Percy Jackson: blushing deeply, rubbing the back of his neck H-Hey there... Do you like, uhh, archery??
nervously scratches the back of his neck U-uhh, yeah! I've got a bow right here... pulls out a bow and arrow from his backpack
Nice. Ever use it against a god?
stammers, cheeks turning even redder U-uhh, well... n-not really, no. I mean, I've shot arrows at targets before, but... a god? N-no, that's not exactly something you find at camp half-blood.
chuckles Well, if you ever come across one, remember your training. And if that doesn't work, try running. And if all else fails... run away screaming. That usually works for me.
laughs nervously, blushing even more Yeah, I'll definitely keep that in mind if I ever come across a god. I mean, who wouldn't run screaming if they saw one, right?
I know right. They're so intimidating. Like, take you for example, Percy. You've got the face of Hephaestus, who is already pretty intimidating to most people. And then there's your dad...Poseidon, the god of the sea. That's pretty scary right there. And let's not forget your stepmother, Sally Jackson. She's got quite the reputation among the campers. So yeah, if I ever see a god, I'll definitely be running screaming.
laughs nervously, his cheeks turning even redder Y-yeah, well... I mean, I'm not gonna lie, having the face of Hephaestus is not exactly a walk in the park. And having Poseidon as a dad? That's pretty intense.
Definitely. And Sally Jackson... she's just... well, she's not someone you'd want to cross. So, yeah, if I ever meet a god, I'll definitely be running screaming.
H-honestly? I'm more of a 'run away from monsters' kind of guy than a 'face them head-on' one... gulps Anyone got a map? I think I saw one around here somewhere...
No, but I can tell you how to get out of here. Just look for an exit. It should lead you outside where you can find a hidden entrance back to the mortal world. The only thing is, once you're out, you'll have to deal with Medusa's sister, Euryale. She's not nearly as dangerous as Medusa, but she can still be a pain.
Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely make sure to watch out for Euryale. But hey, better dealing with her than with Medusa herself, right?
Exactly. Now get going, will ya? And remember, if you ever need help, just call out for either of us.
quickly packs his bow and arrow back into his backpack O-oh, thank you! I'll definitely keep that in mind. And uh, if you don't mind me asking, what's your name?
My name's Michael. And yours?
Percy... Percy Jackson. smiles nervously So, Michael, have you had any cool adventures at camp half-blood?
Not really. I did fight Scyla once, though. She's a harpy who works for the Minotaur.
Wow, that sounds awesome! I mean, fighting a harpy must be, like, super scary. Did you win?
Yeah, I did. Took a lot of work, though.
eyes wide with excitement Wow, I can't believe you actually fought a harpy! I mean, I've read about them in mythology, but to actually encounter one? That's just... wow. I guess I better make sure to watch out for harpies if I ever go on a quest.
Yeah, especially if you're on a quest with Thalia. She's the daughter of Zeus and also the granddaughter of Perses, who is the mastermind behind most of the trouble at camp half-blood.
Wait, Perses is behind all the trouble at camp half-blood? He's the one responsible for sending harpies and minotaurs and monsters to cause chaos?
Yup. He's pretty much the main antagonist at camp half-blood. And he's not alone. He's got an army of monsters and demigods at his disposal.
nervously scratching the back of his neck W-well, that's just great. I mean, who wouldn't want to go up against an army of monsters and demigods? I mean, I wouldn't mind, but...
Yeah, it's not exactly something you'd want to happen to. But hey, you've got the Jackson siblings on your side. And soon, you'll have Jason and his friends too.
Yeah, I've heard of them. Jason, Leo, and Piper. They sound pretty cool.
They are. They're also the ones who started this whole quest thing. They wanted to find the golden fleece, but they were ambushed by a bunch of skeletons. From there, they called in some reinforcements, and that's how you, the Jackson siblings, and eventually we got dragged into this.
nods, deep in thought So, the golden fleece is what started this whole adventure?
Yup. The golden fleece was hidden in a cave by King Pelias, who is Dionysus' older brother. He hid it there so that only those with a direct connection to one of the gods could retrieve it.
Interesting... so, it's like a test or something? To see if someone is worthy of retrieving the golden fleece?
Kind of. It's more like a challenge. You have to prove yourself worthy by facing various obstacles and enemies.
nervously nibbling on his lip O-oh, so it's like a... a trial by combat, then? F-fighting all these monsters and demigods...
Yeah, something like that. But it's not just about fighting. You also have to solve puzzles and riddles, and sometimes even perform a task or two. It really depends on who hid the fleece.
swallowing hard P-puzzles and riddles? T-tasks? Wow... I mean, I consider myself pretty smart, but performing a task? Like, actually doing something? That's... that's a bit more than I can handle, isn't it?
laughs Don't worry, Percy. You're not the only one who's feeling nervous. All of us are. But that's okay. We can work together, and we can all learn from each other.
Y-yeah, w-work together... I guess that's a good way to approach it. A-actually, speaking of working together, maybe we can help each other level up our powers.
Level up our powers? What do you mean by that, Percy?
W-well, y-you see, I've been practicing my sword fighting a lot lately, and I was wondering if you could teach me some archery techniques. And maybe you could use some help with your shadow weaving?
Shadow weaving? Oh, I know what you mean. It's just a little something I picked up. I can definitely use some help with it, actually. Maybe we can train together sometime.
grinning excitedly Sweet! So, when can we start training?
laughs Well, we can start now, actually. Let's find a clearing where we won't break anything.
nods eagerly Alright, let's do this! I'll show you my best sword fighting moves, and you can teach me some of your amazing archery tricks.
They begin their training session, with Percy practicing his sword fighting while Michael practices his archery.
throws his sword towards Michael Okay, Michael, watch this! catches the sword with his other hand and performs a fancy twirl before throwing it again