A/N: Keep in mind this is in the Point of View of Percy Jackson at age seven.


We Get Treasures and Fortunes

"Hello," said the man's voice, much closer now. "I'm very sorry.

I looked up in front of me to see a man in his sixties standing in front of us. He wore snakeskin boots and a mottled green-and-brown suit that might've been made from the same material. He was tall and gaunt with spiky gray hair almost as wild as Thalia's. His shoulders slumped. His sad green eyes were underscored with bag and his face hung loose as if he'd been partially deflated.

His room was arranged like one of those studio apartment. Unlike the rest of the house, it was in fairly good shape—better than mine has been since Gabe moved in. Against the far wall was a twin bed, a desk with a computer, and a window covered with dark drapes like the ones downstairs. Along the right wall stood a bookcase, a small kitchenette, and two doorways—one leading into the bathroom, the other into a large closet.

Then Thalia said, "Um, guys…"

She pointed to our left and when I looked I nearly frozen in fear.

The left side of the room had rows of iron bars like a prison cell. Inside, the gravel floor was littered with bones and pieces of what I guess was armor, and prowling back and forth was a monster with a lion's body and rust-red fur. Instead of paws it had hooves like a horse, and its tail lashed around like a bullwhip. Its head was a mixture of horse and wolf—with pointed ears, an elongated snout, and black lips that looked disturbingly human.

The monster snarled and showed two solid horseshoe-shaped plates of bone. When it snapped its mouth, the bone plates made the jarring clack, clack, clack we'd heard downstairs.

The monster fixed its glowing red eyes on Luke. Saliva dripped from its weird bony ridges. I could hear the other creatures—at least two of them—growling out in the hallway. I maybe seven years old, but even I can tell we're trapped.

"Who are you?" Luke demanded. "What's that thing in the cage?"

The old man grimaced. His expression was so full of misery that it seemed any second he might cry. He opened his mouth, but when he spoke, the words didn't come from him but from the monster in I guess was his voice. "I am Halcyon Green. I'm very sorry, but you are in the cage. You've been lured here to die."

Luke took out his golf club and brandished it at the old man, but didn't strike.

I reach for my weapon too, but I only grabbed the handle of my sword that was strapped to my back. I didn't want to attack just yet.

"Y-you better explained," Luke stammered. "Why—how—what…?"

Behind the bars, the monster clacked its bone-plated jaws.

"I understand your confusion," it said in the old man's voice. It was sympathetic but the look on the monster's face told a different story.

"The creature you see here is a leucrota. Like some monsters, it has a talent for imitating human voices. That is how it lures its prey."

"But… the voice is yours?" Luke asked, "I mean, the dude in the snakeskin suit—I'm hearing what he wants to say?"

"That is correct." The leucrota sighed heavily. "I am, as you say, the dude in the snakeskin suit. Such is my curse. My name is Halcyon Green, son of Apollo."

Thalia stumbled backward. "You're a demigod? But you're so—"

"Old?" the leucrota asked. The man, Halcyon Green, studied his liver-spotted hands, as if he couldn't believe they were his, like how old people do to tease the young after they called them old, "Yes, I am."

"Which Olympian is Apollo again?" I asked.

Halcyon turned to me and looked at me as if trying to figure out if I was kidding or not, which I'm not. I'm still trying to remember which Olympian is which—except for Zeus Hermes and Poseidon. Hal must have sense I wasn't kidding either, because the leucrota replied, "My father is the god of healing, curses, music, poetry, the sun, oracles and prophecies, young one."

"Oh—" I responded still slightly confused, "So—how long have you been here?"

Halcyon shrugged listlessly. The monster spoke for him: "I have lost count. Decades? Because my father is the god of oracles, I was born with the curse of seeing the future. Apollo warned me to keep quiet. He told me I should never share what I saw because it would anger the gods. But many years ago… I simply had to speak. I met a young girl who was destined to die in an accident. I saved her life by telling her the future."

"And you were punished by it?" I asked.

