Camp Half-Blood
A few hours had passed since the madness they had seen on the news had calmed down. Honestly, Chiron was happy about it. It was night, and most of the campers had finally managed to sleep, although the atmosphere in camp still felt heavy.
Chiron, for his part, could not sleep. He could not get what had happened out of his head. He had thought about going to Olympus himself, but he could not leave the campers alone, not after what they had seen.
His thoughts were interrupted when a golden glow appeared in the room. Chiron immediately stood when he saw Dionysus appear in front of him, and for the first time in hours, he let out a sigh of relief. "Mr. D, with all due respect, what the hell is going on? Is it the end of the world or is a war coming?" he asked quickly.
Dionysus stared at him in silence for a few seconds. Normally, the god of wine would have made some sarcastic comment. But this time, he did not, and that worried Chiron even more. Dionysus let out a sigh, raised one hand, and summoned a Diet Coke before taking a long drink.
"The truth is, a lot of things have happened, Chiron. But the most important thing you need to know is this: Zeus is no longer the king of Olympus."
The silence that fell over the room was sepulchral. Chiron's eyes widened. "What do you mean? Did Poseidon stage a coup against Zeus?" Dionysus shook his head. "No. Poseidon has seen better days."
Chiron went completely still. Dionysus took another drink of his Coke, needing the sugar to process how absurd the situation was. "The new leader calls himself Damon, firstborn of Rhea and Kronos. Maybe you know him."
This time, Chiron took a step back. "Impossible," the centaur murmured. "Damon disappeared thousands of years ago."
"Well, believe it," Dionysus replied, letting out a dry laugh. "Because he came back, kicked Olympus's ass, defeated Zeus and Poseidon, and now leads Olympus."
Chiron said nothing. The simple mention of Damon… an old shadow, something even immortals rarely spoke about. Many believed he had never existed the way the ancient stories claimed. It had reached the point where Chiron had started to believe the same thing, even though he had known the god once.
Dionysus looked at him, and a tired smile appeared on his face. "Want to know the funniest part?" Chiron slowly lifted his gaze. "What?" Dionysus vaguely pointed outside, toward the cabins. "He was in front of us this whole time. Remember the blond boy? The champion of Chaos and Gaia."
Chiron nodded slowly. Dionysus took another drink. "Well, it was him. All this time. Apparently, he came to camp to see the state of the pantheon, and let me tell you, he is not happy at all."
Chiron absorbed the words in silence. It made sense. The blond boy who called himself Naruto had disappeared right before everything began. There were too many variables for him to simply be a demigod. Besides, his presence had always felt strange. But even so, accepting that the young man was Damon, the firstborn of Rhea and Kronos, was complete madness.
Dionysus let out a small laugh when he saw the centaur's expression. "Yeah, that was more or less my reaction too."
Chiron closed his eyes for a second. "What exactly did he do?"
"Besides turning Olympus upside down?" Dionysus raised an eyebrow. "Well, he literally started changing everything."
"He decreed that all gods, major or minor, must claim their children. He also made it clear that every child of a god will have their own space in camp. So get ready, because Camp Half-Blood is about to change a lot. And from what I know, this is only the beginning."
Chiron lowered his gaze. For centuries, he had watched confused, frightened, and abandoned children arrive. Many spent years in the Hermes cabin, waiting for a sign that might never come. He had learned to live with that reality because it was the way Olympus worked.
But Damon had never been someone who accepted a bad custom. Chiron knew that. The Damon he remembered loved his family with an intensity that could be admirable or dangerous. That was one of the reasons so many had followed him during the war against the Titans, not only because he was strong.
And if he had now decided that the demigods were also his family, then the camp was going to change whether Olympus wanted it or not.
Chiron let out a slow sigh. "The campers are going to need answers."
Dionysus shrugged. "Then you'd better get some sleep. Because tomorrow, when some of those kids wake up with new symbols over their heads, you're going to have a lot to explain."
"Good night, Chiron."
And before the centaur could ask another question, the god of wine disappeared in a golden glow, leaving the room silent once again. Chiron stood there for several seconds. Then he looked toward the window, toward the cabins.
Tomorrow, the camp would not be the same.
Olympus — Hera's Palace
While Camp Half-Blood slept without knowing that its world would change at dawn, in Olympus the night had been much calmer than expected.
Damon slowly opened his eyes.
For a second, he did not move. He simply stared at the ceiling of the room, feeling the warm weight on his chest and the arms wrapped around him with a strength that made it clear the goddess on top of him had no intention of letting go.
Hera was completely asleep on him.
Her head rested against his chest, her dark hair falling over both of them, and a small smile remained on her lips even while she slept. Damon lowered his gaze toward her for a few seconds… deep down, he felt a little relieved that things had gone well with Hera, at least for now. The goddess seemed truly calm, as if yesterday's conversation had never happened.
Damon let out a small laugh. "If someone had told me yesterday that I would end up being used as a pillow by the Queen of Olympus, I probably would have believed them," he murmured to himself.
Hera moved a little on top of him, hugging him tighter without even opening her eyes.
Damon raised an eyebrow. "Sure. Tighter. It's not like I need to breathe." The goddess did not respond, but the smile on her lips gave away her thoughts.
