(( So far, the point of this story may be a little confusing. Is it a Thalico? Is it a Percabeth? Well, it's just a series of tasks Percy and Annabeth must complete if Annabeth doesn't want Percy's head over her mother's mantle. And, if this story just happens to have Nico and Thalia getting together, then that, is just a bonus. Oh, and if you guys want to start submitting ideas for tasks or riddles, you can. I don't own Percy Jackson and The Olympians or Walmart, and here's chapter 7.))
"Nico! Wake up! You're going to love this!!" Percy ran into the room. Nico jumped up immediately, causing Thalia to move around in her sleep.
"What is it? Another task?" Nico asked sleepily.
"Yeah. But, listen to this. It's from Ares. I would have liked for you all to go kill each other for real with swords and bows and such, but I guess I'll have to settle for a paintball fight in a Walmart. Do Good, Punk. Signed, Ares." Percy read happily. Annabeth entered the room a moment later, covered head to toe in camo paint.
"You do know this will be in Walmart, right?" A second voice asked. The bed creaked slightly, and an arm wrapped around Nico's neck for support. Annabeth started to say something, but Percy put his hand over her mouth.
"Don't say a word, or your eyebrows will be electro-waxed. Anyways,this will be our team versus Tyson, Grover, and Juniper." Percy warned.
"Wait. Walmart, destruction of public property, disturbing the peace. Something tells me that jail will be involved." Thalia pointed out.
"Yeah. But, oddly enough, Ares gave us these." Annabeth produced a Zip Lock bag full of handcuff keys. They glowed with a red hue.
"Magic keys. I guess that, no matter what pair of cuffs we put them in, we can still escape." Percy jumped up and down.
"Wow. You're really excited, huh?" Nico moved back towards the bed, slipping back under the covers.
"Yeah! So, let's go!! I already have the guns in our room." Percy urged, pointing towards his room.
"First one there gets black paintballs." Annabeth taunted. Nico and Thalia jumped out of bed, nearly flying over the couple. They ran across the hall, almost kicking down the door. They walked inside, finding two green paintball guns, one orange, one grey, one blue, one yellow, and one black. There was a bag of paintballs and two extra CO2 cartridges for each gun laying right beside it. Grover, Juniper, and Tyson jumped as they ran it, scared for their lives. The last time the two teens had run into somewhere in a hurry, together, there was a body cast signing party the next day.
"Okay! Let me just tell you guys this. Their color coordinated. Thal, your's is yellow. Nico, black." Grover waved his hand towards the guns. Thalia picked up her gun, pointing it at Nico. She stretched her fingers, slowly.
"Go ahead and have them." Nico shrugged.
"Really?" Thalia looked surprised. Then, something hit her. She quickly looked inside her gun, finding blue paintballs with yellow lightning marks on it. Nico held up a black ball with a skull on it and smiled. He grabbed the extra yellow paintballs and sat down on the couch. Thalia sat down beside him, inspecting her weapon of mass destruction. Nico yawned, winking at the newcomers as they entered their room. Percy tilted his head, unsure if this was a good or bad thing. Nico stretched the rest of the way, placing an arm around Thalia's shoulder. His cold hand sent goosebumps down her skin, but she didn't back away. Percy just shook his head sadly.
"Dude. You're still wearing your pajamas. It looks more like a bear attack." Thalia laughed. She leaned into his arm without realizing it. Thunder rolled loudly outside, followed by a low rumble from below the earth.
"I guess that's a no." Percy laughed. "Okay, we're all changed. If Nico and Thalia will go change now, we can head out and get to Walmart before a lot of people come in. Less destruction, more space, and more fun."
"True. Wait, what's the point of this?" Nico asked.
"Well, which ever team has the least amount of paint on them after we are all out, wins." Annabeth explained. "It would make more sense."
"And what about face masks?" Thalia asked, noticing that there were none.
"Just try not to get hit in the face." Grover shrugged.
"Okay then. I'll go get dressed." Nico offered, running back to his room and changed into a black polo shirt and a pair of jeans. Thalia ran in after he finished, changing into a purple t-shirt and some jeans. They were ready. The entire group ran downstairs, knocking some dirt out of Juniper's plant. Grover scooped it back up and redeposited it. They ran outside, catching two taxis. They walked into Walmart, extra paintballs and cartridges in pockets, guns in hand, and nodded to each other. Team Rainbow, the name Tyson had chosen in honor of his favorite animal friend, raced away towards the toy aisle. Team Olympians walked calmly towards the electronics, not wanting to attract attention.
