I'm back with a new chapter for everyone! I'm sorry for any of you who missed the old plot, but I had no idea how I was gonna pull all of that off, so this seemed better. Anyways, on with the chapter! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own PJO, blah blah blah…
Thalia's PoV
Victor led us to the large building that stood over where the Big House used to be. Up close I realized that the house was decorated very… oddly. I looked at Nico, who had a look of approval on his face. I understood why. The building was grey and had skulls of assorted monsters and demigods hanging from the turrets on the edges of the building, and the gate was Stygian iron. I'm guessing it reminded him of the Underworld, which he hadn't visited since we left Camp Half-Blood. Victor slid his hand along the gate and it opened with a high-pitched sound that almost sounded like a woman screaming. I shuddered and walked towards the front door.
"So… Victor… I thought there was supposed to be a celebration of Percy Jackson here every year," I said, trying to get over the dread I had felt ever since I passed the gates.
"Percy Jackson… AH! I remember that name! Yes, we used to celebrate him, but recent events have stopped that," He explained.
"You mean the fact that the camp no longer exists?" I asked. He chuckled, which was creepy because he sounded evil…
"Precisely. I suppose you want to know what happened? Well it's simple really, there was a fight that divided the camp into three different divisions. Eventually it became a bit more than a fight; it became a war," Victor said. I was listening intently, but his grimace told me that he didn't want to continue. "Come one, let's get you two settled in before I continue."
"Sounds great, but I'm sure you don't have any rooms that won't give me nightmares," I said. He gave me a questioning look.
"No offense, but the way you're dressed I wouldn't think a black room would scare you," he replied looking at my leather jacket and combat boots, both with chains and spikes on them.
"Don't judge me!" I shouted. He looked startled at first, but then he glared. His eyes turned so black I thought it was as though they were absorbing light.
"We have three rules around here. First of all, you shall never yell. It upsets the dead, and quite frankly, it upsets me. Second, you must not go into the basement. I promise you, if you enter the basement without my permission and guidance, you will die, I assure you. Finally, you must NEVER leave this building without the guidance of one of my officers and/or me. Am I understood?" Nico and I nodded quickly and followed Victor into the building. I was surprised by the contrast between the inside and the outside of the strange building. Inside the walls were gold and the floors were black and white marble. I noticed two hallways on ground level, and an entire floor or two above us.
"Well this is… unexpected…" I said. Nico nodded in agreement.
"My first soldiers and I decided that morale would not be very high if our living quarters looked like death. I don't see what the problem is, I find death very comforting," Victor said. I shivered.
"That's… nice." Victor grinned and took us to a desk in the corner of the room. There was a man sitting there in a grey uniform with purple epaulettes and an odd symbol on the arm. It almost reminded me of a Nazi uniform.
"Tchaikovsky, sign these people in. Register them as recruits," Victor said to the Nazi-like person, who was apparently Tchaikovsky.
"Right away sir. Names?" He asked.
"I'm Thalia Grace, and this is Nico di Angelo. He doesn't speak." Tchaikovsky nodded.
"Good. My name is Richman Tchaikovsky, but I go by Rich. I am Victor's accountant, I guess you could say. I also evaluate new recruits and place them on my list of recruits that are graduating to a higher rank," Rich explained. I nodded. "I also record which branch of our forces you would like to join. We have an air force, a navy, a branch of ground troops, and certain groups for people with special talents."
"That sounds great and all, but we didn't come to stay," I explained. Rich grimaced.
"I'm sorry, but you must stay. If you leave this building the first thing you'll see is blood. It's not safe out there, especially if you're leaving any of these buildings!" Rich explained.
"But we have to go!" I exclaimed. Rich thought about it for a second.
"Fine. Stay here for a few days until we can evaluate and train you. Then, you can talk to Victor and he may be able to help you out," Rich said.
"Thank you Rich. Anyways, where will we be staying?" I asked. Rich handed Nico a key.
"Third floor, room 129. Enjoy your stay, if the training doesn't kill you," Rich said. Nico and I walked towards the elevators and pressed the button to take us to the third floor where we would be staying. He doors opened up to a hallway that matched the lobby downstairs. Nico and I started walking down the hallway.
"125… 127… ah, here it is, 129!" I said. Nico put the key in and opened the door to a room with black walls. It was completely bare except for three doors labeled "Room 1," "Room 2," and "Kitchen."
"Okay… this is bare." I stated the obvious. Nico pointed to a pad on the wall that said "Create your room" on it.
"This will definitely be fun…" I said. I walked up to the dial and selected the room we were in. I saw assorted couches, chairs, tables, television sets, bookshelves, and other furnishings. I was curious so I selected a huge flat screen and placed it next to the window on the right side of the room. A vortex opened up and the flat screen appeared.
"Woah… I love this place already. So much better than our apartment don't you think Nico?" I asked. He nodded and smiled, pointing at the dial.
"You wanna try?" I asked. He smiled and nodded. "Okay, knock yourself out. But not literally, I'm afraid something will happen if we fall asleep here. This place gives me the creeps."
Done! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it only took me like an hour. Anyways, review, favorite, follow, whatever! ~AssassinOfNeptune
