Okay, so I feel the need to inform you that I will be thouroughly screwing with the timeline. Robin has already shown up and Hery's only eleven, can you deal with that? Good. I'd like at least one review per chapter (motivation is key) but I will update no matter what. Oh, and huge shout out to my first reviewer rebaobsessions, I love you, have some blue cookies! I don't own anything or one you recognise. Enjoy!
The second the car came to a halt, Annabeth jumped out of the passenger side, muttering something about fresh air. Percy opened to driver side door, taking his time getting out. Grover stumbled out of the back, hopping on one hoof trying to get his styrofoam stuffed shoe back on.
"Why did Percy have to drive?" He whined, holding onto the car for support. The son of Poseidon pretended to look offended.
"Because," Annabeth started. "You don't have feet, and I had to read the map. Do you really want Percy navigating?"
"Hey-"
"No, definitely not." The boys began laughing as Annabeth tapped her foot impatiently.
"Is this the place Grover?" She asked. The Syter paused for a moment and sniffed the air.
"Yeah." He said, "I can smell it, it just stops." He walked around the front of the car, and pointed to a spot on the ground a yard or two ahead of them. "Right about there."
Percy went to investigate, and started walking in that direction. Before Annabeth could stop him he banged full force into something.
"What in Hades?" He said, rubbing his nose to make sure it wasn't broken. It wasn't, thankfully. Annabeth approached the spot, slowly, arms outstretched. Her hand hit something solid, she squinted trying to make something out, but there was absolutely nothing there. But there was. She moved her hands around determining it was a solid wall, where it started or stopped though, she had no idea.
"What is it?" Percy asked impatiently.
"I have no idea." Annabeth replied. "Maybe it has something to do with the mist?" But she was just guessing. She heard a strange wizzing sound and-
"Duck!" She shouted, and the three fell flat on the ground. They hadn't needed to, the silver arrow had flown well over their heads and stuck solidly in a tree. A silver arrow. Thalia stepped out into view from the woods with her signature smirk plastered on her face. Annabeth stood up, brushing off the dirt.
"It seems you inherited your dad's flair for the dramatics." She said with a shake of her head.
"Got that right Annie. Hey cuz, Grover." She said, addressing the two boys.
"What are you doing here Thals? I don't see your mob of middle school girls." Percy said. She looked like she was resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at him.
"I'm with her Ladyship, where else?" Percy shrugged.
"What is Lady Artemis doing out here?" Grover asked. Thalia sighed.
"It's a long story. Are you guys trying to get through that?" She pointed at the invisible wall, as if there was something to point at.
"Yeah." Percy said.
"Then follow me."
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"Artemis once blessed a mortal man, a long time ago." Thalia explained as they walked through the woods. "Obviously, she doesn't do that very often." Annabeth nodded. The two girls walked side by side, the boys trailing behind them.
"She remembers the day he died, she could feel his spirit leaving the world." Annabeth's eyebrows shot up, but she stayed silent deep in thought. "Right after the war with Gaea, she felt him come back."
"Huh?"
"Yes, somehow he's back from the dead. Either he got bored in Elysium after a few centuries and decided to go for reincarnation, or he somehow escaped death."
"Highly unlikely but not impossible."
"Exactly. So her Ladyship went to Hades to ask about his soul's whereabouts, figuring he'd tell her he'd been reincarnated."
"Was he?"
"That's the weird part, Hades claims he has no record of that soul."
"What? That's impossible, surely Thanatos went after him."
"That's who her Ladyship went to next, if the last part was weird this is bizarre. Thanatos did sense a lingering soul, and went to collect it. But when he arrived there was nothing, he simply assume that it had suddenly decided to move on, though he said it's never happened so quickly before."
"That is... Really weird."
"You've got that right, so her Ladyship is here investigating and asked me to accompany her."
"Where are the other hunters?"
"Hanging out somewhere in the Adirondacks. We're here." Thalia stopped in front of a patch of woods that looked like every other patch of woods they seen so far.
"Uh, where are we exactly?" Grover asked.
"Her Ladyship punched a big hole in the wall, it's right here." Thalia said, pointing.
"She can do that?" Percy asked. Thalia gave him a look.
"She's a goddess Percy, there's little she can't do." Thalia carefully stepped through, and the other's followed exactly in her footsteps, not sure how she was judging the size of the gap. They only had to walk for a few more minutes before... Something, came into view.
Artemis was talking with a group of men, all armed with bows and arrows. Well, she was talking to one man, the rest had their arrows pointed at her. She had taken on the form of a woman in her twenties, instead of her usual 8-12 year old. Thalia instantly had her bow drawn, and stepped forward into the clearing.
"My Lady." She said, both respectfully acknowledging the goddess and indirectly asking what to do. Annabeth and Percy had their swords drawn as well and stood just out of sight, behind Thalia. Artemis relaxed slightly.
"Put it away Thalia, I don't not believe there is reason for violence." The goddess said. Thalia allowed the bow to vanish until she needed it again. The demi-god sheathed their weapons as well. The goddess saw and motioned them forward. The dropped to one knee respectfully and she nodded for them to stand.
"Annabeth, Perseus." Percy cringed. "Grover." The syter nearly fainted on the spot.
"I assume you are looking for the town?" Annabeth nodded. "Thalia would you please escort them?" Thalia looked confused.
