Disclaimer: 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' and most of the characters doesn't belong to me.
4. White Feathers
The good thing is Percy wasn't afraid of heights, he just hated flying.
He would not feel safe riding the winds, a long time ago Zeus made sure of it. That threat shouldn't stand now though, as the great prophecy has already passed. But Percy still could not stop being terrified in the sky. Maybe it is something that comes with the godly bloods?
Gods are supernatural beings. Unlike mortals they don't have any specific genome (considering they have something like genes). Gods always change, depending on turning points of history. Nature, human-behavior, recognition, respect, love, power, strength - so many variables to consider which make the gods to change their form. And this leads to an amazing twist – two demigod siblings may not have the same godly parent genetically, because gods are not constant. Their DNA, if exists, is always changing.
Percy was wondering how much the huntress had changed through the millennia.
Artemis, now a bird, said in a not-very-birdlike voice, "Not much."
"Excuse me?"
"You were thinking how much I had changed through the millennia. Not much actually."
"Do you gods always keep reading our thoughts? It's annoying you know, people want their privacy."
"We can't always. When someone directly think of us then may be, but not always. We can sense some feelings, but hearing thoughts is rare. You though, are an exception." Bird Artemis looked at him, and Percy imagined she gave him a smile, "You have godly bloods flowing in your veins. May be it is a very distant relation, but we still are kind of family, aren't we? We share a connection. Every demigod has it."
Percy scratched his head, "Well, I don't think everyone can do that, right? Ares could never hear my thoughts. Does it have anything to do with IQ level?"
Artemis chuckled, "Not actually, no. But you are right, not everyone can hear your thoughts, at least not completely. I can hear you very clearly though, and I am happy for that."
"I am not implying anything my lady, but why're you happy to be able to hear my thoughts clearly?"
"Because that means you are loyal to me, Percy. Clearer a god can hear, more we can trust the person we hear."
When we stand by someone or acknowledge a person, they share some of their happiness and sorrows with us. It's an act of trust and friendship. Gradually, it can grow (or die, depending on the situation). And sometimes, this mutual respect and understanding can create a silent friendship, even among bitter enemies.
When he was younger, Percy gained Artemis' respect, and she gained his. Maybe that's what made him think of her as a friend.
Percy already knew he was loyal to the huntress.
"So." He asked, "What's the reason? Why hadn't you changed?"
Artemis sighed, "I never was a very serious goddess. I mean, I am a serious person, but our ways didn't affect me much. I have always been with the wild, no matter what. I am lucky in a way, I always had some company with me. Unlike others, I never lost myself completely, so I didn't change."
None of them spoke much after that conversation. Blackjack kept his constant whining though, as the pegasi led them to his old great-uncle.
"You were looking for me Chiron?"
"Yes, come in Dora. We have a quest for you."
"A quest?"
"Yes…..well, more like an investigation. I remember you were showing great interest in the detective profession recently."
"That's true! So, what do I have to investigate?"
"You must find a person. A murderer to be exact. One responsible for the death of a child of Apollo. The quest was assigned by Lady Artemis."
"Lady Artemis! Really?"
"Oh yes. I know you are her biggest fan, and because of your talent in this 'investigation business' your name was the first one to come in my mind."
"All right. What information can you give me?"
"For now, just know that the murderer is probably a woman and a demigod. She might have a connection to Hecate, one of her child may be. Choose two more campers, I will give you the details together. And remember, the person could be a very powerful demigod. Choose your teammates wisely."
"Then…..I choose Darek from the Hermes cabin, and Tia from the Aphrodite cabin."
"That….is an interesting choice. Darek is strong and of course he possess the rare gift of speed, but Tia?"
"She can be very persuasive if needed, don't worry."
"As you wish. Bring them here, and I'll give you the details."
At first Percy thought Blackjack was joking, but looking at his serious face he realized it was not a joke, "Wait, what!"
"It's true boss! Don't you believe me?"
Artemis, Percy and Blackjack stood before a sign that read, 'Wild Wind Wildlife Ranch'. The ranch was huge, that a pegasi can live here secretly didn't seem impossible to Percy. But what Blackjack told them next made him doubting his hearing abilities, "Hey Artemis, tell me something."
