Hey. I know you all might hate me for uploading a new story when I have like four stories on hold needing chapters, but this idea had to get out. I'm currently reading the Blood of Olympus, have not finished, but this idea sprung in my mind. Anywho, enjoy!
SUMMARY:
During the war of the titans versus the gods, two clever nature spirits got curious and decided to make a creation. Taking some DNA that had been in the blood that had dripped form each and every titan, god, spirit, and other force participating in the war, they created two humans with unbelievable powers, thanks to the golden DNA. Realizing the boy and girl were too dangerous to be exposed, in case anybody could try to control them and use their powers, they locked them away in a carefully hidden forest burrow in North America, to never be awaken and to sleep forever...
Millions of years later, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase are on the run from monsters in Washington State of the United States. They stumble across the tomb of the two children, and accidentally bypass the enchanted spells and awaken them. Forming an instant friendship, the four teenagers start making their way back to Camp Half-Blood.
But now, every Greek figure is awake, sensing the new and alien power traveling across the country. Suddenly, the kids, Ethan and Crystal, are in great danger as several forces try to kidnap them and possess their powers. Can Percy and Annabeth bring Ethan and Crystal to Long Island before they are destroyed? Or is there more to the story than just typical monsters wanting to kill two powerful half-bloods...? Perhaps a giant has been waiting for many eons for these kids to rise... and he's ready to set his diabolical plan into action.
Long summary, I know. But enjoy the story! I don't own anything except the plot and OCs, Ethan and Crystal. They are my own creation.
Eons ago, during the war between the titans and gods:
Candace stepped lightly over the tall green grass that grew freely in the forest. Her bare feet was tickled by the long blades as she walked her way through the forest. Above the trees, heavy smoke poured into the indigo evening sky as Artemis, the goddess of the moon, used her powers. Explosions and guttural screams could be heard throughout the land, the uneasy slash as swords crashed together and ended lives.
The war between the titan and gods had been raging on for months. Candace had grown used to the sounds of war echoing around her. In fact, hearing the explosions and cries of pain actually made her smile a bit, as being a fire nymph made her more friendly with carnage. But now was not the time for laughs and chuckles. She and a river naiad had been forming a plan for a few weeks now, ever since the war started, and now they were ready to put it into action.
With a leather bag tied around her waist, she walked into the cave that was nestled deep in the foothills of the mountain, hidden by many rocks and plants. Pushing past a tall, green fern, she stepped onto the rocky surface, ducking underneath a few moist, hanging vines that half-covered the entrance before she fully entered the lair.
Inside the cave, it was lit by small candles placed strategically around the interior so as little candles were used as possible. They didn't want to attract much attention to the cave. The inside walls were smoothed down rock from the inside of the mountain, the ceiling only seven and a half feet above the floor. There were shelves carved into the wall, the surfaces littered with various trinkets, tools, and materials. A few bigger products were stored in a smaller room connected to the main interior.
The project that Candace and her naiad friend were working on was in the very middle of the room. Two large steel sheets like metal beds spread out next to each other, raised slightly by a few sturdy rocks. On the tables were two human mortal bodies, a boy and a girl, and a large bucket of mortal blood was resting on the ground, tubes connecting from the blood to the humans.
Untying the leather bag from around her waist, Candace went to the main table with the mortal bodies and pulled out two vials of DNA. One from a Titan daughter, another from the messenger god Hermes. It had been difficult to find these super-beings and catch them at the right moment when their immortal blood, ichor, spilled so Candace could swoop in and take a large enough dose of it for her project. The only reason this project was taking so long was because they had a disorganized list of which DNA they already had and whose was whose. Luckily, since there was so much carnage happening at every moment, once they knew who they needed to find, all they had to do was wait for the next battle axe to swing down.
The sound of wet feet squishing on rocks surprised Candace, and she turned to see her naiad friend, Bistonis, walk into the cave. Bistonis's long, blue hair tumbled down her back, streaked with white and had plant curls around her ear. Her skin was a light turquoise blue, and she walked with bare feet also, water dripping behind her as if she had just climbed from her stream. She was a river naiad, a potameides, and Candace knew Bistonis didn't like being in the cave. But it was the safest place they could perform their experiment without being detected.
