Note: Hello! :D I am back! And with a new chapter! :D I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! I apologize in advance if there are any major grammar mistake or typos! It's 2 in the morning here, and my eyes are droopy! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson! :(
-.-
Chapter 8
Travis and Conner Stoll grinned madly at each other.
Thalia was going to kill them, but who cared? Katie was going to bite their heads off, but who cared either? They were on a mission to retrieve their dad's sandals…and maybe snagging it to themselves until they get back to Olympus.
Grover, Tyson, Thalia and the Hunters have gone to the other side of the Canary Islands to retrieve Apollo's lyre and Artemis's bow. And since the map did say that the sandals were located on the other side of the Island, Travis and Conner felt that it would be a waste of time to stay in the ship and have the selected group find both item when they could split and get them back at the same time.
Genius, isn't it?
Travis hopped on a stone and scanned the area. "Don't see anything flying, bro. Do you have anything?"
Conner, who sat on the tallest tree, called back, "Nope. Nothing but endless greenery and trees!"
"Do you think we should go east or west?" Travis asked, looking at both directions. They both looked the same with trees lining both sides of the path they were on.
Conner jumped down. "East."
Travis shrugged. "Okay."
They took two steps towards the eastern path when both their eyes caught something zooming by. They paused, eyes wide.
"Did you just see what I just saw?" Conner asked.
"I do believe we both saw the same thing you and I saw." Travis answered.
"That doesn't even make sense!"
"Who said it should?"
Conner suddenly grinned. "First one to catch it keeps it!" and he took off to the west.
"That's not fair!" Travis yelled, following his brother.
The little wings attached to the brown sandals fluttered insistently; giving it it's all to escape the two men running after it. It turned a sharp left and the two men stumbled and slammed head first into a tree.
The sandals paused above them, and the Stolls could swear, if non-living objects could laugh, their father's sandals were doing just that!
"Cheeky little things…" Travis murmured, getting up.
The sandals circled around their heads once, before taking off at lightning speed; the Stolls followed. It led them towards the thicker part of the forest where tree branches popped out of nowhere and scratched their faces.
Conner moaned in pain as a particularly nasty branch caught him right in the middle of his cheek. "Wish we brought with us the cannon. We would have been able to blast it off."
"And then, what would we have given back to Father exactly?" Travis demanded, trying to jump up and grab the sandals in his hands.
The sandals, cheerfully, fluttered away.
Conner grunted. "Do you think if we sprayed it with a flying insect killer spray it'll cool down?"
Travis grinned. "That's a great idea."
The sandals paused as if to stare incredulously at the two men. It was not an insect! Travis and Conner took the opportunity and lunged. The sandals flew up and the two men fell face-first into the dirt.
They groaned.
Abruptly, the sandals changed course and slammed into Conner's chest just as he was about to get up, knocking him down again.
"Gods of Olympus!" he cried out, dazed. "What is wrong with these things!?"
Travis gulped. "Uh, Conner…hold on tight to them."
"What? What's wrong?" Conner asked, sitting up.
His eyes widened.
As tall as Cyclops went, the Stolls had only ever interacted with Tyson, who was kind and a bit childish, but definitely not scary. The Cyclops in front of them seemed to be twice the size of Tyson and meaner—a lot meaner.
Conner grabbed the sandals in his hands, slowly backing away. "Run?"
"Can we outrun it?" Travis murmured, readying his sword.
"Try…" Conner swallowed.
The Cyclops bellowed.
The Stolls scrambled backwards, running for their lives. The huge creature followed. Branches scratched their arms, neck, and face brutally. The sandals were trying to flutter out of Conner's hands, but he kept a good grip on them. The Stolls stumbled out of the woods only to find themselves slammed into the ground.
Travis spat out some grass. "Not cool!"
Conner rolled away as the Cyclops swung his hand. He missed Conner by a few inches.
Travis charged and stabbed the Cyclops leg.
The creature whined and swung his leg forward, trying to get rid of the pain. Travis jumped back.
"Give me the sandals for a minute!" Travis exclaimed.
"Why?" Conner replied, dodging the huge leg.
"Just do it." His brother said, kicking off his shoes. Conner ran around the Cyclops and threw the sandals at his brother. Travis caught them and slipped them on his feet.
The wings fluttered, indignantly.
"I know I am not my dad," Travis grumbled. "But just help me for a bit." He levitated off the ground as Conner charged the Cyclops with his own sword, trying to distract the creature from his brother.