"Sure, what?"
"Did you just hear Blackjack saying 'My great-uncle looks exactly like a Zebra, it won't be hard to find him'?"
"Yes, I think that what I heard. And you can rest assure I don't have hearing problem." She looked at Blackjack, "Last time I checked you are a pegasi, how come your great uncle is a Zebra."
If possible, Blackjack looked a little embarrassed, "That's an odd story my lady."
Artemis smiled, "That's great Blackjack, because I really enjoy odd stories. Tell us."
"You see, my great uncle Dingo was born with strange white stripes in his body, his father thought he looked like a Zebra. From childhood, he was made fun of because of his strange birth marks. His friends used to call him 'Zebra-kid'. Even girls didn't want him as their mate, thinking their child would look like a zebra too."
Blackjack suddenly had a faraway look, "One day in despair, great uncle Dingo decided to leave the society. So he left and began his search for the great one, the Pegasus. He searched and searched, but couldn't find him. But the great one did saw him, and tested his passion and strength. Great uncle Dingo passed. I don't know what happened next but the great one turned great uncle Dingo into a zebra."
"Why?"
"Well, they say that's what he asked for."
Percy scratched his head, "That really is one odd story." Artemis nodded in agreement.
Blackjack couldn't just enter the ranch because of his wings. Although the mist should have hid it, none can be too sure. So Artemis did some kind of divine magic that made everyone ignore their presence as if they were not even visible.
After a short walk Blackjack recognized Dingo in a zeal of zebras, "Yo great uncle D! Long time no see."
What Blackjack said was true, Dingo looked exactly like a zebra. However, if you looked carefully you would notice the feathers. The wings were hidden in the black & white stripes just like a chameleon.
Dingo was happy to see his great grand-nephew.
"Hey ya kid, I see ya are doin' good." He glanced at the other people standing beside the horse and bowed slightly, "And you brought one of our lord's son and Lady Artemis."
Artemis didn't want to waste any more time, she got to the topic right away, "Dingo the pegasi, we have some questions to ask you. We heard that you met the Pegasus, is that true."
"Right ya are milady. I did meet the great one once in my short life."
"So you must know where we can find one of his feathers, right?"
Dingo looked a little thoughtful, "Hmm, as you are asking milady, I do know one place."
"What is the name of that place?"
But Dingo kept thinking. Percy began to wonder if he was trying to remember the name of that place. "It's very hard you know, to live as an outcast." Dingo again started speaking, "Loneliness is a curse, but the opposite can turn out to be one too. I still remember those cruel laughs at me. We are animals my lady, we are nothing like you. But still, there is magic in our blood. Unlike regular horses, we feel emotions strongly. We can think, imagine. Our heart gets pierced too."
He sighed, "That's why I wanted to change my fate, prove my strength. I wanted to show them once what was my shame is now my pride. The great one, he was the only one who could answer my call. He gave me three feathers, every single one of them can be used to change my form. I used the first one to turn into a zebra. But I believed I didn't need the other twos, so I gave them away. Never in my life have I wanted to turn into a horse again. If I kept them, may be the temptation to go back would make me weak."
Percy thought he saw a single tear dropping from the old zebras' eyes, "I donated the feathers to a magical item collector seeing his despair. I will give you the address."
When Billy heard the news of the second murder, he wasn't too surprised. Chiron has already told him about the Empousa sacrifice.
It made him kind of seek, to see how much someone would go for power. Human ambition for immortality thrived for a long time. The temptation is too much, to never perish, to never be forgotten. But isn't the prize too high.
The new victim was a child of Ares. Billy didn't recognize his name or face. So he called Chiron again, and of course the old centaur knew the guy. According to him, the guy was special. He had the ability of Ares to raise hatred inside someone's mind.
Looks like the murderer was picking demigods with some kind of special ability. The first victim had his father's vision. The second one had the power to create a powerful emotion. It is not hard to deduce that the third victim must be someone special.
The question is, why?
No matter what, the murderer is cunning, very cunning. Why would she make such a mistake? A challenge may be? But the risk is still too high. She gave away a powerful piece of information.