"You're late, Bistonis," Candace lectured. "Our project must be taken to action soon if we plan on changing the course of far."
Bistonis wrinkled her nose, making the freckles underneath her green eyes twitch. "I am a potameides, Candace. I am not used to mountains and rocks like you are, you fire nymph."
Candace smiled. "I take pride in my nature heritage. Nonetheless, let us begin. Do you have the ichor from Nyx and Hestia?"
"I do," Bistonis said, a little pride flushing into her pristine voice. "It was very difficult to gain the blood from the goddess of hearth; she hardly participates in wars amongst the gods. I was able to team up with a few satyrs and they helped me lure her out into an enemy's path, causing her arm to get injured and for me to take the sample."
"Very good," Candace said, smiling. Her auburn hair flicked with flames as excitement grew in her. "Hestia was the last one, correct?"
"As long as you got the proper DNA from Calypso and the god Hermes," Bistonis confirmed. Candace nodded, and they both quickly stepped to the two human bodies they have prepared.
It had taken them forever to find the right pieces to assemble the two humans. One female, one male, they had given each of them distinct features. The female had more features that made her look like she was from the far east, way beyond the Greek borders, at least into the continent of Asia, an image Bistonis had decided to use ever since she visited a land and came back, reporting to see people with "distinct and different features from us all." The female was only a little over five feet tall, with dark eyes and dark, long hair. They had given the male tan skin and many freckles, the same way Bistonis had freckles like she had been sprayed with cheddar cheese, and brown hair. They sculpted their features to make them look handsome and beautiful, like they were almost gods.
The only thing that was left was the DNA in their bodies.
Both of their creations laying still across the metal beds, Candace ran to a special shelf in the wall. There, dozens and dozens of small vials were lined up, all a different color, glowing with different light. Some were pretty shades of pink, blue, green, and red, while others were dark indigo, indicating they held evil aspects. But each and every DNA sample contained power, which would relate to what being they came from. DNA extracted from Aphrodite's blood would probably contain much power over words, beauty, and emotions. DNA from the titan king Kronos would contain power over time, as Kronos was the lord of time. And all of that godly DNA combined would make a creature so supernatural, they would almost be dangerous... like a walking atomic bomb!
Candace started to organize the labeled vials on the small table next to the metal beds, preparing to embed the DNA into the mortal bodies. As Candace walked back and forth between the shelf and the table, placing the vials in their correct spot, Bistonis started to worry.
"Candace, call me foolish, but now that I see you preparing to actually engrave the DNA into the mortal bodies, I am starting to doubt if this will succeed. If it is worth the risks. The two outcomes have totally opposite degrees. We either succeed with this project and change the course of the war, or we fail and end up destroying the ground we walk on."
"You're going soft, my friend," Candace said. "We have to try. If the mortals end up being uncooperative, we have this." She brandished a Celestial bronze sword and tossed it to Bistonis, who caught it quickly. "We'll send their souls right back to Tartarus and re-plan."
Bistonis sighed. "True. But I would hate to destroy these humans. Believe it or not, but since I have put so much work into these mortals, I am starting to love them as if I am their mother! I would hate to destroy them so quickly after we put so much heart and work into them."
"I see your point," Candace agreed. "The DNA we were inserting into these bodies will certainly make them powerful. And I too would hate to demolish our creations so quickly. But the power we are installing into these humans could make them quite out of control. I understand your worry. If we have to, we must get rid of them before they can do any damage."
"You really should think about it before we really proceed to do this, Candace. The result of all the DNA combining together could be vicious. With that amount of power, they could summon a thousand hurricanes or make it rain white-hot fire with just a flick of their wrist!"
"Alright, Bistonis, perhaps not. I am going to hope that they can maintain control of their own powers as soon as they are alive, although I'm not sure that could happen. If they don't have control or can't maintain it quickly, we can transport them to an island of the coast of Greece and personally train them there, far enough away where the gods and titans won't notice." Candace tried speaking with confidence, but she hadn't realized to think about these back-up plans before.
The naiad sighed. "I suppose you're right," Bistonis said. "As much as I dislike it, I suppose it is good to have a second plan."
