Chapter two up and running! If anyone asks, I died in a horrible whisker box incident (don't ask). Oh and yes I did alter the prophecy at the end of TLO, because I realized that prophecy guarantees the fall of the world (or at least that's how I see it). Here we go. Read, review, and don't kill me!
"So what's the problem with my dad? A little sub is nothing he can't handle," I said.
"Well Poseidon's idea of 'handling' it is blasting the submarine to Tartarus," Athena informed me.
Are all gods so temperamental? I mean you piss them off in the littlest of ways and next thing you know they want to blast you. Those poor mortals would be killed.
"Don't worry," Athena told me. "I convinced him to take a more diplomatic approach."
"What's he going to do then?" Annabeth asked.
"Oh, something about holding the sub and crew hostage until the UN agree to cease all trips to Poseidon's palace and surrounding waters," Athena said nonchalantly.
"Right," I gulped. "Diplomatic."
I walked away, headed for the door. I grabbed my jacket and opened the door, but Annabeth grabbed my arm before I could leave.
"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.
"To convince my dad to not take a naval submarine hostage…again," I told her.
The last thing I need is more reporters hating me for being related to public enemy number one. Please let him listen to reason.
I commute from New York harbor to Poseidon's palace was a long one, and by the time I got there the ship was already stowed away. So much for preventing a hostage situation. I made my way to Poseidon's court, where my dad, stepmom, and my immortal half-brother were, among others.
"Percy," my dad greeted happily. "What brings you here?"
"Well, you missed the dinner thing over at my place," I said, keeping things casual at first.
"Is that all?" Poseidon questioned.
"No," I admitted. "I also came because you abducted another submarine. So I'm asking you to kindly let it go."
My father frowned. We'd had this conversation before. I was just as pissed with the mortals as the next half-blood, but gods took that anger to a whole new level. I knew my dad was very very mad about the mortals snooping around his palace. Last time, he almost sunk the world's navy until I convinced him that was a bad idea. The time before that, I had to stop him from drowning Russia's Prime Minister (that was a close one too). The time before that…well you get the point.
"Percy, I can't keep being so lenient with these intruders. To sail in the ocean is one thing. To try to enter my palace is another thing entirely. And did you know that sub was carrying weapons?"
"Because they're afraid of you!" I blurted out. "You take hostages and threaten entire countries, and you wonder why they're a little cautious? Do you think anything through?"
I hate ADHD. That rant was out of my mouth before I could even process the fact that I'd started talking. My dad looked mad at best. Very slowly, he let out a sigh, getting a grip on his anger. I was sooo dead.
"I'm sorry Percy," he said carefully. "We've tried it your way, now we're trying it mine."
I knew now what I had to do. I wasn't going to let the crew of that sub be held hostage. Poseidon wasn't going to let them go. Guess what happens next.
"I'm sorry too," I apologized in advance.
And then I left, my dad watching me leave. I swam back out, and circled back, headed for where I saw the sub chained into place. I summoned a dolphin to distract the two Cyclopes guards by the main hatch, and slipped inside. I carefully crawled throught he sub, looking for the crew. Because I'd opened the hatch while we were underwater, I was now wading ankle deep. There was no sign of the crew anywhere. I was about to give up when things took a turn for the worst.
"Who are you?" I heard a voice ask.
I turned to face a Cyclopes guard, wielding a sword and looking pretty mad.
"Easy big fella," I said. "I'm just here to let the nice people go. You just…get back to whatever you were doing."
"I am guarding sub," he told me. "This ship no leave unless Poseidon say so."
Oh typical.
"I'm sorry you feel that way," I told him.
Before I could react, I was grabbed by the neck and slammed into a hard metal wall. I kicked out, and the Cyclopes released his grip. He swung his sword, but the way he used it you could tell he would prefer a large axe. I blocked the strike with Riptide and backed up, trying to get some breathing room in the cramped sub. I stayed on defense, not wanting to hurt the guard.
Using a move Luke had taught me a long time ago, I disarmed the Cyclopes and held the blade up to his throat.
"Like I said," I panted. "I'm just here to free the nice people."
"Percy?" a familiar voice asked.
