Chapter Text
Connor’s god was missing, and no one knew where he was.
Percy had just come back to camp for winter break and all of the year round campers were happy to see him. The believers were even more so. They loved having their god around as it left them feeling even more inspired. Plus they had been worried.
No one had heard from Olympus in a while. Even Lord D had disappeared. While this wasn’t necessarily unwelcome, it did leave them feeling uneasy. To go from hearing as much as they had during the summer to silence in the winter was a startling change. The younger campers who had gotten accustomed to at least seeing Lord D had had to be calmed semi regularly. Many had found solace in worship at the altar of Percy.
Then like their god had heard them, he had appeared. Bag slung over his shoulder and saying something about an early winter break, Percy had been inundated with hugs from the younger campers, after his own girlfriend of course. The Loyal one had seemed confused by all of the sudden massive amounts of physical affection given to him by the young demigods but understood after hearing one of them say ‘my lord’. Connor remembered the glare his god had sent Malcolm at hearing that but had assuage the young campers to let him go put his things in his cabin.
Dinner and the bonfire that night had been a raucous affair. When Connor had done a sacrifice to the wielder of riptides, praying for the protection of his friends, he nearly swore when he saw Percy’s head snap up. Whether Percy heard him while he was speaking quietly or if he had actually heard his prayer, Connor never got the chance to ask.
The next morning, the son of the sea was gone.
At first the campers just thought maybe he was out swimming or in the forest. Connor used it as a nice game for the younger campers. “Go find the god” he had said. But by noon, they were worried, and Annabeth was starting to get that crazy look in her eye. By 4 in the afternoon, the camp as a whole was getting scared and frantic. Annabeth had called Tyson to see if he had gone to Atlantis, but Percy wasn’t there. By dinner, it was declared that he was missing.
The Children of Percy were of two minds due to their god missing and decided either one of two things had happened. On the one hand, this was it. This was the proof of his divinity. All of the other gods had gone missing and now theirs was gone as well. Clearly whatever was happening to the gods had happened to the Hurricane rider also.
But they believed that he would come back to them. They were his children after all.
On the other hand, someone had just stolen their god. This thought enraged the Children and Connor knew he could use this.
“Use that anger!” Connor shouted at the Children. All had gathered at the altar that night to discuss their missing god. It was here that the two thoughts had formed. “Channel our god’s righteous protection and find him. Find him and the ones that would dare steal our god! While he is our protector, We are his. While he imbues and strengthens our loyalty, He claims dominion over it. Let no stone be unturned. Let no path be untread. We will find the Loyal one!”
A cheer went up at his words and stoked the fires in the hearts of all those with true beliefs. Over the next day and a half, plans were made and search parties were paired up. Although Annabeth wasn’t necessarily happy about the inclusion of what she had deemed “a dangerous cult”, there was nothing she could do. They were incensed and ready to go searching.
Many had given offerings at the altar in hopes that they would aid their god wherever he may be. Connor counted himself among them. He swore he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder when he did so. He had felt Percy there with him.
Connor’s god was missing but they would find him.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Travis’s god had been stolen and it was taking all the mercy he could pray for not go burn down a cabin.
The day before the search parties were meant to go out, Annabeth had gotten a vision from Hera saying that a person who would lead to finding Travis’s god would appear wearing only one shoe. She then got a call for help from a Satyr and, low and behold, a guy with one shoe is there and just so happens to be a son of Zeus named Jason.
It had felt like a slap in the face to the Children of Percy. It had felt like she was trying to replace their god with a son of her husband. It wouldn’t work.
Of course it didn’t matter, as not a day later the new kids had gone off on a quest. One again given by Hera. The Children of Percy paid no mind and were still planning to search for their god. Annabeth had had to plead with them to give the new kids time and to not start searching beyond the local area.
They had done so only because of their loyalty to Percy and her ties to him.