"Plus, you have to remember, they are humans, not automatons that will fall apart by a loose wire. Although they will withhold power, they will still have thoughts, rationality, personality, and characteristics like any other mortal being. It's only if they want to take action in something, they certainly have the power to do so," Candace lectured. Bistonis nodded solemnly, sliding the Celestial bronze sword into an empty sheath hanging at her waist.
"Since you appear to have nothing to do, why don't you prepare the sacrificial meal?" Candace suggested. "I shall start working on the DNA samples and the bodies."
Bistonis nodded, and she walked over to a cupboard, opening it to reveal many scrolls and loose papers stacked haphazardly inside. She rummaged through them until she pulled out a folded scroll, which was yellow and crumbling at the folded edges. It was the incantation needed to complete their project. Bistonis had stolen it from the Three Fates; a risky game, but it was needed if they wanted to try changing the course of the war.
She then walked over to the ice chest and pulled out the sacrificial meal that was to be offered to the spirits, along with a jug of the finest wine. She slowly roasted the sheep meat and poured the wine into two gold goblets, setting the finished meal in the middle of the room near the mortal bodies. Then she walked around and set out the candles, using her fingertips to distinguish the flames.
Meanwhile, Candace was slowly taking the DNA sample vials and pouring equal amounts into the female and male bodies. Her hands were shaky as she noticed that with every drop, the muscles in each human seemed to tense, as if the organs could sense there was a new liquid in its veins and was realizing it was godly. This worried her, because the bodies had not yet been inhabited by a soul to control yet, and she hadn't started their hearts. They weren't supposed to move. And with every drop of powerful DNA, she could see the bodies getting more tense.
When she had dripped every single DNA vial into each body, she stepped back slowly and looked at Bistonis. "I have finished inserting the DNA into the bodies."
Her voice was hoarse and gravely, and Bistonis nodded. She ducked to look out the cave entrance, taking a glance at the moon and calculating.
"Only a few more minutes until midnight," Bistonis whispered. "Then we will begin the incantation."
They both walked to the far corner of the room, holding the scroll, reading over silently the incantation. In a few minutes, midnight rolled in, and the air suddenly turned cooler. A chill shivered down Candace's spine, and Bistonis whispered, "Now."
Immediately, they started chanting the incantation, and if the room was cold before, it dropped another few degrees. The air turned sharp, and a hum sounded around them like winds were pushing against the mountain from the outside. As they continued to chant, suddenly gray-white misty forms emerged from the walls, almost making Candace stumble her words.
There were two figures lingering near the walls, mist steaming off from them. As they slowly drifted closer to the meal and bodies, their appearance became sharper. The ghosts reached forward and accepted the sacrificial meal, drinking the wine and eating the meat. Slowly, their imagines appeared. See-through, but enough for Candace to make out their features.
There was a female and a male ghost, but they were distinctively different. They both looked around the age of sixteen mortal years, and the female had long dark hair, a skinny shape and ominous eyes that bore into Candace's being. The male ghost was shorter than the female, with brown hair that swept up at the bottom, near his forehead, and a splash of freckles across his cheeks. With a shock of surprise, Candace realized the two ghosts were strikingly similar to the bodies that had been prepared, and she wondered if that was a coincidence.
Neither ghost appeared hostile, nor friendly. Bistonis seemed too terrified to speak, and before Candace could work her vocal chords, the ghosts whispered in her mind, the female voice first.
I am Eulalia, and this is my fellow friend, Artemidoros. Our souls have been summoned, and you know have our presence. How may we help you?
The female ghost's voice was smooth and polite, making much worry fade off of Candace's shoulders. Bistonis seemed to relax too, and she answered.
"We have summoned you because we would like to ask if you would be willing to be reborn into the mortal bodies we have created. Our creation could change the course of the war going on between the titans and the gods!"
Artemidoros drifted forward, making the nature spirits lean away. You have created mortal bodies? Explain.
"I am sure you have heard of the war going on between the titans and the gods," Candace jumped in. "And how many forces are siding on either the god or the titans. This battle is causing several deaths, and if we don't make a strong act that will truly change the course of the war, we'll end up killing ourselves into we're all dead."
"So we took DNA from the golden blood ichor of the gods," Bistonis continued. "We fused all the DNA together into regular, highly-capable two mortal bodies; female and male. If the bodies were alive and moving, they will have immense and supernatural power. The only thing that is needed for us to make these creatures are souls to inhabit the body, and we were wondering, since you would be born into these bodies, if you would want to be the volunteers? Be born into a new life?"
