Hi to anyone who's reading this! Okay, first off, if you've already read the first six chapters, reread them, please! I read through those chapters, and realised, in simple words, they suck. So I went and edited all the chapters by making them longer, and trying to cover as many plot holes as possible.
For the FCSFTIDTMBIA AWARDS, I give it to Kara! Okay, this is kinda becoming an epic fail because nobody really reviews... LOL, I think I'll just stop this award thingie for a while.
Oh, and Kara? I tried finding your profile page but I couldn't find it! So sorry. BTW, would you tell me the name of your story? Couldn't check it out because, well like I said, I couldn't find your profile page.
Disclaimer time! Today I'll be inviting someone not from this book to do the disclaimer. Let's invite *drumroll* Justin Bieber! (Haha, I'm not a fan, but I decided to be random today, so yeah. Sorry if he's a little OOC to those fans... I don't know much about him except most of my friends call him gay.)
JB: Baby baby baby oh!
Me: Oh quit singing and do the disclaimers already, dude!
JB: Baby baby baby...
Me: My gods, I think the only word he can say is baby.
JB: No! I can say lots of things. See, I'm so talented, right? And I'm handsome too, so that's a bonus.
Me: Typical Apollo son.
JB: What Apollo?
Me: Nothing. Now just do the disclaimers!
JB: Chill, can I at least sing baby one more time? Please?
Me: No. Now say the disclaimers!
JB: Fine. This big fat jerk here does not own PJO.
Me: Thank you. You may leave.
JB: No. I'm gonna stay here and sing 'cause I feel like it.
Me: Oh no, here we go again!
Enjoy the story, and please review, please I'm begging you!
Annabeth POV
I was walking down a hall. A long, long hall. There were pictures of different scenes hung up, all seemingly to be sketched with a pencil, each hauntingly beautiful, but also disappointingly vague, with only a dash of colour here and there. They looked like plain old drawings to the mortal eye, but in reality, if you looked carefully, the sketchings were constantly moving.
I looked at the first one carefully. It showed a baby. Soon, the baby became a cute little toddler, and the toddler was laughing and yanking a guy's hair, I think. Must be her dad or something. But nowhere in this scene showed the sign of a mother. A demigod, maybe?
The second one showed the same little girl. She was dressed up beautifully, with flowers braided into her hair and a nice, flowy dress. This time, she was older. Six, maybe. She was walking down a red carpet, or so it looked like it anyway. The drawing was clear enough to show a woman behind her, her father in front of her, but so vague that I couldn't really see anything else. The scene changed and I saw a happy family of three. A dark-skinned man, a little girl who looked like a carbon copied, female version of him and a plump, but beautiful woman all smiling happily at me.
The third one was a huge time skip. The girl was now around ten or so. Long, wavy hair tied in a ponytail, kissing her mom goodbye and heading off to school. There, I saw she was an outcast, and that she was crushing on her neighbour, some blonde-haired popular guy. The way she looked at him told it all.
The fourth was her on a date, I think. She was sitting opposite the blond guy, eating her dinner while laughing at some joke her date told her.
The fifth was her and the boy lip-locking, then parting, each blushing fiercely. They looked embarrassed, but I could tell that they throughly enjoyed it.
The sixth one, however, was more tragic. It showed a fire, and the girl running away into the forest, chased by wooden stakes and torches. She was screaming and crying, and the boy she was dating in the fifth picture was tied up and unconscious. It looked like a mob, just that it was in the modern settings. I could tell by the few people I could see clearly that they were screaming things like 'witch' and 'vampire'.
There were many more, but I paused to think for a moment. These drawings were obviously enchanted with magic. But by who and why I was sent here to see them was a big mystery. The artist was fantastic. He or she captured every emotion in each shifting scene. Too bad it wasn't signed.
"Yes, the artist was fantastic, wasn't she?" A low, melodious voice echoed from behind me.
I spun around, to face Thanatos. I looked at him wearily. Last time I checked, I jumped off a cliff. He's here to take my soul. My heart hammered in my chest. Well, time to see what the afterlife's like.
