AN – This is going to be a collection of oneshots set in the universe of 'Through the Looking Glass.' Each chapter should be a self-contained story so updating might be rather sporadic.
Anyway, I would recommend reading 'Through the Looking Glass' first but this is an AU set in a world where there was never a Great Prophecy.
This particular chapter is set immediately after 'Through the Looking Glass' ends.
Please enjoy and thanks to all the people who reviewed the other two fics.
Disclaimer – Don't own.
...
"Have I ever mentioned how much I hate Nico?"
"Once or twice," responded Annabeth, rolling her eyes in exasperation.
"I don't think I managed to convey exactly how much I hate Nico. Because I do. A lot."
"Okay, Percy."
"I mean, what sort of nut-job sends two defenceless teenagers to break into Mount Olympus?"
"What do you mean by defenceless? I'm not defenceless."
"Alright, what sort of nut-job sends one defenceless teenager and his knife-wielding sidekick-"
"Why am I the sidekick?"
"Fine! What sort of nut-job sends one defenceless teenager and his knife-wielding friend to break into Mount Olympus?"
Grover cleared his throat.
"You forgot about me."
"Oh, for Zeus' sake! What sort of nut-job sends one defenceless teenager, his knife-wielding friend and one, irritating satyr to break into Mount Olympus? Happy now?"
Annabeth and Grover exchanged a look and shrugged.
"Meh," said Annabeth.
Grover snickered and raised his reed pipes to his lips, cheerfully tooting a LMFAO song. Percy glared at him.
Summer was off to a terrible start. Nico, the crazy old man that he was, had almost exploded with excitement upon spotting his favourite students on Half-Blood Hill. Almost immediately, the three had been dragged down to the Big House, Percy gaping in awe at the many unbelievable sights on the way. The son of Poseidon was not granted time to appreciate the wonders of Camp Half-Blood, however, as Nico had shoved the three demigods inside the large barn house, slammed the doors shut and collapsed dramatically into a chair. The previous occupants of the room had shared a startlingly similar look of surprise and turned to greet the newcomers. Percy, ever the eloquent one, spoke first.
"Whoa! That guy has the ass of a horse!"
An awkward moment of silence had ensued, only to be broken by the sound of Annabeth's palm slapping her forehead in exasperation and Nico's inappropriate giggling.
"Oh, boy," beamed the elderly son of Hades, making no attempt to stifle his laughter, "I've missed you and your overwhelming idiocy."
The centaur had cleared his throat, his expression torn between offended and mildly amused.
"Welcome, Percy. I am Chiron, trainer of heroes and activities director here at Camp Half-Blood."
"And yes," added the other occupant of the room, not even bothering to glance up from his game of cards, "he does have the ass of a horse. It's rather fitting, really."
"Thank you, Mr D," sighed Chiron.
"I was implying that you are a horse's ass, Chiron."
"Yes, I had realised."
Mr D dropped his cards and swivelled around to examine the campers.
"Annie Bell? I thought we were rid of you? Didn't that wretched daughter of Zeus take you away? What was her name again?"
"Thalia, sir."
"Ah, yes. Tiffany. She certainly was an irritating brat."
Dionysus glanced at Percy and sipped a can of Coke, a relatively innocent action but carried out with an aura of authority and a hint of distain.
"Who's the new kid?"
"P-percy J-jackson, s-sir," stuttered Grover, chewing anxiously on the sleeve of Percy's jacket. The boy in question had not noticed but both Annabeth and Nico were struggling to retain their amusement at the patch of goat saliva on the son of Poseidon's clothing.
"I see," nodded Mr D, "godly parent?"
"The Great Lord of the Sea, himself," grinned Nico, "god of the oceans, earthquakes and Chiron's back end."
"Oh, wonderful," groaned the wine god, tactfully ignoring Chiron's spluttered protests at his rear being brought into conversation yet again, "another child of the Big Three. Does Zeus have any idea how much damage you little miscreants cause? We had to completely rebuild the Ares Cabin last year after an incident with the lightning brat. Father and my uncles should not be allowed to breed and produce more of you infernal snots. You all bring infinite amounts of trouble."
