Great. That explained a lot.
Clarisse immediately stepped forward while taking off her helmet, not noticing that part of her horse still seemed to give off a faint smell of burning, along with a light trail of smoke that was still rising from its back.
"Who told you to interfere? I had everything completely under control," she said with an annoyed, angry tone toward Percy, staring at him seriously.
"It's nice to see you again too, Clarisse. And here I was thinking we were getting along now that I saved your life and all that," Percy replied immediately, ignoring the hateful look directed at him, his tone slightly amused.
"No one asked you. I was perfectly fine without your interference. Don't ever try to save my life again," she said, almost growling.
"Clarisse," Annabeth said, stepping in. "You have several injured," she added, pointing to the side, where some campers were lying on the ground.
That seemed to bring Clarisse back to reality. Even so, she shot Percy one last irritated look before leaving to help her companions, showing that even she cared about her soldiers.
Percy, meanwhile, glanced at Tyson for a moment, as if making sure he wasn't hurt, before letting out a sigh.
"Well, at least you're not injured," he said calmly, looking at him. Tyson only had his knuckles slightly bruised from the blows.
"I'm sorry. I disobeyed you," Tyson said with some regret, since earlier that day Percy had told him to leave the fighting to him. It seemed Tyson had taken that to heart, which surprised Percy a little and made him smile faintly as he shook his head.
Annabeth, meanwhile, was looking at the ground where the scorpion that had stung Percy had been, as well as the bulls lying there, the fire being put out by other campers, and the lingering smell of smoke in the air. Then she opened her eyes, as if realizing something.
"This was a distraction," she said seriously, before turning around, looking toward Thalia's tree at the top of the hill, and running toward it at full speed.
Percy watched her go, and even though the pain in his ankle hadn't fully faded, he followed her, with Tyson right behind him.
The three of them reached the tree almost immediately. There, a person was leaning against the trunk, running a hand over the wood for a moment. A massive gash was now visible in the bark, from which a dark green sap was seeping out. In the boy's other hand was a sword that looked painfully familiar to Percy.
"Luke!" Annabeth shouted as she recognized him instantly.
Luke turned around, his expression somewhat tragic over what he had just done, yet dark at the same time, as if there was no way back from this point onward.
"Annabeth," he said when he saw her, then shifted his gaze to Percy. "Looks like you're fine. Again, Percy," he added before glancing at Tyson for a brief moment. His eyes narrowed for barely a second, but quickly returned to Percy, with greater focus. Even from a distance, Percy was as unpredictable as he was powerful, and Luke had experienced that firsthand, just like many of his followers.
Without taking his eyes off Percy, he walked over to a pegasus that was waiting for him.
"Not going to fight this time?" Percy asked with a slightly mocking tone, gripping his bronze sword as if he were ready to rush at him at any second.
"It seems you've gotten even stronger than before. You defeated the bulls faster than I expected," Luke added as he mounted the horse. "We'll see each other again, Percy," he said, giving the pegasus a light tap. It quickly turned, began to run, then spread its wings and took off into the air.
Percy quickly raised Riptide over his head like a spear, taking a throwing stance. He aimed straight at Luke's back and hurled it without hesitation, the sound of the blade cutting through the air ringing clearly.
Luke seemed to hear it as well and turned around just in time. Seeing it coming at him so fast, he raised his guard with effort, nearly losing his balance and falling from the horse. Still, he managed to hold on and struck the pegasus several times to force it to pick up speed.
Riptide returned to Percy's pocket, but he didn't throw it again. Luke was already far away.
"No, no, no," Annabeth said, running to Thalia's tree. "Thalia, no," she murmured as she touched the place where Luke had left the cut. She stared at the dark sap, which clearly did not belong to the tree, and at how it seemed to react, slowly spreading across the trunk. Some of the leaves began to turn yellow, little by little. "Luke poisoned her," she said in pain as she looked at the state of Thalia's tree.
"And what happens to the tree?" Tyson asked, confused.
"It's what protects the camp," Percy replied, looking at Annabeth, who was clearly suffering. He knew a lot about her story and the reason behind it. Annabeth held back her tears, but they slowly began to fall. "Thalia was Zeus's daughter, and in her final moment, he turned her into a tree to protect this place. She creates the barrier that keeps monsters out," he added.
