Hey Guys! Another neat PJ fanfic idea that came into my head the other night, hope you enjoy and thanks so much for your reviews on my last story! :)
They were both in their cabins when it happened. Both of them. They were both in the comfort of their own cabins - the cabins that they had grown up in over the years of their demigod lives and a place they felt they could finally call home - when it happened.
Percy Jackson - one of the most notable demigods of his time for his outstanding record in many of the quests over the years and a demigod who played an essential role in the defeat of many dangerous foes - foes such as the cruel and deceitful titan Kronos and the ruthless and persistent goddess Gaea - seemed to be sleeping peacefully in his cabin. You could hear the soft and peaceful pitter-patter of the small water fountain that was located in the corner of the room and this, along with the beautiful night sky that was visible from the roof of the cabin made it seem such a blissful place to be.
However things were not so peaceful and inviting in Percy's subconscious mind...
He was in the eye of a cyclone. The wind was howling from all directions, as was the water, from the chaotic movement of the storm and it seemed that everywhere beyond the hurricane was casted in total darkness. He could only see 5 feet in front of him - what with the strange, dim light that seemed to be aimed right above the eye of the cyclone where he stood - but even this didn't stop him from immediately recognizing the person he admired and loved the most out of anyone in his world.
Annabeth.
She was hunched over a couple feet in front of him, sobbing loudly (he could tell because how else could he have heard her cries over the sounds of the storm?). Her long, dirty-blonde hair was tied back into a messy ponytail and it was flying in the same chaotic order as the wind and water was. Her arms were blood-stained (whether it was her blood or not he couldn't make out) and she was covered in a thick layer of dirt and grime, as if she had gone swimming in a mud pit.
"Annabeth! ANNABETH!", he tried to get her attention but he knew it would be no use fighting against the howling and deafening wind of the cyclone. He tried to move towards her, to show her that he was there and that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.
But his feet were placed firmly in the center of the cyclone and wouldn't move no matter how hard he pushed against the raging seas.
He tried calling her name one more time, mustering all of the strength and energy he could into his cry, but it was just in vain and he hung his head in defeat.
But not before she was swept away with the storm.
In that moment, his world crumbled around him until nothing could be seen or heard except for his limp body in the middle of the darkness, quietly sobbing.
Annabeth Chase is notable for also taking part in many well-known quests throughout the years with her boyfriend, Percy, and being one of the 7 demigods to stop Gaea from re-awakening. Her cabin seemed just as peaceful as Percy's.
It was much more neat and tidy then Percy's, however, with her magical Yankees Cap and celestial bronze dagger sitting neatly on her bedside table. Her siblings were sleeping peacefully in their beds just as Annabeth seemed to be. However her shaking hands and fitful tossing and turning all throughout the night showed just how desolate and dark her nightmares truly were...
She was in Daedalus's Labyrinth. Right in the middle where all of the confusing twists and turns of the maze intertwined into one circular room. Logically, one would think that she would just have to use her prior knowledge of the maze and her quick wits to navigate the daunting and confusing snake-like paths in order to escape.
But there were no exits in this circular room to be seen and Annabeth was, for once, lost.
How am I even here, she thought grimly, when Percy and I were in here last, we destroyed it...
And just as she thought of Percy she realized how great it would've been if he were here with her. At least they could've comforted each other, told each other that everything would be okay and that they would find a way out soon.
And it was funny- the kind of funny that was anything but humorous - how Percy just happened to appear right in front of her at the exact moment she had thought of him.
He was bloody, dirty and tear-stained and he was being strangled to death by none other then Luke.
She gasped in horror and Percy was moving his hands feverishly to his throat, trying to pry the rope from his neck. But he was weak from the fight against Luke and his attempts were in vain, Annabeth could see.
"I'll give you one chance, Chase", Luke said in a hissing tone. She realized he had never addressed her as "Chase" before and it frightened her how much a person could change.
"Tell me how to get out of this maze now or Jackson dies."
Her eyes went wide with fear as she realized that she had no idea how to get out of the maze. This should be the spot where all of the paths intertwine, she thought, why are there no exits!?
"I-I don't know how Luke", she told him, her voice shaking in fear of what he would do to Percy, "Let him go, please, I-I'll find a way I just need more t-". "Time" was what she was going to say when Luke cut her off angrily.
"NO! Time is the one thing neither of us have. You know how to get out of here. Tell me NOW!", at this point he was shouting at her and he was gradually tightening the rope around Percy's neck. Percy was blue in the face and his eyes...
She had never seen his eyes look the way they did now. They were shattered...broken. You could see the life - along with all of the happy memories they had shared together, the laughs, the smiles, the kisses - drain out of him and fade away into nothing.
Yet he still somehow managed to have the final word.