However, it's not easy to single out every single demigod with something special. Though the number is not much compared to the number of total demigods around, it's still quite large. Besides, they are not well known. The murderer is randomly picking demigods with special ability.
But is she really? Is there anything else? A pattern underneath the pattern?
Children of Apollo are amazing archers. In 1896 when Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a legacy of Nike revived the Olympic Games it was restricted for them to enter in Archery. Ares is one of the most powerful gods which makes his children one of the most powerful demigods. Why go after demigods with powerful parent with an even ability making them more deadly? Why not go after a child of Demeter, Aphrodite or even some minor god? What is the game? Apollo and Ares, what do they have in common?
Both of them are gods, not goddess. It can be one answer as the sacrifice needed empousa to drink the blood of a male. A male child of a male god makes sense. Both of them are Olympians.
Who are the other Olympian gods? Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hephaestus, Hermes, Dionysus. Zeus doesn't have a living son, and Hades' died recently. Poseidon has a son, but trying to murder Percy Jackson is kind of suicidal. The murderer is not stupid. That leaves Hephaestus, Hermes and Dionysus.
The blacksmith, the messenger, the drunk.
Every single one of them is a child of Zeus just like Ares and Apollo. That's not narrowing the answer. What then? Hephaestus and Ares are also child of Hera, but Apollo is not. Not this too. Hera doesn't like any of those two. Same is true for the other ones, as they are the bastards born from his husband's 'character issue'.
Wait a minute, Hera? Character issue?
Suddenly Billy Carlyle found not one but two connections between Apollo and Ares.
And among the other three, these connections point to one single god!
The small shop stood like an outcast surrounded by flashy signboards. At the opposite side of the road stood two figures, staring. The shop was named 'Beacon'.
"Do you sense it Percy?" asked Artemis.
"Sense what?"
"The magic coming from that small shop. It's enormous! What has this person been gathering in there?"
"Let's go and find out."
From outside the antique shop looked like an antique itself. However, the internal view was a little different. Now it looked like a disaster.
Hundreds, maybe thousands of junks were scattered all over the place. At least half of them were broken. The wall behind the counter was decorated with some creepy looking paintings.
"What is the chance that we are going to find the thief here?" Percy asked.
"Something like zero percent."
"But there is always a chance, right?"
"I don't think so. Let's find out." She called, "Is there anyone here?" A voice from inside answered, "Yes, yes. Wait Please." After a while, Percy was not surprised to see an ancient looking man entering the room. Hundreds of lines upon his face, and one could say he truly belonged in this old shop.
He was disappointed as it was not a blood drinking immortal monster to be, but not surprised.
Although the same wasn't true for the old man, because he definitely was surprised, "Oh…..don't see such young faces here very often. How can I help you?"
"We are looking for something."
"Yes of course, and what would that be?"
Artemis narrowed her eyes, as if trying to think the best way to approach. She took the direct route, "Two white feathers!"
In a flash, his expression changed. The curious eyes suddenly filled with suspicion demanded some answers from them, "What do you know about the two white feathers?"
"We know what they are."
The man nodded, "Come inside then, as we are going to discuss some serious business."
"I always believed magic to be real." The old man said, "I spent my whole life running after myths, gathering artifacts said to be magical. Trying to find one little proof that my life was not wasted. My wife said I was obsessed with these supernatural stuff before she left. She was probably right."
They sat in a room which was in a little better condition. The man picked a bell from the floor, "This is the bell of Sekhmet, and they say the bell stops ringing during the time of a great disaster. This piece of hair here, I bought from an old sailor, he said it belonged to a mermaid. And you see this beautiful red arrow? Well, as long as I know the goddess Artemis herself used it to kill the giant Orion."
"No she didn't." Artemis almost screamed, the old man raised his brows at her in question, "I mean, as far as I know, Artemis used silver arrows. Not red ones." She glanced at the smirking Percy, "What are you laughing at, you idiot?"
"Nothing, nothing! I promise."
"Good for you." Artemis looked at the old man, "Tell us more about those feathers."
