Integrity
Chapter 2
Lukes' turn to read
Author's notes: As I've said before I don't own Percy Jackson and The Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus. Everything in bold belongs to Rick Riordan. Enjoy!
One more thing before we start. To Everyone who wants to know. I'm doing all the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, Plus the short story 'The Singer of Apollo', The Demigod Files, The Demigod Diaries, and The Heroes of Olympus books, including the Blood of Olympus.
I've ever considered having them read the Official Guide to Percy Jackson and The Olympians...I'm not sure about that idea though. And I even briefly considered later (probably after the end of the war) having them read The Kane Chronicles, The Son of Sobek, The Staff of Serapis, and when it comes out The Crown of Ptolemy. Also The Magnus Chase series.
But I'm getting Way ahead of myself. For now I'm just going to concentrate on this fanfiction of them reading The Titan's Curse for the time being.
Chapter 2: The Vice Principal Gets A Missile Launcher
All of them looked really worried at the chapter's title.
Luke cleared his throat before he nervously began to read.
I didn't know what kind of monster Dr. Thorn was, but he was fast.
Maybe I could defend myself if I could get my shield activated. All that it would take was a touch of my wrist-watch. But defending the di Angelo kids was another matter. I needed help, and there was only one way I could think to get it.
I closed my eyes.
"How's that going to help?" Leo looked confused.
"You'll see." Grover told him.
"What are you doing, Jackson?" hissed Dr. Thorn. "Keep moving!"
I opened my eyes and kept shuffling forward. "It's my shoulder, " I lied, trying to sound miserable, which wasn't hard. "It burns. "
"Bah! My poison causes pain. It will not kill you. Walk!"
Thorn herded us outside, and I tried to concentrate. I pictured Grover's face. I focused on my feelings of fear and danger. Last summer, Grover had created an empathy link between us.
"Oh!" Piper said understanding now what Percy's plan was.
He'd sent me visions in my dreams to let me know when he was in trouble. As far as I knew, we were still linked, but I'd never tried to contact Grover before. I didn't even know if it would work while Grover was awake.
Hey, Grover! I thought. Thorn's kidnapping us! He's a poisonous spike-throwing maniac! Help!
They snorted in laughter at the though despite the danger the three demigods were in.
Thorn marched us into the woods. We took a snowy path dimly lit by old-fashioned lamplights. My shoulder ached. The wind blowing through my ripped clothes was so cold that I felt like a Percysicle.
They snorted once again.
"There is a clearing ahead, " Thorn said. "We will summon your ride. "
"What ride?" Bianca demanded. "Where are you taking us?"
"Silence, you insufferable girl!"
"Don't talk to my sister that way. '" Nico said. His voice quivered, but I was impressed that he had the guts to say anything at all.
Nico looked surprised at this but he stayed silent.
Dr. Thorn made a growling sound that definitely wasn't human. It made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, but I forced myself to keep walking and pretend I was being a good little captive. Meanwhile, I projected my thoughts like crazy-anything to get Grover's attention: Grover! Apples! Tin cans! Get your furry goat behind out here and bring some heavily armed friends!
Laughter echoed on the Argo II.
"Did you hear him?" Jason asked once they calmed down enough to speak.
"Yep." Grover said.
"Halt, " Thorn said.
"Who goes there!?" Leo added on.
They laughed again for a few brief seconds.
The woods had opened up. We'd reached a cliff overlooking the sea. At least, I sensed the sea was down there, hundreds of feet below. I could hear the waves churning and I could smell the cold salty froth. But all I could see was mist and darkness.
Dr. Thorn pushed us toward the edge. I stumbled, and Bianca caught me.
"Thanks, " I murmured.
"What is he?" she whispered. "How do we fight him?"
They all wondered the exact same thing with the exception of Grover, Thalia, Percy, Bianca, Nico and Annabeth who had been there.
"I... I'm working on it. "
"How reassuring." Reyna said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Gods of Olympus!" Leo looked shocked. "Reyna has a sense of humor! She knows the art of sarcasm! There's hope for her after all."
They couldn't help but laugh at Leo's statement. The daughter of Bellona raised an eyebrow at his statement looking quite amused herself.
