A.N.: Here's Chapter 7 of what Anaklusmos14 wrote of God of Night.
Ch. 7
After almost a mile the group came across a giant junkyard. It stretched as far as they could see in both directions. Rather than go around they decided to go through it.
About fifty yards in, Thalia stopped, looking closely at some of the things in the junkyard.
"Hey, do you guys see this stuff? It's a bunch of celestial bronze and automaton parts." Thalia remarked surprised. She reached down to grab an old dagger but froze when she heard Zoe yell.
"Don't touch anything!" Zoe yelled in a commanding tone. The three youngest members of the quest looked at her weird.
"What? Why not?" Bianca asked.
"We're in the junkyard of the gods. This is Lord Hephaestus' scrapyard. It is almost certainly rigged with traps to prevent anyone from touching his stuff." Phoebe explained somewhat nervously.
"Yes, we need to get out of here as soon as possible. We are not safe here. Let's move. Just make sure not to touch a thing." Zoe explained in a serious tone.
Just as the words left her mouth, a huge clash of metal was heard. A thirty foot automaton emerged from a mound of scraps.
"Shit, who touched something?" Phoebe growled.
Every put their hands up showing their hands were empty.
Zoe began to curse loudly, "That bitch. We need to get out of here. Run!"
The five girls began sprinting through the junkyard, but the giant automaton gained on them quickly. They could see the exit about fifty yards ahead of them. They ran together for a while but were separated when the path through the junkyard split in two different directions. Zoe, Bianca and Phoebe took off to the left while the other two went down a path to the right. The giant machine made no hesitation and followed Zoe, Bianca and Phoebe. As they neared the exit, the automaton managed to force Zoe away from the other two.
Zoe turned to face the automaton as it stalked towards her making her backup until she was pinned with her back against a fence. The automaton raised it foot to crush her and Zoe closed her eyes awaiting her death.
But she was suddenly shoved out the way. She opened her eyes to see Bianca standing in her place. She shut her eyes just as the automaton crushed her beneath it giant foot.
"Noooo!" Zoe screamed as tears came to her eyes immediately. Unfortunately the giant realized Zoe was still alive and turned to crush Zoe with its other foot. She still had nowhere to run and knew her death was imminent. As the automaton raised its foot, Zoe heard the screech of metal. She opened her eyes to see the giant automaton being held back by a wall of black energy. Zoe's eyes widened before the automaton was suddenly flung backwards by the shadows holding it in place.
Zoe felt herself consumed by shadows and reappeared next to Phoebe at the exit of the junkyard.
"Where's Bianca?" Phoebe asked. But when she looked up at Zoe and saw the look in her eyes her head dropped and she pulled her friend into a hug.
"She died a hero. She will reach Elysium." Phoebe whispered quietly.
Zoe didn't reply, just hugged Phoebe tighter.
After a minute Phoebe spoke up, "What happened to the automaton? I saw it flying through the junkyard before you just appeared next to me."
"Percy." Zoe whispered sadly. Phoebe nodded; she didn't smile but she couldn't help but feel grateful that Percy managed to save Zoe.
Suddenly a truck came flying down the road and came to a screeching halt in front of them. They were shocked to see Thalia behind the wheel, grinning like a maniac.
"Get in. We have half a tank of gas. This is our ride as far as it'll take us." Thalia yelled.
Phoebe and Zoe quickly hopped into the bed of the pickup. Annabeth opened the back window.
"Where's Bianca?" She asked.
Phoebe shook her head sadly while Zoe just stared ahead with a blank look on her face. Annabeth's face fell be before she nodded sadly and closed the window of the truck.
The four girls drove throughout the night. Early the next morning they ran out of gas about a mile from the Hoover Dam. They decided they would head there and find some food before deciding their next move for getting to California.
The four girls exited the truck with heavy hearts after Bianca had been lost in the junkyard of the gods. Zoe felt terrible. Bianca had died to save her life. She would have died anyway if Percy hadn't come to her rescue once again. More than she blamed herself, Zoe blamed Aphrodite.
She was sure that Aphrodite must have convinced her husband to send the automaton after them. She was obviously upset with the way Perseus and Nyx had put her in her place and was trying to get her revenge against Zoe. The fact that the machine had zeroed in on Zoe right away made her even more sure Aphrodite was behind this.
