(A/N) I hope I didn't make any of you throw up or anything, but this is a horror story. Don't worry, that was probably the most disgusting thing that is going to happen. No more grossness. I swear it on the Styx. *thunder rumbles overhead* AW COME ON.

Disclaimer: I do not own PJO

Chapter Nine: Acacia

Piper POV

"We have to hurry! Jason is suffering. I can feel it." I called to Leo, putting extra charmspeak into my voice for good measure.

"I'm going as fast as I can, Beauty Queen!" Leo snapped in reply, but his voice was sort of robotic; the effects of the charmspeak.

"When are we going to get there?" Percy called over the roaring of the wind. It had been at least twelve hours since our encounter with Tempest and the other venti and we were already halfway across the country, but I knew that Percy was just as worried as I was; Percy had sent an IM to Nico, telling him to collect the Stygian Ice, but the reply was something that none of us wanted to hear:

"The Stygian Ice will be no problem, Perce, but Jason-how should I say this?-kind of…GAUGEDHISEYEBALLOUTWITHASPOON." Nico had said so quickly that we'd asked him to repeat. The son of Hades took a deep breath and started again. "Jason has been showing violent tenancies ever since he passed the forty-day mark. He growls and snarls at people, he still isn't eating, and his temper is out of control. Just a few minutes before you sent an IM to me…he…gauged his eyeball out with a spoon." The three of us had cringed and Leo had spurred Festus into maximum speed, which nearly ripped our faces off, so he slowed it to 'almost maximum speed.'

I was so lost in my own thoughts I nearly missed Leo's whoop of joy, "THERE IT IS; YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, BABY! MAGIC ACACIA, HERE WE COME!" We soared through the sky, passing packs of wolves who were running in perfect formation and herds of bison that were grazing in the rolling fields. Birds glided lazily alongside us as if a giant metal dragon was the most natural thing in the world. It was completely and totally beautiful. We'd passed Old Faithful and a few other geysers when Percy asked the dreaded question that we'd all had on our minds the minute we passed into Yellowstone.

"Umm…this is so big. Where to we start?" At this, Leo whistled and shook his head sadly.

"Didn't think of that one." He snorted and smoothly and expertly landed Festus in a particularly remote area of the park where no one was.

"Well Yellowstone is a super volcano. Maybe we can find the acacia in some of the lava chambers." I suggested. Leo and Percy laughed at this as if they were best buds sharing an inside joke. I knew that Percy and Leo didn't hang out enough to have any inside jokes that other people didn't know.

"Listen, Piper. I'm the son of Poseidon, so I don't burn easily and Leo doesn't even burn at all." Percy began. His tone sounded rather soothing, as if he were talking to a cornered animal. That did not help the slightest bit.

"Your point?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Percy took a deep breath, preparing to break the bad news to me. Seriously; we already had so much balancing on our shoulders. We didn't need another setback or worry.

"My point is that it's impossible for you and me to go into those lava chambers. Leo has to do it by himself." The two of us turned to Leo and the son of Hephaestus shrugged, stroking Festus' nose and not really paying attention to the conversation.

"But Percy, we have to do this together. We can't risk splitting up. We're a team." I argued and crossed my arms. Percy's eyes glazed for a moment and I realized that I'd accidentally charmspoken him. I hated when I did that; I had to train to get my charmspeak under control when we get back to Camp Half-Blood. Percy, though, was very powerful and very immune to charmspeak, so he just shook it off.

"Do you want to risk burning to death?" he scoffed. "I mean, we don't even know where the entrances to the lava chambers are."

"Such the eternal optimist." Leo scoffed and nonchalantly pressed a button that had been hidden behind Festus' ear. The dragon immediately charged off; barging through trees and causing nymphs to retreat in terror whilst cursing in ancient Greek about a stupid metal dragon. The three of us didn't hesitate; we followed him. It was very hard to keep up with a huge dragon, but he was made of Celestial Bronze and was very shiny, which also added to the fact that he was gigantic and made a cacophony wherever he went, so it really wasn't that difficult to lose him.

Finally, Festus emerged into a clearing. He stomped around and blew smoke out of his nose, his metal tail lashing back and forth. He pawed at the ground and pointed with his nose. The dragon creaked and squeaked something and Leo grinned.

