A/N: This is the Last 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' Story before 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' Series.
Thanks for the support everyone. The total Views from the other nine stories combine is: 35,513 views. For those who stick with the series until now thank you. Now for info on the next story that would be:
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: the Lost Hero
Summary: The last thing Jason expected was to wake up on the bus with no memory. The last thing Piper expected being forced into deciding between her friends and her father. The Last thing Leo expected was to use his power over fire again. But they need to work together to stop Gaea free Hera and find traces of the lost hero: Percy Jackson
Warning: Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also if you haven't read them yet read 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Early Adventures' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters' 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Titan's Curse' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Magical Labyrinth' as well as the one shots 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Stolen Chariot' The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Sword of Hades', 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Bronze Dragon' and 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians: The Last Olympian' before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned. Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed as long as you inform me about it.
The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Staff of Hermes
It was September 18th on the Great Lawn in Central Park for our one-month anniversary.
Annabeth and I knew each other since we were seven, when we were traveling together to New York City with two more of our friends who came to be like our siblings; our late brother Luke Castellan: son of Hermes and our sister who is now lieutenant of the hunters of Artemis Thalia Grace: daughter of Zeus.
However, it wasn't until last month on my sixteenth birthday the two of us had our first real kiss and the two of us become a couple.
But for today was different. I manage to put together the best date I could for Annabeth today since I promised her for one. I even borrowed my family's lotus casino cash card.
"So what do you have planned tonight?" Annabeth asked.
"Nice try, Annabeth, but it's a surprise," I responded.
"Percy, no offense, but you're bad with surprises," Annabeth said.
"No I'm not," I argued.
"Then tell me that's not the Lotus Casino Cash Card sticking out of your wallet."
"—No—" I said stuffing the wallet my stepdad Paul gave me for my late sixteenth birthday present in my pocket. It wasn't much. It was actually Paul's old wallet, but I still appreciate it because it was my first wallet and it wasn't in bad condition.
Truth was I did have one romantic night plan, as long as nothing happened. Of course something did happen.
All of the sudden, a streak of light made me blink, as if someone had flashed a mirror of the Great Lawn here no cars were allowed. Lettered on the side took me a while to translate due to my Dyslexia:
HERMES EXPRESS
"Oh, good," I muttered. "We've got mail."
"What?" Annabeth asked.
I pointed at the truck. The driver was climbing out. He wore a brown uniform shirt and knee-length shorts along with stylish black socks and cleats. His curly salt-and-pepper hair stuck out around the edge of his brown cap. He looked like a guy in his mid-thirties, but I knew from experience that he was older than that.
Hermes. Messenger of the gods. Father of Luke—which I had pointed out earlier. Personal friend, dispenser of heroic quest.
He looked upset. He kept patting his pockets and wringing his hands like he lost something important. Finally he spotted me and beckoned, Get over here!
"I guess we should see what he wants," I said.
"Yeah, I guess," Annabeth sighed.
…
I knew Hermes better than most of the Olympians. I met him when I was seven under rough circumstances involving Luke that I rather not go into. Since then he been helping me out. Unfortunately, things went downhill when Luke became a vessel of the Titan Lord (a long story), mostly because I had blame for it (again long story). I tried to patch it up with Hermes after Luke's sacrifice, but I don't know if Hermes has quite forgiven me for it.
Normally I refer the gods formally.
"Hello Lord Hermes," I greeted.
Hermes scanned the park as if he was afraid of being watched, which is odd since gods are normally invisible to mortals or at least saw as regular mortals due to the magical veil known as the Mist that covers anything mystical.
Hermes glanced at Annabeth, then back at me. "I didn't know the girl would be here. She'll have to swear to keep her mouth shut."
Annabeth crossed her arms. "The girl can hear you. And before I swear to anything, maybe you'd better tell us what's wrong."
I don't think I've ever seen a god look so jittery. Hermes tucked a curl of gray hair behind his ear. He patted his pockets again. His hands didn't seem to know what to do.
He leaned in and lowered his voice. "I mean it, girl. If word gets back to Athena, she'll never stop teasing me. She already thinks she's so much cleverer than I am."
"She is," Annabeth said which isn't surprising she said that since Athena is her mother.
Hermes glared at her. Did I forget to mention Hermes also blames Annabeth for what happened to Luke? Well he does, and needless to say Annabeth blames Hermes for not being there for Luke in the first place. Plus it didn't help that Annabeth has rough history with most of Hermes kids back in camp.
"Promise. Before I explained the problem, both of you must promise to keep silent."