Collected DNA from the gods and titans, Artemidoros whispered in Candace's mind. Punishable by death if either side found out you were doing this project, no matter who you planned on teaming up with.
"We understand all risks," Bistonis said. "But it's the only way. Would you be willing to be born into this new life to help us complete the project?"
Both ghosts hesitated, seeming to consider. Candace folded her hands together, looking at the misty white figures.
"Please. Do it for the sake of ending this war. We must do something before the titans and gods tear up the ground in their bloodthirsty wrath, and we have no place to stand on. Do it for the rest of the world out there."
The female ghost, Eulalia, spoke up in their minds. Although the idea seems rather terrifying, I have the sudden urge to agree. This is an interesting chance to take, to see how this turns out, mixing supernatural DNA together into a mortal, human body. My only downside thoughts are the fat that I would not see Artemidoros again, since our memory of anything before vanishes when we were reborn, and it won't come back until we die again.
True, Artemidoros speculated. Yet these two mortal creations are most likely going to be kept together, so even if we do not remember each other as we were mortals, we are still near each other. I agree, this is an interesting chance worth to wonder about…
Candace and Bistonis listened to the two ghosts have a conversation in her mind, laying out the pros and cons of being reborn into these unnatural bodies. Meanwhile, the air grew colder and colder as the ghosts stayed longer, and Candace started to worry.
"You must decide quickly. Your presence may start attracting attention of the gods. If they catch us, any hopes of stopping this war the right way will be crushed. Tell us quickly: do you want to be reborn into these mortal bodies?"
Eulalia and Artemidoros traded a look, and Candace felt a moment of pity for them. Perhaps they were former lovers from the living life, or close friends at the least, but either way, Candace could see why they were reluctant to lose memory of each other. Artemidoros nodded slowly, and Eulalia spoke.
We will have our souls inhabit these unnatural, enchanted bodies you have created. Please say the spell.
Bistonis immediately started reading a section of the scroll that they had summoned Eulalia and Artemidoros with. Chanting, the souls were slowly transferred into the mortal bodies laying on the bed. Candace immediately ran over to start bumping the hearts, hoping to give them a jump-start and wake them up fast. Meanwhile, the winds roared outside, signaling that the gods had sensed unauthorized activity in the forests.
"Hurry!" Candace exclaimed to Bistonis. "I fear the gods and titans have become aware of our activity!"
Bistonis rushed her words, and a flash of light cracked down in the middle of the room as the souls were sealed and locked to the bodies, thanks to the magic words of Bistonis's spell. As Candace started getting the body working, the lungs to breathe and the heart to beat, Bistonis checked under the cave entrance and outside.
"Candace!" Bistonis exclaimed. "Gods! Zeus, Hera, and many of his children are approaching! We must act quickly!"
Before Candace could reply, a thunderous clap of lightning crackled again in the middle of the room, at the bodies, but much heavier. Candace flew back, her spine slamming into the rock wall. She and Bistonis both gazed up at the creation they had just made.
Slowly, like an amnesiac waking up from a coma, the female and male stood up, wiggling their arms, swinging their legs. Their eyes moved around slowly, adjusting to where they were. Candace stared in awe at the two kids, who even though were average mortal height, seemed like gods as she stared at them from a few feet away.
A clash of chariot wheels slamming on the ground brought her back to reality. She realized what was happening, and Candace ran out and grabbed the mortals' arms.
"Ah!" the male cried, who was once the soul of Artemidoros. "Who are you?"
"Candace!" the nymph introduced fast. "And that's Bistonis! The gods are outside, making their way towards us! We must hide you! I fear your powers have attracted them and they want to see what the commotion is about! If we don't move you soon, they could banish us and you from here!"
"What?" the female, who used to be Eulalia, asked. Bistonis appeared next to the female, grabbing her arm.
"No time to explain now! We must make our escape!"
Bistonis and Candace grabbed a few bags and materials off the shelves and from the cupboards, before they grabbed their two kids and dragged them outside. The sky was dark, but the grass and trees were brightly green and they could see easily. In the distance, Candace saw monstrous figures, a mixture of lightning, fire, rain, and light crashing their way towards them.