Hal nodded as the monster spoke, "The gods don't like mortals meddling with fate. The story of Sisyphus is proof of that. However, since I done it to save another life instead of selfish greed, my father decided instead of having me suffer in the fields of punishment underworld, he cursed me. He forced me to wear these clothes, the skin of Python, who once guarded the Oracle of Delphi, as a reminder that I was not an oracle. He took away my voice and locked me in this mansion, my boyhood home. Then the gods set the leucrotae to guard me. Normally, leucrotae only mimic human speech, but these are linked to my thoughts. They speak for me. They keep me alive as bait, to lure demigods. It was Apollo's way of reminding me, forever, that my voice would only lead others to their doom."

I was in shock. I had no idea that the gods could be so cruel. Sure I knew about Thalia's and Luke's situations with their fathers, but to curse a man for interfering with fate? I remember mommy telling how kind and gentle daddy was but I can't imagine him doing something like that.

"You should fight back," Luke finally said, "You didn't deserve this. Break out. Kill the monsters. We'll help you."

"He's right," Thalia said. "That's Luke, by the way, and over there is Percy. I'm Thalia. We fought plenty of monsters. There has to be something we can do, Halcyon."

"Call me Hal," the leucrota said. The man shook his head dejectedly. "But you don't understand. You're not the first to come here. I'm afraid all the demigods feel there's hope when they first arrive. Sometimes I try to help them. It never works. The doors is heavily enchanted. It will let you in, but not out."

"We'll see about that." Luke turned and pressed his hand to the lock and concentrated. However a minute passed and nothing happened.

"I told you," the leucrota said, "Some tried the windows, but they're protected by deadly drapes."

"I noticed," Thalia muttered.

"But I was able to beat back the drapes, so there must be a way," I responded.

Hal turned to me surprised. I had a bad feeling that I should have kept quiet about it because Hal looked skeptical—looking me over as if expecting to see some injuries.

"Did you really?" the leucrota asked.

"Well—it was by accident—" I said.

"But Percy's right," Luke said, "If someone tries to push back the drapes, there might be away to escape."

Hal looked at me as if me being here was either a good thing or a bad thing.

"No," the leucrota said bitterly. "None of us can leave. For all we know, the windows could be magically sealed like the doors. Fighting the monsters is hopeless as well. They can't be hurt by any metal known to man or god."

To prove his point, the old man brushed aside the edge of his snakeskin jacket, revealed a dagger on his belt. He unsheathed the celestial bronze blade and approached the monster's cell.

The leucrota snarled at him. Hal jabbed his knife between the bars, straight at the monster's head. Luke and Thalia told me that Celestial bronze would disintegrated a monster with one hit, but the blade glanced off the leucrota's snout, leaving no mark. The leucrota kicked its hooves at the bars, and Hal backed away.

"You see?" the monster spoke for Hal.

"So you just give up?" Thalia demanded. "You help the monsters lure us in and wait for them to kill us?"

Hal sheathed his dagger. "I'm sorry, my dear, but I have little choice. I'm trapped here, too. If I don't cooperate, the monsters let me starve. The monsters could have killed you the moment you entered the house, but they use me to lure you upstairs. They allow me your company for a while. It eases my loneliness. And then… well, the monsters like to eat at sundown. Today, that will be at 7:03." He gestured to a digital clock on his desk, which read 10:34. "After you are gone, I—I subsist on whatever rations you carried." He glanced hungrily at Luke's backpack that I was still carrying ever since Luke asked me to get the bottle of nectar.

"No," I responded, "This isn't right!"

"You're right to hate me," the lecrota said in Hal's voice, "but I can't save you. At sunset, those bars will rise. The monsters will drag you away and kill you. There is no escape.

Inside the monster's enclosure, a square panel on the back wall ground opened and two more leucrotae stalked into the cage—one of which was looking at me like I was a tasty snack.

Another picked up an old piece of—what I can guess—is armor in its mouth. The Celestial bronze plate looked thick enough to stop Thalia's spear in a thrust, but the leucrota clamped down with the force of a vice grip and but a horseshoe-shaped hole in the metal.

"As you can see," said another leucrota that was staring at me hungrily in Hal's voice, "the monsters are remarkably strong."