However, the sandals wouldn't cooperate. Travis cried out as he found himself dangling upside down in thin air. He watched the world tilt and his brother go sideways. The sandals' wings fluttered quickly and Travis found himself going sideways in the air and being swung by a pair of flying footwear.
"Oi! I just want your cooperation for a minute! Is that too hard to ask?!" he shouted.
The sandals slammed him into a tree.
"Are you alright up there?" Conner yelled, rolling away from the Cyclops.
"Had better days!" Travis shouted back.
"You know, I expect your help any moment now!"
"That would be awesome! If I had any idea how to control these things…" Travis's words trailed off as the sandals carried him in a wide arc around the Cyclops' head.
The creature paused, confused, and its one eye traveled around with Travis. From his position upside down, Travis grinned and waved his hand at their assaulter. "Sup, buddy?"
The Cyclops roared and swung his hand. The sandals flew up, dragging Travis upwards in the air.
"Let me have a try at it, Travis!" Conner said, running in between the Cyclops's legs. "It looks fun!"
"Doesn't feel fun!" his brother shouted. "Gods, I think I am going to be sick!"
An arrow shot past Conner's ear. It sat itself in the Cyclops cheek and the monster bellowed, irritatingly. Dozens of arrows shot quickly from the tree's protection, embedding themselves on the Cyclops' face. One caught him in the eye.
The monster wailed loudly, turned around, and pounded his way to the other way. It disappeared into the forest in a few minutes.
Conner stood up, shaking himself. "That was creepy."
"Travis! Conner!"
Conner winced. Thalia, Grover, and Tyson emerged from the forest—the daughter of Zeus looking furious. "What in Hades' name did you think you were doing? And where's Travis?"
Conner gave a sheepish smile. "We are saving time…and, uh, Travis is…"
Travis suddenly appeared in front of Thalia's face, upside down, and grinning. "Hello, beautiful…"
She punched him.
Travis staggered backwards, the sandals at his feet fluttering cheerfully. "You don't have to be so cruel, Thalia. Besides, I need help."
Tyson clapped his hands, delighted. "Flying shoes. Yay!" he moved forward, took hold of Travis's waist. He righted the son of Hermes and kept him still as Travis kicked the sandals off. Conner secured them with his hands.
Thalia scowled. "Let's get going. We need to meet Percy and Nico at the appointed place. I hope they found Annabeth…" and she hoped Jason and the rest were well in their quest.
-.-
The green tentacles succeeded in circling the ship.
Jason wasn't sure if they were allowed to cut the vines off. Demeter would sure understand, wouldn't she? From above, Frank cried out and quickly fluttered his eagle wings. He landed on the deck.
"It's coming from the pot. Something is agitating the plant. I couldn't see clearly, but it's like something is digging up the roots!" he reported.
"No wonder it wants to hug our ship! It's in pain!" Leo said, grinning. "So? Should I burn some green roots?"
"Lady Demeter would be very mad if you did," Piper said.
"Maybe we should jump over and see what's digging up its roots." Hazel suggested.
The green tentacle jerked the ship to the left. Demigods lost their footings and toppled towards the railing, where they hung on for dear life. Jason wrapped his arm around Piper as she began to sway.
"This is not good…" she whispered, holding her breath.
Octavian was screaming on the helm, holding on to his stuffed bears and the wheel. "Gods! Someone cut that thing off now! How cares what those Greeks say—"
Fluff the eagle, which was holding into the railing of the helm, fluttered his wings and landed on the wheel and proceeded to peak Octavian's temple furiously. The auguries reader yelled, stumbling away from the eagle.
Fluff cornered him to the deck's railing, where Octavian had to hold on it and clutch his teddy bears into his chest. Fluff glared at him, crying out in indignation: Stupid human!
"Frank, take Leo over towards the pot! Leo, use your fire to burn up whatever is digging up the roots of the plant! Legion, secure the ship!" Reyna ordered.
Frank shape-shifted into an eagle again, offered his claw, and they both soared above the green vines that slashed through the air irritatingly. The demigods on the deck began scrambling effortlessly towards their stations—but it was proving difficult with the vines tilting the ship.
"Woohoo!" Leo screamed from the air. "This is awesome! And the thing that's irritating the plant?! Piper, I think it's your brother, Cupid!"
"What?" Piper demanded, incredulous.
A thick vine was coming down on Jason and Piper rapidly. Jason summoned the winds, carried him and Piper out of the way just as the vine slammed into the place they were kneeling at.
"Do you get what Valdez is talking about?" she demanded, her eyes furious.
