A/N: Hola! Before I say anything else…
DISCLAIMER: I do not own PJO or HOO, Rick Riordan does, which i am glad for because if it belonged to me I would've screwed it up. Big Time.
Anyway, thank you again to anyone who reveiwed, favorited, or followed my story! I love you guys!
So, without further ado, chapter three!
Chapter 3: Arguments
(POV: Percy)
"But Chiron," Annabeth urged, "We need to find out who she is! I want to talk to her!"
"Annabeth, I have told you already. I shall not let anyone enter that cell until our guest solidifies and disarms herself. It is too risky." Chiron let a hint of frustration and annoyance creep into his voice, which was calm but firm. They had been arguing about this for twenty minutes.
I thought that Annabeth had a valid point, this girl obviously had had some serious training. I mean, she managed to sneak up on a cyclops for crying out loud! That doesn't just happen!
After the little incident in my cabin, I had found the big guy standing out by the camp forges, staring at the bronze marker that was making a glare earlier that Annabeth and I had seen from Thalia's Pine. It was a tribute to my friend Leo Valdez, who had sacrificed himself to defeat Gaea.
I could tell a lot of love had been put into the marker, it was most likely made by his brothers and sisters in the Hephaestus cabin. The large slab of Celestial bronze had been shaped to look like a gravestone that was on fire. The flames had to have some magic in them, because they shifted and flickered while changing colors, just like real fire would, but was cool to the touch.
In the center of the stone was a message:
This marker is to commemorate a true hero, Leo Valdez, whose life was sacrificed to defeat the earth goddess, Gaea.
We all are, and always will be on, Team Leo
Underneath the inscription was the prophecy of seven, plus the names of all the seven included.
Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall,
An oath to keep with a final breath,
and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.
I sighed as I remembered Leo dying. He was on Festus, fighting Gaea with Jason and Piper in the metal dragons claws, then Leo ordered Festus to drop them and blew up Gaea, taking him and Festus along with her.
Though any normal person would've been incinerated immediately, there was still a small chance he had survived. He had the Physicians Cure with him, and was naturally resistant to fire. But that didn't explain where he went after the explosion. When the smoke cleared, both him and his friend the dragon had vanished.
I sighed again, apparently shaking Tyson out of his stupor and turning to see who had interrupted his reverie. When he saw it was me, tears welled in the corners of his big brown eye and he crushed me in one of his rib-breaking bear hugs.
"I missed you brother!" He sobbed into my shoulder. "Daddy gave me some time off to come and see you," (He had to go back to work at my dad's undersea palace almost right after we had won the war) "so I went to our cabin to clean and surprise you when you came back with Annabeth, then we could watch her make monsters go BOOM!" he laughed and clapped excitedly when he said that. "But when I walked into the cabin, she was waiting for me." He frowned then. "I remember a really big stick, then nothing until I woke up right before you came in."
I was a getting a bit angry, and not even about the holding me hostage part. No, I was mad that she had tied up my baby brother and thrown him in the corner. Who did this chick think she was? Nobody messes with Tyson. He may be big, but really he's just like a big soft teddy bear. Unless they threatened him or his friends, he wouldn't hurt a fly.
Mostly though, I was still in shock. I had a sister. Half sister, but a sister nonetheless. My dad had broken the very big and very important oath made in between the Big Three twice now. First with me, now with her.
I wondered what this meant. Did Zeus know? What about Hades? For her sake, I hoped they didn't.
"Percy?" Annabeth and Chiron were staring at me like I needed to be put into a mental hospital, which, after today's events, sitting in a quiet rubber room didn't sound so bad.
I said something real intelligent like "uhhhwha?", which probably only strengthened their worries about my sanity.
"We were asking,Percy, what do you think?" Annabeth talked slowly, but I could see the humor in her eyes beneath layers and layers of worry and frustration.
"What was that?" I asked, cupping my hand around my ear, "Is a daughter of Athena asking for my advice?" I raised my eyebrows at her. "I do believe this is a first."
"Not advice Seaweed Brain, Chiron wants your opinion. I really couldn't care less. I am talking to the girl who attacked my boyfriend, and he's not going to stop me." She jerked her thumb at the centaur and rolled her eyes.
He sighed, "Annabeth, listen. She has powers that we have never seen, like her mist trick, and I'll be surprised if she doesn't have more up her sleeve. She managed to capture a trained and combat ready cyclops, and as you said, make Percy defenseless and hold him hostage by force." He took a deep breath "Not to mention that she has thus far refused to give up her weapon."
Annabeth glared at his logic and stormed away. Chiron shook his head and said "So, Percy, what do you think?"