"I'm ready to go." I announced, meeting Thanatos straight in the eye. Truth to be told, I was scared as Hades. But I'm never going to show any sign of weakness. Ever.
Thanatos chuckled and stroked my hair in an almost loving way. "Don't worry child. I'm not here to take your soul. On the contrary, I'm here to save it."
"But...but you're the god of death. I'm dead. Aren't you gonna reap my soul?" I was throughly confused now.
"Calm down, my child. I'm here to save you. I just need you to make one promise." Thanatos told me in his soothing voice. It's so soothing, he's so nice to me, I just want to do anything to please this handsome man in front of me... Wait, hold on Annabeth! He's trying to charm you! Can't let that happen now, can we?
"What is it?" I demanded.
Thanatos raised an eyebrow at me, clearly impressed. I met him straight in his golden eyes, daring him to try and charm me again.
"Why, you are a strong-willed one, Annabeth. Must have been spending too much time with Percy. But I really need your help this time." Thanatos said again. I was beyond bewildered now, but I didn't let it show on my face.
"Fine, I will help you on one condition." I conceded.
"What?" His curiosity was piqued now.
"It is within reason and it does not breach any rules." I stated. But you know what? Helping a God, minor or not will most certainly cause trouble. Even if you don't break any rules.
"Don't worry, young demigod. I just want you to make a promise," he paused, then continued,"please?"
I stared at home in disbelief. A God, saying please?! Well, this is the first. Seems like he's desperate. Let's see what he wants. I nodded my head.
"Thank you. I need you to take Elise to Camp Half Blood. No matter what the cost. It is essential that she reaches there, preferably alive. And I don't care what Poseidon says or does, you are to get her to camp, am I clear?" Thanatos's golden eyes met my grey ones, and I saw that he meant what he said.
"Why do you care so much?" I questioned. It wasn't like a god to care so much about another mortal. Even if Elise is a demigod, most Gods, even their parents, don't make others promise to take them to camp.
"I have my reasons." Thanatos said coldly.
"You really care about her, don't you?" I asked, my tone gentler this time.
"It's none of your business, young one. Just promise me you'll do that."
"Promise. I swear on the River Styx."
"Thank you. Now, it's time for you to return. You will find yourself on an enchanted boat, but only Percy can command it. I suggest you quickly convince him and head to Camp Half Blood. Poseidon will not be happy with your plan. Goodbye, Annabeth Chase. I have a feeling we'll meet again. Just remember what you see here. It is my gift to you for helping me." Thanatos said as he motioned with his hand to my surroundings.
I opened my mouth to ask what he meant by a 'gift'. What gift? He didn't give me anything. But before I could say anything, everything started to go blurry and the scene faded away.
"Annabeth! Annabeth!" I heard someone call my name. It sounded so familiar. I searched my memory, which seemed all fuzzy. Percy! Oh gods,
Percy! My eyes flew open, and I saw Percy staring down at me.
I coughed out some water and Percy patted my back gently.
"You okay?" He asked, clearly concerned.
I nodded my head. I scanned my surroundings. We were in a boat. An enchanted boat. And Elise was sitting alone, staring absently into the sea, an almost forlorn look on her face. She was probably giving me and Percy some alone time.
"Got the whole 'you're probably a demigod and we're taking you to camp' concept down?" I asked, my voice still a little hoarse.
"Yeah. She took it rather well. Don't know why. We're on our way back." Percy shrugged. I hesitated to tell Percy what I saw, but I decided to anyway. But I omitted the moving pictures part. I had a feeling it was to be kept privet. At the end, Percy asked me if I had hit my head too hard.
"Are you mad?! Why did you swear on River Styx?!" He half yelled at me. "My dad just told me to never let her near camp!" Percy continued.
Thanatos's words rang in my ears. Bring Elise to camp no matter what the cost or what Poseidon tells you.
"I know. But we have to take her to camp!" I insisted.
"No! I'm not disobeying my father's direct orders!"
"Well, I'm not going against my word!"
"Take her home!"
"To Camp Half Blood!"