"Mr D," frowned Annabeth, "you were a Big Three demigod once. Aren't you being slightly hypocritical?"
"Shut up, Annie Bell. No-one asked you."
"Mr D's hypocrisy aside," interrupted Chiron, "he does have a point. Big Three children do tend to cause a great deal of damage when they experience extreme emotion. However, the sole reason Camp Half-Blood exists is to give demigods a safe haven to develop and master their abilities. We welcome you with open arms, Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon."
"Yeah, yeah," snorted Nico, waving his hand dismissively, "blah blah, welcome to camp, blah. Enough with the tour guide spiel, horse boy. I propose that the son of Poseidon prove himself."
"Of course you do," sighed Percy, "but I've only just arrived. Can I take a break and prove myself tomorrow?"
"No!" glared Nico, his long beard fluttering despite the lack of wind, "when I first arrived at Camp Half-Blood, I was not permitted to relax. Like a true hero, I was immediately granted the most deadly and dangerous of all quests: the quest to slay the dreaded gorgon sisters."
"No you weren't," frowned Chiron, "that never happened."
"Indeed, it did," nodded Nico, sagely, "it was a most epic adventure and I almost lost my life several times. I was only eight at the time."
"Nico, you did not arrive at Camp until your tenth birthday. This quest never took place. Besides, two of the gorgon sisters are immortal. You could not have killed them."
"Chiron, Chiron, Chiron," sighed Nico, shaking his head in sympathy, "clearly you have been here too long. Your many years have addled your mind and ruined your memory. It is a true shame, my old friend."
"What are you talking about?"
Nico merely clapped his hands and continued as if the centaur had not interrupted.
"I propose we send the boy on a quest."
"I concur," agreed Dionysus immediately, "the fewer brats I have to deal with, the better."
"Wait, aren't you being a tad hasty? At least allow Percy time to prepare himself."
"Don't be such a bore, Chiron," chuckled Nico, "boy can handle anything we throw at him. A quest should be no problem."
"Don't I get a say in this?" asked Percy, hopefully, "Nico, you trained me. Haven't I already proven myself?"
"Nonsense," cackled the old man, "besides, quests are fun. You'll have a blast."
"Indeed," smirked Mr D, "tell me, Nathan, do you have a particular quest in mind?"
"Of course," responded Nico, hopping to his feet and gesturing grandly, "when I was a boy, my father presented me with an artefact of great power and mystical ability. The object served me well over the years, filling the hearts of my opponents with overwhelming fear at the mere sight of it. However, fifteen years ago, the gods declared that I was too unstable to wield such a weapon of destruction and took it from me."
The elderly demigod cackled and pointed a bony finger at Percy.
"They were fools, boy! Fools! I am as sane as I have ever been!"
Percy, Annabeth and Grover exchanged doubtful and slightly wary glances. Chiron looked as if he was about to burst into tears of frustration.
"Anyway," continued Nico, "the gods stored my artefact in the vaults of Mount Olympus. I want you three to break in and return it to me."
"Are you absolutely insane?" cried Annabeth, in disbelief.
"Yes."
"You can't just break into Mount Olympus! It's like the Tower of London but instead of state of the art security systems, it's protected by immortal beings with the power to reduce us to dust just by blinking!"
"I'm not breaking into Mount Olympus," shrugged Nico, "so I don't really care. You, however, should probably watch out for that. Being reduced to dust would put somewhat of a damper on the rest of the adventure."
"Indeed," chuckled Dionysus.
"I agree with Annabeth," frowned Chiron, "this quest is far too dangerous."
"Nonsense," laughed the elderly son of Hades, "besides, the Oracle has already offered a prophecy and everything. There's no turning back now!"
And so, much to their dismay, Percy, Annabeth and Grover found themselves attempting to sneak into Mount Olympus and rob the place without attracting the attention of the gods. Needless to say, they failed miserably.
"How could Nico do this to us?" exclaimed Percy, pacing the length of the small jail cell the three intrepid would-be-thieves had been locked in, "after all we've done for him!"