"Oh yes of course. You see, it was the day my wife left. I was in so much despair that I decided to commit suicide jumping from the rooftop. But I am not a very brave person my friends. I kept standing and standing, thinking whether I should jump or not. And suddenly, two white feathers fell from the sky. I was surprised, I asked 'where did they come from?' But I couldn't see anyone. And those feathers, they were not normal. I don't know how it was possible, but they were so sharp that you could cut even woods with them. I knew they were magical, I knew it! They became my prized possession…until they were stolen."
"Someone stole them both?"
"Hmm?" The man looked up, "Oh no, not someone. It's strange, but they were not stolen at the same time. First time someone broke in the store and knocked me unconscious, not a very careful thief I tell you. But the second time, almost two weeks after that incident, the other one was stolen. This time there was no trail, as if the feather magically vanished. It's a strange coincidence, but I don't think they were done by the same person."
Percy and Artemis eyed each other. If that is the case, the story gets a lot more complicated. Two person trying to become immortal at the same time in two different ways?
"You told me you knew what those feathers are?" The old man asked curiously.
Percy hesitated for a moment. He looked at Artemis as If asking permission, she nodded, "Well, as far as I know, they belonged the Pegasus. You know, the big winged horse? But of course that can't be possible, he heh….We are, umm, investigators and we think one of these thieves is an international criminal."
The man smiled, "Is that so? That's amazing! You know, sometimes I get a feeling that these myths and stories, they are all real. What wouldn't I give to just look at the Pegasus? What wouldn't I….."
Artemis stood up and brought a card from her pocket, "Thank you, but we really have to leave now. If you find any more information on the thief, please give us a call."
He took it, "Diana Velos, eh? I'll give you a call if I find anything."
"Darek is so annoying." Tia thought, "Why the hades Dora chose him for this quest?"
Darek, the son of Hermes, showed no sign of sharing her ideas though. But that's not surprising at all, who would think themselves to be annoying? Besides, he was only chewing a chewing gum.
He looked at Dora and gave her a flirty look, "So, leaving everyone else behind you chose me as your teammate? Was it the beginning of something, my love?"
Dora just glared at him, "In your dreams, turtle-brain! You are here only because you would be useful."
"Ah, useful to you?"
Dora smirked mysteriously, "In a way."
Tia knew Darek would be useful, he is the fastest demigod in the camp. Some say he can even outrun a horse. Dora is one of the smartest person she has ever met. She is beautiful, strong, cunning and an amazing fighter. Besides, she is the one Chiron made leader of this quest.
If there is anyone useless in this team, Tia should be the one.
She still can't figure out the reasons behind her being in the team. As a daughter of Aphrodite, she is not that much of a fighter. She wasn't even good at mind magic. Compared to her siblings, she wasn't even breathtakingly good looking! Tia doesn't even know Darek well, though she is in friendly terms with Dora.
But even she must have some uses, right? Unless Dora wouldn't chose her. There must be a reason.
Tia used to be a loner. But being with these two, she is starting to feel something. Suddenly she wasn't feeling lonely anymore. She belongs here. SHE IS IMPORTANT!
"But tell me one thing." Darek suddenly turned serious, "Where are we headed to?"
"The person we are looking for is probably a child of Hecate." Dora said, "As far as I can deduce, she used to be a camper, but isn't anymore. She is very skilled, has good knowledge of ancient magic. And of course, doesn't have much of a morality. Probably not very smart or careful, as she didn't even try to hide her trails…..here I have a list of old Hecate campers. We are going to check every single one. She lives probably not very far from this area."
"Wouldn't it take time? Should we separate?"
Dora shook her head, "No. This demigod is cunning and powerful. Alone, we don't stand a chance. But together, she doesn't."
Tia got curious, "How do you know that?"
Dora smiled at her, "Because my dear Tia, Athena always has a plan."
Author's Note: For a time, I forgot about this story.
But then, few days ago, someone started to follow it. I got the notification and thought, why not? It took time, but I finished another chapter.
One problem is, English doesn't come naturally to me. I have to think and then translate. But what I'll do is keep trying.
Sekhmet is a major Egyptian goddess. She was the warrior goddess as well as the goddess of healing. Sekhmet was said to be the protector of Pharaohs. It is said that she alerted the people of Egypt during the time of danger.
Diana is the roman form of Artemis, the Greek word vélos means 'arrow'.