"NYC!"
"CHB!"
"Guys, stop arguing over me. Seriously, we can just go to both places. I assume we're gonna stay at camp for a long time, so let's go home, grab our stuff, then go the camp." Elise finally opened her mouth to speak.
"Let's take a vote, shall we?" I asked.
"My plan." I raised up my hand.
"Elise's plan." Elise raised up her hand.
"Percy's plan" He raised up his hand.
"Look, I say we just head over to Camp. I mean, how bad can just going there be?" Elise tried patronizing both of us.
"Come on, Percy. Steer the boat." Elise tried to coax him.
"Fine. But if my dad kills me, I'm blaming you." Percy agreed grudgingly. He commanded the boat to steer to Camp Half Blood.
"I'll give you girl some alone time to do your whatever girly talk you do. Annabeth, tell her about those girl stuffon quests and stuff like that." Percy announced and went to the other end of the boat, grumbling about being bullied by girls and whatnot.
He can grumble all he wants, but I'm not complaining about the alone time. Time to chat with Elise, see if I can get anything out of her that would make what Thanatos told me make sense. I have a feeling her past held the key to this puzzle.
"So, you've never really told me anything about your past. That is, if you don't mind me asking." I said as I sat down beside Elise.
I looked at her expectantly.
"No, really, it's okay. My past's pretty simple. I was six when my dad remarried. We moved in to her house, a quaint little house in an old fashioned village. That village was too superstitious for our liking, so we moved out. I guess you know the rest." She mumbled.
She refused to meet my eye when she told her story. Somehow I had a feeling that wasn't the whole truth. I kept thinking about the scenes I had seen.
Six when her dad remarried? Wasn't that girl six when she was a flower girl at her dad's wedding?
Too superstitious for their liking? More like chased out due to superstition.
Maybe if I can dig out the past, I can find out why the gods are so interested in her. First Thanatos, then Poseidon. And a freak accident at the Empire State Building, aka. Olympus? Definately caused by the gods. Maybe if we reach camp, we'll find out her parentage, then I can solve this mystery once and for all.
Elise POV TIME SKIP SUNRISE, FIVE MINS TO CHB.
Annabeth was leaning against Percy, both of them snuggled up against each other, sleeping. while I was just staring into space. Most people call me a 'loner', but I'm not really that. They should just call me 'lonely'. I really am.
Sure, you can say that I have Percy and Annabeth by my side, but truth to be told, I feel more like an interference rather than a friend. First, they have to help me escape, then bring me to Camp, I mean, what sort of friend am I?
They don't even have time alone because I'm always there to get in the way of everything. And how could I lie to Annabeth? She trusted me. But I just can't tell the truth.
I may look happy outside, but really, I'm just a lonely girl inside. Trouble follows me everywhere. I'm a jinx.
I watched as the sun rose high into the sky, coloring it in hues of red, orange and pink.
This sunrise represents a new life for me. Percy told me all I needed to know about being a demigod. Maybe I'll belong in this world of Greek mythology. So much for just being myths, huh. What do you know. The most unlikely things can happen in life.
The boat rocked to and fro in a rhythmic pattern, and soon, sleep took over.
"Get out of our town!"
"You don't belong here, Witch!"
"Vampire! Get your blood-sucking teeth out of here!"
"Get out and never return! What you did was unforgivable, Witch!"
The angry mob held torches and pitchforks, and my house burned.
Burn, burn, burn. The orange flames licked the sides of my house, as if savoring the flavor of my defeat that came along with the destruction of my house. I was in my beautiful dress, after going on a date with my boyfriend. It was now tattered at the bottom and singed. My hair fell out of the ponytail that I painstakingly pinned up nicely with a silver pin. The mob chased me and a ran.
My feet pounded on the floor, which was covered in all sorts of things. Glass cut me here, fire burnt me there, every inch of my body hurt. The leader of the mob was the village leader. I ran blindly, my only goal was to reach the forest alive. There, I could hide in my secret hideout, and only he knew where it was. He won't betray me, would he?