"I think he said it was your brother, Cupid…"
"What in Hades—"
"It's true, Beauty Queen!" Leo yelled. "The little guy is in diapers and cackling like mad while digging a hole."
Frank the eagle rolled his eyes. He lowered Leo as close as he could to the small island the pot of barley sat on. Leo rolled into the sand, ninja style, and made his way quickly like a panther towards the pot.
"Boo!" Leo yelled.
The toddler paused, sat up straight, and turned around. He was only clad in diapers and he looked at Leo curiously.
"You agree wheat is better than barley as well?" he asked.
Leo blinked. "Uh…"
The toddler grinned. "You can help me get rid of this barley then! That old lady placed it here, just to spite me…" the little toddler's eyes clouded with anger. "She must have known…she must have…"
Leo nodded. "Sure. I could help. You hate this pot of barley, don't you?"
"It's in my wheat territory!" the toddler shouted.
"Right. How about you give me the pot? I'll take it far, far away, and it'll never come back to your…uh, territory. How does that sound, Cupid?"
The baby scowled. "I am not Cupid. I am the wheat grain spirit—a Karpoi."
Leo smiled like he understood; when in reality he had no clue what the small Cupid was talking about. His ears were ringing with his friends' cries. From the corner of his eye, he could see Jason flying around and dodging the green vines, trying to distract it from the Rome.
"How about it, kid? Wanna give me the pot?"
Leo stretched his hand out.
The grain spirit jumped back, eyeing Leo's hand suspiciously. "She told my brothers about you."
Leo paused. "What?"
"You're the fire bender! You have come here to destroy our crops, haven't you?" the toddler screamed. "I won't allow you!"
The Karpoi launched itself on Leo, securing its arms around Leo's neck. For a moment, the son of Hephaestus panicked. His hands caught fire and the grain spirit screamed and jumped off him. Leo patted his hands against his shirt, trying to extinguish the fire, charring his shirt in the process.
A few feet away, the green vines ceased their advances on the Rome. Jason was slowly lowering himself toward the ship's deck. Fluff the eagle circled around the ship's mast, crying in approval.
The grain spirit glared at Leo. "You are trying to destroy our fields!"
"Look, Cupid, dude! I don't want to destroy anything, alright? I just want the pot and I'll leave the fields alone!"
"Liar! She said you would be lying. She said that you would try and take it by force!"
"You know I am beginning to seriously hate the 'she' who's behind everything, apparently," Leo murmured.
The Karpoi had his back to the pot, so he did not notice when the vines began shrinking to their normal size again. But Leo did. He could see Frank sneaking up behind the spirit, attempting to retrieve the pot.
Their eyes met. They both nodded.
"Listen Cupid, I am not taking anything by force." Leo grinned. "In fact, I'll just be going now." Leo made his way causally towards the edge of the water.
The spirit blinked. "You're leaving…?"
"Yup."
"You're not going to destroy our fields?"
"Nope."
The mini-Cupid frowned.
Frank was beside the pot now. Leo grinned as Frank shape-shifted into an eagle, the pot between his peaks, and soared quickly to the sky.
The spirit screamed. "What the—?"
Frank lowered himself. Leo jumped and clung to its claw as they both soared back towards the ship, leaving the mini-Cupid to scream at them some foul words that Leo would rather not repeat.
"Lying fire bender—took it by force—you—"
"So long, Cupid!" Leo called back, waving.
The Rome was making its way away from the island already. Frank lowered Leo towards the deck, dropped the pot into his hands, before changing back. Hazel walked forward towards them.
"Are you okay?" she demanded, curving her hand around Frank's elbow.
He smiled. "Never better." He glanced at Leo. "Good job, Valdez."
Leo thrust the pot in the air. "We have a winner!"
Piper and Jason rolled their eyes.
Reyna tried to keep her lips from twitching. "It'll be dark soon. We should meet up with the rest before the morning if we want to make it to Olympus by sunset tomorrow."
No one noticed the mist that crept over the blue sea, becoming thicker and thicker as it swirled towards the sailing Rome. The ship was a dot in the horizon before it disappeared from view completely.
-.-
Annabeth wanted to run her dagger through Luke Castellan, but two things kept her from doing so. One, he was holding her bridal style with her arms trapped between his chest and her side. Two, he was the only one who could actually run and right now, he was running away from the advancing Hydra like crazy.
Maybe she'll run him for suddenly grabbing her and holding her later. Right now, she just wanted to get out of this alive.
She wasn't sure where Luke is going, but she could smell the sea more prominently now.