"Bu-"
"Point seven miles northwest." Artemis said.
"Yes my Lady." Thalia replied, and reluctantly led the other three back into the woods.
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"Is this it?" Percy asked, as they walked down a road labeled Main street by the sign they just passed.
"I would assume so." Thalia replied as they stared up at a clock tower. "Storybrooke Maine."
"It's rather... quaint." Grover said.
"Charming really." Annabeth said, a little louder than she had intended. A couple walking across the street turned to look at them. The man as if he'd recognised something. Noticing this she continued. "Let's keep moving."
"So what's the plan?" Thalia asked. They had told her about their little mission on the way to the town.
"Just keep moving." Annabeth replied. "In a town this size we'll find him eventually."
"Him?" Thalia asked at the same time Percy said:
"Unless Grover wants to go bloodhound and sniff him out." He joked, nudging his friend in the ribs. Taking him totally seriously Grover sniffed the air.
"This way." He said after a moment, and took off down a side road. The demigods looked at each other. Percy shrugged and followed him, the girls steps behind.
It took barely fifteen minutes before Annabeth spotted it.
"There." She said, causing the other three to stop in their tracks.
"You sure?" Thalia asked.
"Yes. Rachel said fancy white house, hedges and a black gate."
"Woah, Rachel?" Percy asked, confused.
"Uh, yeah." Annabeth said sheepishly, "I, uh, talked to her before we left to make sure this wasn't going to turn into a full out quest."
"Is it?"
"No, not yet anyhow." Percy groaned.
"Come on guys, let's just find the kid and get him back to camp." Grover said. "Besides, Annabeth's right, he's in there." Thalia's eyebrows went up slightly.
They walked through the gate and up to the front door, Annabeth looked at Percy.
"Let me do all the talking alright Seaweed Brain?"
"Okay." He said, smiling at her. She knocked twice on the door. A few seconds later it was opened by a woman in her early 30s( A/N I'm not sure exactly how old she's supposed to be). She had raven black hair and dark colored eyes. She looked at the teenagers expectantly.
"Well?" She said. Annabeth started.
"Sorry Ma'am, but would you happen to have a son under the age of 13?" The woman hesitated before speaking.
"Yess." She said, hissing the end slightly. Annabeth looked at Grover who nodded.
"Then I believe we have a lot to discuss, may we come in?" The woman reluctantly stepped aside to let them pass. She lead them to a very posh living area. Percy actually doubted that any child lived in a house that neat.
"I'm going to... Step out for a moment." The woman said, leaving the room much faster than she had entered it. Annabeth and Percy sat on the sofa, Grover in the chair next to them, and Thalia stood at the back of the room, seemingly on edge.
"I don't like this place." She said, "It feels more like a prison than a home." The others couldn't help but agree.
"Mom?" A young voice said from somewhere else in the house. A few seconds later a boy, maybe eleven years old walked into the room. He looked surprised at the motley group in his living room.
"Hi I'm Henry." He said cheerfully. "What are you doing in my house?"
"Actually we're here to speak with you." Percy said, and Annabeth whacked him on his shoulder. "Oww, come on Wise girl."
"Shut up Kelp head. Thalia said from her place behind them. "What do you think Grover?"
"He's got power, major power, but it's not like Percy's. It's different, more distant, but still strong."
"Cause no one's got as much power as I do." Percy said with a smirk on his face.
"Oh be quiet." Annabeth said.
"You just can't stand how fabulous I am." He said, flipping his hair and batting his eyelashes. The others looked at him with mixed expressions, before Thalia and Grover burst into laughter.
"You've been hang out with Leo too much." Annabeth said.
"Why'd you say that?"
"Because he's the only person I can think of who would ever say that seriously." The group kept laughing until someone cleared their throat. The woman had reappeared in the doorway. They stopped laughing quickly as she took a seat on the couch across from them.
"Henry." She said. "Go to your room."
"Why?" He asked. "Don't they want to talk to me?" The woman was about to speak but Annabeth cut her off.
"About you, yes." Than she turned to the woman. "We can tell you both at once, or just you and you can tell Henry, it's your choice." But the way Annabeth said it made it seem like no choice at all.
"Very well." She said.
"Alright then, my name is Annabeth Mrs.?"
"Mills." The woman replied.
"Mrs. Mills, this is Percy, Grover and Thalia." She continued. "I know these questions will most likely be probing and uninvited but please bear with me this is very important. Do you know both of Henry's biological parents?"
"Yes." Mrs. Mills replied, obviously uncomfortable.
"Are either of you aware of any odd sized gaps in his family tree?" Precy snicked and Annabeth glared at him.
"Not in the past two generations." She said after a moment of thinking it over. Annabeth looked at Grover.
"Is it possible?" She asked.
"Yes, I mean, think about Frank, he's only distantly related to Percy's dad and look at the arsenal he wound up with." Annabeth nodded, before turning back and addressing the mother and son.
"Has anything happened around Henry that just didn't make sense?" The boy smiled and laughed softly. Mrs. Mills glared at him.
"Where are you going with this?" The woman said defensively. Annabeth sighed.
"Are you familiar with Greek Mythology?"
I'm pretty proud of this chapter, already started on the next one so mabye by the weekend. Please let me know if anyone is getting OOC, i'd like to keep them in character.
-W2MF