Grover paused his reed pipe rendition of 'Party Rock Anthem' and stared at Percy.
"You and Annabeth knocked him out and kidnapped him off the streets," he remarked, refusing to let the two demigods forget their lapse of judgement, "what exactly have you done for him?"
"Shut up, G-man."
Annabeth glanced up from her book. The daughter of Athena had had the foresight to bring her own form of entertainment, clearly preparing for the inevitable situation in which she and her comrades would be caught as a result of their lack of thieving abilities.
"Just relax, guys. Now is not the time to squabble amongst ourselves."
"How can you be so calm?" asked Percy, incredulously, "we're locked in a jail cell on Mount Olympus! I'm surprised the Gods haven't blasted us to the Underworld yet. And even if we do escape, there's no way we'll be able to complete the quest! We'll be failures!"
"We are failures," moaned Grover.
"No, we're not," smirked Annabeth, "remember, Athena always has a plan."
"Y'know," frowned Percy, "considering it's your fault we got caught, you're awfully confident in your own abilities."
Annabeth glared at the son of Poseidon.
"Shut up, Seaweed Brain. Anyone could have knocked over that enormous bust of Hera."
"And shattered it into a million tiny pieces."
"And alerted the Gods to our presence," added Grover.
"And getting us thrown into a jail cell."
"With no way of contacting Camp for backup."
"Or with any form of entertainment."
"We could play I Spy?"
"I hate 'I Spy.'"
"How can you hate 'I Spy?'"
"Simple, my hatred for 'I Spy'-"
"Guys!"
Percy and Grover blinked and turned to face the frustrated daughter of Athena.
"Shut up," she growled, slamming her book shut and whacking Grover in the head with the hefty novel, "getting caught was all part of the plan."
"What are you talking about?"
"Well-"
The solid steel door of their cell suddenly swung open, slamming into the wall with a deafening CLANG and interrupting Annabeth's explanation. The three teenagers whirled to face the opening, their eyes wide in a mixture of surprise, fear and a hint of dread.
"My, my," smirked the figure in the doorway, "when Zeus informed me that two demigods and a satyr had attempted to steal from Mount Olympus, I expected at least one of my children to be here."
"Lord Hermes."
Hermes, donned in an expensive suit, beamed at the three prisoners and twirled his caduceus between his fingers.
"Quite an ambitious little adventure you three are on," remarked the god, cheerfully, "if I wasn't the god of thieves, I'd be offended at your audacity."
"So you aren't going to smite us?" asked Percy, hopefully.
"Nope," grinned Hermes, "I tend to root for the underdogs. I can't speak for the others, however. Hera is arguing right now for your instant destruction. She was rather fond of that bust."
"Oh, gods," whimpered Grover, "we're all going to die."
"Well, you might. Athena and Poseidon are wholly against the idea of murdering their two favourite children and Zeus does not want to face the risk of war. However, you, my young satyr, only have Dionysus as your protector and, if I'm being entirely honest, he doesn't really care about anything enough to argue with our father."
Grover looked as if he was about to burst into tears and began nervously chewing on the corner of Annabeth's book.
"Anyway," beamed Hermes, "I've been asked to escort you three to the throne room to face your punishment. Don't worry, I'm sure it won't be too bad. Eternal damnation is likely to be a worst case scenario."
"Lord Hermes, sir," asked Annabeth timidly, rising to her feet and ignoring the shared alarmed glances of Percy and Grover, "can I ask who sent you?"
"Why, Athena, of course."
Annabeth's face relaxed marginally and she nodded to herself. Percy frowned at her, knowing that the girl held facts that he was not privy to. Facing the risk of eternal damnation, the son of Poseidon felt that the polite course of action would be for Annabeth to actually share her master plan. Of course Annabeth, being Annabeth, did no such thing.
"Very well, Lord Hermes. Lead the way."
Percy stared at her.
"Are you serious?" he hissed, grasping her arm as she tried to leave the cell, "they want to kill us!"
"I-I a-agree with P-percy," bleated Grover, "I'm a-all for s-staying in t-the c-cell."
Annabeth fixed her stormy grey eyes onto Percy's sea green orbs.