Again, she wished Percy was here…
The Hydra behind them roared and spat out a column of fire. Annabeth's eyes widened. "Duck!"
Luke did as he was told, crouching and rolling to the side just in time. The fire caught the trees and barks and the smell of smoke penetrated the air. Annabeth coughed.
Luke sprinted again. In a few seconds, they found themselves on the beach again with the Hydra still roaring behind them. The sun was almost setting.
"You can put me down now!" Annabeth demanded.
Luke stared at her. "You can't fight it."
"What is it to you?"
"Your leg is not healed."
"What in Hades—"
The Hydra rammed its way through the trees and into the smooth sand of the beach, rearing its five ugly heads at the two demigods. Annabeth and Luke backed away.
The middle head spat out some acid. Annabeth rolled to the side just in time. The acid hit the place she stood at perfectly.
"Good aim," she admitted, grudgingly.
Luke drew his sword and charged the Hydra. He was able to slash at its feet, before he jumped away as the Hydra swatted its leg forward.
Annabeth expanded her shield and drew out her knife. She cautiously advanced towards the Hydra, trying to recollect any information about it. It grew two more heads if one head was cut off. It was one of Hercules's labors. Hercules has defeated it. She didn't feel like she was Hercules at the moment.
She watched as Luke ran between the Hydra's legs, slashing and stabbing. The monster was roaring in annoyance and pain. One head turned towards Annabeth, and breathed fire. The daughter of Athena raised her shield. The fire collided with the bronze metal full force. Annabeth grunted, feeling her leg wobble under her. The force of the fire was too much. Once it ceased, she found herself on the sand, panting, and her shield smoking.
"Annabeth! Move!" Luke yelled, dodging one Hydra's head as it snapped at him.
Easy for him to say, she thought, bitterly. I can't move…
The fire-breathing head reared back, eyeing Annabeth with glee. Annabeth stared at it, feeling helpless.
I am a daughter of Athena, she was screaming to herself. Get up and fight.
But she couldn't. Her leg hurt so badly. She didn't even have the strength to crawl. She should have drunk the whole bottle of nectar. Ugh, just great…
The Hydra opened its mouth. Annabeth closed her eyes just as it breathed the fire out.
Percy!
Cool mist sprayed at her face. Annabeth's eyes snapped open, wide with astonishment at the wall of water that stood between her and the fire. The water sizzled and gave out a warm steam. The fire ceased. The water wall stood tall and proud and protective.
Water…
"Percy…?" she blinked, astonished.
"Hey, you ugly monster!" she heard his voice yelling from the other side of the water wall. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size, huh?"
There was a roar and then a splash and then a howl. Then, she heard Nico's voice: "Castellan?! What are you doing here?"
"Nice to see you as well, di Angelo." Luke's reply was sarcastic.
"You two, get out of the way!" Percy yelled.
The wall of water that surrounded Annabeth suddenly collapsed. It moved with lightning speed towards the unsuspecting Hydra. It crashed full force at the monster; it howled in pain.
Percy stood just a few feet in front of her, swinging his hands towards the open sea. The water obeyed and dragged the Hydra towards the sea as the monster struggled and splashed in wild abdomen. But Percy's influence on the water was stronger.
As the Hydra splashed in the middle of the water, Percy turned towards Annabeth. She blinked.
He ran up to her, kneeling down beside her. "Annabeth…" he breathed, looking her over. "Are you okay? Did it hurt you?"
"No." Annabeth answered, still blinking. "You…came."
"Of course I did," he gave her that sarcastic grin that she fell in love with, his eyes sparkling. He reached out and wrapped her in his arms. "Of course."
She clung to him then, fighting back the tears that threatened to overflow. "Oh gods, Percy, I was so worried…"
"Shh…" he soothed, running a hand through her curly, tangled hair. "You're safe now. I am here. We are together."
She nodded, burying her face into his chest.
Nico and Luke advanced towards them; Nico looking guilty, relieved, and happy. "Annabeth…" he cleared his throat.
She looked up at him; she smiled. "Nico! I am so glad you're okay."
"I should be the one to say that," he replied, guiltily. "I am sor—"
Annabeth cut him off. "It was not your fault. Don't worry about it. We're both here now, so it's okay."
"Didn't I tell you that Jackson will be here soon, Ms. Chase?" Luke said, looking smug.
Percy looked up at him, scowling. "What are you doing here, Castellan?"
"Investigating something for Chiron."
Nico looked at him, incredulously. "Chiron sent you willingly?"