"I promised," I said, mostly to get this over with.
"Fine, I promise too," Annabeth said. "Now what's wrong."
That's when I noticed something was off—or rather two things. Hermes had a staff called a caduceus that has two magical living snakes around it that talk name George and Martha. Although the staff can take different forms, to Hermes needs, usually by now I hear the two arguing unless Hermes put them on silence. That's when it dawn to me.
"Where's your caduceus?" I asked.
Hermes' eye twitched. He looked like he was about to cry.
"Oh, gods," Annabeth said. "You lost your caduceus?"
"I didn't lose it!" Hermes snapped. "It was stolen."
"Oh, that's much better," Annabeth said sarcastically.
Hermes snarled at her.
"Annabeth, we already agreed to help him out, so let's hear him out," I said trying to maintain neutral in this, which wasn't easy.
"Fine," Annabeth huffed.
…
We sat in the back of Hermes' delivery truck on a couple of boxes labeled TOXIC SERPENTS. THIS END UP. It may not sound like a good place to sit, but when the other boxes are labeled EXPLOSIVES, DO NOT SIT ON, and DRAKON EGGS, DO NOT STORE NEAR EXPLOSIVES, toxic serpents box sounds a lot better.
"So what happened?" I asked him.
Hermes slumped on his delivery boxes. He stared at his empty hands. "I only left them alone for a minute. I made a stupid mistake."
Annabeth snorted at the statement getting yet another glare from Hermes.
"Continue," I said trying hard to break the tension, which wasn't easy.
Hermes reluctantly nodded. "I was late with a delivering a box of doormats to Janus."
Not a surprise there.
"I was bringing him some magic doormats and I was doubled-park and I left my caduceus on the dashboard and ran inside with the box. Then I realized I needed to have Janus sign for the delivery, so I ran back to the truck and the caduceus was gone. If that ugly brute has harmed my snakes, I swear by the Styx—"
"Hold on," I said, "You know who took it?"
Hermes snorted. "Of course. I checked the security cameras in the area. I talked with the wind nymphs. The thief clearly Cacus."
"The fire-breathing giant son of Hephaestus Cacus?" I asked.
"Makes sense," Annabeth said, "he has history of stealing from gods. So I take it you want the two of us to get it back to you before anyone notice."
"Before five o'clock actually, so I can finish my deliveries," Hermes stated. "I hoped to actually get Percy alone—"
"But you found both of us," I stated. "And during our one month anniversary date."
Hermes sighed in defeat. "Fine, then how about this: if you do this for me, I'll make it up to you two. I'll set up something for your anniversary dinner or something. I swear on the Styx."
We heard thunder outside the truck. Annabeth and I look at each other. Hermes must be desperate to make an oath on the Styx, plus it was a pretty good deal.
"Deal," both of us said.
…
We made arrangements to meet Hermes at the Rockerfeller Center before Hermes left.
I must say, it's a good thing Annabeth and I came with our gear just in case of monster attacks.
Annabeth stowed our blanket in her backpack and put away our food. The only thig she kept out was her shield.
Like a lot of magic items, it was designed to morph into smaller items for easy carrying. The shield shrinks to a plate size, which is what we were using it for our lunch date.
Annabeth brushed off the crumbs and tossed the plate into the air. It expanded as it spun. When it landed on the grass it was a full sized bronze shield, its highly polished surface reflecting the sun.
I don't know how it would help since it reflect Ariel images under the direct light of the sun or moon and Cacus is known to live underground. But it was our best chance to find him.
"Shield, I want to see Cacus."
The light rippled across the bronze surface.
Instead of reflection, we were looking down at a land scape of dilapidated warehouses and crumbling roads. A rusty water tower rose above the urban blight. It would of took me a while to read the sign over the water tower but it didn't take much to know it wasn't what we're looking for."
Annabeth snorted. "This stupid shield has a sense of humor. Okay, very funny, shield. Now I want to see—I mean, show me the location of the fire breathing giant Cacus."
The image changed.
This time I saw a familiar part of Manhattan: renovated warehouses, brick-paved streets, a glass hotel, and an elevated train track that had been turned into a park with trees and wildflowers.
"That's High Line park," I said. "In the Meatpacking District."
"Yeah," Annabeth agreed. "But where's the giant?"
She frowned and concentrated. The Shield zoomed in on an intersection blocked off with orange barricades and detour signs. Construction equipment sat idle in the shadow of the High Line. Chiseled in the street was a big square hole, cordoned off with yellow police tape. Steam billowed from the pit.