"I'm scared, " Nico mumbled. He was fiddling with something-a little metal toy soldier of some kind.
"Stop talking!" Dr. Thorn said. "Face me!"
We turned.
Thorn's two-tone eyes glittered hungrily. He pulled something from under his coat. At first I thought it was a switchblade, but it was only a phone. He pressed the side button and said, "The package-it is ready to deliver. "
There was a garbled reply, and I realized Thorn was in walkie-talkie mode. This seemed way too modern and creepy-a monster using a mobile phone.
They snorted in reply.
"What did you expect Percy?" Jason asked.
"I don't know," He admitted, "but not that."
I glanced behind me, wondering how far the drop was.
Dr. Thorn laughed. "By all means, Son of Poseidon. Jump!There is the sea. Save yourself. "
"What did he call you?" Bianca muttered.
"I'll explain later, " I said.
"You do have a plan, right?"
Grover! I thought desperately. Come to me!
"Grover!" Leo called. "Come to me!" He acted like he was doing a séance.
They laughed at Leo's imitation of Percy, even the son of Poseidon couldn't help but laugh.
Maybe I could get both the di Angelos to jump with me into the ocean. If we survived the fall, I could use the water to protect us. I'd done things like that before. If my dad was in a good mood, and listening, he might help. Maybe.
"I would kill you before you ever reached the water, " Dr. Thorn said, as if reading my thoughts. "You do not realize who I am, do you?"
"A monster?" Leo supplied.
He got a few eye rolls in reply, including the three huntresses.
A flicker of movement behind him, and another missile whistled so close to me that it nicked my ear. Something had sprung up behind Dr. Thorn-like a catapult, but more flexible... almost like a tail.
"Unfortunately, " Thorn said, "you are wanted alive, if possible. Otherwise you would already be dead. "
"Who wants us?" Bianca demanded. "Because if you think you'll get a ransom, you're wrong. We don't have any family. Nico and I... " Her voice broke a little. "We've got no one but each other. "
Looks of pity were sent at the two children of Hades.
Nico promptly ignored them while Bianca gave a small sad smile in response.
Luke continued to read on.
"Aww, " Dr. Thorn said. "Do not worry, little brats. You will be meeting my employer soon enough. Then you will have a brand-new family. "
"Luke, " I said. "You work for Luke. "
Dr. Thorn's mouth twisted with distaste when I said the name of my old enemy-a former friend who'd tried to kill me several times.
Luke winced at that line before continuing.
"You have no idea what is happening, Perseus Jackson. I will let the General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you. "
"The General?" I asked. Then I realized I'd said it with a French accent. "I mean... Who's the General?"
"So like this?' Leo pronounced the name with a perfect French accent.
"Yep, exactly like that." Percy replied.
Thorn looked toward the horizon. "Ah, here we are. Your transportation. "
I turned and saw a light in the distance, a searchlight over the sea. Then I heard the chopping of helicopter blades getting louder and closer.
"Where are you taking us?" Nico said.
"You should be honored, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls. "
"They're not dolls! They're figurines! And you can take your great army and-"
Reyna was surprised how brave Nico was in that moment. He was only a kid but he had stood up to a monster. She found herself reappraising his merits. He didn't even know what was going on at that time.
"Now, now, " Dr. Thorn warned. "You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And if you do not, well... There are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway. "
"The Great what?" I asked. Anything to keep him talking while I tried to figure out a plan.
Annabeth nodded in approval at her boyfriends' idea.
"The stirring of monsters. " Dr. Thorn smiled evilly. "The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known. And soon we shall have the most important monster of all-the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!"
"Okay, " Bianca whispered to me. "He's completely nuts. "
"We have to jump off the cliff, " I told her quietly. "Into the sea. "
"Oh, super idea. You're completely nuts, too. "
They laughed at Bianca's response.
"Well, I guess it would seem pretty crazy since they didn't know about our world yet." Frank commented.
Bianca nodded in agreement, "It did seem crazy." She glanced at Nico who was still avoiding her gaze. He was completely ignoring her. She felt a twinge of hurt at the thought. Why was her brother pretending that she didn't exist? What had she done to make him so mad at her?