Luke scowled. "Yes. Is that a problem, di Angelo?"
Nico opened his mouth to answer, but a roar from the Hydra cut him off. Percy waved his hand. Another wave crashed into the monster, dunking it and holding it in place.
"It's okay," Annabeth muttered, looking up at Percy. "He helped me. I have my mom's blueprint."
Percy, still scowling, looked down at Annabeth. "We can't exactly trust him, Annabeth."
"I know," she whispered back. "But he hasn't done anything to indicate that he isn't on our team…"
But Percy just shook his head. "You don't know—"
"Uh, guys…" Nico whispered, backing up a bit. Luke had drawn his sword again, taking his fighting stance. "We have a problem."
Percy and Annabeth looked up. Thick mist was crawling against the sand, sparkling lightly in the faded rays of the sun. The demigods looked behind them. The same mist was crawling towards them as well. It seemed to roll towards the sea, lapping playfully at the waves.
Annabeth's hands tightened on Percy's shirt. "What is that?"
Percy shook his head. "I don't know…"
The mist lapped at their feet now, and suddenly, Nico crumbled to the ground, unconscious.
"Nico!" Annabeth gasped, concerned.
Luke gasped eyes wide, before he; too, fell in a heap, eyes closed peacefully as the mist crawled over him.
"Oh gods, Percy, what—"
Her words died on her tongue as the mist crawled into her lap. It had the strangest smell—something she knew and loved. Books and the sea. It relaxed her. She could feel Percy relaxing in her arms as well, and before she knew it, he had slumped back to the sand with her resting on his chest.
She was so tired. Just a few minutes of rest…
Just a few…minutes…
The mist covered the four demigods completely, and when it blew away, nothing was left except the soft, smooth sand of the beach and the setting sun beyond the horizon.
-.-
When Thalia opened her eyes, she was surprised to see that the sky was dark. Oh gods, what happened? She remembered admonishing Travis and Conner for going after the sandals alone, making haste to the Poseidon's Sea Pearl with the crew, and then…nothing.
She sat up slowly, groaning as her back snapped in several places. She was still on the Sea Pearl's deck, from what she could see in the faint light of the lanterns. Most of the crew was sprawled on the ground, fast asleep.
Thalia stood up and walked over towards the deck's railing. She looked out at the vast void.
A chill ran down her spine. She had a sense of déjà vu. But they couldn't be at the Gates. No. That bridge was long since severed and forgotten. Then, where were they?
She could hear the sea slapping against the ship's body and then…oh gods, was that another ship?
She squinted. Sure enough, another ship was making its way towards the Sea Pearl. Thalia wasn't sure if it was a friendly ship or not, but she knew that she did not have the strength to fight it alone. The crew had to wake up.
She turned back and walked towards were Grover and Tyson were slumbering. She shook their shoulders roughly. "Tyson! Grover! Wake up!"
Grover rolled over, muttering, "Juniper…come back…"
Thalia rolled her eyes.
Tyson's big, brown eye blinked open, and he sat up, rubbing it. "Brother is here?"
Oh gods, she had completely forgotten about Percy, Annabeth, and Nico! How was she going to tell Percy that they were stuck somewhere unknown because of a thick mist attacked them? Even that sounded ridiculous to her ears.
"Hello? Is someone there?" a voice echoed.
The daughter of Zeus's head snapped up. She knew that voice.
"Jason?" she called back, rushing towards the railing as Tyson helped a groggy Grover up.
"Thalia!" Jason exclaimed, surprised, standing on the deck of the ship she saw advancing just a few moments ago. "What are you doing here? Better yet, where is here?"
"I don't know. We were traveling to get Percy, Annabeth, and Nico from a small island in the Atlantic, but then, some mist covered the whole ship…"
"Yeah, that's what happened to us too…" Jason muttered, looking confused.
Now that her eyes were adjusting to the semi-darkness around them, she could make out Piper's and Leo's faces. They waved at her when she greeted them. She saw Reyna, Hazel, and Frank surveying their surroundings.
"I can see land," Frank said, pointing forward. "Vast land…"
Sure enough, a huge island seemed to rise from the pit of the sea, taking shape and form right before their eyes. Jason and Thalia glanced at each other. "Should we…?"
"Might as well," her brother answered. "No other option."
"I don't like this…" Grover whispered from beside Thalia.
She had to agree.
Once both crews were up and able to get back to their stations, the two ships sailed side by side towards the island that seemed to flicker in and out of reality.