She couldn't help but smile when she thought about the next time Percy ran into Aphrodite and Hephaestus. She was sure there would be Hades to pay for sending the automaton after her right after Percy told her to back off.
As the four remaining members of the quest reached the entrance to the Hoover Dam's tourist section, they were met by the screams of mortals from a few dozen yards away. As they looked for the cause, they heard more screams coming from the way they just came. They turned to see six skeleton warriors coming from each direction.
Phoebe fired an arrow into the skull of one of the warriors. It crumbled to the ground, only to rise again a few second later.
"Shit, how do we kill these things?" Phoebe cursed when the warrior rose again.
Thalia concentrated until she felt a familiar tug in her gut as she focused on her most useful power. The sky darkened and thunder boomed as lightning stuck one of the warriors directly in the head blasting it to pieces in an instant. The girls began to panic when the warrior rose up again, blackened from the strike but otherwise unharmed.
"Any ideas brain?" Thalia asked Annabeth worriedly.
Annabeth's mind flew through different ideas but each was just as useless as the last. "I don't know. Maybe we should run." Annabeth said panicking.
The girls looked but the warriors had formed a circle around them, blocking off any chance to escape. As they began to lose hope, a black blur dropped from the sky, landing with a thunderous crash. The crash formed a small crater in the pavement and knocked the skeleton warriors off their feet.
In the crater was a hooded figure down on a knee. When he rose, the hood fell off to reveal Percy's smirking face.
"Need a hand ladies?" He asked playfully. Zoe and Phoebe smiled at his theatrics but Thalia and Annabeth looked at him in awe.
Perseus hoped out of the crater with Anaklusmos in his hand. His movements were a blur of black as he sliced through warrior after warrior before he stopped a few seconds later. As the warriors started to reform, Perseus snapped his fingers and the warriors vanished, sent straight to Tartarus, ensuring a very long journey back to the surface if they ever made it.
Zoe wasted no time in launching herself at Percy and tackling him in a hug. Phoebe was right behind her jumping on top of the surprised God.
"I take it you guys missed me?" He asked playfully.
Once he was on his feet, Phoebe punched him in the shoulder hard. She clutched her hand afterward in pain.
"Jeez Perce, when do you get so solid?" She asked holding her hand. She had actually broken a knuckle.
Percy laughed, "I didn't. I'm wearing armor underneath the cloak, hothead." He grabbed her hand and closed his eyes. Her hand glowed for a second before it was completely healed. Percy's hand now had a broken knuckle though.
He quickly summoned some ambrosia and ate it, healing his hand quickly. Phoebe grinned at him. Zoe, Annabeth and Thalia looked at him in shock.
"How did you do that?" Annabeth asked.
"As God of Heroes, I can take the wound of those I care about onto myself in their place. It's far easier for a god to heal a broken hand than a mortal.
Phoebe was the only one who didn't looked surprised, "You don't remember that Zoe?" She asked confused.
Zoe shook her head but before she could respond, Annabeth spoke again.
"Wait, what did you do with those skeleton warriors?" Annabeth asked, the curiosity eating her alive.
Percy shrugged, "I sent them to Tartarus."
Annabeth narrowed her eyes, "Then why not just do that instead of slicing them up first?"
Percy chuckled, "Well where is the fun in that? It went well with my dramatic entrance."
Thalia and Phoebe laughed at his explanation.
"So what are you guys doing here anyway?" Perseus asked.
"We ran out of gas about a mile back so we walked here to get some food before we figure out how to get to California." Thalia explained.
Perseus nodded and snapped his fingers, "Actually I think if you check again, your truck has a full tank." He said smiling.
Annabeth, Thalia and Phoebe smiled at him while Zoe leaned over and whispered something in his ear. He looked at her confused but nodded.
"You three go get something to eat inside; I need to talk to Zoe for a minute." Perseus said as he held out his hand a few crisp fifty dollar bills appeared in it. He handed the money to the three girls before they headed off for the visitor center of the dam.
Perseus turned to Zoe with a questioning look.
"Take a quick walk with me please?" She asked softly.
Perseus nodded and followed Zoe as they made their way toward the wall of the dam that overlooked the lake created by the dam. Zoe sat on the edge, her feet dangling over the edge.