"Just trust me, Seaweed Brain," she urged, "Athena always has a plan."
Percy examined her face closely before nodding and reluctantly retracting his hand.
"Alright, Wise Girl. But it better be a good one."
"Oh, it is."
Hermes raised an eyebrow at the two teenagers and shot an amused smile at a terrified Grover.
"Time to go folks," he grinned, "as touching as this 'moment of trust' is, I think your satyr buddy is about to wet himself. Hera'll kill me if there's goat pee on the carpet."
He stepped into the corridor, the three campers following closely behind. Percy fell into line next to Grover as they shuffled down the hallway and clasped a reassuring hand on the satyr's shoulder.
"Relax, G-man. What's the worst they can do to us?"
Grover shot an incredulous look at the son of Poseidon.
"A-are you k-kidding?" he stuttered, "they c-could f-feed us t-to C-Cerberus, or s-send us t-to the F-fields of P-punishment or-"
"We're here!" interrupted Hermes, grinning wildly at the campers and gesturing towards an enormous pair of ornate golden doors, "through we go!"
The God of thieves pushed open the doors to reveal the throne room, currently home to an incredibly heated debate.
"You cannot be serious, brother!" cried one God, a dark-haired man, garbed in a Hawaiian t-shirt and a pair of Bermuda shorts, "I will not allow you turn my son into a llama!"
A goddess, a tall, stunning woman with familiar grey eyes, nodded her agreement.
"Kelp-face is correct! The children are on a quest! Punishment is not necessary!"
Their opponent, a god in a pinstripe suit, his eyes a startling blue and his expression thunderous, roared in response.
"Not necessary? NOT NECESSARY? They have broken into our home, destroyed a cherished and irreplaceable artefact and attempted to steal from us! Such audacity and disrespect cannot be forgiven! Demigod or not!"
Percy glanced at Annabeth, hoping to shoot her a worried expression. To his surprise, however, the daughter of Athena was nowhere to be seen. The demigod blinked and looked at Grover. If the satyr had noticed her disappearance, he was hiding his knowledge exceptionally well. Hermes, however, winked mischievously at Percy and the boy groaned in frustration. Why was he always the last to know the details of Annabeth's plans? Hermes cleared his throat and stepped forward.
"The thieves, Lord Zeus," he grinned, "or rather, the would-be-thieves."
The god in the pinstripe suit, Zeus, turned to the trio and glared at Percy and Grover.
"Thank you, Hermes," he growled, "you may sit."
Hermes winked at Percy once more before strutting over to his throne and taking a seat next to a handsome blonde god who was watching the affair with an odd mixture of amusement and fascination.
"This is so exciting," he whispered, "if I weren't so afraid of Hera smiting me, I would totally recite a poem about this."
Another goddess glared at the blonde. From the bust Annabeth had destroyed earlier, Percy easily recognised the woman as Hera. The son of Poseidon was mildly surprised. He had expected the Goddess of family and marriage to appear as a more maternal figure. In reality, however, Hera was absolutely terrifying. An expression of pure fury contorted her features and her steely eyes promised an early demise to anyone foolish enough to invoke her wrath. With a sinking sensation, Percy realised that he, Annabeth and Grover had done just that. Well, mainly Annabeth but she had mysteriously disappeared and was clearly unable to take the blame. Hera rose to her feet, towering over the two campers. Percy gulped. He did not know where Annabeth was, but the young demigod knew he had to protect her, whatever the cost.
"Which one of you infernal delinquents destroyed my bust?"
"Grover," offered Percy immediately, "he did it and we're all incredibly ashamed of him."
"Perce!"
"You lie, half-blood!" screeched Hera, "do you have any idea how valuable that bust was? It was personally sculpted for me by Da Vinci himself!"
"You've met Leonardo Da Vinci?" asked Percy, mildly impressed.
"He was a half-blood," whispered Grover, helpfully.
"That's completely irrelevant! That bust was one of a kind and now it's ruined! I SHOULD KILL YOU ALL!"
"But before we do that," interrupted Hawaiian-Shirt-Man, "I'd like to have a private word with my son."
