Hello! Okay, I know most of you were expecting an epilogue, or an announcement for a sequel. You might've even thought I was going to announce what idea from my poll I was going to go with. Well, anyone who thought that, you're wrong!
I am, in fact, going to announce something, though.
Due to the inadequate response to my request for more votes on my poll, I'm not going with any of those ideas. I might use them later, but for now, I've come up with an idea that's even better than all of those combined.
I've written a story for the Norse gods!
Yes, it's true. I've beaten Rick Riordan to the task. I'm just hoping he hasn't come up with the same idea as me, or else I would have to sue him. And suing people is never fun (well, okay, maybe it's a little bit fun).
So anyway, enough rambling. Here is the first chapter for my next story. I will be posting this exact same chapter for the actual story, but I just wanted to see your responses before I continued with this idea. And now, without further ado (love that word!), here are the Vikings!
The Dwarves are Attacking!
Percy
It was a warm summer day. I was lying on the beach with Annabeth beside me. We were simply staring at the clouds, happy to be alive.
The Giant War had ended only recently, and we all still bore marks of the recent battle; I had a long scar running the length of my leg, Annabeth's hair had been cut short by a very angry monster and there was a long scar across the palm of her hand, Leo was still wearing an eye patch, and Piper was on crutches, her right leg burned badly.
But, good things had come from the war as well. We had defeated the earth (well, at least for another few hundred years), we had become friends with the Romans, and… wait, that's all I can think of at the moment.
Jason, Hazel, and Frank had all headed back to the Roman camp, but we still kept in touch. Piper was almost always IM'ing Jason, telling him about every little thing. They really did make long-distance relationships work.
"Percy," Annabeth said suddenly.
"What is it?" I asked. "Is there another apocalypse coming?"
"No, it's just that Thalia is standing five feet from you with her bow drawn, aiming at your head."
I quickly spun around, and there was Thalia, bow drawn, aiming at the point right between my eyes.
"How long have you been there?" I asked as the shock melted away.
"Oh, only ten minutes or so," Thalia said nonchalantly, putting her bow away.
"Why are you here? I thought the Hunters didn't come to camp anymore, you know, after Leo started flirting wit-"
"Never speak of it!" she said angrily. Then her gaze softened. "I came by to ask you for help."
"What's wrong?" I asked, immediately alert.
"Well, the Hunters had decided to go up to British Columbia, and, while we were camping by Holland Lake, I felt a strange power surge, like something was using lightning nearby. But there weren't any storms nearby and there aren't any demigods in the middle of the wilderness that we know of."
"That does sound strange," Annabeth said. "Let's go talk to Chiron about it."
So, we walked over to the big house. Most of the kids were enjoying free time, and they didn't notice us as we went past them.
When we told Chiron about it, he seemed just as confused as we had been.
"A power surge, you say?" he asked Thalia. "Way up in British Columbia? I really don't know."
"Maybe we should go check it out?" Annabeth suggested.
"That sounds great, but I can't join you," Thalia said sadly. "I'm just supposed to pass on the information, and then I have to go meet with the rest of the Hunters in Quebec."
"Then we'll send campers," I decided. "How about we get the Seven back together?"
I was, in fact, talking about the Seven of the second Great Prophecy. That would be Piper, Leo, Annabeth, Jason, Hazel, Frank, and me.
"That sounds perfect!" Annabeth said excitedly. "Chiron, is it okay with you?"
"Sure," he said with a smile. "You can go, but if you're gone for more than a week, we will send a search party to look for you."
"That seems fair," I said. "So, I'll go find Piper and Leo, and you can IM Camp Jupiter."
"Good luck," Thalia said, "and say hi to Jason for me, okay?"
"Sure thing, Thalia," Annabeth said.
She just nodded and crept out the door. Chiron changed into wheel-chair form and went into another room without a word.
I ran outside and bumped straight into Piper, who was scaling the steps. She slipped down to the bottom, crutches and all. I ran over to help her up.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Sure," she said, biting her lip. "I just won't be able to walk for another year or two."
"Are you sure you don't want a child of Apollo or Hecate to heal that for you, because it would only take a sec-"
"I'm sure," she said. "If I'm ever going to survive in this world, I need to learn how to deal with pain."
"What if I told you we're going on a quest with Leo, Hazel, Frank, and Jason in a little bit?"
"We seriously are?" she almost screamed. "Get me to the infirmary ASAP!"
I think the Aphrodite cabin is starting to rub off on her.
I helped her stumble over to the infirmary, where a daughter of Apollo took over. I told Piper to meet us in the game room and left to find Leo.
I, of course, found him in his cabin, sleeping away. I swear he was trying to gain back all of those lost hours of sleep when he was building the Argo II.
"Leo!" I yelled in his ear, and he immediately sat up, rubbing his eyes, or should I say, eye.
"Who's attacking?" he asked me sleepily, reaching for his hammer.
"Nobody," I told him. "We just need you dressed and in the game room as soon as possible. We're going on a quest."