Percy was a little confused but sat down next to her, waiting for her to speak.
"I'm sorry about Bianca. She sacrificed herself to save me." Zoe said quietly.
Perseus nodded, "She was very brave. I am sure she has no regrets."
Zoe and bit her lip a little nervously, "I have more of my memories back now. They came to me after you left us on the train." She said softly.
Perseus eyes widened, "What exactly do you remember?"
"I remember how we started dating and everything that came before that." She replied quietly.
Perseus nodded, "That was a long time ago Zoe, don't f…." He began but was interrupted by Zoe's lips crashing onto his. Perseus' eyes widened in shock but he couldn't deny how much he had longed for this moment over the years of his banishment as his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer as he relished in the feeling of finally having her lips on his again. Zoe's arms wrapped around his neck as the kiss deepened. She couldn't ignore how familiar and right it felt to kiss him again. She may only remember their first but she knew now what Phoebe meant about her and Percy as the only feeling in her mind was one of absolute bliss.
When they finally broke apart, Zoe's face turned a bright shade of red, "Sorry, I …" She began but Perseus silenced her with a quick peck to the lips making her smile.
"Don't apologize. You have no idea how hard it was to wait two thousand years to do that again." Perseus said seriously.
Zoe's smile grew before it turned a bit sad, "I'm sorry that happened to you Percy. I'm sorry I forgot about you."
Perseus smiled at her, "It doesn't matter anymore. I waited for this moment and I promise you it was every bit worth the wait."
Zoe nodded and wrapped her arms around Perseus as she leaned her head on his chest, "What happens now Percy?"
"Well for now you finish your quest to rescue her. After that, I don't really know. But I do know no matter what you do, I'm not going to lose you again." Perseus explained seriously.
Zoe looked up at him surprised but nodded, "I think that sound good." She said as she leaned up to kiss him again but froze when someone whistling behind them ruined the moment.
"Percy you dog!" Phoebe said mischievously but her smile showed her happiness.
Zoe glared at one of her best friends making Phoebe laugh at her angry face, "Oh relax Zoe, you know I love you guys."
Zoe rolled her eyes as she and Perseus stood up from the edge of the dam, "Why are you here anyway?"
Phoebe shrugged, "The other two were getting impatient about getting back on the road. I have to agree, we are wasting daylight."
Perseus glared playfully at Phoebe, "You do realize that you would be much safer in my domain right?
Phoebe rolled her eyes, "Of course Lord Perseus but not all us can see at night."
Perseus chuckled, "Fair enough Phoebe but call me lord again, and I'll kick your ass."
Phoebe smirked, "You could try but I'm more skilled than I was when he last sparred."
Perseus rolled his eyes and turned to Zoe, "Be careful the rest of the way. If you guys need help, you only have to ask."
Zoe smiled and nodded as Perseus dissolved into darkness. Zoe looked at Phoebe who was looking at her with a knowing smile, "So, I guess I was right?"
Zoe glared at Phoebe, "Let's just get going, we need to make some good time."
Phoebe smirked and began to make the trek down to the road where Annabeth and Thalia were waiting.
After making the mile walk back to the truck, Zoe volunteered to sit in the bed of the truck while Phoebe drove and Annabeth and Thalia sat inside with her.
About thirty minutes into the ride, Zoe began to regret volunteering to ride in the back as the early morning and wind made the ride chillier than she had anticipated.
As she tried to take some cover behind the cab of the truck, a shadow descended on the other side of the truck bed until it solidified into Perseus who was smirking at her obvious discomfort.
"You look miserable." He commented chuckling at her face.
Zoe glared at him, "We're in Arizona, and it's not supposed to be cold."
"Actually we're in Nevada if you want to get it right," He replied before her glare intensified and he flashed a light jacket onto her body, making her glare change into a look of gratefulness.
Perseus snapped his fingers again and the truck bed suddenly had a cap over it making Zoe's smile grow a bit, "Thank you, that is much better."
Perseus grinned and snapped his fingers again as a couch appeared under Zoe making her jump up in shock.
Perseus laughed at her startled face before he flashed himself over to the couch beside her, "It's a long drive to California still; I thought this would make it a little more comfortable."