"Get away," I yelled at the beast drawing out my sword.

"There's no point, lad. I already showed you."

"I said get away!" I yelled. With another tug of my stomach I heard roaring sound of water from the bathroom and a wave of water fired from the bathroom and kitchenette and struck the leucrota inside their cage with enough force that they were send to a corner. The leucrota struggled against the water with much strength but eventually they escaped in panel.

I didn't see what happened next as I passed out after the tugging sensation ended. However, I did have a dream that I never had before.

I was in Hal's room just as before, but this time it looked like a regular bedroom. I looked around for my friends—who weren't there—but instead of finding them I heard Hal's voice voice.

"Please father, I didn't mean to defy you."

I look over to see a younger Halcyon Green talking to a tall and muscular man with a bronze tan like those lifeguards in Baywatch, golden hair and yet look younger than Halcyon.

"I'm sorry, Halcyon, but I warned you of the risk of using your gift," the man said.

"But—I had to! That girl was going to die of an accident!" Halcyon said.

"I know, and that's noble of you. That's why I manage to talk Zeus into agreeing to not kill you and have you send to the fields of punishment," the man said.

"Really?" Halcyon asked.

"However, I must still curse you for defying the fates, with a reminder that you are not the oracle, and that your words will only bring you pain," the man said.

Halcyon's eyes widened and with a snap of the man's fingers, Halcyon's clothes changed to the ones I last saw him wearing—the clothes of Python. And when Halcyon tried to speak, he found he couldn't.

Instead there was another flash in the area where the cage was at and three leucrotae appeared.

"These leucrotaes are charmed to speak your mind for now on, but the next time you try to defy the fates, they will feed," the man said.

"Father—" one of the leucrotas said.

"Until—two demigods appeared to retrieve the treasures of the safe your family kept since before you were born with a help of their third companion, you are to remain curse," he continued.

Halcyon's eyes widened as if knowing what Apollo was talking about. Before I could ask what they were talking about, everything faded into darkness with a new familiar voice echoing in the background.

"—Percy! Come on, Percy! wake up!" I heard someone said.

I slowly opened my eyes and found myself on Hal's twin size bed with Luke trying to wake me.

"Wh-what happened?" I asked.

"You passed out after you blast water at leucrota," Luke said.

"Did I—" I was interrupted when I heard growling coming from outside the door.

"It didn't kill them, but I think you gave us time to come up with a plan," Thalia said.

I noticed Hal was looking at me concernly, and then turned to his computer to type something.

"We manage to convince Hal to communicate using his computer after you passed out," Luke explained.

Hal turned the screne to me using a word document, only it was black paper with white text. I guess he knew about my dyslexia because he had it in the font and color style I can actually read: I'm glad you're okay, my boy. You were mumbling and screaming a lot in your sleep.

I blushed reading it before I remembered my dream. "I saw the day Hal was cursed! I think I know why Amaltheia brought us here."

"Whoa, Percy. What do you mean you know?" Thalia asked.

I explained my dream about, Hal's punishment, how the man told Hal about the day when his curse is broken—everything. I can tell just from looking at Hal's expression that what I saw in my dream must of really happened that way.

Hal started typing something down in his computer and showed it to us. You must have had a dream vision—visions of the past or present or sometimes signs of battles that involves the dreamer. All demigods get them. If what you say is true, then you three are the ones Apollo was talking about.

"But what is this treasure?" Thalia asked.

Hal got up and showed us his walk in closet. It was full of more supplies collected from unfortunate demigods—coats much too small for Hal, some old fashioned wood-and pitch torches, dented pieces of armor, and a few Celestial bronze swords that were bent and broken.

Hal rearranged boxes of books, shoes, a few bars of gold, and a small basket of diamonds that he didn't seem interested in. He unearthed a two foot square metal floor safe and gestured at it like: Ta-da.

"Can you open it?" I asked enthused.

Hal shook his head.

"Do you know what's inside?" Thalia asked.

Again, Hal shook his head.

"It's trapped," Luke guessed.