"What are those?" the female asked.
"Gods," Bistonis breathed as she ran, pulling the rest of them with her. They fled along through the forest, ducking beneath branches and hopping over tree roots. Candace held onto the male boy, leading him through the thicket. Looking at the boy and girl, it was hard to believe they possessed godly powers, because they looked like regular mortals, but she knew better. There was a particular bottle of DNA from the god Zeus that seemed especially powerful.
"What do the gods want?" the boy asked. His voice was high, and it sounded a little bit younger than it should for someone his age, but that was a minor flaw that Bistonis and Candace couldn't control very well. He'd grow out of it when he got older.
"The gods don't like projects like these going undetected," Bistonis explained breathlessly as she continued to guide them through the forest at a fast sprint. "If they find you, they will surely have you killed. Neither I nor Candace want that."
"But we didn't do anything!" the female cried.
Bistonis nodded. "Look, I know you are confused, and have many questions, but we can't answer them now! We have to get you as far away from Greece as possible before-"
She was cut off as six thick trees suddenly tumbled down in front of her, almost crushing the poor water naiad. The girl let out a shriek, and as the leaves settled, they found Bistonis had her legs pinned underneath the thick trunk. Bistonis gasped, trying to wiggle free, but she shook her head.
"Candace, take them! Take them across the Atlantic Ocean and into the new land! Hide them far away beyond any Greek force's reach!"
"No, I can't leave without you!"
"Candace, go-!"
Bistonis was cut off again as a fireball suddenly exploded near the tree, making her duck and cover her head with her arms. Candace screamed, forming rocks out of the land and pelting them at the attacking force, but it seemed hopeless. Candace turned, running, about to look back and yell for the boy and the girl to come with her, but when she turned, she saw an amazing sight.
The boy, although merely short and only 16 years of age, lifted up the tree Bistonis was under and slung her over his shoulder like a sack, and he took the tree that had pinned her down and chucked it at the attacking gods like he was simply throwing a flower into the air. The tree slammed into the chariot of Apollo, causing the sun god to fall to the ground in a bundle of bushes and plants, a cringing crack of wood sounding around them.
The female mortal zipped around and would thrust her palm out, causing a mass wave of flames to curl out and torch the gods in front of her. The gods screamed, veering back, and then she would take the advantage to grab a tree with inhuman strength and stab it up the god's body like it was a knife. Already, the kids were learning how to use their powers to defend! But Candace knew as soon as the gods got organized, the fight wouldn't be so easy!
"Come!" Candace screamed. "This way!"
Hearing her calls, the female and male ran towards her, Bistonis on the boy's shoulder still, her legs severely damaged. The boy and the girl learned they had power over the air, thanks to the wind gods blood, and soon they were flying through the air, to the water, where they would depart to find a new land.
They ran to the coast, where Bistonis had a make-shift boat that was compacted down to a tiny box. In a few moments a large bot was ready for them to board, and all four of them got on. Soon, the ship was leaving the harbor, leaving the messy war of gods and titans behind, ready to set on a new journey across the ocean.
Finally, they had a few days to relax. Candace and Bistonis both explained to the mortals how they weren't like other regular humans. Not even like demigods. They were like demigods in a way where they have powers from the gods, but these two had not inherited it. Candace and Bistonis had literally crafted their bodies and installed several different DNA samples into them to give them extreme power over almost every element there was. And using the element of magic, they had souls inhabit their bodies so they could operate. They were pretty much the same as demigods, with regular human life expectancy and health, with just many, many enchanted powers.
Sadly, since they were such powerful mortals, it wasn't like the way demigods attracted monsters. Demigods attracted monsters if they either had powerful parents, or caused an incident to send up a flare to alert the monsters they were there. For these two kids, if they even stepped out of an unprotected zone, they'd attract all the monsters within hundreds of miles; they were that powerful. They had to be careful, because they were most likely going to get attacked several times in their life.
It took them 18 days to sail across the ocean to the land that is now known as North America. On the way, Bistonis and Candace talked, trying to decide what to do with the two mortals. They were clearly unsafe, and now that they were in North America, what could they do?
Finally, they decided on a plan.
