Percy Jackson and the Olympians: the Rosetta Stone

Chapter 1

Percy's POV

It was a week before Christmas, and Annabeth and I were on our way to Mount Olympus to deliver her blueprints. I had a nagging question: What do I get Annabeth for Christmas? Jewellery? No WAY. A top? That would be an insult to her fashion sense. A book in Ancient Greek? There were two problems with that. 1, I didn't know where to get it from, 2, she had probably read them all anyway.

"Seaweed Brain, I am still here you know!" Annabeth said, tearing me away from my thoughts. We were only two blocks away from the Empire State Building now. I leant down to kiss her, which usually got me off the hook, but suddenly her body stiffened, and her hand crept slowly towards her knife. I instinctively looked around, sensing danger. There were four Dracnae surrounding us. I quickly drew Riptide.

"You take the two on your side, I'll take the two on mine," I whispered, and we charged. Annabeth stabbed her first Dracnae by running head first into it, stabbing her knife into its heart, before it had time to pull a weapon. I took out my first much the same way. The other two monsters circled us, realising they were being easily defeated, and drew their weapons. Two swords each. I gulped. Waving their swords, they forced us back to back. My spine tingled where it touched Annabeth, and I tried to remind myself that this was not the time. I rolled under one's body, and was just about to stab it in the back, when the Dracnae wheeled round, facing me, its swords glinting in the cold winter sunlight. It stabbed at me, but I deflected the blow. I realised that while the creature was big, it was also slow. I blocked the stabs until I caught the monster off guard, and vaporised it. Annabeth however, wasn't having as much luck as me. I immediately stepped in to help. Two half-bloods versus any monster is a mean fight, and within 10 seconds the last Dracnae went to visit Hades in the Underworld.

"Well fought, Architect of Olympus," I commented.

"I could say the same, Seaweed Brain. But what I don't get is why the monsters are here now, after we defeated Kronos."

"I don't know," I answered truthfully, and shook my head. Annabeth sheathed her knife and looked at her watch.

"Oh my gods, I'm late. See you Percy," she said, and dashed through the doors of Mount Olympus, disappearing into the lift.

Percy's POV

As I stood waiting outside of the Empire State Building, Poseidon appeared. He sauntered up to me. "Ummmm, errrr, hi Dad," I said, not knowing what to say. He wasn't smiling.
"You know I don't approve of your dating a daughter of Athena," Dad said.

I gathered all my courage, and said, "Look, Dad. I'm sorry you don't get along with Athena, I truly am. But your age long disputes have nothing to do with me or Annabeth, OK?" His eyes darkened to the grey of a Storm.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"You heard me." His eyes narrowed.

"Fine. But the slightest hiccup and you will turn into a hippocampi," he threatened, and vanished in a poof of smoke. That was one less problem. But Annabeth's Christmas present?

About 15 minutes later Annabeth came out of the Empire State Building with a grim expression on her face.

"Did your mom give you a hard time?" I asked her.

"Yeah."

"Same here. I was thinking. Seeing as we have holidays, I was thinking we could go back to camp for a few days before Christmas. Catch up," I explained.

"They'll tease us to death you know," she added, grinning.

"You know what? How about we just see how it goes, huh?" She nodded and leaned forward to kiss me softly, burying her hand in my hair. I pressed my palm against the small of my back and pressed her closer to me.

We arrived at Camp at about 5pm, giving us time to talk before dinner.

"Welocme," Chiron said as we walked through the boundary. He was wearing a t-shirt that said 'I'm a Centaur, and I rock'. I grinned.

"I like the t-shirt! Party Ponies?" He nodded.

"I despair of them sometimes. But why are you back so soon? I wasn't expecting you until the summer."

"Some Dracnae attacked us as I was delivering the Blueprints to Zeus," Annabeth explained. Chiron looked worried.

"Well, it'll come to light sooner or later," he sighed, and trotted off. It seemed strange to me that he was so unconcerned. Maybe he knew something we didn't. We walked toward the Cabins, and stopped outside mine.

"See you later?" I asked. She nodded, and walked towards the Athena Cabin.

I rearranged my stuff, and went to visit Blackjack, my pegasus.

Yo boss! What you doin' here so early?

I shrugged. "Just hanging. Schools out anyway."

You got any sugar cubes for me? Just you're the only one who'll give 'em to me!

"And for good reason! You know they're not good for you!" I replied.

Aw, come on. Just one? One little one? Pleeeeeeeeeease!

"Oh go on then," I laughed, and dug a few out of my pocket. "Do you know what I should get Annabeth for Christmas?" I asked him. He looked at me blankly.

What's Christmas? He asked me. Oh gods. I'd forgotten that the Olympians didn't celebrate it.

"It's like a huge birthday party," I explained. "Everyone is invited to it. And you give presents to your family... and people that mean something to you."

Do I mean something to you? He asked.

"Sure you do! But Annabeth?"

I dunno boss. I guess she wouldn't like sugar cubes?

"No."

I'll think about it, he replied.

"Oh, well. Gotta go. See ya."

You too boss, you too. He jawned, and fell asleep.