Her eyes went to the cocoa skinned girl sitting next to him. What had he said her name was...Hannah? Haley?. No, Hazel that was her name. She was their half-sister. She shared the same Godly parent (their father). She couldn't help but be a little upset that Nico was acting as if she didn't exist.
I never got the chance to argue with her, because just then an invisible force slammed into me.
Looking back on it, Annabeth's move was brilliant. Wearing her cap of invisibility, she plowed into the di Angelos and me, knocking us to the ground. For a split second, Dr. Thorn was taken by surprise, so his first volley of missiles zipped harmlessly over our heads.
This gave Thalia and Grover a chance to advance from behind-Thalia wielding her magic shield, Aegis.
If you've never seen Thalia run into battle, you have never been truly frightened. She uses a huge spear that expands from this collapsible Mace canister she carries in her pocket, but that's not the scary part. Her shield is modeled after one her dad Zeus uses-also called Aegis-a gift from Athena. The shield has the head of the gorgon Medusa molded into the bronze, and even though it won't turn you to stone, it's so horrible, most people will panic and run at the sight of it.
"That's pretty useful." Will commented. The others nodded, even Zoe reluctantly agreed.
Even Dr. Thorn winced and growled when he saw it.
Thalia moved in with her spear. "For Zeus!"
I thought Dr. Thorn was a goner. Thalia jabbed at his head, but he snarled and swatted the spear aside. His hand changed into an orange paw, with enormous claws that sparked against Thalia's shield as he slashed. If it hadn't been for Aegis, Thalia would've been sliced like a loaf of bread. As it was, she managed to roll backward and land on her feet.
The sound of the helicopter was getting louder behind me, but I didn't dare look. Dr. Thorn launched another volley of missiles at Thalia, and this time I could see how he did it. He had a tail-a leathery, scorpionlike tail that bristled with spikes at the tip.
They looked from Grover, to Thalia, to Percy, to Annabeth, and then to the Di Angelos' worriedly. How were they going to get out of this predicament?
The missiles deflected off Aegis, but the force of their impact knocked Thalia down.
Grover sprang forward. He put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play-a frantic jig that sounded like something pirates would dance to. Grass broke through the snow. Within seconds, rope-thick weeds were wrapping around Dr. Thorn's legs, entangling him.
Dr. Thorn roared and began to change. He grew larger until he was in his true form-his face still human, but his body that of a huge lion. His leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly thorns in all directions.
"A manticore!" Annabeth said, now visible. Her magical New York Yankees cap had come off when she'd plowed into us.
"Who are you people?" Bianca di Angelo demanded. "And what is that?"
"A manticore?" Nico gasped. "He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!"
"Huh?!" The other demigods said in confusion.
Frank, Percy, Bianca, Thalia, and Grover were the only ones who didn't seem baffled by that statement.
"What's he talking about?" Will asked.
"Mythomagic." Frank responded, "It's a trading card game. The book will probably explain it more though."
"Oh, I've heard of that." Rachel said. "Isn't it a game based on Mythology?"
The son of Apollo nodded and Luke continued to read on.
I didn't know what he was talking about, but I didn't have time to worry about it. The manticore clawed Grover's magic weeds to shreds then turned toward us with a snarl.
"Get down!" Annabeth pushed the di Angelos flat into the snow. At the last second, I remembered my own shield. I hit my wristwatch, and metal plating spiraled out into a thick bronze shield. Not a moment too soon. The thorns impacted against it with such force they dented the metal. The beautiful shield, a gift from my brother, was badly damaged. I wasn't sure it would even stop a second volley.
"Well, that sucks." Piper said sympathetically.
"Yep, sure does." Percy replied. "I really liked that shield."
"Couldn't you just ask Tyson to repair it?" Reyna asked.
"I did and he did." The son of Poseidon responded.
"What?" Hazel said in confusion.
"I asked Tyson and he did repair it." Percy clarified.
Tyson nodded. "I fixed brothers' shield." Having said his piece he went back to tinkering. He was starting to make something big out of it. What it was was still a mystery though. Leo had finished drawing Reyna and had now begun to draw Nico next to her; listening to the conversation as he did so.
"Then why did you use 'liked' as in past tense?" Jason questioned looking back at the other demigod.