Zoe raised an eyebrow, "Isn't this interfering with the quest?"
Perseus shrugged, "I don't see it that way. I see this as more like me needing a ride to California and catching a ride with some friends. You don't expect a god to ride on the floor of a truck bed do you?" He said as his lips quirked into a smirk.
Zoe smiled, "We I guess that does make sense. So you're going to stay for the whole ride to California?" She asked hopefully.
Perseus smiled, "It wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me to leave a lady all by her lonesome in the back of a truck would it?"
Zoe smirked a laid down on the little couch with her head on Perseus' lap.
"Make yourself comfortable Zoe." Perseus said dryly.
"I plan on it actually and I don't see any pillows on this couch so I guess you will have to do." She said as she closed her eyes and relaxed.
Perseus couldn't help but smile as he ran a hand through her long silky black hair, another thing he had missed over the time of his banishment. Despite how much he tried to stay bitter about what happened to him, he couldn't help but stop caring as much. He still hated Artemis and Apollo for what they did to him, but now that he had Zoe back, he just couldn't help but care a little bit less.
Line Break
Perseus gently shook Zoe who had fallen asleep with her head in his lap hours earlier and slept the entire trip to California. Perseus was fine with that. It felt good just to have her close again.
Zoe's eyes opened before they widened when she looked at Perseus. Then the memories of the day returned to her as her expression shifted into a smile.
"We're about five minutes from San Francisco and I can't go with you guys up to the mountain." Perseus said softly.
Zoe nodded but bit her lip nervously, "We'll have to go through the Garden of the Hesperides to get up to Mount Othrys." She said nervously.
Perseus nodded his head slowly, "I know it's not easy but you are happy with the life you have right?"
Zoe nodded.
"Then nothing they can say should matter. If they cared about you then they would be happy for you. You were meant for greater things than being a Hesperide Zoe. You're the greatest huntress Artemis ever had and you wouldn't have been able to do it spending eternity guardian that bitch Hera's stupid golden apples." He said seriously.
Zoe smiled, "Thank you Percy; not just for what you said but reminding me why it was that I fell in love with you."
Perseus grinned, "That is my job isn't it?
Zoe rolled her eyes before she leaned up and kissed Perseus on the lips softly. When she pulled back he smiled at her and dissolved into shadows leaving Zoe alone in the bed of the truck.
A few minutes later the back window of the truck opened up and Phoebe's grinning face poked out of the window, "Are you all alone now lover girl?" She teased.
Zoe glared at her but nodded, "Why are we stopped? We need to get to the Garden of the Hesperides we want to get to Mount Othrys."
Phoebe rolled her eyes, "Yup but we don't know where to go so we need you to either drive or tell us how to get there."
Zoe mentally face palmed and nodded. She made to get out of the truck but stopped when she couldn't figure out how to get out. Before she could say anything, the cap of the truck and the couch she was sitting on vanished making her drop to the metal truck bed with the thump.
Phoebe broke out laughing when she saw Zoe fall, "Oh my gods, that was hilarious! Nice one Percy!."
Zoe growled under her breath, "He's dead next time I see him." She grumbled before climbing out of the truck and making Phoebe sit in the bed of the truck. She chuckled when the couch and cap reappeared making Phoebe let out an uncharacteristically girlish yelp.
"Percy you're going to die when I see you!" Phoebe yelled to no one in particular.
Zoe drove for another hour until the four girls finally reached an area where they could see Mount Tamalpais where Atlas was supposed to be trapped under his burden. They ditched their truck and began to make the trek on foot. As they continued their trek on foot they noticed the mist was getting especially strong.
"We are close." Zoe said, her voice tight.
"What do you mean; the mountain is still pretty far off." Thalia said pointing toward the mountain a little farther in the distance.
"Not the mountain. The Garden of the Hesperides is the first obstacle we need to get past." Phoebe explained as he saw Zoe tense at the name of her former home.
"How can we get through? It is guarded by Ladon. We won't be able to get past him." Annabeth asked nervously.
No one answered Annabeth's question as they weren't exactly sure how they were going to get past that particular obstacle yet.
After a few more minutes the group made its way through the heavy sheets of fog and mist and entered in a beautiful meadow filled with shadows and flowers. It was dusk, the only time they could get into the garden. Annabeth and Thalia gasped when they laid eyes on the giant five-story-tall apple tree that glittered with golden apples.