Percy blinked in surprise and glanced around, looking for another demigod. At Hawaiian-Shirt-Man's chuckle, however, the identity of the god finally clicked in the young boy's mind. Poseidon. His father. Grover stared at him incredulously, silently asking if Percy really had not realised beforehand. Percy winced. If Annabeth had been there, his arm would be supporting a large, ugly bruise as a result of his obliviousness.
"You ask for too much, Poseidon," snarled Zeus, "I agree with Hera. The brats have caused enough damage today. Let us be done with them."
"No!" snapped Poseidon, "I have been kept from my son for sixteen years. If you are so keen to end his life, the least you can do is grant me my first and final audience with him!"
Zeus glared at his brother, clearly unwilling to lose the battle of wills. Poseidon's determined gaze, however, won out and the King of the Gods glanced away grudgingly.
"Fine," he growled, "you may speak to your spawn."
"In private?"
"In private."
"Thank you, brother."
"Whatever. Zeus out."
The God of the Skies vanished with a flash, causing the other occupants of the room to groan dramatically.
"What," asked Athena, rising to her feet, "is wrong with walking?"
She grabbed Grover by the collar and hauled him out of the throne room, the other gods following reluctantly behind. Percy watched them file out, nervously avoiding the gaze of his father. He still had difficulty wrapping his mind around that word. Father. For as long as he could remember, his life had been void of a father figure. Admittedly, he had had Paul but his mother's boyfriend had made a very conscious effort to fill the role of confidant and friend rather than play a more paternal part in his life. It was not because Paul did not view Percy as his son, but rather because the teacher did not want to replace Sally Jackson's first love. He wanted Percy to realise that if he ever wanted to find his biological father, Paul was ready to support him and offer him any assistance he could. Admittedly, upon finding out that Percy's biological father was the Greek God of the Sea, Paul had tentatively withdrawn his offer of assistance. He was good when it came to tracking people down, but certainly not that good.
Percy shifted slightly under the God's gaze. He wanted to scream and yell at Poseidon, berate him for not staying with him, for leaving his mother alone to suffer with Smelly Gabe. From Annabeth's stories, however, the young demigod knew that, compared to many others, he had been lucky. Poseidon had protected him, saved him on many an occasion. It would be foolish, but not undeserved, to unleash his anger. Also, taking the direness of his current situation into account, it would certainly not do to alienate one of his very few allies. He would bite his tongue.
"Percy," breathed Poseidon, "you've certainly grown."
"That tends to happen to us mortals," offered Percy, "we grow and stuff."
"Yes," chuckled the Lord of the Sea, relaxing slightly in his throne, "I had noticed."
He frowned slightly as his gaze swept over his teenage son.
"You're in quite a pickle, here, m'boy. Athena and I should be able to keep you out of trouble, but attempting to steal from us was foolish."
"Oh, trust me, I know. But Annabeth and I aren't known for our stellar decision making skills."
"Yes, that I had realised. I've been watching over you whilst you were on your adventures with the daughter of Athena and I don't think I've ever seen two demigods get themselves into as much trouble as the pair of you. Kidnapping a son of Hades? Really not the brightest of ideas."
"You've been...watching over me?"
"Of course," responded Poseidon, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "we gods do care for our children, Percy, however poorly we show it. I've been watching over you since you were a baby, stepping in sometimes when you needed guidance or protection."
"You...visited us once. When I was eight, right?"
"Yes." Poseidon's expression darkened. "There was a vermin problem. I helped your mother clean up."
"Gabe."
Poseidon nodded.
"That man was a plague. I could not stand by and watch Sally be with that man."
"Do you still love her?" asked Percy.
"Sally?" Poseidon smile was bittersweet and his eyes twinkled sadly, "I will always love your mother. But we gods are not meant for mortal relationships and all I've ever wanted is for her to be happy. I cannot make her happy."
"But Paul can."
"Yes. Aphrodite chose well."
"I'll have to remember to thank her."
"I would avoid Aphrodite for the moment," laughed Poseidon, "she seems to think that you and Athena's brat make a wonderful couple. She's got her heart set on meddling in your love life."