"This only shows how committed Luke is against Olympus, even now, hurting his own fellow campers to achieve it," Percy said, clearly angry. If it were only against the gods, he might not care as much, but what did the kids have to do with any of this? He was now seriously thinking that maybe he should have aimed to kill him outright. "He's completely lost," he added.
Annabeth looked at him for a moment, unable to say anything.
At that moment, several people approached like soldiers in formation, following Clarisse. All of them were fully armed.
"Cyclops on the perimeter," Clarisse said in a serious tone, as everyone prepared to attack Tyson. He looked confused for a moment and hid behind Percy, even though his enormous body was still very noticeable there.
"He's a friend," Percy said seriously, stepping protectively in front of him.
"Monsters shouldn't be on this side of the barrier. Who let him through?" Clarisse asked firmly.
"I did," Annabeth said without fear, placing herself right next to Percy.
Before anything else could happen, more people approached.
"The camp still stands," a slightly grave voice sounded, as a man appeared behind the soldiers, making them move in unison into two rows to let him pass.
Percy looked at him immediately. He was a thin man with pale white skin, deep dark circles under his eyes, and ash gray hair, badly cut in every direction. He held a spear in his bony fingers, his nails completely black and filled with dirt. Behind him followed more campers and a satyr who seemed to be his assistant, running to keep up with his fast pace.
"Yes, sir," Clarisse replied immediately.
"Then waking me up was unnecessary," the man said with an annoyed expression, looking at the satyr, who quickly apologized.
"How many deaths?" the man asked calmly.
"There were no deaths on our side, sir, but there are injured being treated by…"
The man struck the ground with his spear, as if he didn't care in the slightest, rolling his eyes.
"Then simply find the culprits so they can be execu… punished," he said in a serious tone.
"It was Luke," Percy said immediately, drawing the man's attention. Percy didn't recognize him, nor did Annabeth, but from the way the other campers reacted, it was obvious he was someone important in the camp right now. "The bulls were a distraction while they were poisoning…"
The man interrupted him, raising a filthy finger and pointing it directly at Percy.
"You. I don't know you. Who are you?" he asked with a sharp gaze.
"It's Percy Jackson, sir," the satyr behind him said quickly.
The man's expression hardened, almost irritated.
"Ah, yes. The son of Poseidon. The traitor," he added coldly. "What are you doing here?" he asked, staring at him.
Percy frowned slightly at the title.
"As you said, I'm the son of Poseidon. I have the right to be here," Percy replied in a serious tone.
A laugh, almost amused and full of contempt, escaped the man's mouth.
"In my eyes, you're no different from that other boy and the rest of the campers who ran off to serve someone else. Mr. D told me plenty about you and about that duel you'll have, which basically makes you an enemy of the camp," he added.
Looking at the faces of some of the other campers, Percy noticed they didn't seem surprised, as if they already knew the story. Maybe that same man had made sure to spread it among them.
"It's good to know someone knows about me. And who are you?" Percy asked calmly, looking him straight in the eyes, as if he didn't fear his words at all.
That seemed to irritate the man for a moment. He closed his eyes before speaking.
"Tantalus. King Tantalus of Anatolia," he said with a hint of pride, lifting his chest slightly.
"I see. The one who can't touch food no matter how hungry he is," Percy replied immediately.
"Yes. Thank you for reminding me of the curse I have, which I had momentarily forgotten," Tantalus answered with sarcasm. Then his gaze shifted toward Tyson. "And why haven't they killed that thing yet?" he asked, as if it were the most obvious question in the world.
"Yes, sir," Clarisse said, as all the armed campers tightened their grips on their weapons, ready to attack.
Percy frowned instantly and brought his hands to his waist, drawing both of his swords at once, preparing to protect Tyson.
But it wasn't necessary.
Everyone who had their weapons ready, whether bows, swords, or spears, froze in place, stunned, staring behind Percy with expressions of absolute shock and open mouths. Even Tantalus.
Percy felt a green light strike his back and slowly turned around, following the direction of their gazes. They weren't looking directly at Tyson, but above his head.
Bathed in green light, as if it were a hologram, a trident floated above Tyson's head. It was the same trident that, in the past, had floated above Percy's head when he was recognized as a son of Poseidon.