I remember hearing about it. A construction worker got hurt. Some freak accident way below the surface involving a fire breaking out. It could have been a Mist cover-up though so mortals didn't see what it really was.
Annabeth must of been thinking the same thing. "Cacus must be down there.
"We better get a cab," I said.
"I hope Hermes pulls through with his promise," Annabeth said.
…
The cab dropped us off on West 15th. The streets were bustling with a mix of sidewalk vendors, workers, shoppers, and tourists.
We made our way to the construction site. Two police officers stood at the intersection, but thanks to a little Mist Manipulation on my behalf, we walked passed them like they didn't see us.
The hole in the street was about the size of a garage door. Pipe scaffolding hung over it with a sort of winch system, and metal clinging rungs had been fastened into the side of the pit, leading down.
"You have your thermos?" Annabeth asked.
"Right here," I patted my thermos.
It may not seem much other than it being made out of celestial bronze on the outside (For Mist manipulation purpose) but the inside was coated with fossilize sea shells that lets me fire a geyser to a full on water blast of water. It was a gift from my father Poseidon for my first quest and been helpful sense. Since we're about to go up against a fire breathing giant, it would most certainly come in handy.
We climbed over the barricade, ducked under the police tape, and crept toward the hole. I kept a wary eye on the police, but they didn't turn around. Sneaking into a dangerous steaming pit in the middle of a New York intersection proved disturbingly easy.
We descended. And descended.
The rungs seemed to go down forever. The square of daylight above us got smaller and smaller until it was the size of a postage stamp. I couldn't hear the city traffic anymore, just the echo of trickling water. Every twenty feet or so, a dim light flickered next to the ladder, but the descent was still gloomy and creepy.
On the way down I tried hard not to step on Annabeth's hands who was bellow me, which was hard since I couldn't see bellow me. I didn't even know we reached the bottom until I heard Annabeth's feet splashed.
"Holy Hephaestus," she said, "Percy, look."
I dropped next to her in a shallow puddle of muck. I turned and found that we were standing in a factory-size cavern. Our tunnel emptied into it like a narrow chimney. The rock walls bristled with old cables, pipe, and lines of brickwork—maybe the foundation of old buildings. Busted water pipes, possibly old sewer lines, sent a steady drizzled of water down the walls, turning the floor muddy. I didn't want to know what was in that water, but it might come in handy.
There wasn't much light, but the cavern looked like a cross between a construction zone and a flea market. Scattered around the cave were crates, toolboxes, pallets of timber, and stacks of steel pipe. There was even a bulldozer half-sunken in the mud.
Even stranger: several old cars had somehow been brought from the surface, each filled with suitcases and mounds of purses. Racks of clothing had been carelessly tossed around like somebody had cleaned out a department store. Worst of all, hanging from meat hooks on a stainless steel scaffold was a row of cow carcasses—skinned, gutted, and ready for butchering. Judging from the smell and flies, they weren't fresh but they're not as old as the stuff Myrmekes hill (Long story).
No sign of the giant as far as we could see, but we headed through a twenty-foot-diameter tunnel, perfectly round.
I didn't like the idea of walking to the other side of the cave, especially through that flea market of heavy machinery and cow carcasses. I doubt all of them was from Cacus. Down this where a subway was supposed to be built, but everything else probably was.
You probably wonder how all this is down here without the city collapsing. Well, to be honest I'm not sure myself. But after experiencing the infamous Dadaelous' Labyrinth myself a couple of years ago, nothing about underground places and tunnels that's is or isn't part of the Underworld surprises me anymore.
We reached the middle of the cave when a groan echoed from the far tunnel. We ducked behind a bulldozer just as a the giant appeared from the darkness, stretching his massive arms.
"Breakfast," he rumbled.
I could see him clearly now, and it wasn't a pretty sight.
Cacus was ten-feet-tall which was small for a giant, but still big enough to smash a demigod. He had curly orange hair, pale skin and orange freckles. His face was smeared upward with a permanent pout, upturned nose, wide eyes, and arched eyebrows, so he appeared both startled and unhappy. He wore a red velour housecoat with matching slippers. The housecoat was open, revealing silky Valentine-pattern boxer shorts and luxurious chest hair of a red/pink/orange color not found in nature.
Annabeth made a small gagging sound. "It's the ginger giant."
Unfortunately, Cacus had extremely good hearing. He frowned and scanned the cavern, zeroing in our hiding place.
"Who's there?" he bellowed. "You—behind the bulldozer."
Annabeth and I looked at each other. She mouthed, Oops.