"Me and Annabeth?"
"Indeed. I-"
Poseidon was interrupted by the doors to the throne room suddenly slamming open. Two minor gods stormed in, a struggling Annabeth held firmly between them. Percy's widened and he immediately hopped to his feet, ready to assist the squirming blonde. A firm glance from Poseidon, however, held him in his place.
"Where is Lord Zeus?" asked one of the intruders, "we found a demigod skulking around the vaults. We thought he would want to deal with her."
"Yes, he would," answered Zeus from the doorway, the rest of the Olympians and a terrified Grover gathered behind him, "we had just come to inform Poseidon that his time with his brat is up. It is always a pleasant surprise, however, to find another thief to roast."
"If it's any consolation," offered Grover, timidly, "she's also the one who smashed Lady Hera's bust."
"Grover!" exclaimed Percy.
"What? We're all going to die anyway!"
"Really, I did you all a favour," snapped Annabeth, struggling in the grip of her two captors, "that bust was a gods awful eyesore."
"How dare you!" screeched Hera, "you have made a grave mistake today, daughter of Athena!"
"Really? Well, how about you-"
"Annabeth!" interjected Athena, a mildly concerned expression gracing her features, "I feel that the wisest course of action here would be to keep your mouth shut."
"But mother-"
"I agree with Athena," interrupted Poseidon.
"The world is ending!"
"Shut up, Apollo!"
"Smite them, Zeus!" hissed Hera, "especially the blonde one!"
"No! You'll ruin 'Percabeth!'"
"What the Hades is 'Percabeth?"
"Father, you can't!"
"Zeus, if you ever loved me-"
"Brother, don't be a fool!"
"We're all going to die!"
"EVERYONE, SHUT UP!" roared Zeus, "I will smite the demigods because I DAMN WELL FEEL LIKE IT! This is not a democracy! I am king! I will do whatever the Hades I like! I don't care if I ruin 'Percabeth' whatever the hell that is! I don't care if I cause I godly war! I AM KING! FEEL MY WRATH!"
The God of the Skies grasped his Master Bolt and aimed it at the three heroes. Percy's eyes widened in horror, Grover trembled in fear and several vulgar Ancient Greek curses escaped from Annabeth's mouth. It seemed the end was near.
"What the Hades is going on here?"
A familiar blue-eyed figure frowned at the scene, her short, black hair bouncing slightly as she tilted her head in confusion.
"Thalia!"
The twenty-one year-old daughter of Zeus folded her arms and took in the scenario. Annabeth was sprawled on the floor in front of Percy and Grover, her Yankees cap of invisibility sticking out of the back pocket of her jeans. The two minor gods had dropped her and scarpered as soon as Zeus had whipped out the Master Bolt. The son of Poseidon and the satyr were clutching each other tightly, their eyes wide with fear. The King of the Gods was waving his Master Bolt at the trio, a deranged glint in his eye. The rest of the Olympians were clambering over each other, some in an attempt to save the campers, some in an attempt to get a better view of the action. Thalia sighed.
"What did they do this time?"
"I think the question is," chuckled Percy nervously, "what didn't we do?"
"Okay, let me rephrase the question. Why does my father want to kill you all?"
"Because he's paranoid and has confidence issues and feels that destroying us will somehow gain him the respect and loyalty of the other Olympians," muttered Annabeth.
"And we tried to steal from him," added Grover, "and destroyed Hera's bust and almost caused a godly war."
"But we maintain that it was all Nico's fault," nodded Percy.
"Thalia," frowned Zeus, lowering the Master Bolt, "what are you even doing here?"
"I received a distress call from Camp Half-Blood," answered Thalia, dryly, "Chiron was concerned about this particular quest. He was worried that you guys might over-react to the break in. I told him he was just being paranoid but told him I'd check it out. Now, I owe him ten drachmas. Thanks guys."
She glared at the three campers and jerked her head towards the exit.
"Let's go."
"But wait," cried Zeus, "they can't just leave! They committed a serious crime! I should send them straight to the Underworld!"