Hal nodded emphatically, then traced a finger across his neck.

Luke had a look as if he was thinking of something, and by the looks of it, something he didn't like.

"The treasures will be retrieved with a third companion's help—" Luke said, "Maybe—"

He then knelt next to the safe, and without touching it, held his hand close to the combination lock and concentrated. His face scrunched like he sense something he didn't like.

"This thing is bad news," he muttered. "Whatever's inside must be important."

Thalia knelt next to him. "Luke, this is why we're here."

Luke sighed. "You're going to ask me to open it, aren't you?"

"Can you?"

"People have tried to open this before," Luke warned. "There's a curse on the handle. I'm guessing whoever touches it gets burned to a pile of ashes."

I noticed Hal's face was as grey as his hair when Luke brought it up.

"Can you bypass the curse?" Thalia asked me.

"I think so," Luke said. "But it's the second trap I'm worried about."

"The second trap?" she asked.

"Nobody managed to trigger the combination," Luke said. "I know that because there's a poison canister ready to break as soon as you hit the third number. It's never been activated.

Hal's eyes were as wide as an owl when he heard it.

"Maybe it was included to make sure that not just anyone could get into it," I said.

"Maybe, but if I mess this up, the whole apartment is going to fill with gas. We'll die."

Thalia swallowed. "I trust you. Just… don't mess up."

Luke turned to Hal and me. "Percy, go in the bathroom hide in the bathtub if it's filled with water, use it to protect yourself from any poison, if not, fill it with water. Hal, make sure he stay submerge. Don't worry about him drowning, Percy can breath underwater. We'll tell you when its safe."

Thalia nodded at the idea, but I couldn't help but pout at the fact my friends—who were the closest thing to siblings I ever had—were about to risk their lives while I stay submerged in a bathtub.

Reluctantly I headed to the bathroom with Hal. Inside, the pipes were damaged, but the tub was still intact. I had to focus on the water nearby to fill the pipes though. Once filled, Halcyon picked me up and placed me in the water still looking concern.

"Don't worry," I responded, "Just splash the water with your hand when they give the all clear."

Hal nodded as I dived my head into the water. Thankfully the tub was big enough for a seven year old to submerge their head if they laid down, which I did.

I got bored rather quickly and decided to think about my dream. Now that I think about it, Apollo didn't seem too happy when he said we would break Hal's curse. Not angry either. More like sad—like if breaking the curse will cost as much as the curse itself.

Suddenly I felt ripples in the water and looked up to see that Hal was splashing it.

I sat up and my head splashed out of the water. "Did they do it?" I asked.

Hal nodded and offered to pick me up—which I gladly accepted.

We headed to the closet to find Luke holding an unbroken vial of green liquid, and Thalia looking at what looked like a silver bracelet and your average ballpoint pen with a cap on it.

Thalia saw me and put up a smile, "Here, Percy. I think this is meant to be yours." She tossed me the pen and I manage to grab it.

At first, I thought there was nothing special about it—it looked exactly like the ones you get at the stores. Then I noticed an engraving on it: Anaklumos, which I instantly translated outloud, "Riptide."

I don't know why I did it—maybe out of curiosity of a seven year old child—I uncapped the pen. When I did, it transformed into a three foot long—including the hilt—celestial bronze double edge sword that weighs about five pounds with a leather wrapped grip and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs and—best of all—perfectly balanced in my hand.

Then again—out of curiosity—I capped the end of the blade and the sword transforms back into a pen.

"Cool," I responded.

Thalia was still trying to figure hers out as she scowled. "It should do something. If Zeus sent me here—"

Hal clapped his hands to get our attention. He started gesturing as if trying to tell us something important.

That's when it dawn to me. "Hal still can't speak."

Hal nodded and gesture us outside.

Once in the main room, Hal typed on his computer: Not only can I not speak, but the leucrota seem to be acting up. I think they sensed the sword's presence when you uncapped it.

"Why?"

Hal shrugged and typed: I don't know.

Luke tried the doors but found they were still magically shut and I guess he wasn't going to ask us to try the windows incase the drapes were still deadly.