"Well," I started, " I think that you have a point, but so does Annabeth." He started to protest, but I held up a hand to stop him. "Let me finish." He nodded, so I countinued.
"I agree with you that it's way too dangerous for her to go into that cell with our guest, but I do think we need to know more." He nodded again, but started frowning as he figured out what I was thinking of.
"What if I go?" He was shaking his head before I even finished.
"Percy, I hadn't said that it was too dangerous for Annabeth, I said it was too dangerous for anyone."
"I know I can do this." My face was set in determination to prove that I could handle myself with a girl who was younger than me, and had no training from either demigod camp.
Chiron warily looked at my face then sighed. "Alright. But we're having reinforcements ready outside the door." I punched the air with my fist.
"Yes! Thanks Chiron!" I was still doing my sort-of victory dance with Chiron rolling his eyes when Annabeth came back in.
I froze and Chiron stiffened as we waited for the bomb to go off. But apparently she hadn't heard what he had decided. "Well," I said awkwardly, "I've got to go help Tyson with, um, stuff so... It's all yours big guy!" I said clapping Chiron on the shoulder. Then I got the Hades out of there, Annabeth looking at me suspiciously as I went.
As I cleared the house however, I could just hear Annabeth shout, "YOU WHAT?" I cringed as I thought of facing her later.
I stepped out of sight around the corner of the Big House and watched Annabeth stomp out a few minutes later, muttering curses in Ancient Greek under her breath.
I sighed in relief right as someone behind me said "Close call."
"Gah!" I nearly jumped out of my skin as I turned around to see Nico Di Angelo leaning against the siding of the building.
He pointed towards Annabeth's retreating figure, unfazed by my reaction. "What did you do this time?"
"Dude, Jason was right, you need a bell. But how do you know this is my fault?"
He frowned. "Don't even think about it Jackson. And isn't it always?"
Huh. It was wasn't it? I gave him that. I shrugged. "I think she's more mad at Chiron than me. Do you know what happened earlier today?"
"If you mean that other child of Poseidon kicking your podex, then yes, I know what you're talking about."
"She did not! And yes, I'm talking about our visitor." He nodded like 'she did too, but whatever, get on with why Annabeth's ticked' "she really wanted to be the one to find out who she is and such, and Chiron wouldn't let her, but-"
"He said you could." He concluded for me and I nodded my head in agreement. "Well," he said, "I guess that explains it. So, what're you waiting for? You going to question this chick or not?"
I was shocked for a moment because he actually looked excited. That actually scared me a little. He hadn't looked excited since we were going to march on Olympus in the second Titans war. I guess he wanted to know about the other Big Three too. He ushered me back onto the porch and to the door of the Big House.
"Go, go!" He shoved me closer. I shrugged him off and walked through.
As I passed the room that Annabeth and Chiron had been arguing in earlier, he walked out, sighing (what's with him and sighing anyway?) and looking older than I've ever seen him.
He looked up and asked "Are you going in?" I nodded and he said "I'll go get some back-up. Just be careful, Percy." I didn't respond as he cantered past me. I just made my way to the stairs that lead to the basement and makeshift dungeon.
Without waiting for Chiron and his "reinforcements", I took a deep breath and unlocked the cell door. As soon as I stepped over the threshold, the air felt thicker, soupier. It must have been the enchantment that was preventing little miss misty from escaping.
It took me a second to find her, as she was floating in the top left corner of the ceiling. As soon as I spotted her I asked, "Are you going to come down? Or am I going to have to talk to myself this entire time."
After receiving daggers from her eyes, I shrugged, sat down against the wall, twiddling my thumbs and humming "It's a Small World After All".
After the second verse, she uncrossed her arms and slowly but surely floated down to the stone floor. A look of pure concentration inhibited her face for a moment, then she solidified.
"That's better." I said, standing and holding out my hand. "I'm Percy Jackson, and I'm your half-brother. What's your name?"
She pursed her lips and looked at my hand suspiciously. She seemed at war with herself over something. Then she sighed and took my hand. "Hello Percy Jackson. My name is Penelope, and I was sent here to kill you." She snapped her fingers and everything went dark.
A/N: What? As my beta asked when she read this, (the amazing lillybunny70, who is not an official one, but she's one of my besties so…) "WHAT! Why would she be sent to kill him if she's his sister?" Well my dear friends, you'll just have to wait until the next chapter! the fourth chapter by the way, will probably be updated, (the rest of the chapters as well), less often than these first three. Sorry. And if I sounded a little whiny about the " Don't leave this story just because blah blah blah" in the authors note at the bottom of the last chapter, then sorry, but i was genuinely worried about readers thinking that. Until next time, my friends.
-CupcakeQueen57
