The Lost Heroes

Summary: Percy Jackson and Piper Mclean, two demigods of the legendary seven go missing while on a quest. The gods warn the demigods of another threat, but the demigods are in shambles without two of their leaders. Who is the threat? What are the gods keeping from their children? Will the lost heroes ever be found?

Act I: The Beginning of the End

Chapter 6

Previously

"I'm not entirely sure but it seems likely." The camper paused for a moment before looking between the two figures in front of him. "Is that bad?" Chiron nodded quietly before dismissing the camper with a wave of his hand. He watched the camper run away to continue in his previous activity before turning back to Athena. "I fear that they may have done something rash. Something that they may possibly come to regret."

Athena turned towards Chiron before nodding slowly, as if thinking over something. "I will take my leave now. I must report my findings to the council." She paused for a moment before turning to glance at the camp once more. "If there are any changes in the situation, you must notify the council immediately." And without waiting for an answer, she disappeared, leaving a tired and weary centaur alone on the porch.

Now

The gods of Olympus were silent as they sat anxiously in the throne room. This silence had begun as soon as Athena had left, with not one saying a word. The goddess of wisdom had been sent to gather the two remaining demigods who had survived a journey through Tartarus in recent years. It was all in hopes that they would be able to provide some information that may help with this upcoming war.

Since Tartarus' rising had been announced, not another word had been spoken of the prophecy. Some gods feared it, as they had barely survived the previous two great prophecies, and others didn't wish to be reminded of it, as it resurrected horrible memories of what had happened in the past.

The silence continued for a good while, and it only ended when a bright flash appeared in the middle of the throne room, signaling Athena's return. The rest of the gods watched with bated breaths as she strode over to her throne. A small nod was sent towards her father once she sat, signalling for him to speak.

"Athena." He started, frowning at the obvious lack of demigods. "Where are the two I asked for?" Athena glanced around the council, her piercing gray eyes staring at each god. For a moment, no one said anything, but when Athena shrugged her shoulders and leaned back in her throne, a few gods let out a breath.

"I am not sure. It seems as if a few demigods have gone missing from camp." As soon as she finished, many of the god's eyes widened. Zeus stared at his daughter for a moment more before looking at Dionysus with a furious glare. "Dionysus." He growled, causing the wine god to straighten slightly in his throne. "Explain this. Why have these demigods gone missing from the camp you are supposed to be watching over?"

Dionysus rolled his purple eyes and sighed in annoyance. He placed the wine magazine that he was reading down on the arm of his chair before looking at his father. "I don't know why any of the brats have left." He grumbled, ignoring the look of anger on his father's face. "Chiron has not notified me of anything changing, and since we are stuck up here, it is not as if I would have seen anything myself."

As he finished, he picked up the magazine and opened it. He raised one hand and summoned a glass of Diet Coke before taking a sip. With a pointed look towards his father, he leaned back in his throne and started reading the magazine, clearly finished talking. Zeus grumbled quietly to himself before looking at Apollo. "Does this have anything to do with the prophecy?" He questioned, watching Apollo squirm slightly under his gaze.

Taking a deep breath, Apollo closed his eyes, thinking. He had heard nothing from any of his oracles, but that didn't mean they had hidden something from him. The sun god straightened himself in his throne before looking back at his father. As he stared into his father's piercing electric blue eyes he gulped when he noticed them flash with power. "I'm not sure father." He began, cringing slightly when he noticed the look of anger Zeus' face worsen, clearly upset at the lack of progress this council was making.

"If you wish, I can go down to my oracle and see if she had issued anyone a prophecy. It should only take me a few minutes." Zeus stared at his son for a moment more before nodding and waving his hand. "Go, and be swift." Apollo, not wishing to be in the presence of his father for any longer flashed out, leaving the rest of the council to talk amongst themselves until he returned.

After a few minutes of small talk, Zeus raised his hand in the air, silencing the group around him. "This pertains to each and every one of you." He started, scratching his beard with one hand. "From this point on, you must all keep an eye on your children. We must make sure that no more demigods go missing. And while I know this may be difficult for some of, it is of the utmost importance." When he finished, he sent a small glare towards a few of the gods who had the most demigods.

"If any of them go missing, they may end up dead. It is more dangerous than ever outside of camp. If two demigods of the seven were taken, then the risk is too high for everyone else. And if they don't end up dead, I fear that they may join the enemies side." As he finished, he looked over at Athena, who seemed to tense under his gaze. "I expect weekly reports about all of your children delivered to Athena. She will keep a list of all of our children."

A few gods grumbled quietly, but said nothing more. After that declaration, there wasn't much motivation to talk, and so the majority of the council sat in silence. Although, it wasn't very long before a flash signaled the return of Apollo. The sun god was pale, and there were beads of sweat dripping down his face. He shakily sat down in his throne, before glancing over at his father.

"It seems that there has been another prophecy issued." He started, causing many of the gods to frown. "The members of this quest are Annabeth Chase, Nico D'Angelo, and Jason Grace, which would explain their absence." At the mention of his son, Zeus' frown worsened and his eyes flashed in anger. Apollo looked away from his father and chose to stare at the floor instead. "This is the prophecy." He muttered as his eyes flashed.

