Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Story: The Ocean's Son
AN: I hoped you enjoyed this first chapter to The Ocean's Son; this was an idea that just came to me. It's not necessarily an AU, but it is after TLO, and it does not include references to the Heroes of Olympus Series, so in that way it is AU.
Chapter 1: We Need Help
Camp Half-blood
Annabeth's POV
At my mother's request I took a little time off from work to relax. I was back at Camp Half-blood walking along the beach by the lake. Old memories came to the surface reminding me of my childhood spent at this beautiful place. I stopped to look out over the dark green waters of the lake remembering all the fun times I had at camp with my siblings, Grover, Thalia, and … and Percy. Just thinking of his name still brought back all of the good and terrible memories of my time with him.
Percy and I had gone on so many quests, and saved each other's lives too many times to count. After the defeat of Kronos we had become more than friends, and I had thought we would be together forever, but I was wrong. I still remembered the day of our breakup.
Flashback – 10 years ago
Percy and I were both eighteen years old, and we would be going to two different schools, in two different states. I planned on staying in New York; I had a scholarship at Columbia University, whereas Percy had a scholarship for Oceanography and Marine Biology from the University of Miami. I wasn't sure how a long distance relationship would work, but I couldn't picture myself without him. I was sitting on the beach looking out across the ocean watching the waves roll into the shore. I suddenly heard someone walking through the sand. I turned to see Percy walking towards me with a sheepish look on his face. I walked up to him, and gave him a hug, which he returned awkwardly. I knew something was wrong, but I had no clue what it was.
"Percy, what's wrong?" I asked worriedly. Percy looked at me blankly, and it made me worry even more.
"Annabeth, we need to talk." Percy said. I wasn't sure where this was going, but I had a bad feeling about it.
"Alright, what's going on?" I asked coolly. Percy sighed, and began his discussion.
"I went to Olympus today to ask the gods to remove the Achilles curse." Percy said. I sighed a little internally; I thought this discussion was going somewhere else.
"That's great seaweed brain, now you won't be tired all of the time." I said. Percy gave me a small smile.
"Annabeth, they only granted my wish if I agreed to something." Percy said awkwardly.
"What did they ask you?" I asked.
"My dad and your mom said that you and I should take a break, since we will be going to school, so far from each other." Percy said. I was shocked; I know my mouth must have hung open in surprise.
"You agreed to this?" I asked dumbfounded.
"Sure, it's not like we were that serious, it was just a crush right?" Percy asked. My face turned red with anger, just a crush, what in Hades is going on?
"Percy, what are you saying, I thought we loved each other?" I asked. Percy gave me a surprised look.
"I'm sorry if you thought that, but we're friends and all, but I'm not ready to fall in love. I have school, and hopefully a career ahead of me. I really don't have time for a relationship. Why are you so mad, I thought you would think this was a good idea?" Percy said trying to sound logical.
"So you're breaking up with me?" I asked, I was steaming mad now; I wanted to kill the little sea scum.
"Breaking up is a harsh term, I still want to be friends, you know like Thalia and Grover." Percy said.
"Percy Jackson, you are a lying, manipulative, little bastard, and I never want to see you again." I said as I ran from the beach, tears flowed down my cheeks as I ran to my cabin. I heard Percy yell my name, but he never tried to come after me. The next day, Percy left for Florida, and I never saw him again, except for the television specials and interviews that he gave regarding his exploits as a famous marine scientist and explorer.
End of flashback
I was broken away from my thoughts by someone screaming my name.
"Annie" Only one person called me Annie, Thalia.
"Thalia" I yelled as my old friend attacked me in a hug. She was wearing her silver hunters outfit, but she still had her dark mascara and her spiky black hair. She was still the fifteen year old girl I remembered, but her eyes gave away how much older she really was.
"I'm so glad that I caught you." Thalia yelled.
"What's going on Thals?" I asked. Thalia finally caught her breath.
"Lady Artemis and your mom have gone missing; I'm going to need your help to find them." Thalia said. My mom is missing?
"Absolutely, we should go to Olympus, and talk to the other Olympians." I said. Thalia nodded in agreement. Thalia and I ran out of the camp border, and headed toward my black BMW. We raced down the farm road, and headed toward Manhattan. After a good hour of driving in traffic we managed to reach the Empire State Building. We ran inside, when the guard saw me he handed me the key to the elevator without a word, a perk of being the architect of Olympus. We reached the 600th floor, and exited the elevator. We both ran to the throne room, and saw all the gods, except Artemis and Athena. Zeus and Poseidon were arguing loudly, while the other gods whispered amongst themselves. Thalia and I bowed down before them, and I cleared my throat. Zeus and Poseidon stopped their arguing when they saw us.
"Thalia and Annabeth, we know why you are here." Zeus said. Thalia and I looked at each other. "We know about the disappearance of Artemis and Athena."
"You do, what can we do to help?" I asked.