"Seriously?" he asked a little more alert now. "Just give me thirty seconds, and I'll be there!"
I ran out of his cabin and toward the Big House. When I got there, I quickly went inside.
Annabeth was talking to Jason when I walked in.
"Really? Well, they'll see you there at five! Later!"
"So, what happened?"
Annabeth jumped higher than the moon when I said that.
"Don't do that!" she said angrily. "Reyna agreed to let Jason, Frank, and Hazel to meet us at Smithers, a small down near Holland Lake."
"Smithers? Seriously?" a voice behind me said. I turned and saw Leo, fully clothed, leaning against the door.
"Piper should be here soon, by the way," he said. "I just saw her leaving the infirmary."
"When are you going to take that eye patch off?" Annabeth asked.
"When it stops looking so awesome," Leo said a mischievous grin on his face.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Leo fell backwards onto Piper.
"Oof," she said. "Get off me you big lug!"
"Sorry," Leo muttered, helping her up.
"Now, what's this quest we're going on?"
"The Hunters told us about a power surge in British Columbia, near Holland Lake." Annabeth dove into the story and her plan on what to do.
"So, you guys should leave on the Pegasi in about ten minutes if you want to make it there on time," Annabeth finished.
"Wait, you aren't coming with us?" I asked her.
"Percy, I still can't properly hold my dagger without screaming. I don't think I'd be of much help to you. Plus, we need someone to hold down the fort. Reyna is staying at Camp Jupiter, so I'll stay here."
"Fine, I guess," I said.
"Okay, here are your backpacks," she said, handing us each a pack. "There should be enough provisions in there to last you a week. Good luck."
"How in all of Olympus are you always prepared?" Leo asked, looking through the things Annabeth had packed. "You have food, water, Nectar, ambrosia, changes of clothes, oh! How did you get my yo-yo in here too?"
"She's just awesome like that," I said.
"Uh-oh, I think I feel a romantic moment coming on. Come on, Piper; let's go round up those Pegasi!"
They ran you the door, and Annabeth turned to me.
"Good luck, Seaweed Brain," she said, giving me a hug. "And please, for the love of the gods, don't get killed."
"I won't, Wise Girl," I promised her. She reached up and kissed me. I almost melted on the spot, but then she pulled away.
"Good luck," she whispered, and then she ran out the door.
I followed her, only to find that Piper and Leo were already waiting for me with Blackjack just behind them.
"Come on!" Leo yelled. I ran over and jumped on Blackjack.
Where to, boss? Blackjack asked.
"Smithers, British Columbia," I told the Pegasus, and he leaped into the air, closely followed by Piper and Leo's pegasi.
The flight was smooth and fast. Zeus apparently wasn't too mad at me today, so none of us got struck by any lightning.
When we touched down in Smithers, we found that the Romans had already beaten us there.
Arion, Hazel's pride steed, was strapped to a white chariot. Hazel was standing next to him, feeding him a gold nugget. Jason and Frank were standing nearby, both looking like they were going to throw up. Well, I couldn't blame them. Traveling in a chariot at the speed of sound was never easy on the stomach.
"Hey!" Hazel said as we dismounted and walked over. "How have you guys been?"
"Great," Leo said.
As soon as Jason saw Piper, he wrapped her in a tight embrace.
"Missed you," he mumbled.
"Same here," she mumbled back.
"Uh, ahem, lovebirds?" Leo said. "Can you stop that so we can get on with the mission?"
I went over the plan with everyone so we were all prepared.
We were supposed to fly to a spot about a quarter-mile from where Thalia felt the surge, tie the Pegasi up there, and then continue on foot.
After I finished talking, I suddenly realized how cold it was. I wondered how we would survive very long up here, until I opened my backpack, and, sure enough, Annabeth had packed winter coats. Best girlfriend in the world.
We all mounted our horse and Pegasi and continued to the spot where we were supposed to stop. We quickly dismounted from the horses, tied them up, took out our weapons, and started walking through the undergrowth.
Everything seemed silent for the first five minutes or so.
But suddenly, as we were walking into a small clearing, about eleven figures dropped from the trees.
We attacked them, of course, but we were heavily out-numbered, and out matched, even though our attackers were half our height.
I heard the clink of metal on metal, and I knew some of my friends were going down.
Suddenly, I felt a large weight hit my head, and I fell to the ground, unconscious.
Great way to end a chapter, huh? Well, that's it! I need you guys to tell me if it's good or horrible. I'll wait two days, and if your reviews are too negative, I'll just use my highest rating idea on the poll. But, if you guys like the idea, then review! Anyone can do it. Just type a couple of words and hit Post Review. It's that simple! I will wait two days, and then I'll probably post this as a new chapter. Then, all you have to do it wait for a week to see the next chapter. So, if you like the idea and you want to see more, then tell me! If you hate it and you want to see it in the garbage can, then tell me! I'll just be waiting here, in front of the computer screen. Okay: end of pointless rambling.