"Couldn't you do something?" Luke asked Hal, "You can see into the future after all."

Hal typed: I can't look. It's too dangerous. You can see what happened the last time I tried to use my powers.

"We can't give up," Thalia said, "This bracelet and Percy's sword must be the key. Percy, think, is there anything you missed in your dream, any clue."

I shook my head. "Just that Apollo looked gloomy when he said how Hal's curse would be freed."

Hal nodded at that and typed: I remember it too. I thought he did it to not get my hopes up.

"There has to be something we haven't tried," Luke said, "Hal, let me borrow your computer."

Hal looked doubtful, but he gave Luke his seat.

As Luke tried to look up some way to defeat I fiddled around with my new sword. I almost forgot that I still had Luke's old sword strapped to my back, but I think I better return it after Luke finds away to save us.

While fiddling around with Riptide, I learned one thing, if you cap the hilt it turned into a usable ballpoint pen—which I learned after I glance back at Luke while capping Riptide on the wrong end.

At least I had better luck than Thalia with my treasure. She was still trying everything she could think of to activate it, even yelling Zeus' name, but nothing.

I wished I knew more actual Greek Mythology, then I could be able to help her. But the closest thing to it I know was from the kids movies my mom would let me watch before Gabe decided that he deserved the TV more than I do.

Finally Hal asked to take over the computer for a little bit and typed: Running out of time. I'll try to read the future.

Thalia frowned. "I thought you said that was too dangerous."

It doesn't matter, Hal typed. I'm a cowardly old man, but Apollo can't punish me any worse than he already has. Perhaps I'll see something that will help you. Thalia, give me your hands.

He turned to her.

Thalia hesitated at first but the grown from the leucrota convinced her. I haven't looked at the clock since we first came in here, but seeing how Hal is desperate enough to see into the future, I take his word about running out of time.

Thalia placed her hands in Halcyon Green's. The old man closed his eyes and concentrated.

He winced then took a shaky breath. He looked up at Thalia with an expression of sympathy. He turned to the keyboard and hesitated a long time before starting to type.

You are destined to survive today, Hal typed.

"That's good, right?" she asked, "Why do you look so sad?"

Hal stared at the blinking cursor. He typed, Someday soon, you will sacrifice yourself to save your friends. I see things that are… hard to describe. Years of solitude. You will stand tall and still, alive but sleeping. You will change once then change again. Your path will be sad and lonely. But someday you will find your family again.

Thalia clenched her fist. She started to speak, then paced the room. Finally slammed her palm against the bookshelves. "That doesn't make any sense. I'll sacrifice myself, but I'll live. Changing, sleeping? You call that a future? I—I don't even have a family. Just my mom, and there's no way I'm going back to her."

Hal pursed his lips. He typed, I'm sorry. I don't control what I see. But I didn't mean your mother.

Thalia almost backed up into the drapes. He caught herself just in time, but she looked like she just got off a rollercoaster.

"Thalia?" Luke asked as gently as he could. "Do you know what he's talking about?"

I wanted to know the same thing.

"It's nothing," she said at last. "Forget it. Hal's fortune-telling skills are rusty."

Hal typed, Let me try Percy, next. I'm not certain, but I think his fate is connected.

I hesitantly handed my hands over. It took longer than Thalia's but when Hal opened his eyes, he looked at me like I was the greatest thing that ever existed.

Hal moved to the computer and started typing: I'm sorry Percy, but your future is too big for me to share without stirring up some kind of trouble. All I can say is that you will be one of the seven greatest heroes of your generation—possibly of all time.

"Seriously?" Luke responded, "How will that stir up trouble?"

Hal typed: If Olympus found out what I saw, Percy's life would be in greater danger than it already is. It's best that Percy face his destiny as it comes.

I admit, I didn't like the sound of it either, but after what I seen and heard, I decided not to ask.

"We still need to find out how to escape!" Luke responded, "What about Thalia's bracelet or the goat?"