"Okay, here's the plan. Nico, you give a diversion while Percy and I shoot the heck out of them. Then, at the same time, Thalia will come from behind them, hiding at the entrance to the garden. Any questions?" Annabeth asked. Her grey eyes shone with her ingenuity.
"Yeah, what if that fails? I mean, in the slim chance that that fails." Nico asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We do like Blackjack and wing it." Percy fired a paintball into the air, scaring a few customers away. "This will be our base. If you get lost, just come back here."
"Got it. But, what if we could do a few...harmless pranks along the way?" Thalia asked, knowing that Nico was nodding in agreement.
"What do you have?" Annabeth smiled deviously.
"Putting embarrasing items in carts as people walk by, pretending to be insane, tying dolls to our legs and then yelling it's Chuckie coming to get us. Stuff like that." Nico nodded.
"Oh, what about, every time someone says something over the intercom, we all get down on our knees and say, very seriously, 'THE GODS HAVE SPOKEN!'" Percy suggested. He looked around for a moment, his eyes fixing on the sporting goods aisle.
"Ping Pong Panic." Nico and Percy whispered to each other. They motioned for the girls to follow them. They walked calmly over to the sporting goods, picking up an already opened canister of ping pong balls. They picked up some paddles, hitting the balls back and forth.
"What does this achieve?" Annabeth asked.
"Well, it may look like fun, because it is. But, if we can get these over to them, and pour these on them, they could slip around everywhere." Percy explained, throwing a ball towards Nico.
"Then, as they are slipping around, we could take these and shove a few down the barrels of their paint ball guns." Nico finished, back handing two balls off of a bike. They landed with a pop inside each girls' mouth.
"Run?" Percy asked.
"No. We'll get you back later. You won't know when, and you won't know how, but we will. Let's go." Thalia ordered, racing towards the toy aisle. She spotted a group of lazy workers along the way, stopping to snipe them with Nico and Percy. Then, they ran again, reaching their destination. They could hear Tyson in the next aisle over, arguing with Grover.
"We should go to the garden! We'll have the upper hand." Grover explained, putting his gun next to Tyson's and Juniper's on the ground. Annabeth smiled, took a few ping pong balls, and donned a familiar cap. She turned invisible instantly, hiding the balls behind her back. She walked over silently, placing a ping pong ball inside each of the guns and then threw one over the aisle towards Percy. Nico ran out, yelling like a maniac.
"AAH! RAWR! REOR! MOO! COOKIE MONSTER WILL COME FOR YOU!!" Nico shot once at Grover's hoof. The satyr easily dodged the paintball.
"Wow. Bad aim." Tyson nodded, picking up his gun. He shot Nico once in the chest, then stood there for a moment as Annabeth magically appeared in front of him, shooting him in the stomach a few times. Percy popped up out of nowhere, gunning down Grover.
"Garden!" Tyson cried, his one eye streaming. He ran right into Thalia, knocked down. Grover stopped in his tracks, causing Juniper to stop as well. Her little wagon had some blue on it, shrapnel from Percy's attack on Grover. Thalia put one leg on Tyson's chest, looking down into his big brown eye.
"Boo." She removed her leg quickly as he hauled butt. Grover followed him, eager to retreat. The satyr knew how to fight, but he was scared of Thalia right now. Juniper pushed her wagon, jumping into it and rolling along side Grover. It was a rather comical sight.
"That was fun." Thalia said with glee. Her hair shook as she tossed her head back and laughed. Nico snapped himself out of it. This is the middle of the battle field, don't go soft. Nico remembered the lesson that Dr. Thorn had taught him once when he had run away from a fight at school. Nico smiled softly, remembering the days that his sister was alive. Thalia walked towards him, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the alarm clocks a few aisles away.