"Come on!" the giant said. "I don't appreciate sneaking about! Show yourself."
I took out my ballpoint pen and uncapped it. My uncapped my thermos since it was our best weapon against the giant. Annabeth pulled out her shield and dagger. Together we stepped into the open.
Cacus grinned. "Well! Demigods, are you? I called for breakfast, and you two appear? That's quite accommodating."
"We're not breakfast," Annabeth said.
"No?" the giant stretched lazily. Twin wisps of smoke escape his nostrils. "I imagine you'd taste wonderful with tortillas, salsa, and eggs. Huevos semidiós. Just thinking about it makes me hungry!"
He sauntered over to the row of fly specked cow carcasses. Cacus snatched one of the carcasses off the hook. He blew fire over it—a red-hot torrent of flame that cooked the meat in seconds but didn't seem to hurt the giant's hands at all. Once the cow was crispy and sizzling, Cacus unhinged his jaw, opening his mouth impossibly wide, and downed the carcass in three massive bites, bones and all.
Annabeth and I tried to keep ourselves from gagging at the sight.
The giant belched. He wiped his steaming greasy hands on his robe and grinned at us. "So, if you're not breakfast, you must be customers. What can I interest you in?"
He sounded relax and friendly, like he was happy to talk with us, but I didn't quite trust this guy. Four years ago Annabeth and I along with our satyr friend/brother Grover, had a run in with Procrustes the stretcher and Medusa of the gorgons who use business to lure in their victims. But at the same time going with it might be our best chance to get the Caduceus.
"Yes, sir, we're customers," I said. "What do you have to sell?"
Cacus laughed. "What do I sell? Everything, demigod! At the bargain basement prices, and you can't find a basement lower than this!" He gestured around the cavern. "I've got designer handbags, Italian suits, um… construction equipment, apparently, and if you're in the market for a Rolex…"
He opened his robe. Pinned to the inside was glittering array of gold and silver watches.
Annabeth snapped her fingers. "Fakes! I knew I'd seen that stuff before. You got all of this from street merchants, didn't you? They're designer knockoffs.
Cacus looked offended. "Not just any knockoffs, young lady. I steal only the best! I'm a son of Hephaestus. I know quality fakes when I see them."
"No offense, but I find it weird that any son of Hephaestus steals quality stuff instead of making them," I said.
Cacus snorted. "Too much work! Oh, sometimes if I find a high quality item I'll make my own copies. But mostly it's easier to steal things. I started with cattle thieving, you know, back in the old days. Love cattle! That's why I settled in the Meatpacking District here. Then I discovered they have more than meat here!"
He grinned as if this was an amazing discovery. "Street vendors, high-end boutiques—this is a wonderful city, even better than Ancient Rome! And the workers were very nice to make me this cave."
"Because you ran them off," Annabeth said, "and almost killed them."
Cacus stifled a yawn. "Are you sure you're not breakfast? Because you're beginning to bore me. If you don't want to buy something, I'll go get the salsa and tortillas—"
"We were looking for something special," I said. "Something real. And magic. But I guess you don't have anything like that."
"Ha!" Cacus clapped his hands. "A high-end shopper. If I haven't got what you need in stock, I can steal it, for the right price of course."
"Hermes staff," I said. "The caduceus."
The giant's face turned as red as his hair. His eyes narrowed. "I see. I should've known Hermes would send someone. Who are you two? Children of the thief god?"
Annabeth raised her knife. "Did he just call me Hermes' kid? I'm going stab him in the—"
"I'm Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon," I told the giant. I put out my arm to hold out my arm to hold Annabeth back. "This is Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. We help out the gods once in a while with little stuff. So can we make a deal for the Caduceus?"
Cacus laughed. "Oh, I heard about you're that Percy Jackson, the one who saved Olympus, right? But alas, you don't scare me. Only one demigod ever defeated me, and that was Hercules himself. For centuries, I was the terror of Italy! I stole many cows—more than any other giant. Mothers used to scare their children with my name. They would say, 'Mind your manners, child, or Cacus will come and steal your cows!"
"Horrifying," Annabeth said.
The giant grinned. "I know! Right? So you may as well give up, demigods. You'll never get the caduceus. I have plans for that!"
He raised his hand and the staff of Hermes appeared in his grip radiating godly power. The staff was smooth white wood about three feet long, topped with a silver sphere and dove wings that fluttered nervously. Intertwined around the staff were two live, very agitated serpents.
Percy! A reptilian voice spoke in my mind. Thank the gods!