"But you won't," answered Thalia, "because I'm your favourite daughter and Annabeth is very dear to me. I also kind of like Percy, so I guess I'd be pretty annoyed at you if you killed him. Grover too."
Zeus sighed and holstered the Master Bolt.
"Curse my fatherly feelings. Be gone with you. And Thalia, try keeping your pet demigods on a leash. Next time I won't be so forgiving."
"Noted," smirked Thalia, not-so-gently steering Annabeth and Percy towards the door, Grover following closely behind.
Percy winced and glanced at Annabeth.
"Have I ever mentioned how much I hate Nico? Because I do. A lot."
Annabeth sighed.
"Me too."
Percy and Grover returned to Camp Half-Blood in a rather dejected fashion. Despite the close shave with death, they had failed to retrieve Nico's artefact and were convinced the quest was a failure. Annabeth, however, had other news.
"So, did you find my object?" asked Nico eagerly, ignoring Thalia's glare.
The three campers, and the daughter of Zeus, had reported to the Big House upon their return. Grover did not stay for long, desperate to return to Juniper. Also, he was rather keen to avoid Thalia's anger. Thalia was naturally furious at the elderly son of Hades for sending her young charge on such a pointless and dangerous quest. Nico, however, appeared to be oblivious to her rage.
"Sorry Nico," sighed Percy, "we didn't have time to look for it between having our lives threatened and almost dying. Annabeth supposedly had a plan but it failed miserably."
Annabeth blinked in surprise and stared at Percy.
"No, it didn't."
"Well, I don't see any mystical object, Wise Girl."
Annabeth reached into her back pocked and pulled out her Yankees hat. Inside the hat was an odd foot shaped piece of foam. The daughter of Athena placed the foam in Percy's hand.
"Ta da," she declared.
"This is a flip-flop."
"Yes."
"It's a magical flip-flop!" exclaimed Nico, snatching the footwear from the son of Poseidon, "you found it!"
"Athena always has a plan."
"What?" cried Percy, "what is going on? How did you get that? Why is Nico's magical item a flip-flop? What-"
"Calm down, Seaweed Brain," laughed Annabeth, "it's actually really simple. I knocked Hera's bust over on purpose to attract the attention of the gods. I knew that they would bring us to the throne room so I planned to use the walk there to slip away and search for the flip-flop. I was mildly concerned about who they would send to fetch us, though. There's no way I'd be able to sneak away from someone like Artemis, the goddess of the hunt.
Luckily for us, however, my mother cottoned onto my plan and sent Hermes to collect us. Hermes, being the god of thieves, was already sympathetic towards our plight and it was fairly easy to convince him to help us out. He even slipped me a map of Mount Olympus. Once I had the flip-flop, I was going to cause a distraction so the gods' attention would be drawn away from the throne room, leaving me free to bust you and Grover out."
"But then you got caught."
"But then I got caught," nodded the daughter of Athena, "things were a bit touch and go for a while. We're really lucky Thals showed up when she did."
"Yes, you were," snorted Thalia, "seriously, Annie. When I said not to do anything stupid, I actually meant it. Breaking into Mount Olympus definitely qualifies as a stupid action."
"Sorry, Thals."
"Don't apologise. Just know that, once Summer's over, you're on kitchen duty for the next three months."
"What?"
"Sorry, kid. You and your shenanigans dragged me away from my romantic getaway. I'm feeling fairly unsympathetic towards your plight."
"I have one final question," frowned Percy, glancing at a sulking Annabeth, "what does Nico's magical flip-flop actually do?"
"Supposedly," huffed Annabeth, "it allows the wearer to summon and control monsters."
"I call it my Flip-Flop of Doom, Despair and Eternal Punishment," cackled Nico, "or sometimes just Nora."
The elderly demigod paused suddenly and stared at the flip-flop with wide eyes. He glanced at the other demigods and giggled slightly.
"There's only one flip-flop," he noted.
"Yes," agreed Percy slowly.
"Well, I have two feet."
"Yes."
"So where's my other Flip-Flop of Doom, Despair and Eternal Punishment?"
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me."