"Three shall venture to the land beyond the gods

The flames of the dead lead the way

The light shall collide with the dark

But in the end, truth shall fall."

The room was silent as the gods thought over the words that had just been spoken. Some of the immortals looked over at Athena, clearly expecting her to have some sort of response. And they were correct. "It's clearly a quest to Alaska." She began as she turned towards Poseidon. "It obvious that the three assume that it is a quest to find Percy Jackson and Piper McLean."

Poseidon and Aphrodite both stiffened in their thrones. Poseidon opened his mouth to speak but was quickly interrupted by Hermes. "Why wouldn't it be?" He questioned, twirling his caduceus in his hand, "It does tell them to go to Alaska, which is where they had gone missing." Athena nodded her head, agreeing with the god. "Yes, that is what most would assume. But the only thing that doesn't make sense is that they are not mentioned in the prophecy."

She paused for a moment, and turned her gaze as she heard Artemis speak. "Unless they are dead." The huntress spoke, causing Poseidon and Aphrodite to send a glare her way. "The flames of the dead lead the way. It could mean that they have been killed." As she finished speaking, both Poseidon and Aphrodite shouted out, causing arguments to break out across the room. Zeus rubbed his forehead angrily had he slammed a fist down on the armrest of his throne, stopping all arguments.

"The true meaning of the prophecy will be discovered as the quest progresses. Spending time trying to decipher the prophecy would be a waste. It is already in motion, and so we shall see how it plays out." He raked a hand through his beard slowly as he thought to himself. The rest of the council sat in silence, waiting for the king of the gods to speak. And when he turned towards Apollo, eyes blazing, they sat in silence.

"Apollo." Zeus growled, causing the young god to shrink even further into his throne. "You should not have let a prophecy like this get by you. It is your domain to manage all prophecies and report them back to the council. For this failure, you shall be punished." Apollo trembled slightly, eyeing the glowing master bolt in his father's hand warily. "You shall follow the demigods on this quest. You shall ensure their safety. And if any harm comes to them, then I shall sentence you to Tartarus myself." Apollo could do little more than nod rapidly, wishing to placate his father.

Zeus grumbled quietly to himself as he turned away from his son. He raised his master bolt to signal the end of the meeting but was interrupted by Poseidon. "I think we need to make another decision, brother." The sea god was glaring at his younger brother, a grimace etched upon his face. In the past few meetings he found himself disagreeing with many of the decisions his brother made. It seemed as if the council had become less of a democracy and more of a dictatorship in recent times.

One of the main issues was that Zeus made it a priority to go against him and his son. And he would be damned if he let his younger brother lay a finger on his favored child. He also did not agree with the decision to keep the prophecy from the demigods. In the past, when they had hidden such vital information from their children, things hadn't usually worked out for the best.

And so the god sat, glaring at the king of Olympus with pure anger. "I believe we need to re-vote on the matter of the prophecy. I believe that the demigods deserve to learn of its existence. While we may be training them, we should allow them to know exactly what we are preparing them for. They should not be kept in the dark." As Poseidon finished his statement, Zeus rolled his eyes. He turned to his older brother with an annoyed look.

"Fine." He started, staring into the glowing sea-green eyes of his brother. "If that's what you want, let's vote shall we?" He turned towards the rest of the gathered immortals before raising one hand. "Who here votes that we keep the prophecy hidden from the demigods. While it may remain hidden we will still train the demigods, to help prepare them for future endeavors." Zeus watched with an amused expression as eight others raised their hands.

He glanced at Poseidon out of the corner of his eye to see the sea god fuming in his throne. A smirk appeared on Zeus' face as he spoke once more. "And all against?" And when only three people raised their hands, he raised his master bolt in the air. "Then it has been decided. It shall remain hidden from the demigods while we train them. Prepare yourselves, we begin the training in a week's time." And with that, the lightning god was gone, leaving the rest of the council by themselves. Most left quickly, leaving only two in the throne room. Apollo sat with his head in his hands, mentally preparing himself for this upcoming journey.

Poseidon remained in his throne, glaring at the empty throne of his brother. While he had known it for a while, the unbalanced council hadn't really affected him until now. Zeus won almost every vote, as he had all of his children to back him. And while he normally wouldn't have cared, it was now affecting him personally. He couldn't look for his son, nor could he send anyone else to do it. He shook his head before turning to the only other god in the room.

"Apollo." He called out, watching as the sun god looked over with a tired expression on his face. "I thank you for your support during the vote. Even if it didn't accomplish much." Apollo sent a weak nod in his direction, but didn't do anything else. "I just have one more favor to ask of you."

Apollo's head tilted to the side slightly, a slightly curious expression appearing. "When you are up in Alaska. Keep an eye out for my son." The sea god paused for a moment to stare into his nephew's eyes. "If you find my son, or find anything about his whereabouts, I will be in your debt. If you ever need my aid, I will come, no matter the cause." Apollo nodded, not saying a word as he watched the sea god disappear in a light mist.

There you go, chapter 6. Hope you enjoyed.

Next time we move on with the quest.

Please leave a review and let me know how I did. Any and all reviews are appreciated, as they all make my day. :)