Another snaky voice, deeper and grumpier said, Yes, I haven't been fed in hours.
"Martha, George," I said. "Are you guys all right?"
Better if I got some food, George complained. There are some nice rats down here. Could you catch us some?
George, stop! Martha chided. We have bigger problems. This giant wants to keep us!
Cacus looked back and forth from me to the snakes. "Wait… You can speak with snakes, Percy Jackson? That's excellent! Tell them they'd better start cooperating. I'm their new master, and they'll only get fed when they start taking orders."
The nerve! Martha shrieked. You tell that ginger jerk—
"Hold on," Annabeth interrupted. "Cacus, the snakes will never obey you. They only work for Hermes. Since you can't use the staff, it doesn't do you any good. Just give it back and we'll pretend this never happened."
"Great idea," I said.
The giant snarled. "Oh, I'll figure out the staff's powers, girl. I'll make the snakes cooperate!"
Cacus shook the caduceus. George and Martha wriggled and hissed, but they were stuck to the staff. I knew the caduceus could turn into all sorts of helpful things Hermes would need either in battle or for his godly duties. I also heard the caduceus have some forms that would be really bad for us if Cacus figured them out.
Finally, the giant growled in frustration. He slammed the staff against the nearest cow carcass and instantly the meat turned to stone. A wave of petrifaction spread from carcass to carcass until the rack became so heavy it collapsed. Half a dozen granite cows broke to pieces.
"Now, that's interesting!" Cacus beamed.
"Uh-oh!" Annabeth took a step back.
Even I backed away. Despite the fact that I bathed in the river of styx that made me 99% invulnerable to most physical attacks, I could still be killed by being hit in my vulnerable spot which was under my left arm in the armpit that would be protected if I was wearing my armor, which I was not. And even without that, I could still be killed through other methods that I won't be surprise if the Caduceus can do.
The giant swung the staff in our direction. "Yes! Soon I will master this thing and be as powerful as Hermes. I'll be able to go anywhere! I'll steal anything I want, make high quality knockoffs, and sell them around the world. I will be the lord of traveling salesmen! Stealing this staff was an excellent idea! Now let's see how I can kill you with it."
"Wait!" Annabeth said. "You mean it wasn't your idea to steal the staff?"
"Kill them!" Cacus ordered the snakes. He pointed the caduceus at us, but the silver tip only spewed slips of paper. Annabeth picked up one and read it.
"You're trying to kill us with Coupons?" she announced. "Eighty-five percent off piano lessons."
"Gah!" Cacus glared at the snakes and breathed a fiery warning shot over their heads. "Obey me!"
George and Martha squirmed in alarm.
Stop that! Martha cried.
We're cold blooded! George protested. Fire is not good!
"Hey, Cacus!" I shouted, trying to get back his attention. "Answer our question. Who told you to steal the staff?"
The giant sneered. "Foolish demigods. When you defeated Kronos, did you think you eliminated all the enemies of the gods? You only delayed the fall of Olympus for a little while longer. Without the staff, Hermes will be unable to carry messages. Olympian communication lines will be disrupted, and that's only the first bit of chaos my friends have planned."
"Your friends?" Annabeth and I asked.
Cacus waved off the question. "Doesn't matter. You won't live that long, and I'm only in for the money. With this staff, I'll make millions! Maybe thousands! Ow hold still. Perhaps I can get a good price on two demigod statues."
"Looks like we'll have to fight," I said.
"I agree," Annabeth said with a smile.
…
The good thing about Annabeth and I knowing each other since we were seven, is we knew each other's abilities. We could anticipate each other's moves.
Annabeth veered to the giant's left. I charged him head-on. When Cacus unhinge his jaw and blew fire, I aimed my thermos and with a churning feeling in my stomach, I summoned a water blast that extinguish the fire while forcing through Cacus' mouth.
The giant blocked it with his hand trying to shield himself.
Annabeth used the distraction to strike. She lunged at Cacus from behind and stabbed him in the back of the knee. She leaped away as Cacus swung the Caduceus, barely missing her. The silver tip slammed into the bulldozer and the entire machine turned to stone.
"I'll kill you!" Cacus stumbled, golden Ichor pouring from his wounded leg.
He blew fire at Annabeth, but he dodge the blast, but I manipulated the muddy water in the ground up into my hand and concentrated it into a Javelin which I threw at Cacus. The water Javelin struck right through the giant's other leg before bursting. Now both of the giant's legs were injured, but it still wasn't enough.
Cacus bellowed in pain. He turned at me only giving Annabeth time to smack her shield across the giant's backside. The giant screamed, "Gah!"
