I'm going to be researching mythology for the next few chapters so I'm not going to be updating as fast as I'd like to be. Just a heads up. There might be different versions of what happened in the mythology, so I'm saying, there is no wrong mythology, unless I completely made up the myth, which I won't do. Thanks for all those reviews! I really appreciate them. They're good motivators!
Disclaimer: I don't own HoO or PJO. Greek mythology belongs to no one, though.
Chapter 9:
REYNA
Pria collapsed into a heap on the ground. Good, she deserved it. Why didn't she give the quest to me? And why did Hazel and Bobby have to get in my way? They're not going to stop me, and they will be punished somehow for that. I glowered at Pria's unconscious body as Erin, head of the Trivia cabin, used her magic to float her off the ground and take her to the infirmary.
"It is confirmed that Percy will lead the quest. 'Together, the five lead by the sea's son.' Percy, you are the son of Neptune that the prophecy speaks about. Four others will go with you on your quest. Choose." Lupa commanded.
Percy looked confident and was taking everything in stride. Gods, I was hoping he would break down, so he would have to depend on me. But no, fate is always against me.
"Let's see… Bobby do you want to go?" I bet Bobby was blackmailing Percy to let him in somehow. Who would want to go with Bobby?
Bobby looked surprised, but thankful. "Sure, man." He grinned. "Let's do this!"
"Dakota? I know I tried to kill your best friend and everything, but I'd really appreciate it if you'd come." Percy asked sheepishly.
"Yeah, I'll go. But don't try anything." Dakota responded hostilely, narrowing his eyes.
"Er, okay." Percy looked over at Hazel. "Do you want to go with us?"
Hazel shook her head. "I don't do well in the cold… I used to live there, anyway, and I wouldn't like to go back." I heard some bitterness in her voice. Something to exploit? "I think I know some stuff about the Prophecy's lines though. I'll tell you them later." She looked pointedly at me. "You never know what might try and stop you. I think you should take Gwen, though. 'A child of the sea must lose the curse.' I think that's her."
"You're cursed?" Percy said blankly. Wow, he's really stupid.
Gwen shifted uncomfortably and mumbled "I'll tell you later."
"So, uh, do you want to go?" Percy said, obviously thrown.
Gwen looked up, eyes shining with hope. "Of course."
"Let's see, who else…" Percy muttered to himself, looking at the sea of faces, all looking back at him with pleading expressions. His gaze met mine and his eyes brightened.
"Reyna! Do you want to come?" Percy asked.
I beamed at him and casted a smug look at Bobby before saying "Why not? You never know when you need an archer."
"Okay, great." Percy said, relieved. "Well, that's the five, Lupa."
"Good. You will leave tomorrow morning. Be ready and get your packs. I will give you with whatever emergency supplies you need." Lupa rumbled.
"Alright! Wasn't this an exciting celebratory dinner?" He grinned at the crowd. They all stared back at him with dead eyes. "Okaaay." Percy wisely sat down.
"Now we begin Percy's feast." Lupa said. Food appeared on everyone's plates as usual, and we filed up by Legions to scrape a little bit of our meal into the sacrificial brazier. The food was a little fancier and luxurious, but really that much different than a regular meal.
I usually didn't send a prayer like I was supposed to but tonight, I prayed to Victoria, goddess of strength, speed, but most importantly to me, victory. If you think about it, it would be good to send a prayer for her every day. I would win everything.
"Give me strength, speed, and help me win over Percy." I murmured before sitting down at the First Legion table, right next to Percy.
"Hi," I smiled at him. "Are you excited for your new quest?"
"Yeah, it sounds… interesting and has healthy amounts of danger." He summed it up pretty well. "Have you gone any quests before?"
"Yes, with Jason. I was there to help him kill the Trojan sea monster. It was before Gwen…" I looked over at her. "Before she was cursed, as the prophecy says. She helped us find its underwater lair."
"Jason sounds like an interesting guy. Everyone I talk to seems to know him. I heard some stuff from Dakota, but what did he actually do?" Percy said curiously.
"Well, besides slaying the sea monster, he defeated a Titan. Krios, the starry one with the ram helmet. Yeah, the headgear wasn't really attractive. He was sent on a quest to find Pegasus and tame him for Neptune, which he did…" We talked together for the rest of the feast, me occasionally slipping hints that I liked him, and him blushing a little whenever he realized I said them. At first, I hadn't really liked him, but he was growing on me. He could still be an annoying idiot sometimes, though.
Eventually, dinner ended and Hazel motioned for Percy to follow her.
"I got to go. Bye." He smiled, green eyes flashing in the firelight. Then he strode off towards Hazel.
I'll find out what they're saying. I thought, and walked away with a triumphant smile on my face. I was slowly earning his trust.
I waited around for them to finish their conversation. Finally, Percy started walking to the cabins long after it became dark.
"Hey!" I called. He saw me and came over to me.
"I just have a few things to ask about the prophecy. Oh, and what were you two talking about?" I said casually.
"Well, Hazel said I shouldn't tell people, but I know can trust you." Gods, he is innocent. "She said Alaska's nickname is the land of the midnight sun, so I guess we're going to Alaska. It makes sense for the snow queen to be there. I know I'm the lost one in the prophecy, so I guess if I get my memories back, you guys will have to trust me. It doesn't make my past sound so… good." Percy looked wistfully in the distance. "I wish I could remember. I want to know if I had friends and family. But at the same time, I don't. What if my past is horrible? Plus, the bay that supposedly holds my memories has the people trying to stop us. Why would we want to go there if we're going to get ambushed? Who's the unseen person? Who's the patron and its son? I just have so many questions…" He trailed off uncertainly.
"You trust me, right?" I asked. I stepped closer to him.
"Yeah, of course."
"Then you should know I'm always going to be at your side. I'll always be there." That sounded so cheesy, but I guess Percy is a sucker for those kind of things.
I put my arms around his neck and kissed him. I really didn't like him that much, but he was a natural leader, and I could gain from being close to that much power. A son of Neptune that has bathed in the River Styx. Not too bad, Reyna.
Percy pulled away too soon. He stepped back, taking my arms off of him.
"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned for me. Why couldn't he just accept this and go?
"I—I can't. I think I already have a girlfriend. I'm sorry, Annabe-Reyna." His face reddened when he mixed up my name with the other girl's.
"Oh, come on. You can barely even remember her!" I exasperatedly complained.
"She's important… I can't just pretend she never existed."
"Someone else can be important, too. You don't have to limit yourself." I tried to convince him, but no avail.
"No, Reyna." His voice hardened, but his eyes betrayed the fact that my argument made an impact somewhere in that thick skull.
He backed away and then slowly stalked off towards the Neptune cabin. I muttered angrily under my breath.
"You will come back. You just don't know it yet."
I'm sorry, Percebeth fans. If you can't tell from the way I created her character, I'm a Jason/Piper person. I'm not really that strong of a fan for Jason/Piper and Percy/Annabeth, so Percebeth fans with have to suffer through some parts of my story. I just want to make the meeting between Annabeth and Reyna awkward. And the Piper and Reyna meeting. That'll be fun. :D Anyway, that was kind of short, but really it was a filler chapter. It's just leading up to Gwen and Percy's conversation. Review!
Viper SirenGirl, Yeah, Percy falling for Reyna isn't the most original idea, but I think it makes it more interesting.