A week later, the questers had returned, and the truth had come out. Romans were real, the next great prophecy had started, and Hera had stolen their god. The anger that had surged through Travis shocked him. The righteous indignation at the fact that queen goddess had taken their protector, their hero, their GOD was strong. It had taken Connor calming him to stop Travis from grabbing a torch and burning down her cabin, consequences be damned.
It had always been that way. Connor was the calmer one and the diplomat. Travis was the emotional one and the one willing to throw the first punch.
So here Travis knelt by the fire at the Altar alone. His brother and Malcolm were handling the others, soothing them with their words and stopping a full mob from forming within the children. Travis was not the only one wanting retribution against Hera. Travis threw a cookie into the fire and prayed to his god that he could show a modicum of forgiveness as Percy had done when pardoning those he had fought against in the war.
“Who is this Temple for?”
Travis looked up at the path leading to the altar to see the son of Zeus -- no Jupiter looking at him. Jason seemed impressed with the Temple. He walked up and admired the artwork on the walls as Travis watched him.
A Roman. Travis could still barely comprehend it. To think that the split between the two cultures was so great to cause an actual split in the gods.
“It is for our Protector.” Travis spoke plainly. He was not use to being the one interacting with others. Although he wished it wasn’t so, he knew his twin was the better orator of the two.
“Oh so Mars then. Wait no. Greek. So Athena?” Jason reasoned, still looking at the Art. “But most of this art doesn’t seem to be about her.”
“That’s because you are wrong. This is not a temple to Athena.” Travis said semi annoyed at the roman’s intrusion into this space. “It is a temple to Percy. The Protector. The Loyal one. The demigod’s savior.”
At that, Jason finally looked at Travis with confusion. “But isn’t he the guy that is missing. He’s just a demigod, right?”
Travis bristled at that. Just a demigod. How dare this upstart talk about his god like that. He prayed to Percy for the strength of will to show mercy to the clearly unknowing and uneducated roman.
“Currently he is a demigod yes.” Travis said through clenched teeth “But we believe him to be more. We believe that he will ascend to godhood. And so, we pray to him.”
“Isn’t that a little much? I mean you really expect a mortal to ascend? No one has done that since Bacchus?” Jason said with disbelief. “Just because he is a big name here doesn’t mean he’s a god. He is just a demigod.”
Travis’s goodwill snapped.
“He is not just a demigod! Percy braved the underworld and returned before he was 13! He sailed the Sea of Monsters before 14! He chose to willingly take the weight of the world onto his shoulders, freed the hundred hand beings, and stopped one of the strongest Titans to exist in their tracks single handedly. More then that, my god turned down the gift of godhood so we could gain protection and recognition. He is the very definition of Loyalty, Mercy and a protector!”
Jason was looking at Travis with his hands in a surrendering pose and his eyes wide. Travis decided that this was not enough. He had to show this Roman his god’s power. The son of Hermes grabbed the other boy’s wrist and pulled him to a kneeling position by the altar. He then put a blue cookie into Jason’s hand.
“Throw it into the fire and pray to Percy.” Travis said. “Pray for protection in the year ahead. You are going to be a hero in a prophecy. You will need his protection and he has a soft spot for heroes of prophecy.”
Jason gave him a side eye before doing as instructed. He obviously didn’t expect it to work. But as Jason closed his eyes and prayed, Travis saw a small blue aura surround the son of the sky god. Jason’s eyes snapped open to look at Travis in shock.
“You feel it don’t you?” Travis whispered, looking into Jason’s eyes. “You feel his protection.”
“I do.” Jason whispered back in awe.
Travis smiled at the other boy. They had all heard from Jason how rarely the gods seemed to interact with the Romans. For him to feel one’s touch personally must have been a shock to the boy. They had also heard how Jason had been Hera’s personal Champion. Travis thought that this was a fitting payback.
Hera had stolen Travis’s god. So, Travis was going to steal her favorite Demigod and offer him as a present for when Percy got back.
