II: Percy

(A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews, people. I really appreciate anything you have to say; even if it's just a couple words. I'm surprised my Lazy Gene is allowing me to write this right now XD. I have a few days off from work, and I intend to use them. So without further ado, chapter two! (BTW, I found a couple grammar mistakes in the last chapter, sorry about those. If you haven't noticed, I'm a complete Grammar Nazi.)) ~ TWR

I opened my eyes to see a stone altar overlooking a large sea. The altar sat on top of a green hill, much like the dining pavilion at camp. Rigid white columns were placed around the main altar in a circle, as if there were once some sort of roof to this place millennia ago. I knew enough about architecture from Annabeth to recognize the columns as Ionic; topped with scrolls made of marble. The hill was on the top of a cliff, overlooking the Mediterranean sea, as I realized. I knew because… Son of Poseidon, y'know?

I approached the column, and as I did the bright blue sky began churning like an angry sea and turned black. The sun faded until there was no light at all other than the torches on the pillars. A chill ran down my spine, and the temperature dropped by about fifty degrees; enough so I could see my breath and shiver. I noticed more about the altar itself: there were wave patterns on the top, along with metal cuffs for restraining wrists and ankles on it. And dark red stains were scattered around all over it. It's a sacrificial altar, I realized. I felt a laugh echo through the air like a tremor through the ground.

"A worthy sacrifice, godling. Lay on the altar, it can all be over quick, and my plans will be a small step closer to completion. The voice felt like thunder in my ears. The seas' children are filth below me. Get on the altar, Perseus." I was tempted to get on the altar, the voice was that powerful.

"I won't help you.", I said. My voice sounded small and weak to my own ears. Another laugh cracked through the air, louder this time, and I covered my ears to avoid having my eardrums blown inward.

"Resist while you can, godling! You will not be able to much longer! Your death will give me power greater than you can imagine, and it still will not be enough. My own children betrayed me out of fear, and I expected you to do the same. You haven't failed me on that, and you will not fail me when I say to offer yourself to me. Get on the altar!" My arm reached forward to touch the altar, even with my mind screaming at it not to. As soon as my fingers made contact with the chiseled marble, my knees buckled out from under me, and I froze out of fear. My hand was stuck to the altar, and pain seared through my arm.

"Who… who are you?", I managed. The voice did not laugh this time, but replied calmly.

"That is something you will learn soon enough. In the meantime, enjoy your petty life while it can last. And remember one thing: The sea cannot protect you forever."

I awoke lying on the boat dock, a blurry vision of Annabeth and a few Hephaestus campers looking down at me. I sputtered and spat water onto the wood of the dock, and tried to catch my breath.

"What happened?", I asked hoarsely. Annabeth just shook her head, like I had dropped from the sky. Not like that hasn't happened to me before, but I wasn't prepared for she told me.

"Percy… you almost… you were drowning. I had to jump in after you when I realized you were turning blue." I stared at her shock, and then I remembered what the voice had told me. The sea cannot protect you forever. Whoever that voice was, it was clearly trying to send me a message. I started to stand up, Annabeth helped me while the other guys backed up to give me some room, then wandered off when they realized I wasn't dead.

"Are you alright?", she asked. "I've never seen that happen to you." Truth is, I didn't know if I was okay. There was some super powerful and probably ancient thing out there out to get me. Just another day for Percy Jackson, right?

"Yea, I… I think I'll be fine." The look she was giving me clearly said she wasn't convinced. "I, uh, had a vision while I blacked out." I was going to tell her, but the other kids on the dock were probably within earshot.

"Yea?"

"Nevermind, I'll tell you later." She looked worried, but I gave her my best brave-face. "It's okay, Wise Girl. Really." I leaned in to give her a kiss, one she gladly returned. We stayed like that long enough for someone to sneak up on us.

