Percy Jackson and the Depths of Tartarus

Chapter Six: Advice and Sexual Tension

Percy's POV

"You didn't have to whack me that hard!" I complained to a smirking Thalia. Right now, I was being held 'captive'.

I rubbed the back of my head gingerly, scowling at the captors.

Annabeth snorted at my comment, "Toughen up. Boys have hard heads, don't they?" I huffed moodily, glaring off into the distance.

However, when my mind wandered over to other disturbing matters, I promptly stood up and started banging my head against the nearest tree. "Of-all-the-gods-why-did-it-have-to-be-her?"

While I did this, Annabeth and Thalia glanced at each other, as if to say, Is there something wrong with him?

Right after I finished my sentence, green mist swept out of the tree and solidified into a nymph beside me.

I looked at her blearily, halting my self-abuse, "What?" I could almost feel Thalia's eyes roll. I did, however, hear the sound of Annabeth slapping her palm to her face.

The nymph, who looked vaguely familiar to me, glared at me, crossing her arms. "'What'? 'What'?" She shrieked at me. I flinched at the sound, held up my hands, and tried to subtly back away slowly. It didn't work, though, as she pinned me with her glare. "That's all you have to say when your banging yourself senseless against my tree? Honestly, if you weren't Grover's friend, I'd-!" Whatever threat she was going to issue against me was lost as she spotted Annabeth somewhere behind me.

"Annabeth!" She happily said. I raised an eyebrow, disturbed. Were girls always changing their moods in a flash? Yes, yes, they do, I concluded mentally. It did always happen with Annabeth. Like that time when she came, screaming at me about chocolate… I shuddered inwardly.

Meanwhile, Annabeth was gaping at the tree nymph. "Juniper?" She gasped, "Is that you?" My jaw almost dropped as well. This was Juniper? Jeez, her attitude was a lot… tougher than I had last seen. And she looked more beautiful. Then again, it has been a long time…

Juniper smiled, "Yup! It's been a while! One hundred years, was it?" My eye twitched. A while?

Annabeth nodded politely, "Yeah, it's been too long. I almost didn't recognize you!"

Juniper blushed, "Well, I did get a new look, I suppose. But, what about you? You did contact Percy through Nico like Grover suggested, right?" I gave a little start at my name, barely registering the fact that Juniper's eyes had flickered over to mine briefly. Grover had suggested contacting me? Wait, did Annabeth even try? Apparently not.

Annabeth flushed, "Well, n-no."

Juniper frowned, "Why not?"

"I-I… I thought it would have been…" She searched for the word, "…awkward."

Awkward? I yelled in my head, almost letting the words out. What kind of an excuse is that?

Juniper gave me a brief look of sympathy, as if… she knew I was the one Annabeth was embarrassed to… talk… to…

Hm.

Wait, didn't that mean Juniper knew who I was? I felt kind of freaked. If I were that obvious, surely Annabeth would have noticed that I was Percy, right? Again, apparently not.

I asked, faking slight dumbness, "Whose Percy?" I glanced at Annabeth. She instantly froze. Behind her, Thalia gave me a withering look.

"Well…" Annabeth began unceratinly, "He… was a hero. Uh, he took part in saving Olympus around two hundred-"

"Three hundred." Juniper muttered.

"Three hundred," Annabeth said, "Years-"

Thalia cut in, "Four hundred, actually."

Annabeth's eye twitched. She sighed, exasperated, "Four hundred years ago."

I commended myself on my acting skills as I asked, rather cluelessly, "But why would you want to contact him?"

And then she shrugged, "That's none of your business."

I bristled, none of my business? Of course it's my business. Luckily, a conch horn blew, cutting off a retort I would have probably regretted.

Instantly, Annabeth turned and headed back into the forest. Thalia followed, casting a suspicious glare at me. Once they were out of sight, Juniper commented, "You know, you could have been less tactless."

"Meh." I said. I turned to her, "And how did you guess who I was?"

"Inborn senses." She smiled gently. "The sexual tension between you two was so thick!"

I blinked, "Sexual tension?" I asked, sounding pretty stupid, in my opinion.

Juniper giggled, "I'll see you later, Percy." She said, before fading away into green mist.

Now that all the drama had gone down, I had some time to really think. Unfortunately, the memory of the dove rose once again to the surface of my mind. I groaned aloud, and promptly tried to drown myself in the creek.

"Is it really that bad?" A coy voice asked. I somehow heard it, even when my head was under the water.

I emerged, spluttering, and whirled around to see the most beautiful goddess I had ever laid eyes on. Well, it was Aphrodite, of course. Once again, I was tongue-tied in her presence. "Uhh…"

She leaned forward and pinched my cheeks. "Aren't you so cute? Now that I'm your mother, your love life will be so much easier. A shame, really. But, then again, Annabeth is in the Hunters! So much unresolved drama!" She squealed, grinning.

I protested, "B-But it didn't work out last time, why would it now?" I somehow worked through the dumbfounded-ness that came with Aphrodite. Must have been the disbelief.

I started as another thought occurred to me, "Wait, I don't even love her anymore, though!"

Aphrodite crooned, "Ahh, but my dear son," I blanched, "Such sexual tension between you is admirable! You two must simply be together!"

My cheeks flamed. "Sexual tension?" I spluttered.

She checked an imaginary watch. "Sorry, dear, but I have to go!" She started to glow. I quickly got over my shock and averted my eyes as she took on her divine form and disappeared.

"…Seems that the Hunters have won again. For the eight hundred and forty sixth time." Announced a familiar voice boredly.

I picked my way through the underbrush towards the voice, cursing inwardly whenever I tripped. Sweat dripped down my forehead, and I was already puffing. I grimaced. I really had to increase my stamina.

Finally, I stumbled into a clearing, where the Hunters and Campers were already heading to dinner. Suddenly, and I stopped and stared in surprise at the man standing in the middle, who was scowling.

"What are you looking at, Peter Johnson?" Mr. D snapped.

I stammered, "Aren't- wasn't your punishment only for one hundred years?"

He glared at me, "Nosy brat. And, yes, it was."

"What are you doing here then?" Everyone was gone by now, and it was just me and Mr. D in the small clearing.

He gave me a dirty look, "I was punished. For apparently ogling at an off-limits sea nymph."

I barely contained a snicker, and asked, half-amused, half-amazed, "And were you ogling a sea nymph?"

"Careful, Jackson." Purple fire ignited in his eyes, and I gulped inwardly. "Even if you are on a quest, I shall still incinerate you."

"Glad to hear it." I muttered.

Mr. D calmed a little, and turned to leave. Before he did, he called to me, "A piece of advice, Jacobson: Your priorities, or even your fatal flaws, will change, no matter what memories you have of your past life. Remember, you now have a new mind." He left.

I muttered, "Some piece of advice." But why did his warning give me a fair sense of foreboding?

Chapter Seven: First Defiance

A/N: Please review! =)