"Five minute intergers." Annabeth instructed. They all set as many alarms as they could and carried them to the garden. They easily spotted Tyson, his head poking out from behind some bushes. They slid the alarm clocks around them, each clock hiding in a different and unrelated place. Team Olympians quietly laughed at this prank. They shot at the bush, hitting the pot underneath it. Tyson turned around, shooting Annabeth a few times. A few ping pong balls fell out, landing a few feet away from Annabeth. She picked them up and inspected them, finding a few puncture holes in them. Grover had shot twice at Thalia during that moment.
"Retreat!!" She ordered as Tyson's real paintballs came flying at them. They ran back to the electronics, moving a few TV boxes around and hiding behind them.
"Ha! Flat Screen." Percy bragged, noticing the box he was beside.
"Bigger flat screen." The group said, putting Percy into a bad mood.
"Why did we retreat?" Nico asked, cleaning an orange stain off of his arm. Then, he noticed it. A single green paintball. He picked it out, grinning evilly.
"Grover Vs. Tyson!!! Ding Ding Ding!" Percy laughed, instantly knowing what Nico was thinking. Nico nodded his head. He emptied his gun, placing the green paintball at the bottom and feeding it into his barrel. He put all of his paintballs back in, now ready for this new tactic.
"So, what? We shoot Tyson with this green paintball, he realizes that it's Grover's and goes ballistic on him?" Thalia guessed, correctly. Percy and Nico gave her a gentle nod in the dark. "And, what if the big lug doesn't realize that it's Grover's?"
"I'm sorry. It just sounded like you just called my brother stupid." Percy asked politely, cocking his head to one side.
"Well, what if he doesn't realize it?" Thalia asked again.
"In that case, we get another one and shoot it at Juniper. Her's are a purple color, so she knows who has what color." Annabeth explained. Thalia simply rolled her eyes in the dark, unseen except by Nico. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, as if to say 'Come on, be hopeful.'
"It's about time for the first clock to go off." Percy noticed. As if on cue, Tyson screamed, the sound of a paintball gun firing filling the air.
"Go time." Annabeth noted. She began to roll out from behind her TV, but was stopped by Nico.
"Wait. Can we do one thing on the way there?" Nico asked, his eyes pleading in the darkness.
"Fine." Annabeth sighed. Nico rolled out ahead of her.
"Da na na nanana Da na na nanana Da nanana da nananana Doo doo doooo doo doo doooo doo doo doo Doo ah." Nico hummed the Mission Impossible theme song, rolling around with his team mates. He rolled underneath a shopping cart, sitting there for a moment then standing up and walking the rest of the way. Grover's voice mixed in with Tyson's crying.
"Tyson! Don't waste your ammo! We need this stuff!" Grover scolded. Percy stood up, looking slightly angry. Nico stopped humming the Mission Impossible theme song and asked for something more sinister from Thalia.
"Twilight Zone?" Thalia asked, shrugging. They started humming it, recieving an eye roll from Annabeth. Then, she started humming it too. Percy ran straight over to the garden section, jumping straight over a tall worker. He shot and spun around in the air, as if he was on the Matrix. Annabeth's jaw dropped. Percy was going in slow motion in the air, while everyone else was going in a normal speed. Team Rainbow stopped firing, watching in amazement. Tyson looked up at his brother, apparently as confused as the rest of the group. Grover put down his gun and jumped up, grabbing Percy. They fell together, landing with a loud thud.
"You okay?" Grover asked.
"Yeah. A freaking water hose got caught wrapped around my chest. I guess they have these things on some kind of slide." Percy gasped, trying to regain his breath. He stood up, helped up Grover, and dusted himself off.
"You want to try that again?" Grover asked, picking his gun back up.
"Yeah. We'll go back through and try a different tactic." Percy nodded thankfully. Team Olympians turned and walked away, until something green pegged Percy in the back. It bounced off harmlessly, shooting back at Grover. The 'Ow!' that followed made both groups laugh.
"Not cool! You're invincible!" Grover laughed.
"Yeah? Well, you and Juniper can control plants, and Tyson could make traps. Technically, you guys have the upper hand." Annabeth pointed out, still walking away. The alarm clock was still ringing behind Team Rainbow. Tyson looked around, finally finding the annoying piece of technology. Then, something above them crackled and a voice came on the intercom.