He shook his heade sadly. He typed. I saw nothing about the bracelet. I'm sorry. I know little about Amaltheia the goat, but I doubt it will help. The goat nursed Zeus when he was a baby. Later Zeus slew her and used her skin to make his shield—the aegis.

Luke scratched his chin. "So Zeus killed his own mama goat. Typical god thing to do. Thalia, do you know anything about the shield?"

She nodded, clearly relieved to change the subject. "Athena put the head of Medusa on the front of it and had the whole thing covered in Celestial bronze. She and Zeus took turns using it in battle. It would frighten away their enemies."

I was totally confused about this, but it wasn't anything new.

Hal held his hand out to Luke. His grim expression told us that it was Luke's turn for a fortune telling.

"Don't, Luke," Thalia said bitterly. "The gods were right. Hal's prophecies don't help anybody."

However, Luke gave Hal his hands.

Hal took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His snakeskin jacket glistened as if it were trying to shed.

His eyes flew open. He yanked his hands away and stared at Luke in terror.

"Okay," Luke said, "I'm guessing you didn't see anything good."

Hal turned to his computer. He stared at the screen so long before finally typing, Fire. I saw fire.

Thalia frowned. "Fire? You mean today? Is that going to help us?"

Hal looked up miserably. He nodded.

"But why are you scared?" I asked.

Hal avoided Luke's eyes and reluctantly typed, Hard to be sure. Luke, I saw a sacrifice in your future. A choice. But also betrayal.

"A betrayal," Thalia said. Her tone was dangerous. "You mean someone betrays Luke? Because Luke will never betray anyone."

Hal typed, His path is hard to see. But if he survives today, he will betray—

Thalia grabbed the keyboard. "Enough! You lure demigods here, then you take away their hope with your horrible predictions? No wonder the others gave up—just like you gave up. You're pathetic."

Hal got up with a glint of anger in his eyes—ready to lunge at Thalia. However before he could, I yelled, "Stop it!"

Hal did stop and turned to me.

"Forget about the betrayal, forget the sacrifice, forget my unknown future! We can worry about it when the time comes, but right now I want to get out of here so I can go back to my mommy like you promised!" I yelled.

After my fit I sat down and pouted. I guess it was hard to argue with a seven year old because Thalia and Hal seem to have calmed down.

"Fire," Luke said—deciding to change the topic, "You mentioned fire."

Hal nodded, the spread his hands to indicate he had no further details.

Luke started thinking of something.

"What is it?" Thalia asked. "I know that look. You're on to something."

"Let me see the keyboard." Luke sat at the computer and did a new web search.

An article popped up immediately.

Thalia peered over Luke's shoulder. "Luke, that would be perfect! But I thought that stuff was just a legend."

"What?" I asked jumping up.

"I don't know," Luke admitted. "If it's real, how do we make it? There's no recipe here."

"What?" I repeated.

Hal rapped his knuckle on the desk to get our attention. His face was animated. He pointed at his bookshelves.

"Ancient history books," Thalia said. "Hal's right. A lot of those are really old. They probably have information that wouldn't be on the Internet."

"Is anyone going to answer my question?" I asked.

"If this goes right, Percy, we will," Luke said.

I sighed and agreed to help to look through Hal's library. Hal even helped, but I stayed out.

Hal picked up one book and scanned over it, before tapping on Luke's shoulder, and gave him a leather book that apparently had what they were looking for.

"This is it," Luke said, "The recipe for Greek fire?"

"What?" I asked.

"It's destructive fire—not even normal water can put it out," Luke said, "We have everything we need to make it here except for lightning—"

Luke turned to Thalia and her eyes widened. "Luke, I can't. Last time—"

Hal dragged us to the computer and typed, You can summon lightning?

"Sometimes," Thalia admitted. "It's a Zeus thing, just as summoning water is a Poseidon thing. But I can't do it indoors. And even if we were outside, I have trouble controlling the strike. Last time, I almost killed Luke."

Luke looked like he had just remembered it, and didn't like it.

"It'll be fine." Luke tried to sound confident. "I'll prepare the mixture. When it's ready, there's an outlet under the computer. You can call down a lightning strike on the house and blast it through the electrical wiring."