"My dear granddaughter, a quest will be needed, that's why we asked the oracle to join us." Zeus said as he motioned toward our left. Rachel Elizabeth Dare walked out of a side door wearing a flowing white dress that stretched to her ankles. She looked absolutely radiant as the power of the oracle could be seen in her glowing green eyes. When Rachel saw Thalia and me, she smiled warmly. "Oracle, my granddaughter has a question for you." I looked at Zeus then I remembered; only a demigod can ask a question about a quest. I walked over to Rachel, and gave her a reassuring smile.
"How do we find Artemis and Athena?" I asked. Rachel's eyes began to glow a brighter shade of green, smoke appeared around our feet, and then Rachel spoke in that multiple voice of the oracle.
Two shall venture west to find the ocean's son
Three shall sail to find the skull of power
To save the maidens from the old god's tower
Wisdom and water shall cut the chord
And prevent the rise of time's lord
A hero shall find what was lost
In order to regain what he misses most
I thought about the prophecy, and I dreaded the first line as I knew exactly who the ocean's son was, Percy Jackson. Thalia walked over to me, and put her hand on my shoulder, she knew exactly what I went through when Percy had broken up with me.
"Annie, don't worry, I'll go with you on this quest." Thalia said.
"Thank you Thals, you're the best." I said as I gave her a hug.
"Annabeth and Thalia, you leave tomorrow to go on your quest, feel free to stay on Olympus. Hermes, schedule a flight to Los Angeles for them." Zeus said.
"As you wish father." Hermes said as he disappeared into a golden light. Los Angeles, that's right the last time I had heard about Percy he was living in L.A., he taught at UCLA I believe.
"Brother, may I speak to the two heroes?" Poseidon asked. Zeus eyed him warily, I could only think that Zeus had concerns that Poseidon had helped abduct Athena, but I knew Poseidon well enough. He would never do something like, no matter how much he disliked my mother.
"Very well, this meeting is dismissed. Good luck heroes." Zeus said, we bowed leaving Thalia and me alone with the sea god. Poseidon shrunk down to human size, but even at human size Poseidon was at least six feet four inches in height. He walked over to the two of us, he stood in front of us, and I could tell that he was concerned about something.
"Annabeth, I'm sorry that you have to go on this quest. I know my son is the last person you want to see." Poseidon said sadly.
"You do not have to apologize my lord, you did nothing wrong." I said. Poseidon shook his head.
"Of course I did, I went along with your mother when she told Percy the only way we would take back his Achilles curse would be if he broke up with you." Poseidon said. I looked at him thoughtfully.
"I was angry with you and my mother for awhile, but Percy was the one who agreed to the terms, I thought he cared for me, but I was wrong." I said.
"The only reason I went along with your mother was that I hoped Percy's loyalty and love for you would show through. He would deny the terms of the agreement, and then I could go to Hades directly to negotiate for the curse to be lifted anyway. I never thought he would agree, and your mother has never let me forget what Percy did to you. I always thought that he loved you more than anything, I guess we were all fooled." Poseidon said. I stared at Poseidon in amazement; here he was telling me the same things that I felt. Poseidon felt betrayed by his own son, and felt sorry for what happened.
"Thank you for telling me, I do appreciate your concern, and I accept your apology." I said.
"Thank you my dear, now when you arrive in Los Angeles tomorrow, Percy teaches a late afternoon class at UCLA, I suggest that both of you meet him at his class. Also, the Neptune Foundation headquarters is located on San Nicolas Island; it is one of the Channel Islands. Have Percy take you there so you can use the research ship to look for the skull, Percy will be able to help you find it. I must go good luck to both of you." Poseidon said as he smiled at us, then he disappeared into a sea green mist.
"That was interesting; it sounds like Poseidon was pretty upset about the breakup." Thalia said.
"I don't want to talk about it Thals, let's go to our room and get some sleep; I'm sure we'll be leaving early tomorrow." I said as I started to walk to the guest rooms, Thalia followed behind me. Tomorrow I would see Percy Jackson again in person for the first time in ten years.
The next morning we awoke with our bags already packed, and sitting outside the door to our room. Thalia and I got ready, we grabbed our bags, and headed for the first floor of the Empire State Building. We grabbed a taxi, and drove to the airport. We boarded our plane, and we were off to Los Angeles, home to the gate to the underworld and Percy Jackson, I wasn't sure which one I dreaded most. After a long cross country flight, in which Thalia stayed quiet as she listened to her I-pod, and I reviewed plans for a new hotel in Manhattan, we landed, and grabbed a taxi to the UCLA campus.
We reached the campus, and I asked directions to the lecture hall that Poseidon had told us about. Percy's class had already started; we walked to the lecture hall. We stepped inside with our bags, and sat down in the back of the classroom away from prying eyes. The classroom was huge, it could seat five hundred people, and the room was probably more than halfway full. I looked down onto a large raised stage in front of the stadium seating that faced the stage, and a large screen on the wall. Standing on the stage in a khaki slacks, a sea green cable knit sweater and a navy blue sport coat was Percy Jackson. His hair was slicked back, and was tied into a short pony tail. Percy wore small wire framed glasses that framed his face, and made him look like anyone's typical young college professor. I was taken aback by his height, he had to have grown more after his eighteenth birthday, and he was at least six foot four inches tall, like his father now.
