I DO NOT OWN THE PERCY JACKSON SERIES...
The Basilica Di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva,
Rome, Italy.
around 1 pm.
ANNABETH
Annabeth was overcome with emotions as she walked through the Basilica Di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva church in Rome. It was one of the two site they decided to visit; the other was the remains of the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on Capitoline hill; where they had spent the entire morning. Then they had a quick lunch and decided to come here.
Standing in the church, her emotions surged. On one hand, she was surrounded by modern day architecture mixed with ancient styles, which was quite breathe taking to her.
On the other hand, she was standing in what was once her mother's temple. Annabeth sighed. The present day church was built on the foundations of the temple that was once dedicated to Minerva and that being so; Basilica Di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva translates as Basilica of St. Mary over Minerva.
Annabeth placed her hand on the wall of the church. Literally speaking, the translation was right, but in reality, St. Mary was simply another form of all the Greek goddesses; Hera, Demeter, Artimis, Aphrodite, and Athena, combined in one. Therefore, her mother was still worshiped here, just in another form.
She heard Leo's voice above those of the tourist. Looking up, she saw him with Piper walking towards her and Percy. She turned around and saw Thalia and Jason coming inside, while Frank and Hazel were were chatting with Percy.
Annabeth drop her hand.
"Anything? She asked as they drew nearer.
Each them shook their head. They didn't know exactly what they were looking for, but they figured the temples would have been their best bet.
And Percy wanted me to stay away from Rome...Annabeth had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.
"Maybe we should have asked the owl..." Leo said, half grinning and looking a bit uncomfortable.
Piper let out a sound of annoyance.
The rest of them looked at him, eyebrows raised and scowls on their faces.
He shrugged. "hey, you don't have to...but it's looking at us expectantly..."
Annabeth was about to hit him, then remembered who his father is.
"What owl?"
He pointed behind her and her eyes rested on a shiny metal pedestal in one corner of the room. On top of it, stood an equally shiny silver owl, about a foot big, and just as Leo had said, it was watching them expectantly.
"Er...was that always there?" Percy leaned in and asked her. She rolled her eyes and smiled tightly. She had no idea.
They walked over to the owl. The owl never took its eyes off Annabeth.
"er...hey...am" Percy said a little embarrassed.
As if this is the weirdest thing he's ever done Annabeth thought.
The owl inspected Percy from head to toe. Then screeched.
"Child of Athena?" it asked Percy.
"er..nope...I'm..."
the owl cut Percy off, saying, " Then I'll not speak to you" in an strangely pompous tone; considering that it was a metal owl.
Percy looked at Annabeth, and she could tell he was having some choice thoughts about the owl.
She cleared her throat. "I'm a child of Athena. Will you speak to me?" she asked the owl.
The owl looked at her for a few seconds, and he seemed to approve of her.
"And the rest of them?" he asked, turning his nose up at the rest of them.
Annabeth heard Thalia grumble something nasty about fat metal birds; she had no inclinations to find out exactly what it was.
"Friends..." she said, firmly.
"must they be here?" the bird asked bluntly.
"yes" Annabeth answered, firmer than before.
The owl seemed to accept that answer grudgingly.
"Very well...you will have to answer my question in order to gain entrance..."
"Entrance?...to where exactly?" she asked.
"I'm asking the questions dear, don't interrupt..."
Annabeth felt her temper rise, but she beat it down.
"Fine" she said.
"Good," the owl ruffled itS feathers, then said, "while exploring the wilds of Canada, wild man Dave was captured by hostile wood nymphs. Bradley, the powerful leader of the nymphs, told him he could make one final statement, which would determine how he would die. If the statement he made was false, he would be boiled in water. If the statement was true, he would be fried in oil. Wild man Dave found neither of his options to his liking, so he made a statement that got him out of this seemingly impossible situation."
The owl stopped dramatically and looked at Annabeth with its pompous cold eyes, "what was that one statement he made, and how did it help him out of that impossible situation?"
"A nymph named Bradley?" she heard Leo whispered behind her, and the bird screeched again, then said something about morons.
"you know, I'm pretty sure my father made you bird, and I can unmake you just so you know..."
The bird let out another screech and flapped its wings a bit, then it settled down and muttered something about metal heads.
Annabeth paid neither one any attention.
