Chapter 4
No! No it couldn't be. She couldn't be dead. My head was spinning but I tried to look confident, "Just give it a minute, Nico." He gave me a disbelieving look.
"Fine, but you'd better explain."
"Alright, well for the earthquakes, they don't call my father the earth shaker for nothing, but as for what I was trying to do with Thalia it's a bit more complicated. I can use the water's power to heal minor wounds and though it takes a lot of energy I usually would be able to heal more serious injuries."
"But...since when? I mean I've never seen you use any of those powers before?" Malcolm asked looking confused.
"Well the first time I used powers I hadn't known about before was in the war. Remember when we were fighting Hyperion and I created a 'miniature' hurricane?" he nodded and I kept going, "I didn't give it much thought at the time but compared to my usual powers I shouldn't have been able to do that. Then after that, a few months ago, I got in an argument with this guy at school and caused an earthquake that almost brought down the gym. Thank heavens they couldn't prove I'd caused it. Anyway, I iris messaged Annabeth and it turns out Nico, it's because of your plan to beat Luke. The whole River Styx thing worked better then we thought it would. I guess with children of the Big Three it not only makes you invulnerable but enhances your regular powers."
"Well I guess that makes sense. I had no idea." Nico still looked a little confused.
"That's what..." I stopped as I felt a tug at my gut, suddenly I felt all my energy draining. I would have ended up face first in the dirt but Nico caught me.
"Percy? Percy! Oh gods are you okay?"
"Th.. Thalia!" I gasped.
"Percy she's..." he stopped as a gagging cough came from behind him.
They turned around and froze. Thalia was lying on her back coughing up the water I had used to heal her. I fought to stay conscious. My head was spinning, I could barely make out the other's dark forms. I moved my hand to a puddle of water beside me. My head cleared a little and I staggered to my feet. I held my hand out willing the water around Thalia away.
She gave one more cough and turned to me. "Thanks Percy." She choked out still gasping for air.
Nico rushed over to her, "Thalia what happened? Are you okay?" She nodded.
"Nico I hate to say it but I told you so." He just ignored me. "What happened? I mean you were...dead."
"I... I'm not sure, all I remember is Percy yelling for me to look out, then everything went dark, there was nothing for a while. Then it was the strangest thing, I felt like I was underwater but I could breathe normally. Then it went dark again and the next thing I know I'm here."
"That would be me." I said helping her up. The look she gave me clearly questioned my sanity. "I used some water to heal you well you were out."
"But... you don't have healing powers."
I pretended to be offended, "Oh how could you? How could you be so cruel?" Okay now her glare had some serious wattage. "Everybody's a critic."
"You know what this means though right? You know about the prophecy?" She asked looking worried after I explained.
"No, what prophecy?" Yeah my history with prophecies, predictions, and anything like that definitely wasn't good.
"Oh this is so not good. It's not so much of a prophecy more of a warning." then she closed her eyes and began to recite:
" Half-Blood of the eldest gods shall take upon a curse,
but before long a curse it shall become.
For in the land of the dead he shall join their host.
That through his death, all s not lost,
a curse meant to save many, shall haunt on to death."
How had I not known about this? Everything made sense, I was a child of the eldest gods, and I bore a curse, the Curse of Achilles. Here we were at the entrance of the Underworld and I was supposed to die.
"It might not be about you."
"Nico, face it. What else could the last line mean? I took the Curse of Achilles because it was the only way to stop Luke in the war. A curse meant to save many."
"Percy maybe you should go back to Camp. If you're supposed to get killed maybe you shouldn't go."
"No. Annabeth's down there and we are going to save her. If I'm supposed to die I will. It won't matter if I go or not."
"Well alright, I guess. It's your choice. It's getting late we should set up camp here."
Thalia pulled a folded up tent out of her pack and climbed in but the rest of us were left outside. We just chilled and gabbed for a while until Thalia came out and screamed at Connor and Travis, who were in an argument over which was better. Salami or bologna. Don't ask how that got started. You don't want to know.
When they finally shut up, with a little help. Hey there really are a million and one uses for duck tape. Anyway I laid down using my pack as a pillow. The dream started once I was asleep.
...
I was in my father's underwater palace, he was sitting on his throne drumming his fingers like he was waiting for someone, then he turned to me.
"Percy I'm sending you this dream as a warning. Watch out for Thalia. She might not be on your side. I have no proof, but something isn't right. As hard as it is to imagine she may be a spy for the true thief. I have to go and I don't think I can risk helping you again, but remember what I said. Watch out for Thalia."
...
I woke with a start. How could Thalia be a spy? With all that she'd done and been through? It was hard to believe but my father wouldn't have contacted me for no reason.
I was about to go back to sleep and forget about the whole thing, but footsteps going past Thalia's tent jarred me awake.
She was standing by the edge of camp, glancing around as if to make sure no one was still up. Then she turned and headed off into the trees. I followed hiding behind a boulder. She was making a rainbow with a lantern and a sprinkler.
"Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow accept my offering." she muttered throwing a drachma into the mist. The water shimmered, "Show me the Keeper."
Who was this keeper? This was the second time today he'd shown up. The water shimmered again but instead of showing a person it turned pitch black.