Bistonis and Candace led their two children across the whole continent of North America, until they reached near the other coast, the west coast, facing the Pacific Ocean. They traveled deep into a forest and dug a large hole, which soon would become the tomb of the two kids. Candace and Bistonis did not want to do this. They did not want to do this option. But it was the only choice they had if they wanted to keep these kids alive.
"We have made some plans for you over the last few weeks," Candace said as she led the mortals through the forest. "As you know, you are very dangerous to the world. You don't mean to, it's just the fact that you withhold so much power is what makes you dangerous. Enemies will try to capture and use you for their wrong bidding. You attract insane monsters that could possibly kill you."
The kids nodded solemnly. As the days passed and they spent time together like a family, Candace and Bistonis revealed more information about themselves, the gods, the titans, the world, and the kids. They knew all about the war, and why they were taken away. They did not like to be reminded they were dangerous inhumane creatures that should be destroyed, that the only reason they were still alive was because Candace and Bistonis had too soft hearts to kill their own 'children.'
"We have," Bistonis said, swallowing thickly, "decided to… lock you both in a tomb here in this forest."
Both the boy and the girl widened their brown eyes with innocent fear. Candace led them to the tomb, climbing down the steps. Slowly, the kids and Bistonis followed.
"You are dangerous," Candace said gently. "But we want you to stay alive. We decided our best choice was to put you both asleep in a tomb, to be locked away for eons, so you will remain safe and protected. We have laid out a plan to set up various traps and heavy enchantments on the inside, and it will be carefully hidden on the outside. Here, you will sleep forever, until the right warriors who are smart and true enough to open this tomb can free you."
The girl blinked, her eyes filling with salty tears. "You're… locking us away?"
The boy showed obvious hurt on his face. "You don't want us around…"
"No, no!" Bistonis said. "Of course not! We love you both very much, but we don't want you to die. We agreed and thought this through very carefully. Here, you will sleep sound fully and be protected from any offending forces. You'll be awakened when the right heroes come along. We're not doing this because we don't love you, we're doing this because we love you. Can't you see this whole trip has affected us both? I am a water naiad, yet I have not touched a river for days. I am far apart from my central river of life, and Candace is a nymph far away from her own home too."
"I don't want to be locked away in a chamber!" the boy started to cry. "I don't want to sleep forever! I like it here, with you and Candace! No gods or monsters have attacked us here! Why can't I stay?"
"Oh, baby…" Bistonis said slowly, and ran her blue hand through his hair. Tears started to spill from both of the kids' eyes.
"You can't lock us away! You can't entomb us! You can't!" they both screamed, but Bistonis and Candace slowly pushed them into two bunks in the tomb. They tried to fight back, and for a moment, Candace was worried their supernatural strength might come in handy for them, but then Bistonis grabbed a bottle and forced the kids to drink it.
"Magical sleeping syrup," Bistonis said with tears in her eyes. She did not want to do that. Seeing her kids in pain caused her own hurt to erupt in her chest. "It will keep you asleep… forever. Until the right time is come for you to awake. I am so sorry I did that."
The kids were still trying to fight back, but the syrup was already kicking in. Now, they loosely grabbed at air, trying to keep their beautiful brown eyes open. Tears still spilled from the corners, and Candace started to cry too.
"I love you both very much," Candace said. "We'll never forget you. Bistonis and I will leave you here, in North America, and we'll travel back to Greece, where we'll most likely serve our spirits into the war with the titans and gods."
"You're gunna die too?" the boy asked slowly, and Bistonis nodded, covering her mouth. She placed her other hand on his face, tears falling from her green eyes.
"I don't want you to die," the boy said. Candace broke down and gripped the girl's hand, who weakly clutched back. They were both starting to slip into the eternal sleep. They were just about to close their eyes.
Bistonis rested her index and middle finger in the center of the boy's forehead. When she spoke, her voice was a shaky whisper.
"One last gift before I go… I give you names. My boy, you shall be named Ethan." She shifted her hand to the girl's forehead. "My girl, you shall be named Crystal. Sleep peacefully, Ethan and Crystal, my angels."