"I love you, Annabeth", he said in one final, raspy gasp for breath. She tried to move forward, to hug him, to kiss him, to let him know she loved him back but she couldn't move and she couldn't speak and at that moment Luke let the rope go and Percy dropped to the floor.
But it was too late. He was dead. She screamed but no sound could be heard but the maniacal laughter of the corrupted Luke Castellan.
The room was void of any living creature, man or woman, let alone one of the Greek gods/goddesses. There were several storage containers stacked in the corners of the room, most labeled with things like "Spare Gears", "Nuts and Bolts" or "Random Rivets and Flywheels". This would make the room a normal storage area.
Except the boxes' labels were all written in Ancient Greek.
Poof! Suddenly, a man appeared in the center of the room. He looked around and saw the storage containers and knew he was in the right place. He checked his watch - fictitiously, in a sense that he wasn't wearing one - and as he looked up, a woman appeared in front of him.
"Oh for the love - Poseidon turn on the lights, you old dráma vasílissa!", she scolded. The man, Poseidon, grumbled, as he went to turn on the lights. He knew the insufferable goddess that stood before him had said much worse things to him, but he was angry nonetheless.
"Off to a great start, now aren't we?", he grumbled to himself.
Once he turned on the lights, one could make out the two figures in the room much more clearly: Poseidon was a tall, dark-haired man with somewhat-broad shoulders. His calloused hands made him out to be a regular fishermen, and his neatly-trimmed black beard, radiant sea-green eyes and the crinkles in his cheeks showed his light-natured, good-hearted side.
Of course, that wasn't how he was feeling at the moment. He turned to face the goddess - the woman who's been his rival since the beginning.
Athena.
When she stood up straight (which she always did) she matched Poseidon's height. Her skin was slightly lighter then Poseidon's, however, and her long black hair was tied up in a half-up, half-down kindof style.
And those eyes. Some say her dark-grey eyes have caused entire armies to surrender on the spot. They were so piercing, so fierce; as if her eyes were the very center of two, powerful storms.
"Alright, Poseidon, are we going to do this or are you just going to stare me down all night?", she said with a slight edge to her voice. Poseidon shook his head to clear his thoughts.
"Oh they're always clear, Poseidon", she said, reading his mind, "its not like there's anything in that big 'ol head of yours anyway", she said with a Grinch-like smile.
He scowled at her, "Oh yeah? Well who's idea was it to meet here in the first place, huh Athena?", he retorted in a mock voice.
She rolled her eyes to the Heavens, "Oh please", she said in an exasperated tone, "this is the perfect place to meet. Abandoned, locked, sound-proof, stupid-proof - oh wait, nope, you're still here", she said jabbing her pointer finger into Poseidon's chest.
He scowled at her once more, "If its such a perfect place to do this, then why are we in disguise?"
Poseidon wore his normal outfit when he knew he would come into contact with mortals on his excursions; leather sandals, Bermuda shorts, a patterned shirt with parrots and coconuts plastered onto the front and back and a fisherman's cap that reads "Neptune's Lucky Fishing Hat" with fishing hooks sticking out on all sides. Athena, unlike Poseidon, didn't have a go-to outfit when it came to meeting mortals on her trips. She chose to wear blue jeans, an orange shirt with a faded "Camp Half-Blood" insignia on it with a denim jacket on top with her leather hiking boots and satchel. He's right, Athena knew, rubbing her tongue against the roof of her mouth in disgust of the thought, there's no purpose in putting on our disguises.
Poseidon saw her hesitate - just by a fraction of a second (which was a lifetime when it came to Athena) - so he continued. "Yeah", he said, slowly gaining confidence in his argument, "What are you planning on meeting some mortals tonight? Hmm?", he said.
Athena shook her head, "No, just...", she hesitated once more, feeling foolish, and then she continued, "I had a feeling that we would need our disguises when coming here. Just a feeling. I guess I was..." she stopped.
"Wrong, perhaps?", Poseidon asked teasingly.
Athena gritted her teeth, "Yes, perhaps."
There was a short awkward moment of silence before Poseidon decided to get back to the task at hand.
He clapped his hands, "Well, instead of sitting around in this Hephaestus's old warehouse all night, let's get to work, shall we?"
"Yes", Athena said, bringing out a tiny bottle of golden liquid from her leather satchel, "it seems my daughter and your son have been being terrorized by that insufferable Phobetor." (AUTHORS NOTE: Phobetor is the Greek God of Nightmares, son of Hypnos, Greek God of Sleep, FYI :))
Poseidon nodded as he took out a grape-size pearl from the pocket of his Bermuda shorts.