"Attention shoppers, we advise that you do not play with the merchandise, nor have paintball fights in the store. Thank you." Both teams dropped their guns, fell to their knees, and shouted loudly, "THE GODS HAVE SPOKEN!!!!" Then, they all got up and returned to their bases. Along the way, Percy stopped them in the hunting aisle. He spotted a few fishing rods laying out, some foam blocks, and sunglasses.
"All right. Everyone take a foam block and some sunglasses. Annabeth, grab a fishing pole." Percy instructed.
"Why?" Annabeth asked, already knowing the answer. Percy still had one alarm clock with him, an old time one that wouldn't stop ringing until you found it and slammed your fist on the top. He hooked it to one pole, and handed it to Annabeth.
"We can use the foam blocks as shields and the sunglasses make us look cooler. When we go back there, sling the line over the water hose I got stuck on. Then, throw the pole into a shelf and leave it there. I've wound this thing up all the way, and set it to go off in ten minutes. If you do this now, we could come back in ten minutes, and scare the hell out of 'em." Percy explained. Annabeth nodded and ran off to do as she was told.
"You know, for a Seaweed Brain, you are really crafty." She teased on her return. Percy smiled contently and put on some black sunglasses
"Okay. Now, we're the Matrix." Nico said seriously. "Oh. Wait. Thalia, go get a Barbie doll and a sharpie. Preferably a red headed doll." Thalia smiled and went to retrieve the item. Nico broke some fishing line off of a pole and stood there for a moment. Thalia returned, giving both items to Nico. He turned around, customising the item. He showed the results to the group. They all laughed and nodded. Nico tied the fishing line around the doll's body, making it stand up even if he dragged it around.
"And now, we get this on Juniper." He finished.
"When?" Annabeth asked.
"Well, we could either do it now with you and your cap, or, we could do it during the chaos that will reign in the next..... four minutes." Nico turned around and shot at a large mannequin. It sighed and walked away, it's fake feet slamming against the ground. Grover grumbled under his breath and walked back to the garden. Nico silently walked behind him, bending down and ran the line around his shoe, the Barbie doll following him. The team threw high fives all around.
"He should know by now that he has horns that kinda stick out of his head. Now, if this works, Tyson will freak out and think it's Chuckie trying to get Grover." Thalia laughed.
"Why did you draw blood all over it's mouth, Nico?" Percy asked, his ribs should have been hurting from laughter.
"Dramatic effect." Nico shrugged. He pulled his gun in front of him and walked away silently. He motioned for the other's to follow him and they found themselves in the Girl's toy aisle, where two figures were playing with My Little Ponies.
"Tyson, we're too old for this." Juniper said, still playing with hers.
"No! Rainbow still fun!" He protested, his one brown eye filled with joy. Nico sighed, signaling that they were there.
"Oh...Hey, guys." Juniper said nonchalantly. She picked something up, tossing it between her hands. The item looked like a tube filled with purple icing. But then, Percy looked again. It was a tube filled with purple paint, both ends tied with rubber bands, but one band was curving up the tubing, frayed. Juniper gave it a little toss, bailing with her wagon and Tyson. Percy was the first to react. He picked up the paint grenade, trying to toss it back to them, but it stuck. They had put super glue all over one side! Percy stood there, shaking the grenade in his hand, trying to get it off. The band was an inch away from the top when Nico realized something. He walked over to Percy, sticking his hands to the grenade. He slip the band down and broke it, his glued on hand sealing it. Percy nodded appreciatively.
"Aw, Crap." Nico realized what he had just done. Eventually, the super glue would come off and explode on the two men. And, if not, their mobility was now restricted by the object that now joined them together. Percy's eyes grew wide, as if he too just realized the horrible truth. Then, something hit him. Annabeth pulled her hand back and hit his hand again.
"What are you doing?" Percy asked.
"Well, if we get your hand off, Nico will be safe. See, the end that you have isn't tearing at all. And, since Nico's hand is holding it, it shouldn't go off. Plus, Nico could go in to their garden, and set it off." Annabeth explained.
"So, basically, this is a paintball suicide strategy?" Nico asked. He shrugged, oddly all right with the fact that he was being used. Percy's hand came off, with a rip. He looked down, finding a small part of the tube stuck to his hand. The group stopped. This meant that there was a hole in it, about to leak out. The pressure would release all at once. Nico's other hand shot out, sealing the hole with his thumb. He had to drop his gun, but he wouldn't need it. He lifted his hands behind his head, placing them behind his back like he was wearing hand cuffs. He marched silently to the garden, allowing Tyson to see him without his gun.
