The Betrayal Beneath Half-Blood Hill
"Escaping the camp on a yacht full of monsters and enemy demigods trying to revive Kronos, sailing through a sea full of monsters, facing Charybdis and Scylla, getting shipwrecked, and ending up on an island where the demigod-eating Cyclops Polyphemus lives. Am I missing anything?" Sally said, staring straight at the road before giving Percy a sideways glance. He sat in the passenger seat, looking a little embarrassed to be scolded by his mother in front of his friends.
"Well… there was also the island of Circe and the guinea pigs… and the Sirens," Percy said, just before seeing his mother's furious gaze lock onto him, which made him shut his mouth completely when he realized that had not helped at all.
"And we boarded the yacht full of monsters and demigods twice," Tyson added.
That did not help much either. Quite the opposite.
"And you even took Tyson with you," Sally said, turning even more serious toward Percy, who could only lower his head slightly.
"In my defense… I was going to leave Tyson at the camp, but the master threw him through the air toward us while we were escaping," Percy said.
"Yes, I am already prepared to scold Miraak… but that will be after I finish with you," Sally replied instantly.
That made Percy raise a hand to his hair, feeling at least a small amount of comfort knowing his master would not escape his mother's anger either.
Because if there was anyone who would dare confront Miraak and come out victorious, at least in an argument, it was Sally Jackson, his mother. There was a reason Tyson called her the wisest and most powerful person he knew.
"How is it that every time you go to the camp you end up on a dangerous mission when that place is supposed to be the safest one for you?" Sally said, a trace of irritation in her voice.
Then she let out a sigh. After all, it was not entirely Percy's fault either. Part of the responsibility belonged to Miraak… and she fully intended to let him know that when she found him.
She glanced slightly at the rearview mirror. Her son still looked embarrassed. Maybe that would make him think things through a little better… although she doubted it.
But then her eyes met Annabeth's reflection. The girl looked completely lost in thought, carrying an air of quiet regret and sadness filled with doubts.
"Are you alright, Annabeth?" Sally asked, recognizing that look.
Annabeth lifted her head when she heard her name, meeting Sally's eyes through the mirror.
"Ah… yes, I'm fine. Just a little… tired from the whole quest," Annabeth said quickly.
Grover looked at her for a moment. He could clearly feel how her emotions were shifting, but he said nothing. He only gave her a gentle look.
…
Clarisse reached the forest near the camp because Blackjack could not go any farther. The sky was filled with harpies and monsters surrounding the area, though they seemed to be held back by arrows flying through the air, stopping their advance with perfect synchronization.
"Thanks for the ride," Clarisse told the pegasus before she began running toward the camp.
As she moved forward, she could see more monsters slowly gathering around the forest.
And the barrier protecting the camp… was completely broken.
Yet none of them advanced. It was as if something was stopping them just before they could take a single step closer.
Clarisse slipped into the forest, hiding herself as much as possible so the monsters would not spot her, all while wearing the jacket that was actually the Fleece.
She moved at full speed.
When she finally caught sight of Half-Blood Hill, she could not help letting out a faint smile.
She was almost there.
But suddenly an arrow shot toward her.
Clarisse swung her spear and deflected it with skill before taking a guarded stance.
From the forest she could hear footsteps approaching quickly. The clinking of weapons echoed between the trees, and soon a group of campers emerged and surrounded her for a moment.
They were fully armed, wearing complete armor.
Clarisse immediately drew her spear, ready to fight, assuming they were followers of Luke.
"Hold it!" one of the demigods shouted at once. "Don't you see it's Clarisse?"
The young man removed his helmet, revealing his face.
Clarisse recognized him immediately.
Chris Rodríguez.
That made her relax quite a bit, realizing they were all campers… even if they were fully armed.
When the others heard Chris, they quickly lowered their weapons, letting out light, tired sighs.
"Good thing you're here. You can be my escort. I brought the Fleece," Clarisse said quickly.
"You have it?" Chris asked in surprise, staring at her while glancing at the jacket she was wearing. "Follow us. We'll take you there."
"What is going on with the camp? Why aren't the monsters advancing if the barrier is broken? Who's in charge now?" Clarisse asked as she followed him, while the other campers moved along as well, watching the surroundings carefully.
"Well… everything got very confusing very quickly at the camp. Not even many of us fully understand why, but… Jackson's master is the one in charge of protecting it. He only stops the monsters from advancing into the camp. Just his presence keeps most of them from getting too close. But some monsters still try anyway. So he sent the campers to deal with those," Chris said with a serious tone.
"Bronte is in charge of the archers, protecting the sky. Meanwhile, the rest of us split into groups to cover the forest."
For a moment, a faint trace of annoyance crossed his eyes.
But it disappeared almost immediately.
"Percy's master? Then… the camp is safe?" Clarisse asked.
In truth, she had expected something like that. After all, Percy and Annabeth had mentioned earlier that their master was around. But she had not expected to hear that he was protecting the camp.
"No," Chris replied. "He said he won't interfere in mortal matters. His mission is only to clean up the trash. And in this case, the trash is the monsters. But Clarisse… we've had attacks from other demigods. And in those cases he won't lift a finger."
"What do you mean?" Clarisse asked, frowning.
"Infiltrators inside the camp. Our own companions attacked us," Chris said. "That's why now everyone distrusts everyone. It's no longer fear of monsters… it's fear that suddenly someone might stab you in the back."
He paused briefly.
"And that's much worse."
"Traitors?" That actually seemed to surprise Clarisse, who stared at Chris.
"Yes. Many are under suspicion. Like Katie. And the fact that she shot at you only increased my suspicions," he added as he suddenly stopped walking.
"What…? Chris, what are you—?"
"Katie, stop. Let me see your bow," Chris said, completely ignoring Clarisse's question while looking at the archer walking behind them.
The girl looked confused for a moment before glancing around, noticing how all the campers were watching her with growing suspicion.
For days now, everyone in the camp had been suspicious of any strange movement. At the smallest sign of something unusual, someone could be attacked or locked up. And many of those suspicions almost always came from Chris, who seemed to have an unsettling talent for pointing out possible traitors.
That only made Katie even more nervous.
"I… I'm not a traitor, Chris," she said immediately, almost by instinct.
But those words did not help.
If anything, they only made the suspicion grow even more.
Chris slowly drew his sword, watching her with a serious expression.
For a moment, Clarisse did not understand what was happening.
"Now," Chris shouted.
He suddenly turned around.
And stabbed backward.
Straight toward Clarisse.
At the same time, the other campers around them suddenly attacked the companions standing closest to them.
Clarisse never saw it coming.
Her guard was down.
All she saw was Chris's sword piercing her abdomen… in the exact same place where Luke had stabbed her before.
The pain was immediate and brutal.
Clarisse staggered back, the air trapped in her throat.
Around her, the other campers who had been attacked by surprise were already lying on the ground.