Her mind wrapped around the information presented, a part of her telling her she had this, this owl couldn't outsmart her. Not now, anyway.
If the statement was false then he would boiled in water...
if it was true he would be fried in oil...
but who decided if the statement was true or false? And how did they decide on that?
"its simple...he told them a statement that was neither true nor false, because it was yet to happen, and still to be decided on...he told them they will boil him in water"
The owl appeared to be attempting to raise and eyebrow at her. "go on...child of Athena..."
Annabeth swallowed.
" well, if they boiled him in water, his statement would be true, thus meaning that he should rightfully have been fried in oil, but they can only fry him in oil if he makes a true statement, and if they do fry him, it would make his final statement false...so his statement was neither true or false...it was up to the nymphs to decide weather it was true or false, but they couldn't do that without making their own statement a lie...so they had no choice but to let him go..."
The owl seemed pleased. "very good, child of my goddess, you may gain entrance..." the owl attempted a bow and the floor beside the pedestal fell open, revealing steps leading to a passage beneath the floor.
Annabeth grinned with excitement and stepped forward to stand on the first step, then she backed up and looked at the owl.
"my friends to?" she asked.
The owl sighed, which was odd to see, and replied "very well..."
All of them entered and left the frilly owl behind.
LEO
Leo was the last to enter the passage. He had attempted to glared at the owl, but when he looked at it, the owl had gone completely still, as though it never moved in the first place.
On his way in, he tripped and almost fell, but he bumped into Piper, at least he thought it was her, it was to dark to be certain.
"back off..." she shoved him.
Okay that was so not piper's voice...
"Hey thals...cushioning my fall are you?" he asked.
"Not even in the dark tool boy..." Thalia snapped. "anyone have a light?" she asked.
Leo smiled, and snapped his fingers, initiating a flame.
Leo turned his hand so the the flame moved to his palm, where he cradled it until it grew into a fireball.
He smirked, looking at Thalia, but she scowled and looked around the room.
The room they were in was old and crumbled. There was cobweb all over, and cracks ran through the wall. It extended only one way; downwards through a curved stair case in front of them. Everywhere else was nothing but solid wall.
They looked at each other.
"Go on Leo...you first..." Percy said to Leo.
"what?...why me?" leo asked.
"your the one with the light smarty..." Thalia replied.
Leo bit his lip and dug into his tool bag. He brought out 7 torchs and handed one to each of them, grinning.
"I hate that bag..." Piper mumbled and he grinned wider.
Percy and Annabeth led them.
Despite the underground tunnels of Rome being quite popular, it was obvious that no one else had been in this particular tunnel, perhaps ever.
There was a sort of desolation and abandonment to the tunnel that made Leo feel as though he was the only one here, even though Piper and jason walked in front of him, and Frank and Hazel were at his back.
About an hour afterwards they came to a to the bottom of the staircase, into a smaller room, that was a dead end.
Leo sighed, flashing his fireball over the walls. In one corner he saw something. It wasn't much, but it was the only thing in the room.
It was a small golden plaque, and it was the only thing that did not have signs of dust or cobweb on it. It seemed brand new and completely and utterly out of place.
Leo walked towards it. There was an inscription written on it, and a picture of a tree and a snake.
"hey guys, got something..." he shouted. They all came over to him.
Without looking up he could tell that Piper and Annabeth were scowling.
"What's that?" Piper asked.
"Don't know but I think its writtten in Latin..." Annabeth said, looking at the Roman demigods.
Jason nodded and gave a twisted, almost embarasses smile,"veni, veni, vici...I came, I saw, I conquered..."
In the dim light of the torches and his flame, Leo saw Piper roll her eyes. "I know its Roman...but its a bit cliché don't you think?" she said smiling a bit.
Annabeth let out a sigh of frustration. " it has to mean something else...its the only thing in here...and it looks brand new..."
Leo focused on the plaque again, Annabeth was right, it had to have some importance behind it.
Then it clicked. All around it he could see a tiny spacing from the plaque and the wall. Leo raised his hand, and pressed it. Nothing happened at first, but then, there was a grinding noise that echoed throughout the room, so that it was impossible to tell exactly where it was coming from. Then the floor started to tilt sideways, revealing nothing but the dark mouth of a fissure that was seemingly never-ending.
The floor kept rising until it stood erect as the walls, forcing them to loose thier footing and fall into the darkness.