"Nico, no gun!" Tyson told the two heads that poked out from the bushes beside him. Grover popped up fully, carrying his gun.
"Why are you here without a gun?" Juniper asked.
"They took my gun. I screwed up by finding you guys. Percy is pretty mad, now that he's more purple than Barney." Nico faked tears. He had learned how to do this from Travis when he was 13. He never used it against Grover, Juniper, or Tyson because they could sense emotion, but they had never been near him whenever he cried, so they had no idea what his sadness felt like. Juniper popped out, giving him a hug and pulling him towards their base. Nico sat down, noticing all the items they had. Two more grenades sat nearby, one green and one orange.
"Did you guys use all your extra paintballs on those?" Nico asked, tears landing on his pants as he sat cross legged. Grover nodded solemnly. Tyson looked over at Nico, noticing the item behind his back. Nico stood up and yawned and sniffled. He stretched, as if he were tired. The alarm clock went off high above them, causing Team Rainbow to look around for the item. Then, he brought his arms out in front of himself and pulled them apart. Purple paint splattered everywhere. Juniper had hidden behind a large bag of fertilizer. A hand reached out over the top of it, a paintball gun shooting at Nico. Nico ducked, grabbing the two other grenades and ran like hell hounds were after him. Percy and Annabeth were nearby, returning Juniper's fire. Nico tossed one to Percy, who switched places with Thalia. Thalia was shooting at Tyson, who had recovered from the chaos and was returning Annabeth's fire. Nico tossed the green grenade to Percy, but a huge venus fly trap appeared, swallowing the grenade. A moment later, Grover sent the grenade back over the bushes and towards Nico and Percy.
"Disperse!" Annabeth ordered. They all spread out, avoiding the paint. They had all left their shields on the floor as the grenade came in. The venus fly trap leaned over, eating them all. Percy cursed under his breath in the aisle straight across from Nico. Grover's gun jammed, causing him to fall back. He switched out CO2 cartridges and returned to the fight. Percy ran out in front, carrying his and Nico's guns. He ran across the space, heading towards Nico. Nico tossed something shiny out into the clearing, ready for his gun.
"Quarter!" Tyson said happily and ran out to retrieve it.
"No!" Grover yelled, putting down his gun. Nico grabbed his gun from Percy and started to climb up the aisle. He got to the top and swung himself over a water hose, hanging upside down. He took aim and fired at Tyson. The Cyclops crouched down at the last second to retrieve the coin. Percy followed Nico's example and climbed up onto the hose. He took Nico's gun and nodded. Nico looked down at Grover, who was now trying to shoot him. Nico took the rubber band off of Tyson's grenade.
"Sorry, Tyson!" Nico apologized. He dropped the grenade, looking down at the battle field. Annabeth was below, trying to put more paintballs in her gun. Then, the grenade went off. Orange paint splattered all around, even covering Annabeth. Annabeth fell over, surprised by this attack.
"No!" Percy yelled. He shoved the guns into Nico's hands and dropped. He landed on his feet, running over to Annabeth and grabbing her. He started to cry, his tears mixing in with the paint on Annabeth's face.
"How...how could you?!" Percy cried out, getting angry.
"I'm sorry!" Nico fell, landing beside Percy. Percy gave him a serious look, then winked. 'Check her pulse' Percy mouthed. Nico nodded and did so. He motioned for Thalia to come over.
"She's...she's...." Thalia cried, getting the hint. Grover and Juniper came over, looking down at her.
"My ears are buzzing." Nico lied, trying to sound alarmed. Grover and Juniper had set their guns down beside Team Olympians's guns. Nico picked up their's, throwing them back into the bushes out of mock anger.
"I'm....I'm..." Juniper stammered, unable to get the words out. Thalia grabbed her gun and walked away, heading towards Tyson who was still trying to pick up the quarter. She pressed the barrel of her gun to his back.
"You're.....you're... Gullible, for one." Percy cried. He picked up Annabeth's gun and gave it to her.
"So not cool!" Grover punched Percy on the chest. Percy just laughed.