Cacus staggered, but before Annabeth could get him again, Cacus turned and snatch the shield from her. He crumpled the Celestial bronze like paper and tossed it over his shoulder.
Shame, that was a good magical item.
It looked like my thermos might not be enough either. At the most I could knock him down, but I need more power.
That's when an idea hit me. I just need a distraction and for Annabeth to get out of the way.
"Enough!" Cacus leveled the staff at Annabeth. However before he had the chance, the caduceus changed form. It became a cellphone and rang to the tune of the Macarena. George and Martha, now the size of earthworms, curled around the screen.
Good one, George said.
We danced to this at our wedding, Martha said. Remember, dear?
If it wasn't for the circumstances I would question the fact that Martha and George were married.
"Annabeth!" I signaled for her to come to me as I backed to the lader
Annabeth nodded and ran to my side.
"Stupid snakes!" Cacus shook the cell phone violently.
Eek! Martha said.
Help—me! George's voice quivered. Must—obey—red—bathrobe!
The phone grew back into staff.
"Now, behave!" Cacus warned the snakes. "Or I'll turn you two into a fake Gucci handbag!"
Annabeth had reached me at that point. "I take it you have a new plan?"
"Sort of, but it might not end to our liking," I said as I nod toward the pipes while capping my thermos
Annabeth looked and understood. "Great."
"I don't like you!" Cacus yelled. He stalked toward us, smoke pouring from his nostrils. "It's time to end this."
"Hold on," I told Annabeth. I wrapped my free hand around her waist.
I concentrated on finding water above us. It wasn't hard. I felt a dangerous amount of pressure in the city's waterlines, and I summoned it all into the broken pipes.
Cacus towered over us, his mouth glowing like a furnace. "Any last words, demigod?"
"Look up," I told him.
He did and the Manhattan sewer system explode.
The whole cavern rumbled as a thousand water pipes burst overhead. A not-so-clean waterfall slammed Cacus in the face. I yanked Annabeth out of the way, then leaped back into the torrent carrying Annabeth with me.
I willed myself to travel upstream like a salmon, jumping from current to current as the water gushed into the cavern which was like I was running a ninety degree angle waterside only with no slide and only water.
Far below I heard Cacus bellowed as millions of filthy gallons of water slammed into him.
Finally we shot out of the ground atop of a disgusting geyser and landed safely on the pavement.
Pedestrians and caps backed away, yelling in alarm at our sewer version of Old Faithful. Brakes screech and cars reared ended each other as drivers stopped to watch the chaos.
I quickly manipulated the Mist around Annabeth and me so no one remembered us riding the geyser but rather was in the blast sight by accident, which meant I had to willed myself to stay wet.
Annabeth had old cotton balls stuck in her hair and wet candy wrapper plastered her face.
"That," she said, "was horrible."
"On the bright side," I said, "we're alive. Once the geyser receded, I'll go down and get the Caduceus."
The geyser did receded, followed by the horrendous sound of water draining down the tunnel.
Then a distant snaky voice spoke in my mind. Gag me, said George. Even for me that was disgusting, and I eat rats.
Incoming! Martha warned. Oh, no! I think the giant has figured out laser mode.
"What?" I asked.
An explosion shook the street. A beam of blue light shot out of the tunnel, carving a trench up the side of a glass office building, melting windows and vaporizing concrete. The giant climbed from the pit, his velour housecoat steaming, and his face splattered with slime.
He did not look happy. In his hands, the caduceus now resembled a bazooka with snakes wrapped around the barrel and a glowing blue muzzle.
"Okay," Annabeth said faintly. "Um, what is that?"
"According to Martha," I said. "Laser mode."
…
Annabeth and I ended up running and dodging as the laser bolts that destroyed the meat packing district.
Behind us, Cacus yelled, "You ruined my fake Rolexes! They aren't waterproof, you know! For that, you die!"
We kept running, trying to lead Cacus away from Mortals, which is kind of hard considering we were in the middle of New York.
"The park!" Annabeth pointe to the elevated tracks of the High Line. "If we can get him off the street level—"
BOOM! The laser cut through a nearby food truck. The vendor dove out his service window with a fistful of shish kebabs.
Annabeth and I sprinted for the park stairs. Sirens screamed in the distance, but I didn't want more police involved. Mortal law enforcement would only make things more complicate even if I manipulated the Mist to make it look like Annabeth and I were a victim.