Poseidon and Athena had agreed to meet at Hephaestus's abandoned storage warehouse so that they could brew up a powerful potion that would ward off Phobetor's spell on their children. Of course, they would've brewed the potion themselves, without having to meet face-to-face but because the nightmare god's spell are so powerful and personal, there needed to be special arrangements. For example, Percy's nightmares - while their setting and predicament was always very different- each had a common trait; Annabeth ended up getting killed or injured. The same was true for Annabeth only Percy always got killed or injured and she was to blame. This being the case, both godly parents would needed to bring an artifact from their godly domains; a pearl from one of Poseidon's ancient clams and a special invisibility potion made by Athena, herself.
Phobetor had only recently started meddling in these famous demigods' heads, but sometimes his nightmares are so powerful that they can emotionally, mentally and/or physically scar the victim permanently. And that is why Poseidon and Athena had decided to put aside their differences to save their children - they had owed them as much after all; what with them saving the world and whatnot.
"Alright", Athena said, taking out a medium-size clay bowl from her satchel, "Put your pearl in here and I'll pour in my potion."
Poseidon eyed the little bottle of golden liquid curiously as Athena uncorked the bottle, "What is that potion anyway? And why does it smell like yesterday's catch of the day?", he said plugging his nose.
Athena scrunched up her nose in disgust and responded, "Its an invisibility potion made by yours truly. It can be put on anything and we'll make that item and anyone who touches that item invisible" (ANOTHER AUTHORS NOTE: In this fanfic, this potion is supposed to be how Annabeth´s Yankees Cap can turn the wearer invisible - it works differently of course - I doubt this is how Annabeth's Cap works in the PJO world, this is just my own explanation :))
"Why is it golden? Shouldn't it be invisible?", Poseidon asked with a smile. Athena gave him a look that told him he should probably shut up.
Wisely, he did.
Athena proceeded to pour the foul-smelling elixir into the clay bowl. Poseidon plopped his pearl into the golden liquid. Suddenly the bowl began to smoke and Athena put the bowl down on the floor as it fizzed and bubbled. After about 30 seconds, the bubbling and fizzing calmed down and Athena picked up the bowl to find a pale-pink solution. It seemed to shimmer in the light of the warehouse and it smelled of freshly-picked olives and the salty scent of the sea.
"Good", Athena said satisfied, "Now we must speak our children's names into the brew so that the potion will know who's mind we intend to rid of Phobetor's spells." She leaned in closer to the potion and spoke in a soft, clear voice, "Annabeth Chase." The potion bubbled and fizzed again for another 15 seconds or so and calmed down once more.
Poseidon leaned down to the bowl and spoke his son's name, "Perseus Jackson". The potion bubbled and fizzed once again and once it had calmed down Athena brought out two, empty corked bottles and filled each to the brim with the magical pick liquid. Poseidon began to notice that the potion no longer smelled of the sweet scent of the sea (as well as the other weird smell that he could've sworn was the scent of olives - though he couldn't be too sure).
Athena followed his train of thought, "Now that we've spoken the kids' names, only they will be able to smell it. The smell is what we'll ward off Phobetor's presence in their minds. Here", she added, handing him one of the corked bottles.
"Ah, I see", he said followed by a quick, but clear snort on Athena's part. The message was clear; Of course you do.
"Well", Athena said, "I'm going to Annabeth's cabin to lay this bottle by her nightstand. By the end of the night, the liquid will have evaporated due to its job being done"
"Alright then", Poseidon said. There was yet another awkward silence.
"Antio sas", Athena said quickly and she promptly disappeared out of sight. Poseidon went to turn off the lights of the warehouse and disappeared as well.
Back at Annabeth's cabin, there seemed to be another person in the room. You couldn't see or hear her, but you could just feel her presence. This didn't seem to bother any of the sleeping demigods, however, as they were all still sound asleep (some more then others).
Suddenly a bottle appeared atop Annabeth's bedside table, right next to her Yankees Cap. It seems as if the bottle uncorked itself as the beautiful aroma of the magical, pink liquid filled the room. Of course, no one, except Annabeth, could smell the potion.
Before the potion was uncorked, Annabeth's constant tossing and turning in her bed was as fitful as it had been all night. However, once the cork was unscrewed with a silent pop! her muscels began to relax and her tossing and turning became less frequent until they were virtually nonexistent. The muscles in her face, instead of being tense as they were before, were relaxed and her breathing became slower, instead of the quick intakes of breath she was taking before.
Athena smiled in satisfaction as she lay a quick kiss upon Annabeth's forehead.
"There we go, my sweet", she said in a quiet and gentle tone, "May you sleep peacefully this night and the next night...forever".
Little did Athena know, she was saying the exact same thing as Poseidon was, over in Cabin 3.
The feeling of an extra person in the room vanished and nothing could be heard but the deep, steady breaths from the sleeping demigods.
All of them, this time.