I slowly turned to face my half-brother Tyson. He was staring at me in shock. The look on his face alone was heart-breaking. It made me want to forget the whole thing and let the mortals be hostages. But something about leaving this sub and its crew didn't sit right with my conscience. And I didn't need the media blaming my dad–and by extent me–for the disappearance of a navy submarine.
"Tyson, I'm just getting this ship back where it belongs," I explained, careful on y word choice.
"But," Tyson said, starting to cry. "Daddy Poseidon says these are bad men. And you…free them?"
"It's not that simple," I tried to explain. "They're just following their orders, like you buddy."
"I is helping Poseidon," he stated firmly. "And if you helping bad men…then you is bad man!"
With that I began a duel against my own brother. A duel I couldn't afford to lose, but didn't want to win. Tyson kept swinging with his club, and I kept dodging. I made no move to attack, too afraid to hurt Tyson. The walls and floor were getting pretty dented from all of Tyson's missed swings.
But then, Tyson got in a lucky shot, and I fell to the floor, my ribs feeling on fire. The water I was laying in already started to heal my broken ribs, but Tyson was on top of me, sadly raising his club. I looked up at my brother.
"Tyson, I'm not asking you to take sides. I'm asking you to stay out of my way," I told him.
The club didn't falter. Neither did Tyson. He raised the club a little higher. I rolled to the side as he brought it down hard. Before Tyson could react, I'd sliced the tip off his club. He batted me into the wall, again breaking a few bones in my body. I dodged as Tyson swung again. Ankle deep in water, I was still healing. But Tyson could finish me off with one lucky shot. I had to fight back, but at the same time I couldn't.
I slid between Tyson's legs and grabbed his ankle. Tyson fell to the floor face first, and I grabbed and threw him into a wall. He'd recover soon enough.
I turned around to find myself staring down the barrel of a shotgun. The scared out of his wits soldier holding it was shaking like crazy.
"Oh come on!" I shouted at my own bad luck. I was being attacked by the people I was trying to save. Is there anyone still on my side?
I sliced the barrel off the shotgun with one swipe from Riptide and kicked the shaking soldier into a wall. He collapsed, hopefully unconscious. Tyson was p and swinging again. I kicked him In the stomach followed by a punch to the face.
"OW!" I screamed, shaking my hand in pain. Tyson has a strong jaw.
"Stop!" a commanding voice shouted. Tyson and I froze and turned to face Poseidon.
My dad looked like he'd just been to a funeral he was so sad. He looked first at Tyson, then at me.
"Why would you do this Percy?" my father asked.
"Why?" I began. "Because what you're doing, what you're having Tyson do, is wrong! You can't just take hostages and blow stuff up whenever you get mad! And in case you haven't noticed, thanks to your little tantrum, I had to fight my own brother! What the hell has gotten into you?"
I was angry. Angry at Poseidon for putting me in this position. Angry at the mortals for not knowing to stay out of immortal business. Angry with the gods for being so temperamental. I was just angry. But when I saw Tyson's sad face, the anger melted away and I was suddenly on the verge of tears.
Poseidon looked like I'd punched him in the gut. He looked at Tyson, then at me.
"Percy, this is how Olympians do things. The mortals hit, we hit harder. You have to understand. Fighting fire with fire–"
"Is a sure way to create hell!" I shouted. And with that I left, my mission a failure.
As I swam for the surface, the sub roared to life and began its ascent to the surface.
"It's a little late for I'm sorry," I told my dad. A cold current swept by, chilling me to the bone.
When I got home, Annabeth was waiting. Instead of saying hi however, I just plopped down on the couch and buried my face in my hands. No tears ever came, but I still stayed like that.
Annabeth sat down next to me and slowly slid her arm around my shoulder. She put her other hand on my leg, trying to calm me down. I admit it worked. I looked up at her, feeling sadder than ever before.
"What happened to them?" I asked her.
She rested her head on my shoulder, and I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her closer. We stayed that way until we both fell asleep. My own sleep was of course, not dreamless.
*Sniff* This chapter was so sad in my opinion. At first glance Percy may seem emotional, but if you had watched as your father became a ruthless tyrant and then had to fight you only brother, wouldn't you bee a little misty eyed? Read, review, and don't kill me!