We climbed up to the park. I tried to get my bearings. Under different circumstances, I would've enjoyed the view of the glittering Hudson River and the rooftops of the surrounding neighborhood. The weather was nice. The park's flower beds were bursting with color.
The High Line was empty, probably because of the explosions of a giant firing lasers.
Somewhere bellow us, Cacus was roaring, cursing, and offering panicked mortal deep discounts on slightly damp Rolexes. I figured we only had a few minutes.
I looked at Annabeth. "Any plans?"
"Working on it," Annabeth said.
I loved the way Annabeth looked when she's thinking of a plan, the way her eyes sparkled even when she's fighting for her life as ideas ran through her head.
"There!" Annabeth pointed.
A hundred feet away, the old railroad tracks split and the elevated platform formed a Y. The shorter piece of the Y was a dead end—part of the park that was still under construction. Stacks of potting soil bags and plant flats sat on the gravel. Just over the edge of the railing was the arm of a crane that must've been sitting down at ground level. Far above us, a big metal claw hung from the crane's arm—probably what they'd been using to hoist garden supplies.
I realized what Annabeth was planning. It was dangerous and despite my protective boyfriend side wanting to go against it, it's nothing anymore dangerous than what I seen her done before. And believe me, I seen her done more dangerous stuff.
"Can you operate it?" I asked.
"I should be able too," Annabeth said. "I supervised bigger equipment on Mount Olympus and saw how it's done."
My girlfriend: sophomore honor student, demigod, and head architect for redesigning the palace of the gods on Mount Olympus in her spare time.
"Just lure him over here," Annabeth said. "Keep him occupied while I grab him. If you can snag the caduceus while he's distracted, that would be great."
"DEATH!" Cacus stormed up the steps onto the High Line. He spotted us and lumbered over to slow, grim determination.
Annabeth gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "For good luck," She said as if I need it more than her at this point—which I probably do—before she ran off.
She reached the crane and leaped over the side of the railing, shinnying down the metal arm like it was a tree branch. She disappeared from view.
I uncapped my ballpoint pen causing my sword sprang forth, and hit the stop watch button on my button causing my shield to spiral out.
Cacus' red velour robes was in tatters. He'd lost his slippers. His ginger hair was plastered to his head like a greasy shower cap. He aimed his glowing bazooka.
"George, Martha," I called, hoping they could hear me. "Please change out of laser mode."
We're trying dear! Martha said.
My stomach hurts, George said. I think he bruised my tummy.
I backed up slowly down the dead end tracks, edging toward the crane. Cacus followed. Now that he had me trapped, he seemed in no hurry to kill me. He stopped twenty feet away, just beyond the shadow of the crane's hook. I tried to look cornered and panicked. It wasn't hard.
"So," Cacus growled. "Any last words?"
"You give Hephaestus kids a bad name," I said. "Seriously, I have friends who are children of Hephaestus, and they're a whole lot better than you."
"You're dead!" Cacus responded as he pulled the trigger.
However, the caduceus changed form into a credit card-swiping machine, but the only thing that came out was a paper receipt.
Oh, yeah! George yelled in my mind. One for the snakes!
"Stupid staff!" Cadcus threw down the caduceus in disgust, which was the chance I'd been waiting for. I launched myself forward, snatch the staff, and rolled under the giant's legs.
When I got to my feet, we'd changed positions, Cacus had his back to the crane. Its arms right behind him, the claw perfectly positioned above his head. Now just for Annabeth to do her part.
"You put out my fire with that sewage," he growled. "Now you steal my staff."
"Which you wrongfully stole," I said.
"It doesn't matter." Cacus cracked his knuckles. "You can't use the staff either. I'll simply kill you with my bare hands."
The crane shifted, slowly and almost silently. I realized there were mirrors fixed along the side of the of the arm—like rearview mirrors to guide the operator. And reflected in one of those mirrors were Annabeth's gray eyes.
The claw opened and began to drop.
I smiled at the giant. "Actually, Cacus, I have another secret weapon."
The giant's eyes lit up with greed. "Another weapon? I will steal it! I will copy it and sell the knockoffs for profit! What is this secret weapon?"
"My girlfriend: Annabeth," I said, "And she's one of a kind."
The claw dropped, smacking Cacus on the head and knocking him to the ground. While the giant was dazed, the claw closed around his chest and lifted him into the air.
"Wh-what is this?" the giant came to his senses twenty feet up. "Put me down!"
He squirmed uselessly and tried to blow fire, but only manage to cough up some mud.