"I'm sure the book will explain it." Annabeth reassured them. She motioned for Luke to continue reading.
I heard a thwack and a yelp, and Grover landed next to me with a thud.
"Yield!" the monster roared.
"Never!" Thalia yelled from across the field. She charged the monster, and for a second, I thought she would run him through. But then there was a thunderous noise and a blaze of light from behind us. The helicopter appeared out of the mist, hovering just beyond the cliffs. It was a sleek black military-style gunship, with attachments on the sides that looked like laser-guided rockets. The helicopter had to be manned by mortals, but what was it doing here? How could mortals be working with a monster?
The demigods and satyrs were wondering exactly that. Why would mortals work with monsters?
The searchlights blinded Thalia, and the manticore swatted her away with its tail. Her shield flew off into the snow. Her spear flew in the other direction.
"No!" I ran out to help her. I parried away a spike just before it would've hit her chest.
Jason looked a little pale at the thought. He could've lost his sister another time without even realizing it.
I raised my shield over us, but I knew it wouldn't be enough.
Dr. Thorn laughed. "Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes. "
We were trapped between a monster and a fully armed helicopter.
"Not very good, odds." Reyna remarked.
"Definitly not." Nico agreed.
They smiled faintly at each other before Luke read on.
We had no chance.
Then I heard a clear, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods.
The manticore froze. For a moment, no one moved. There was only the swirl of snow and wind and the chopping of the helicopter blades.
"No, " Dr. Thorn said. "It cannot be-"
His sentence was cut short when something shot past me like a streak of moonlight. A glowing silver arrow sprouted from Dr. Thorn's shoulder.
"That would be the Hunters of Artemis." Annabeth told them.
"I thought you guys weren't planning on telling us anything." Frank commented.
"You'll be finding it out in a minute anyways." The daughter of Athena shrugged.
He staggered backward, wailing in agony.
"Curse you!" Thorn cried.
"That's not very nice." Leo frowned as he continued to draw.
"When are monsters ever nice Leo?" Hazel pointed out.
"True, true." He nodded at her before returning to his drawing.
"Actually..." Percy began, "Medusa's sisters kept trying to get me to eat cheese 'n wieners before they killed me."
Leo snorted in laughter while Jason said. "Seriously?"
Percy nodded. "Though they did poison it with their blood so..."
"When was this?" Annabeth frowned not recalling anything like that.
"On my way to Camp Jupiter." Percy said. "I'm sure it will be in the books."
He unleashed his spikes, dozens of them at once, into the woods where the arrow had come from, but just as fast, silvery arrows shot back in reply. It almost looked like the arrows had intercepted the thorns in midair and sliced them in two, but my eyes must've been playing tricks on me. No one, not even Apollo's kids at camp, could shoot with that much accuracy.
The three huntresses looked smug at that line. Even though Bianca and Thalia hadn't been a part of the Hunters at that point in time.
The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was heavy. I tried to swipe at him with my sword, but he wasn't as injured as he looked. He dodged my attack and slammed his tail into my shield, knocking me aside.
Then the archers came from the woods. They were girls, about a dozen of them. The youngest was maybe ten. The oldest, about fourteen, like me. They wore silvery ski parkas and jeans, and they were all armed with bows. They advanced on the manticore with determined expressions.
"The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.
Next to me, Thalia muttered, "Oh, wonderful. "
Zoe shot the daughter of Zeus a quick glare before turning back to the book.
Bianca looked a little hurt at the statement even knowing that it probably wasn't directed at her seeing as she wasn't one of Artemis's huntresses then.
Thalia looked away feeling a bit guilty at the way she had acted.
I didn't have a chance to ask what she meant.
One of the older archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful with coppery colored skin. Unlike the other girls, she had a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair, so she looked like some kind of Persian princess. "Permission to kill, my lady?"
I couldn't tell who she was talking to, because she kept her eyes on the manticore.
"I was talking to Lady Artemis, boy." Zoe said. "Who else would I have been talking too?"
"The Manticore?" Percy offered.
She shot him a deadly glare in response.
"That was a rhetorical question Seaweed Brain." Annabeth told him.