Damon watched her for a moment longer before shaking his head, leaving one hand on her back. He was in no hurry to get up. For now, Olympus and Camp Half-Blood could wait a little.
Camp Half-Blood — Morning
The first scream was heard just as the sun began to rise.
Chiron opened his eyes at once. For a second, the centaur stayed completely still, hoping maybe it had been a nightmare or some camper falling out of bed by accident. But then came another scream, then another, and after that, the sound of several campers talking at the same time began to grow from the cabin area. Chiron let out a heavy sigh, already knowing what was coming.
Without wasting any more time, he took his bow, left the Big House, and quickly moved toward the cabins. The camp was still half-asleep, but confusion was already spreading like fire. Some satyrs ran from one place to another, nymphs came out of the trees looking toward the cabins, and several campers were peeking out of the windows without understanding what was happening.
The biggest chaos came from the Hermes cabin, which did not surprise Chiron. The door was wide open, and several campers had gathered outside. Some were still in pajamas, others held swords, completely alarmed by the screams. There were only confused children, and a cabin that, for the first time in a long time, seemed about to lose a large part of its inhabitants for reasons other than war.
"Chiron!" someone shouted.
The centaur arrived just in time to see a boy of about twelve standing in the middle of the path, looking upward with wide eyes. Above his head shone a small symbol of a torch surrounded by soft shadows.
A few steps from him, a girl was crying while a small crown of flowers glowed above her head. Another camper had the symbol of a golden cup. Farther away, another stared open-mouthed at an emblem of dark wings flickering above his hair. For a moment, no one knew what to say. Then everyone started talking again.
"I don't know whose symbol this is!"
"I was sleeping and it just appeared out of nowhere!"
"Does this mean I've been claimed?"
"Why now?"
Chiron raised a hand, trying to calm everyone. "Silence. Everyone calm down."
But no one listened. In fact, it seemed to get worse as more campers woke up and were suddenly claimed.
Chiron let out a sigh. He had just woken up, and this was already exhausting him.
Luke came out of the Hermes cabin with messy hair and a confused expression. Behind him, several campers looked around. Some seemed happy, while others did not seem to know if they should be. Luke looked at the symbols above several kids' heads before turning his gaze back to Chiron.
"I assume this isn't normal."
Chiron held his gaze. "No."
Luke let out a small laugh completely lacking joy. "How convenient. After years, suddenly the gods remember they have children."
Several campers lowered their gazes, and Chiron did not know what to say. Honestly, he had no defense for that. Not after what Dionysus had told him during the night.
Percy appeared shortly after with Annabeth, both clearly awakened by the noise. Percy had messy hair and a completely confused expression, while Annabeth was already looking at the symbols, trying to identify each one.
"What's going on?" Percy asked.
Annabeth took a moment to answer, her eyes still scanning the symbols with amazement. "They're being claimed," she finally said.
Percy blinked. "All at the same time?"
"Looks like it."
Percy looked up. "And why am I not being claimed?" the black-haired boy asked, confused.
"How would I know? I don't know what goes through the gods' minds. Besides, what's happening now has never happened before," Annabeth said, just as confused.
The murmurs intensified until Chiron spoke.
"Alright, enough. Yes, many of you have been claimed this morning. I understand this is unexpected, and I understand you have questions. You will have answers, but first I need everyone to stay calm."
A camper raised his hand, his face pale. "Does this have to do with what happened yesterday on the news?"
Chiron did not answer quickly enough, and that was a mistake. The murmurs returned immediately.
Chiron gently struck the ground with one of his hooves, regaining everyone's attention. "Yes, this is related to what happened yesterday. But not in the way many of you are thinking."
Luke narrowed his eyes. "Then say it."
Chiron looked at the gathered campers. Children. That was what they were, even if some of them had already fought monsters, even if some had spent years learning how to survive. Children whom the gods had ignored for far too long. And now he owed them the truth. Or at least part of it.
"Olympus has changed," he finally said.
The cabin area fell silent. Luke was the first to speak, clearly feeling that all of this was already starting to give him a headache.
"Okay… and what else? What the hell does that mean?"
Chiron looked at him, ignoring his tone. At this point, he was already used to the boy's temper when it came to the gods.
"It means Olympus has changed leaders. Zeus is no longer king," the centaur dropped the bomb.
The campers looked at each other, waiting for Chiron to say it was a bad joke. Luke frowned, clearly not believing a single word.
"That's impossible."
"Well," a calm voice was heard behind them, "believe it, kid."
Everyone turned at the same time.
A handsome red-haired man stood near the cabins, dressed in a divine-style black and red tunic embroidered with golden details and covered by a dark mantle that fell over his shoulders. His necklaces and earrings shone faintly under the light of dawn, and his presence made it clear he was not someone normal, especially with the two wolves accompanying him.
The smartest ones, like Annabeth, instantly recognized the earrings and necklaces. They were the same ones worn by the blond champion of Chaos, the one they had not seen for some time. And if that was not enough, the white wolf at his side was impossible to forget.
But before anyone could say anything, Chiron's voice was heard.
"D-Damon."
Damon looked at the symbols shining above several campers before turning his gaze toward the centaur.
"Good morning, Chiron. Looks like Dionysus ruined my surprise."
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Stones would be much appreciated. Have a nice day.
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P@treon: Brotato up to chapter 111