"Ahem… I was called?", Chiron said, standing there in horse-form. I pulled away from Annabeth, both of us blushing. Chiron smirked, and his eyes showed kindness. He put his bow on his back, I guess the Hephaestus kid didn't tell him that we weren't being attacked.

"Uh, yeah. I kind of.. drowned." Chiron raised an eyebrow, apparently not something you hear everyday coming from me.

"Drowned? How did this happen?" I looked to Annabeth, since I was too busy having an ancient power threaten me to know what happened exactly.

"I pushed him in the water to heal his broken ribs, and when he came back up, he just… passed out. He sank back underwater, and when I realized he wasn't breathing, I jumped in after him. That's why..", she gestured to herself, as she was soaking wet.

"I would speak with you, my boy. Come.", Chiron turned himself, careful to not step his back end off the dock, and started to walk. I followed him, Annabeth giving me a face like she wanted to follow, but knew she shouldn't.

When we were out of earshot of anyone, on the other side of the canoe lake, Chiron finally spoke.

"What is this I hear about you drowning? At first I thought that child, Mitchell, was kidding me, but I could tell. A couple thousand years of training heroes will give one wisdom." I just cleared my throat and answered honestly. I told him about the vision I had. He paled, and gave me a serious expression with a look in his eyes I've never seen before: fear.

"Percy, is there anything else this voice said? It's crucial I know everything." I just shrugged.

"No, basically it just said that it wanted me as a sacrifice, told me life as I knew it would end, the sea couldn't protect me forever, and to have a nice day.", I said.

"I do not like how it told you the 'sea could not protect you forever'. It may be that your drowning and this vision are connected." I could practically feel my heart trying to pound its way out of my chest. I had to wonder..

"Chiron, what could possibly take away my powers like that?" We walked through the woods some more, the only sounds being the wind in the trees, birds, and the blood roaring through my ears. He turned to me with a grim expression.

"I… I do not know, Percy. Whatever it is, it cannot be anything good. I fear..", he trailed off.

"What? What is it?", I asked.

"Nothing, my boy. It is almost time for supper, you should get going. I imagine Annabeth will want to speak with you, as well." Reluctantly I wandered back to the dining pavilion. As I walked away, I could feel his eyes on me. And I remembered the look of pity he was wearing when I asked what it was he was afraid of.

I sat alone at my table, though I did have a lot to think about, so I suppose it was for the best. Who could that voice belong to? If it made someone like Chiron look ready to go hide in a hole somewhere, I figured that wasn't a good sign. And taking my powers away? I'd never have that happen to me before, and honestly, it scared me worse than anything I could imagine. For so long I've been used to being the most powerful demigod at camp, and if my powers could be swiped from me like candy from a baby, that made me very worried for how the rest of the camp would fare against a foe like that. I was so deep in thought I didn't notice Annabeth slide into the bench next to me. Her hair was still damp from earlier, but she had changed clothes into jeans and another orange Camp Half-blood t-shirt.

"Hey, you owe me an explanation for what that was earlier. You had me scared half to death. And you told me you'd tell me later." I couldn't help but smile. The last time she broke the 'Stay at your own table' rule was right before our quest to the Labyrinth. Not too many people paid attention to us, since she'd done this once before. Chiron looked at us skeptically from the head table, but he gave me that exact look of pity he had earlier and didn't say anything about it.

"Yea, I meant 'later', as in 'at the campfire later'.", I said. She just rolled her eyes and kept staring at me for an explanation. "Well, it started with me on a cliff, overlooking the Mediterranean…", I explained to her how there were Ionic columns, and she smirked in appreciation that I had remembered what that even was. When I mentioned the sacrificial altar and how the voice wanted me to lay on it to basically kill myself, she looked confused.

"What would want you to sacrifice yourself? And you said the voice said, 'The seas' children are filth beneath me'? I wonder…" I let her work out the details. She knew twice as much about greek myths than I will ever be able to memorize.

She never got to reach her conclusion, though, because the entire pavilion stood at attention when the calm evening was cut by a piercing scream.