And slowly, as Ethan and Crystal drifted off into a deep sleep, Bistonis and Candace quickly set up the spells and traps in case any intruders were smart and clever enough to find the tomb. They had laid this out with much detail, doing their best to make sure nobody would ever disturb their children. They spent one week finishing the tomb, and when you looked at it, you wouldn't tell anything was suspicious. They planted new plants over the ground to over the tomb up even better, before they left the west coast.
They traveled across land back to the east coast, where they rode the same ship back to Greece. There, the war still raged on. They sided with the titans because they had no respect for the gods anymore, but the titans lost. Since they were nature spirits, Candace only turned into a flame of fire and Bistonis only evaporated into the water of her own river. And meanwhile, in North America, Ethan and Crystal slept peacefully, hardly aware of their mothers' deaths.
PRESENT TIME:
"Percy!" Annabeth screamed as a thunderous crashed made the ground shake. "Where are you? Come on!"
"I'm right here!" Percy yelled, waving his Celestial bronze sword, Riptide, at the hydra that was tromping after them. He accidentally cut off a head, causing two more to spring in its place. Annabeth cursed herself for having such an idiot as a boyfriend.
"Percy, I told you that whenever you cut of a hydra's head, they only multiply!"
"How am I supposed to remember every detail about every monster?" He ducked as the hydra spewed a poisonous ball, the venom barely touching his hair by an inch. It crashed into the ground and burned the asphalt there, sizzling it away like it was butter on a hot pan.
"They also spit venom too!" Annabeth exclaimed. "Come on!"
Percy got up and ran after her, and together they ran down the street, fleeing the hydra.
What were your favorite demigod heroes doing, you may ask? Well, Percy had gotten a calling card from his dad, Poseidon, who told him there was a special discovery to be made in a small town in Washington State of the United States. Sadly, all Percy had found so far were an angry pack of wolves, demonic fruit-bats, and now a hydra. He was starting to think Poseidon just tricked him into doing some entertainment for the gods on Olympus.
"We need fire!" Percy yelled, and he ran off the road, down a dirt path that was supposedly used as a walking trail through the pretty green forest. Annabeth ran after him, rummaging through her backpack.
"Matches, matches! I have a flashlight, a rope, and a thousand batteries, but no matches! The one time I need them…!"
While she muttered in hating-pity, behind her the hydra tromped down the dirt path, eager to continue the 'Let's-Chase-the-Demigod!' game. Percy needed to find a way to make fire – and fast. If Annabeth didn't have any matches though, he wasn't sure what he was going to do.
"Annabeth, how do you make a fire?"
"With matches!"
"You don't have matches!"
"I know!"
"If only Leo was here!" Percy exclaimed, thinking about their old Latino friend who was probably running around the campus of Camp Half-Blood being a total ditz and pranking people like he was in the Hermes cabin. Leo could also summon flames from his own hands, which would've been handy around now.
"Well, sorry I don't have a Leo in stock!" Annabeth said sarcastically. "You'll have to either use fire, which we have no supply of, or explosives! Greek fire would be helpful!"
"Greek fire…" Percy murmured. They stumbled into a slight clearing, and looked behind. The hydra had gotten tangled in some branches, which gave them a few seconds to form a plan.
Percy dared the risk and sheepishly looked at Annabeth. "Have any Greek fire on you-?"
Before he could even finish, Annabeth shoved him for being so ridiculous. Unfortunately, it was a little too hard of a shove, and Percy ended up falling face-first on the dirt ground next to a large, old, oak tree. He groaned, getting a mouthful of dirt, pine needles, bugs and –
A Greek fire.
"AAH!" Percy exclaimed, jumping up so fast he hit his head on the tree. The hydra was still entangled, so he bent down and took a closer look at what was half-buried in the ground against the tree… The most dangerous weapon in the world, just laying in the ground! And another one, on the other side! And another one a few inches away…
"Annabeth!" Percy yelled in incredibility. "I found a Greek fire! It looks like it's been buried here from a thousand years ago!"
"What? Don't blow yourself up with it!"
"No, I won't! It's just…. How do you light these things up?"
He glanced up at Annabeth, who stood in a tall tree, tying together what looked like vines as she seemingly was making her own plan. Meanwhile, Percy just found a huge stash of Greek fire someone just happened to accidentally drop, and he almost chuckled at Annabeth's stunned expression.
"What-? How-? How do you have so many? Are they lit up?"
"No! How do you get them started?"