Suddenly, my foot snagged onto something and Iost my balance. I fell onto the ground, and I heard something snap. My ankle.
I scrambled to my feet but my ankle gave way and I fell to the ground again. The mob advanced and that was when my dream ended.
Someone's screaming woke me up. It was only when I felt cool hands grip my shoulders when I realised the screaming came from me.
"Shhh, shhh, it's alright. Everything's fine."
I saw Annabeth's grey eyes stare into my brown ones and slowly, my breathing rate slowed down. I buried my face into her hair and took in her scent. Honey lemon, just like home. Mom used to hug me when times were difficult, and her cool hands would grip my shoulders gently but firmly. For one moment, Annabeth was my mother. But, that moment was gone as soon as it came. The boat started rocking to and fro violently. I realised something was wrong.
So far, everything was smooth. Too smooth. Poseidon didn't want me to reach Camp, so why didn't he stop us? We are in his domain. He has the power to stop us, so why didn't he? Why only now, when we're so close to camp? That was the least of my problems. Next thing I knew, a huge wave slammed into me, capsizing the boat and sending me flying backwards.
Salt water filled my mouth and stung my eyes, chocking me and rendering me blind. I tried to scream for help, but water kept filling my mouth. All I could make was a gurgling sound. Another wave crashed into me, and I was pushed back. I coughed out some water and took a huge, shuddering breath. The sea was calm now. I peddled myself forward as fast as I could. Way in front of me was Percy, who was grabbing on to Annabeth. They made it safely to the shore. I kept peddling and was about to reach the sea bed. I was safe! Safe! At long last, dear, sweet land. I was safe!
But a little premonition at the back of my neck told me otherwise.
I turned around and saw one of the biggest swordfish I have ever seen. No, scratch that. It was the biggest swordfish I have ever seen. It had to be at least six feet long. And it was heading towards me, head on. Or more exactly, sword on. I could feel little, tiny fishes swimming all around me, brushing my toes and circling all around my body, preventing me from swimming to shore.
I could see the swordfish come closer, and the sharp mouthpiece piercing right through my fragile little body, impaling my stomach. I could see the blood staining the water red and my lifeless body be pushed around by the current, washed up ashore waiting for someone to find it. This was my future.
I looked back to the shore. In the distance, I could hear some sort of horn being set off. The cabin lights flickered on one by one. Slowly, more lights came on, illuminating the whole place. From where I was, Camp Half Blood looked like a beautiful city from afar. This could be my home. My home. But I would be dead by the time I reached the shore. The Poseidon would make sure of that.
The swordfish neared, and I got ready for the end. Was this how I am supposed to die? Suddenly, a tiny voice in my head said No. I couldn't die without trying to fight for my life. I won't die this way. I refuse to. I could faintly hear a soft, melodic voice in my head say,"Use what you've got, child. You must make to Camp."
The swordfish neared. I tried to scream, but my throat closed, forcing me to make a strangled sound instead of a cry for help. Was that my godly parent? What is it that I had that could potentially save me? The swordfish came at me and I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain.
There was pain, alright. As in, not in my stomach, but right behind my eyes, and it slowly spread towards my neck, down to my chest, to my fingers and invaded every part of my body. As soon as it came, it vanished. I looked down. My midsection was perfectly fine. No blood. The fishes were gone. In fact, they were sinking to the bottom of the ocean. I could see their silhouettes as they sank to the bottom of the sea, motionless. My heart beat faster than when sitting on a roller coaster. I could feel how tired my body was, but adrenaline pumped through my veins, keeping me awake.
There was only one thing in my mind. Get out of the water now. I swam desperately towards the shore, but the current was against me, pushing me back from the shore. It didn't feel threatening, though. It felt like...it felt like it was calling me home. It felt like Poseidon was promising me that I would be safe with him. I was torn. To go to camp, or to let the current sweep me away? Suddenly, I felt a hand grasp onto me. Percy. I looked into his eyes and knew what to choose. I let Percy lead me away to Camp Half Blood, my home.