-.-
Percy blinked. He sure as Hades did not remember it being this dark the last time he was on the beach. And he sure as Hades was sure that the sand was smooth the last time he laid on it. Why did he lay on it in the first place?
Percy shifted. Annabeth murmured in protest, adjusting herself on his chest, and going back to her slumber.
The son of Poseidon blinked again. What had happened?
A few feet away from where he and Annabeth lay, he could see Nico di Angelo and Luke Castellan stirring slowly. He gently shook Annabeth's shoulder.
"Hey, Wise Girl, time to wake up."
She moaned disapprovingly. "Five more minutes, Seaweed Brain."
"But Annabeth, we need to get up. We are not on the same island anymore."
This seemed to get her back to her senses. She blinked her eyes open, sat up slowly and rolled away from his chest. Percy sat up as well.
"What do you mean: not the same island?" she asked, still a bit groggy. "What happened? Why were we asleep?"
"I don't know…"
The air was humid and hot. The sky was dark. And the only source of light were small lanterns that created a path through the dark abyss of the island. Percy could hear the sea, but he couldn't contact the hippocampi that brought him and Nico to the island in the first place. It seemed like the sea was devoid of any living creature…
"Perfect. Tell me we're lost…" Nico said, coming to stand beside Percy and Annabeth.
"We are lost." Luke confirmed.
"I did not mean it literally, Castellan!"
"Well, di Angelo, why did you ask it in the first place?"
"Why you—"
"Shh…" Percy hushed them, annoyed. "Something is coming."
Annabeth squinted. Two dots appeared in the dark sea. They were advancing with speed and the four demigods prepared their weapons; Percy positioning himself in front of Annabeth.
However, it turned out they didn't need their weapons since the two ships were familiar ones.
"Thalia!" Percy exclaimed. "Grover! Tyson!"
"Piper!" Annabeth yelled, happy to see her friend. Piper waved back, enthusiastic. "Annabeth! Oh, thank the gods, you are okay!"
Two gangplanks were lowered and the demigods greeted each other on the beach. Annabeth hugged Thalia and Piper tightly. She shook hands with Reyna and Hazel. The guys all clapped each other on the backs, congratulating each other for not dying so far.
Luke stood on the side, awkwardly, staring at the path created by the lanterns. He began walking through it.
"Where are you going, Luke?" Thalia called out.
Luke did not pause. "To see where this leads."
"Don't go there alone, Luke. It's dangerous, just wait—"
"Oh, thank you for your concern, Ms. Grace," Luke's voice was cutting, cold, and sarcastic. Thalia flinched. "But I don't need you to tell me what to do and what not to."
As the gang watched him disappear, Percy turned to his friends, "Who wants to follow Castellan on this?"
Annabeth frowned. "I think we have no choice. We were brought here for a reason. And the path was set for us."
"We'll be out of our mind if we follow, of course," Jason said, shaking his head.
"We already are, I guess," Leo said, grinning. "Let's go. Let's just hope we don't run into another mini-Cupid on the way. Your brother's are scary, Piper!"
Piper rolled her eyes. "For the last time, it's a Karpoi! Not Cupid! And they are not my brothers!"
"Whatever! He wore diapers! He was Cupid!" and Leo skipped towards the path, whistling happily.
Piper closed her eyes and looked up at the sky. "Gods of Olympus."
Jason took her hand. "Calm down, Pipes. He's Leo, after all."
"So, it's set? We're following?" Grover asked, munching his shirt.
"yes." Percy turned to his ship. "Travis, Conner, guard the ship!"
"Aye, aye, captain!"
Reyna turned to her own ship. "Octavian, stay aboard and protect the ship. Do not attack the Greeks, understood?"
"You want me to—" Octavian began, when Fluff flew out of nowhere, peaked his head, and continued its flight towards the Sea Pearl.
"Understood?" Reyna repeated.
"Yes." Octavian grumbled, wringing the teddy bear in his hand tightly.
The group of demigods looked at each other, nodded, and slowly began their walk through the lit path. The wind whistled around them, and they could have sworn they heard a faint, breathy laugh echo with it.
-.-
Note: Had to end it here, or else, it would have stretched and lost its quality! :D So, read and review! Do you think we can get the reviews up to 70? Please? :) Thank you for reading! I'll try and update soon! :D
P.S.: If you like Grover, humour, and Thalia, you should totally check out One Big Happy Family by Arrow of Artemis! You won't stop laughing! And it's pretty brilliant! Check it out now! :D
Keep a weather eye on the horizon! :)
Take care!