"The apples of immortality," Thalia said.
Right after she spoke, Thalia and Annabeth both gasped again when they noticed the hundred headed dragon coiled around the tree.
Shadows began to move and shift in front of the group. Four figures shimmered into existence that all looked very much like Zoe.
"Sisters," Zoe said coldly.
"We do not see any sister." One of the Hesperides spat back. "We see two half-bloods and two hunters all of whom shall soon be dead.
"We did not come here to fight with you sisters. We need to reach the mountain so that we may rescue Artemis." Zoe said confidently.
"You know he will kill thee," one of the Hesperides said. "You are no match for him."
"Artemis must be freed," Zoe insisted. "Let us pass."
The girl shook her head. "You have no rights here anymore. We have only to raise our
voices and Ladon will wake."
"He will not hurt me," Zoe said sternly.
"No? And what about thy so-called friends?" The girl pressed.
Before Zoe could respond a golden light descended upon the garden. When the light cleared, the Queen of the Gods herself stood between the four members of the quest and the four Hesperides.
All eight girls grudgingly bowed to Hera who waved them off and turned towards the four confused looking Hesperides.
"You shall let them pass. They are not seeking one of the Apples of Immortality." Hera said sternly.
One of the Hesperides was about to retort when one of her sisters grabbed her arm and stopped her before speaking herself, "As you wish Lady Hera but they will all fall by our father's hand soon enough."
Hera glared at the Hesperides before they all shimmered out of existence just like they had arrived.
Hera turned to the four girls from the quest, "Ladon will not bother you; you may pass."
Zoe stepped forward with a confused expression, "Thank you Lady Hera but may I ask why it is that you are here?"
A slightly pained looked appeared on Hera's face before she spoke, "Doing what little I can to rectify a mistake I made long ago. I am sorry for what I took from you." She said looking at Zoe and Phoebe. "Perseus did not deserve what happened to him and while I can't make it up to him, I can try to do what I can when I can." She explained before she began to glow as the four girls covered their eyes as Hera vanished from the garden.
"Well that was… unexpected." Thalia said in shock.
Zoe nodded, "Yes well Hera always did have a good relationship with Percy. I guess she is trying to make amends for voting for him to be banished."
Thalia nodded and the four girls resumed their trek through the garden, taking extra care to skirt around Ladon and his tree as carefully and quietly as possible.
The made their way up the mountain as quickly as they could until they finally reached their destination.
At the top of mountain were ruins, blocks of black granite and marble as big as houses; broken columns and statues of bronze that looked as though they'd been half melted.
"The ruins of Mount Othrys," Thalia whispered in awe.
"Yes," Zoe said. "It was not here before. This is bad."
"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked.
"In the first war, Olympus and Othrys were the two rival capitals of the world. Othrys was blasted to pieces." Zoe explained.
"But… how is it here?" Annabeth asked.
Thalia looked around cautiously as they picked their way through the rubble, past blocks
of marble and broken archways.
"It moves in the same way that Olympus moves. It always exists on the edges of civilization. But the fact that it is here, on this mountain, is not good." Zoe replied.
"Why?" Thalia asked.
"This is Atlas's mountain," Zoe said. "Where he holds—" She froze. Her voice was
ragged with despair, "Where he used to hold up the sky."
They had reached the summit. A few yards ahead of them, gray clouds swirled in a heavy
vortex making a funnel cloud that almost touched the mountaintop, but instead rested on the
shoulders of a twelve-year-old girl with auburn hair and a tattered silvery dress: Artemis, her
legs bound to the rock with celestial bronze chains.
Zoe and Phoebe gasped at the sight of their mistress in such distress forgetting all resentment they had previously held towards her.
"My lady!" Phoebe cried as she and Zoe raced towards Artemis.
"Stop! It is a trap. You must leave now." Artemis pleaded.
Her voice was strained. She was drenched in sweat, the weight of the sky was clearly too much for Artemis.
Zoe ran forward despite Artemis's protests, and tugged at the chains.
"Ah, how touching." A booming voiced called from behind them.
A.N.: Like I said the first 10 chapters are just a repost of what Anaklusmos14 wrote of the story.