"I warned you not to send that giant. All it did was put them on guard." Thalia said glaring at the darkness.
"Silence! That giant was not meant to defeat them. I only wanted to see how strong Jackson and the others really were." The voice come straight out of the darkness, it sounded like something old, ancient really, and powerful, but that wasn't the worst part. The shadows around me seem to thicken when the whatever it was spoke, it was like standing on the dark side of the moon. It was literally emanating darkness.
"You should have known. Jackson bears the Curse of Achilles. He is stronger then you think." Thalia continued.
"Just don't fail me or the consequences will be severe!" The thing in the darkness growled.
"I know my role."
"That is good. Just make sure you do not fail me."
With that the Iris message cut out and Thalia stomped back to camp. I waited a few minutes then followed, Thalia was already in her tent so I laid down and pretended to be asleep.
It looked like my father was right. Thalia really was a spy. How could she have turned on us like that? It was almost impossible to believe but the evidence spoke for itself. I'd just seen her talking to the same person, thing, whatever that was, that had sent the giant after us. After me. And what did this 'Keeper' want with me. Without knowing his real name because it obviously wasn't actually The Keeper. I mean seriously who has a name like that. Okay yeah I'm ranting. Stupid ADHD. But without knowing his real name there was no way we could figure out who he really is. He should know by know that there was no way I would ever join the Titans. But what if he wasn't a Titan?
I was going around in circles. Every answer just brought more questions. And it seemed like the only one who could answer these questions was this keeper dude.
I must have past out around dawn, because the next thing I knew Nico was shaking me awake. Well really he was stabbing my shoulder but there wasn't a whole lot of difference. We ate a breakfast of energy bars and fruit, then went over to the Door of Orpheus.
"So how are we going to get in?" I'd been looking for a chance to talk to Nico all morning about Thalia but she'd been following me like a hawk. Either she knew I'd watched her last night or she was really taking Zeus' whole "keep an eye on them" thing to heart. Either way it was beyond annoying.
"Well can we just get some music and open it or what?" He still hadn't answered and was walking around the pile of boulders muttering to himself.
"No you ever took the Keys locked the this door and probably the one in LA too."
"But we can still get in right? I mean can't you just shadow travel in?"
"No I can't. Besides even if I could I couldn't take everyone, but there might be another way."
"Okay ...how?" I hesitated, something told me I wasn't going to like his 'other way'.
"Well it's never been done before, but there is a saying about when these doors close."
"So? Spit it out already!"
He took a deep breath and began to recite: In the day these doors close, three must unite.
Combined they prevail, but one power alone is never enough.
The foe's will try to turn one against the others,
but in order to succeed three must reign supreme.
Thalia turned pale at the last part, but I nodded, "So we're the three."
Nico nodded, "Yeah that's what I figured, it can't be a coincidence that we were all at Camp at the same time."
"But what does the third line mean. ' combined they prevail, but one power alone is never enough '?" Thalia still looked nervous.
"I think it means we have to combine our powers, but it's dangerous, like I said before. It's never been done before, and if it goes wrong well..."
"Well what?" Yeah I was right I didn't like the idea, but if it was the only way...
Nico looked kind of sheepish, "If it goes wrong we'll probably lose our powers and kill everyone in a ten mile radius."
Oh joy. But I couldn't help teasing him just a little, "Well I guess that would be your powers, because mine would probably just turn them into a patch of kelp."
He rolled his eyes, "Gee thanks Percy. Just thanks."
"Any time."
"So...how do we do this?" asked a not very amused Nico.
"Hey don't look at me this was your idea."
"I think I do. Something Artemis said..." spoke up Thalia.
After she explained, we stood in a semicircle around the Door of Orpheus. Nico on my left and Thalia to the right. I don't have a clue why she was helping us she really was a spy. Not that I'm complaining since we apparently needed her. Anyway I uncapped Riptide, holding it in front of me. Thalia pulled her spear and Nico his sword, we touched the tips of our weapons together.
I concentrated on channeling the oceans power through me and into Riptide. There was a tug at my gut and suddenly I could feel the others' powers too. Thalia's like a thousand volts of electricity runnong through me, but Nico was definitely the scariest ( though I'd never admit it ). It was like this overwhelming sense of utter terror. It was literally the scariest thing I'd ever felt. I just wanted to curl up and go hide somewhere. Though that was yet another thing I'd never admit.
I had to stay focused though and I forced the terror off to one side. We stayed like that for a moment longer, then a rumble went through the boulders.
"Now, Percy!" Thalia shouted.
I stabbed Riptide into the ground using the their powers to amplify my earthquake. Unleashing my full power over earthquakes was risky because I didn't have full yet and there was always a chance I wouldn't be able to stop it but according to Thalia it was the only way.
I held my hand out, palm toward the boulders, and an earthquake big enough it would probably be on the news later ripped through the ground. It split some of the boulders and knocked the others down but went around me so I was standing on the only piece of solid ground.
With a groan the Door opened, splitting in the middle. I stopped the earthquake. Barely. And ran over to Nico.
"Come on. It won't stay open for long!"
"Let's go!" He yelled at the we ran for the Door.
I jumped through and pulled Clarisse in by the arm as the stones slammed shut behind us.
We were trapped in the Underworld.