As I lay on the beach, the last thing I saw was a man, in Bermudas, standing in the currents. Rather than looking angry, he looked a little hurt. In a second, he disappeared. I tried to remember where I had seen him before, but by then, I had given in to exhaustion.
Annabeth POV
"This child is quite the extraordinary child. But I suppose all demigods are like that." Chiron sighed after hearing my story. We were at the big house, discussing Elise.
"She is not a demigod!" Percy repeated for the hundredth time.
"Are you sure, my boy?" Chiron asked him, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, I've seen her parents. Both not gods, okay?" Percy was starting to sound annoyed.
"Were any of her parents by chance demigods?" Chiron asked. Why didn't I think about that? Maybe her dad was Thanatos's kid or something. Surprisingly, out of all the gods, minor and major, Thanatos was one of the most caring one of all. All his kids reached camp by ten, got claimed at most three days later and at fifteen he would force Chiron to give them a chance to lead a quest. So far most of the Thanatos kids that I knew of were under twenty, but it was a possibility.
"I don't know about her dad, but her step-mom's definately mortal. One hundred
percent."
"Step-mom?!" Chiron was about to lose his temper with Percy. "Why didn't you tell me?!"
"Yeah, well, her mom's not her godly parent, that's for sure. An Athena kid would never have brown eyes, an Aphrodite kid would never look like her and a Demeter kid would never let a cactus die in her care." Percy slowly ticked off every one of the female gods.
"She could be an exception." Chiron argued.
"No way." Percy shot back.
"Look, why don't we just wait for her parent to claim her? I mean, what's the point of trying to determine her parentage now?" I asked. And I thought Chiron was mo mature than that.
"Annabeth's right. We'll find out soon." Percy sighed.
"I've never heard of a demigod who can make fish disappear at will, though. You say the fish just vanished from sight?" Chiron asked, perplexed.
"I told you already, she's not a demigod!" Percy whined.
I shook my head, exiting the big house. I needed some fresh air. It was only a few hours after we reached camp. Some time alone would be nice. I went to fireworks beach.
The wind whipped my hair around my face, and the waves splashed and lapped against the shore, consuming half the beach. Poseidon was not happy today, and it was to be expected.
It's probably unwise to even go near the beach, but hey, I feel relaxed when near it. It feels like Percy's right here next to me.
I started pacing along the shoreline while thinking about the recent events. Poseidon is one of the, well, nicer gods. If he's so desperate as to attack Elise just so she does not reach Camp, he must have his reasons. And why didn't he attack earlier? If he'd really wanted Elise dead, why didn't he attack her in the middle of the ocean where we couldn't swim for help? Realization hit me. His son was on that boat. Of course he didn't want to put Percy in any sort of danger. The attack was a calculated attack. It was planned. So if Poseidon didn't do in a momentarily fit of passion, there must be a logical reasoning to it. Just what is his reasoning?
"Ouch!" My train of thoughts was broken when a sharp pain jabbed the sole of my foot. I looked down, annoyed. Must be some glass shards from the liquor bottles at those Apollo kid's frequent parties.
But, when I looked down, I was shocked. It was a sharp piece of stone. I frowned and picked it up to examine it. Just then, a huge wave came crashing in, bringing in more pieces of the same type of stone, but this time, much, much bigger.
I looked at those pieces closely and realised these rocks weren't just random formations. In my head, I tried putting the pieces together. Maybe it was some sort of ancient statue? No, it wasn't. A piece of gold caught my eye. I picked it up and saw a trident printed on one side. The symbol of Poseidon. He was trying to tell me something, I was sure of that. But what has he got to tell me?
The pieces clicked in my mind. No, it wasn't an ancient statue. A cold blast of wind hit me and I shivered. It wasn't because of the cold. It was because the stone pieces was a fish. A swordfish.
Elise didn't make the fish disappear, she turned it to stone.
Hello people!
Okay, if you think this story's so bad to the point you have no comment, at least help me out here, okay?
Which one is your favourite?
1) X-Factor
2) Briton/USA's got talent
3) American Idol
If you don't know what I'm talking about, or hate all, just pick one with the coolest name.
Thanks for reading!