"You- you rub them on wood like with matches, only those get caught a lot easier- No, don't you dare-!"
Too late. Percy grabbed a Greek fire and lit it up easily, before he chucked it as far as he could. He never was a really good baseball player, but he could throw. And that Greek fire hit the hydra directly at the neck, causing monster guts to explode everywhere.
"Ew! Percy! What in Hades are you doing?"
He had three more Greek fires, so he quickly lit them and threw them at the hydra just to make sure the creature stayed demolished. The sound was deafening; large explosions booming across through the forest and probably waking up any bears. But he managed to destroy the hydra, all while Annabeth just stood there and watched with her mouth open.
"Who's the strategist now, Smart Girl?"
Annabeth snapped out of her trance. "What the heck was that, Seaweed Brain? How did you even do that?"
"I don't think you should keep calling me that since I just single-handedly exploded that hydra into bits!"
"No, I'm serious, Percy. You just found four deadly weapons of Greek fire just lying in the ground? Show me where you found them." Her eyebrows crinkled together and she tucked her blonde hair behind her ears. Now that the immediate threat was gone, she had time to think.
Percy walked over to where he almost hit his head on the tree and tapped his Nike shoe over where he found the Greek fire. "There was one here. And here. And here. And… here. They all were just lying in the ground, like someone tried burying them but didn't have a lot of time."
Annabeth was thinking. Her gray eyes were unfocused as she looked at the scene, her hands reached out like she was going to praise the earth. She murmured, before looking at the general plants and trees in front of them.
"Something isn't right here…" She dug around in the dirt a few times, before suddenly three silver arrows shot out of the ground.
Percy and Annabeth both yelped and ducked as the three silver arrows flew over their shoulders and impaled themselves into a tree trunk that was standing on the other side of the clearing. Annabeth inspected the area where the arrows had flown out of, humming.
"Impressive traps," she observed. "They look like they've been here for a long time, but they still work. Whoever made this was very intent on protecting whatever is here…"
"What is there?" Percy asked. He felt kind of stupid as he just dumbly stood there while Annabeth was setting off all these death traps. Should he like, jump in front of her while his girlfriend worked? He didn't want Annabeth blown to bits or impaled or anything because he was too lousy and stupid to move and save her.
"Something… I'm getting the impression, there's a room under here…."
For the next few minutes, Annabeth tinkered around the area, moving plants and trees and setting off traps. There were not only arrows. Half of the ground collapsed into a ten feet hole with no way to get out. Another trap was a bunch of tranquilizer darts shooting out from the heavy oak tree. (How would you install that into a tree?) Another trap was a thousand knives ripping up from the dirt floor like teeth. Somehow, Annabeth always managed to fool the traps and bypass them, while Percy somehow seemed to always be standing in the right place where he didn't fall, get shot, or stabbed.
Finally, Annabeth announced, "I think I cleared all traps." Percy walked forward, and he watched as Annabeth got on her knees to dig with her bare hands at the earth.
"Annabeth, what are you…?"
"Shh, Seaweed Brain. I'm onto something."
Percy waited silently as Annabeth dug. She dug at least three feet down for twenty-five minutes until she suddenly yelled, "Percy! Come down and look! I found a door?"
"A door?" Without a second thought, Percy leaped down into the hole next to Annabeth. Instead of landing on dirt, he landed on something hard and smooth. Sandstone.
"What the heck is this?"
"Sandstone," Annabeth confirmed. "That's not a natural material in this area, so this must be man-made. But this really clever. Look. I find this latch. That means this is a door, and it leads to something." She held onto a rusty silver handle that was screwed to part of the sandstone.
"What is in there?" Percy asked for what felt like the billionth time.
"I don't know, but looking at how hard the inventor must've tried to keep this hidden, I'm guessing there's something pretty special in here that wasn't meant to be open for a long time. And as Annabeth, the daughter of Athena, it just feels like my duty to find out what is hidden in here. Care to join?"
"Sure," Percy said. And with a heavy pull, Annabeth yanked open the sandstone door, and they both peered inside the small window.
"Oh… my… Gods…"
PLEASE review on what you think! I actually kind of like this idea so I might spit out some chapters! Just review, because that's the only way I know your thoughts on this!
~Cynthia