming to an end. There may be a few days or a few years between him becoming the object of attention of the Olympians, whether they were Roman or Greek. 

To mitigate such disasters, Percy's brain was running over-drive, strategizing various methods to postpone or delay any scenarios which might endanger his identity. And what better time that a relaxing journey in the skies?

Percy concluded that there were 2 things he needed to do.
Firstly, he needed to find out what was happening in the godly realm and why the mythical world seemed to be on edge. Fortunately, there was one particular god who Percy could convince to spill its secrets. And conveniently, Artemis was on a hunt with the girls, so it was a good opportunity to talk to him without interruptions.

Secondly, Percy was convinced it was time to face what he had been avoiding. 
Going to Camp Half-Blood.  

Even since he'd met with Luke, Annabeth and Thalia, he'd kept Camp Half-blood at the back of his mind. Stray satyrs would come close to reserve many times, smelling both a strong demigod and nature, but would remain confused between the two scents, enough that Percy could convince them to leave with a little mist-bending. He was adept at using both Artemis's and Pan's blessing to change his aura. 

But doing so had cost him information. It was the center of the happenings in the godly world, and if Percy wanted to stay out of any potential fight brewing up, then he needed to at least understand the 'why', 'when' and 'where' of it. 

His goal was to coax as much as he could through Apollo and figure out a way to subtlety introduce himself to Camp Half-Blood on his own terms. He would rather be known as someone with blessings than a child of Poseidon. As long as he wasn't a direct descendant of the main 12, leaving camp would also be easy, something which relived him. He wasn't stupid enough to think it would fool the Gods, but it had always been his job to avoid them.

There were also a few things he needed to do in the Reserve before he decided to go to Camp Half-Blood. He needed to meet Delilah and check on the health of the animals there. Him leaving suddenly had probably put a hitch in the workings and he definitely missed the critters there. 

Additionally, he was sure that monsters must have taken over the area now that it was filled with the scent of the now-absent hunters and his lingering scents too. It would be good training for him to clean up the space and practice Lupa's training.

And all these activities revolved around a particular God, one who had sent him on a secret 'quest'. The same God who Percy was going to practice his training on. 

Apollo definitely had some rough days ahead of him.