"I knew that."
The monster wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws. "
"Not so, " another girl said. This one was a little younger than me, maybe twelve or thirteen. She had auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail and strange eyes, silvery yellow like the moon. Her face was so beautiful it made me catch my breath, but her expression was stern and dangerous. "The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast. " She looked at the older girl with the circlet. "Zoe, permission granted. "
Glances were shot at the mentioned Huntress before looking back to the book.
The manticore growled. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!"
He lunged at Thalia and me, knowing we were weak and dazed.
They looked worriedly at the two demigods.
'Percy and Thalia are fine. See they're right here.' Coach told himself glancing at the mentioned Half-Bloods. 'See there's nothing to worry about.'
"No. " Annabeth yelled, and she charged at the monster.
"Get back, half-blood!" the girl with the circlet said. "Get out of the line of fire!"
But Annabeth leaped onto the monster's back and drove her knife into his mane. The manticore howled, turning in circles with his tail flailing as Annabeth hung on for dear life.
The others paled considerably at that.
"Fire!" Zoe ordered.
"No!" I screamed.
But the Hunters let their arrows fly. The first caught the manticore in the neck. Another hit his chest. The manticore staggered backward, wailing, "This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!"
And before anyone could react, the monster, with Annabeth still on his back, leaped over the cliff and tumbled into the darkness.
They're were gasps and shrieks at that line.
"I'm right here!" Annabeth called. "If I wasn't okay I wouldn't be here with you guys now."
They calmed down a little at that but they were still very worried for the daughter of Athena.
"Annabeth!" I yelled.
I started to run after her, but our enemies weren't done with us. There was a snap-snap-snap from the helicopter-the sound of gunfire.
Most of the Hunters scattered as tiny holes appeared in the snow at their feet, but the girl with auburn hair just looked up calmly at the helicopter.
"Mortals, " she announced, "are not allowed to witness my hunt. "
She thrust out her hand, and the helicopter exploded into dust-no, not dust. The black metal dissolved into a flock of birds-ravens, which scattered into the night.
The Hunters advanced on us.
The one called Zoe stopped short when she saw Thalia. "You, " she said with distaste.
"Zoe Nightshade. " Thalia's voice trembled with anger. "Perfect timing, as usual. "
They frowned at that line wondering why they seemed to hate each other. 'Didn't Zoe say that Thalia refused to leave Luke?' They all recalled the earlier conversation between the two of them before they had begun the first chapter.
Zoe scanned the rest of us. "Four half-bloods and a satyr, my lady. "
"Yes, " the younger girl said. "Some of Chiron's campers, I see. "
"Annabeth!" I yelled. "You have to let us save her!"
The auburn-haired girl turned toward me. "I'm sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond help. "
"Gee thanks." Annabeth said sarcastically.
"Oh no Percyitis is catching!" Leo shouted. "Save yourselves!"
They all rolled their eyes at his antics.
I tried to struggle to my feet, but a couple of the girls held me down.
"You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs, " the auburn-haired girl said.
"Let me go!" I demanded. "Who do you think you are?"
Zoe stepped forward as if to smack me.
"I was about to." Zoe admitted when the others gave her questioning looks. "If Lady Artemis hadn't said something I would have."
"No, " the other girl ordered. "I sense no disrespect, Zoe. He is simply distraught. He does not understand. "
The young girl looked at me, her eyes colder and brighter than the winter moon. "I am Artemis, " she said. "Goddess of the Hunt. "
"That's the end of this chapter." Luke told them avoiding their gazes. He handed the book to the Son of Hades who sighed.
"Do I have to read the next chapter?" Nico complained.
"Yes, you do." Annabeth said firmly.
Nico sighed exaggeratedly, "But I don't want to read."
"Sorry It's your turn Nico you have too." Annabeth told him.
"But I don't want to read about my 10 year old self." Nico complained.
Annabeth gave him a stern look.
Hazel gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze. He gave her a small sad smile before reading.
Authors notes: Sorry it took a few days. I was babysitting today. I'll be doing the same thing tomorrow, but I'll try to start working on the next chapter. I LOVE Comments and especially criticism. How am I going to become a better writer if you guys don't criticize me?