"The gulf stream and the impact of climate change are important factors to consider in our future discussions of the Atlantic Ocean, and the likely climate shifts that could occur with decreased salinity within the waters of this warm water current. Can anyone tell me how climate change and the salinity level of the Atlantic Ocean are connected?" Percy asked. I knew the answer, but I wasn't going to tell. A young girl who had to be no older than eighteen or nineteen raised her hand. Percy called on her. "Yes, Angelica."
"Dr. Jackson, as the ice caps melt due to climate change or global warming, the salinity level of the Atlantic Ocean will decrease. This will have a dramatic impact on the strength of the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream current is the main reason that many North Atlantic countries such as England and Ireland have temperate climates. A decrease in the Gulf Stream could lead to much colder temperatures for those countries." Angelica said.
"Good work Angelica." Percy said, Angelica's face turned red, and the girls around began to giggle. I guess Percy is one of those professors where the girls are infatuated with him. It made me feel sick to my stomach for a moment. I looked at Thalia; she gave me an evil smirk. I just rolled my eyes at her.
"However, there are other reasons as well. The health of the Atlantic Ocean, and especially the coastal ecosystems are dependent upon this warm current. A reduction in salinity would not only disrupt the climate, it would also disturb, and most likely destroy the habitat of many dependent species from coral reefs to Atlantic cod for example. It looks like our time is up for today, for next lecture please be prepared to discuss the El Nino effect, and how it impacts not only climate and weather, but also marine species. Have a good weekend everyone." Percy said. I was dumbfounded Percy Jackson, a professor, and a good one by the sound of it. Thalia gave me a look of wonderment; I knew she was taken aback by this Percy Jackson as well. We waited for all of the students to leave before Thalia and I made our way down to where Percy stood putting away papers, and unhooking his laptop from the video display. He didn't even notice us, he was so preoccupied.
"Dr. Jackson, do you think you could help us?" Thalia said trying to sound like that Angelica girl. I saw Percy give an inaudible sigh.
"Angelica, what do you need this time?" Percy asked as he looked up. When he saw Thalia, his eyes grew wide with shock. "Thalia, is that you?" Thalia gave Percy a slight grin, but it looked more like a smirk. Percy ran to her, and almost squeezed the life out of her. Thalia's eyes grew large, and I saw a blush come to her cheeks.
"You're squeezing me kelp head." Thalia yelled, but I could see she was trying not to laugh. Percy let go of her quickly.
"Sorry, it's just good to see you Thals." Percy said. He looked over at me, and I saw something flicker in his beautiful green eyes. Did I say beautiful, oh gods.
"A… Anna… Annabeth" Percy stuttered. I gave him an amused smirk. I thought he would try to hug me, but instead he stuck out his hand. I grabbed it carefully, he shook my hand softly. I felt the usual electricity shoot up my arm when he touched me. It must have been static electricity because Percy let go of my hand quickly.
"What's going on?" Percy asked. Thalia and I told him the whole story, and the prophecy that Rachel gave us. He took everything pretty well. After we finished Percy looked at us carefully. "Well, we need to go to the island; we need to get the research ship readied for launch. If you don't mind we can take a taxi to the small university airport. We can get a flight from there."
"Wait a minute you fly?" Thalia asked. I looked at him curiously as well.
"Actually, I have a six passenger, two engine plane there that I use. It helps me get back and forth between the island and the mainland." Percy said.
"My dad doesn't fry you in midair?" Thalia asked. Percy began to laugh loudly.
"No, your dad actually gave me his blessing about two years ago, after I helped him with a certain top secret mission." Percy said. Thalia and I were completely stunned.
"My dad gave you his blessing?" Thalia asked again. Percy seemed very amused by Thalia's surprise.
"Yes Thals, he did." Percy said as he rolled his eyes. We grabbed a cab, and made our way to the airport. Percy led us to a large gray hangar; we entered, and saw a sleek and beautiful two engine plane. Percy opened the hangar doors, and we entered the plane stowing our luggage in the storage compartment. Percy sat in the pilot seat; I sat next to him as copilot, since I had flown a plane before. Thalia, sat in the back, and stayed as far away from the windows as possible.
We taxied out of the hangar, and onto the runway, where we took off a few minutes later. It was still light outside, so we could still see the earth below us. The area was beautiful. We made our way over the Pacific Ocean, and I could see the Channel Islands below us. Percy headed for the farthest island from the coast. He radioed to the small airfield on the island. It turns out that Poseidon bought this island only four years ago from the United States Navy, it use to be a base for weather, and rescue efforts. Now it was under the control of the Neptune Foundation. Percy piloted the plane expertly, and we landed carefully on the runway. I was completely surprised how calm and confident Percy was now. These past ten years had changed him considerably. As we grabbed a jeep that was parked by the airfield, I couldn't help, but look at Percy, and think of what might have been.
AN: I hope you liked this introductory chapter, I know it was long, but I needed to explain some of the back story.