Annabeth swung the crane back and forth, building momentum as the giant cursed and struggled. Annabeth manage to control it so the crane wouldn't tip over. She swung the arm one last time and opened the claw when the giant was arc.
"Aahhhhhhhhh!" The giant sailed over the rooftops straight over Chelsea Piers, and began falling toward the Hudson River.
"George, Martha," I said. "Do you think you could manage laser mode just once more for me?'
With pleasure, George said.
The caduceus turned into a wicked high-tech bazooka.
I took aim at the falling giant and yelled, "Fire!"
The caduceus blasted its beam of blue light, and the giant disintegrated into a beautiful starburst.
That, George said, was excellent. May have a rat now?
I have to agree with George, Martha said. A rat would be lovely.
"As soon as we check on Annabeth, I promise," I said. "You two earned it."
She met me at the steps of the park, grinning like crazy.
"Was that amazing?" she demanded.
"That was amazing," I agreed. It was hard to pull off a romantic kiss when you're both drenched in muck, but we gave it our best shot.
After we broke for air, we decided to go to take the subway back so that George and Martha have their well deserve rats.
…
George and Martha had a feast on the way to our rendezvous point and got rid of the subway vermin problem for a while. At least we can bring the Caduceus back to Hermes with George and Martha full and happy.
We met Hermes by the Atlas statue at the Rockefeller Center. (The statue, by the way, looks nothing like the real Atlas, but that's another story.)
"Thank the Fates!" Hermes cried. "I'd just about given up hope!"
He took the caduceus and patted the heads of his sleepy snakes. "There, there, my friends. You're home now."
Zzzzz, said Martha.
Yummy, George murmured in his sleep.
Hermes sighed with relief. "Thank you Percy and… ah, Annabeth. I just have time to finish my deliveries. But what happened with Cacus?"
We told him the story. When I related what Cacus had said about someone else giving him the idea to steal the caduceus, and about the gods having other enemies, Hermes' face darkened.
"Cacus wanted to cut the gods' communication lines, did he?" Hermes mused. "That's ironic, considering Zeus has been threatening…"
His voice trailed off.
"What?" Annabeth asked. "Zeus has been threatening what?"
"Nothing," Hermes said.
It was obviously a lie, but after nine years of being a demigod, I learned it's best not push it when they lie to your face.
"Okay…" I said. "Any idea which enemy Cacus was talking about though?"
Hermes fidgeted. "Oh, could be any number of enemies. We gods do have many."
"Hard to believe," Annabeth said.
Hermes nodded, either not noting the sarcasm, or got other things on his mind.
The god manage a smile. "Anyways, I better repay my dept to you guys so I can get to my deliveries. I got one place set up for you two, on my tab. I see I have to get you new clothes too but since you got rid of Cacus for a while and obviously fed my snakes, I'll see what I can do. Say good-bye George and Martha."
Good-bye, George and Martha, said George sleepily.
Zzz, said Martha.
"I may not see you for a while, Percy," Hermes warned. "But… well, enjoy tonight. I'll be teleporting you back by midnight."
He made that sound ominous, I wonder again what he wasn't telling me. Then he snapped his fingers, and the world dissolved around us.
…
Our table was ready. The maître d' seated us on the rooftop terrace with a view of the lights of a city and the boats on the River seine. The Eiffel tower glowed in the distance. If you haven't figured it out, we're in Paris, France. Hermes really did out did himself to repay us.
I was wearing a suit and tie that Hermes magically put me in (don't ask me how). Normally I don't wear suites, but I'm not going to complained, especially considering how stunning Annabeth looked. She wore a dark green sleeveless dress that showed off her long blond hair and her slim athletic figure. Her camp necklace had been replaced by a string of gray pearls that matched her eyes.
The waiter brought fresh-baked bread and cheese, a bottle of sparkling water for Annabeth and Coke for me. We dined on a bunch of stuff I couldn't even pronounced—but all of it was great. It was almost half an hour before Annabeth got over her shock and spoke.
"This is incredible."
"Fancier than what I had planned," I admitted.
"So you were planning to take me to a restaurant," Annabeth said.
I shrugged. "Okay, you caught me."
Annabeth giggled, "We can save your plans for our second month anniversary for that." Then she reached across the table and took my hand. Her expression turned serious. "Any idea why Hermes acted so nervous? I got the feeling something bad was happening on Olympus."
I shook my head. "I would be lying if what Hermes last said about not seeing me for a while since its related to it, but let's worry about it tomorrow. Tonight, I want to enjoy our one-month anniversary with my amazing girlfriend."
"Sounds like a plan," Annabeth agreed.