"It was just too easy!" Nico agreed, pointing his gun at Grover's back. Grover put one hand up, but then, his other hand went to his pocket. An absolutely huge paint grenade was there, colors mixing together to form an ugly vomit like color.
"While you guys weren't looking, I had my fly trap steal your extra paint balls. It took a few moments to put this thing together. Now, I'm going to set it off so this is a tie." Grover laughed evilly. Juniper looked over at Nico, holding up Percy's gun. Nico ran, avoiding the volley of paintballs that followed him. Team Olympians followed, standing over by the entrance to the garden. The automatic door closed behind them, and they all laughed at Team Rainbow. Grover cocked his head to the side, wondering what was so funny. Then, he realized it. He had stepped on the tube of super glue he had used to make the grenades and was stuck in a puddle of the bonding mixture. Then, something shot towards him, hitting him in the head. A rubber band, painted all the colors in the grenade.
"Here's your rubber band back!" Annabeth called as the doors opened for her. She took her hands from behind her back, revealing her invisibilty cap.
"Grea---" Grover never got a chance to finish, as the pressure inside the grenade went off. Team Rainbow looked more like Team Tossed-My-Cookies. Percy walked in, helping Grover out of the super glue. Nico grabbed Thalia's hand, who grabbed Annabeth's, who grabbed Percy's, and so on, until everyone had joined hands. He ran into a wall, shadow traveling them to the empty lobby of their hotel.
"Wow. It's already noon. That took three hours!" Percy laughed.
"You'd think we'd have been smart enough to read the alarm clocks we were toying with. That was a great idea though." Annabeth complimented. She leaned up against Percy, standing on her tip toes. He wiped some orange paint off of Annabeth's face and kissed her. Grover leaned over and kissed Juniper. Tyson looked around for a moment, finding a broken suitcase wheel on the floor, picked it up, and hugged it. Thalia and Nico stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do.
"Um...great job? It was nice fighting with you?" Nico said, unsure of what he should do.
'Um...yeah. Same to, Same to you." Thalia replied, shaking his hand. The group split up, each going to their own rooms. They all showered and changed, getting the paint off of their bodies. It was around two when a piece of paper fell onto Percy's bed. He looked up from the TV, grabbed it and read it. It smelled of salt water and a fresh breeze, signaling the letter's author.
Dear Percy, Tyson, and friends,
Take the rest of the day off. Relax a little by the pool, maybe go to the beach later.
Love,
Poseidon.
"Well, that's the first letter I've gotten that actually said 'love' from a god." Percy laughed. He quickly let Annabeth read the letter and they spread the word. Nico sat on the bed, nervously. He had already changed into his swimming trunks, but was now waiting for Thalia to come out of the bathroom. If I mention her bathing suit at all, she'll kill me. Then, she'll try to kill Hermes. Nico thought. He got up off of the bed and decided to head to the pool before she could get out of the bathroom.
"Thalia, I'm going down to the pool." He announced, shutting the door behind him. He too the elevator down, ran into the indoor pool, and slipped on the wet floor, landing next to Percy in the deep end. Percy looked up, his body completely dry. Nico struggled to tread water, surprised by the temperature of the water. It was ice cold, colder than a hospital room.
"Here. Let me help." Percy lifted Nico with the water, solidifying the water underneath them. Nico stood up, nodding his thanks.
"So, why are you here early?" Percy asked.
"Well...." Nico explained what all had happened the last few days and what he had seen in Thalai's dresser.
"No way. She's going to be so mad!" Percy laughed at his cousin.
"Come on! You have to help me out! I'll need you to distract me every time I start to do anything stupid." Nico pleaded. Percy looked up for a moment, then dipped underwater. Nico sighed, took a big breath and went under. He watched for a moment as Percy sat at the bottom, thinking of what to do. He saw over to Nico and created an underwater bubble for him.
"Why should I?" Percy raised an eyebrow.
"Well, if I do anything stupid, Zeus will send a bolt down for me. Because I'm in water, we will all be shocked. Badly." Nico added. Percy nodded his head in agreement.
"All right. I'll do it." Percy said quickly. The others entered the pool, their feet becoming visible under the surface. Percy jerked his thumb up, destroying his air bubble. Nico swam upwards, looked around, and then froze in the water.