"Guys, it looks like we've found ourselves a lava chamber." Leo said, grinning.

-Ω-

Leo POV

It turns out that there really wasn't an entrance to a lava chamber here; there was a lava chamber underneath us, but there was no way to access it. I prepared myself for the trip into a chamber full of molten rock that could melt any regular human on contact. Luckily, Mr. Bad Boy Supreme Valdez isn't a normal human. Our plan was simple; we have Festus dig out the lava chamber, which would be easy for him with his huge size, long claws that even had drill modes on them, and his whirring teeth. Piper and Percy stood watch for any suspecting mortals or park rangers. There was nothing.

I had to admit, I was scared. I knew that I was immune to fire and heat, but lava? I'd never really tried that before. Damn, if I'd just been risky on the rock-climbing wall I would've had an answer to my questions and even had a reason not to be anxious.

After an hour of digging, Festus clambered to the surface. I touched his metal hide and realized how hot it was. Of course, Festus was always hot from all his gears, wires, and pistons working, but this was like an extreme hot. If Piper or Percy touched him, they'd certainly get third-degree burns. That meant that he'd been close to an immense heat source; the lava chamber. Of course the heat didn't bother me, but I was still worried out of my mind.

I stared nervously at the hole Festus had dug. A huge mound of earth was next to it; a mound so big it could've been considered a small mountain. What if the acacia wasn't down there? What if all of this had been a waste of time? I shoved the negative thoughts away; this was our best chance.

I hugged Percy and Piper and bid them farewell, of course I meant to see them later when I came back with the acacia, but there was always that one voice inside of you that thought pessimistically. I took a deep breath, popping a breath mint into my mouth for good luck, and began my trek down.

It was very steep and I knew it would be difficult to walk back up. I kept walking and walking, going farther and farther down. As I walked, anticipation gnawed at my stomach, along with fear, anxiety, curiosity, and hope. I thought of Jason and how he was becoming even more insane at the very moment, and that gave me even more of a drive. Jason was my best friend. I wouldn't let him die from a stupid disease. Not now, not ever. Just thinking about him; his hair in bloody and matted clumps on the floor, his one eye, his eight fingers, and his maniacal smile, laugh, and gleam in his eyes made chills race up and down my spine. I couldn't believe a disease could do that to a person; twist and contort them into less than an animal.

After a while I felt the air begin to heat up. I began to feel queasy and lightheaded for some reason. It became hotter and hotter to the point where I knew any mortal who was not properly prepared would've been fried. The heat was only a tingling sensation to me, though. I had no idea how far I'd been walking and it had gone pitch-black a while back. I had no light and I only had the earthen walls of the tunnel to guide me. I summoned a flashlight from my tool belt and immediately it overheated and the battery melted. Crap. I put the flashlight back into my tool belt and reluctantly continued on in darkness. I hated not being able to see; it made me feel exposed to attack. I hated stumbling around blindly when monsters could be lurking in every shadow…not that anything would be down here. Knock on wood.

Finally I began to see a light up ahead. I walked towards it, entranced. It was like how flies were attracted to honey. I was drawn to it, like a moth to a light. I sped up my pace and pretty soon I was sprinting towards it. The light got brighter and brighter. Pretty soon it became blinding and I gasped, shielding my face with my hands as the light grew even brighter. It stung my eyes, even when I closed them. I was getting extremely dizzy for some reason, and I knew it wasn't because of the light.

Please have them here. I thought desperately as I rummaged through my tool belt, my eyes screwed shut but still being blinded by the radiance. I finally drew out a pair of sunglasses, but not just any sunglasses: Celestial Bronze sunglasses. They didn't melt like a normal pair of glasses would in this intense heat and I could finally see without my corneas being fried. I stalked towards the source of the bright light and intense heat; the lava chamber. My sunglasses were extra tinted, yet I knew my tool belt would be on cool-down. That sucked.

The tunnel widened until I was standing at the edge of a large chasm. Below me lava bubbled and exploded into fiery geysers of hellish liquid. It was an orange-yellow color, with dots of red here and there for the cooler parts of it. Where more lava bubbled out from deep in the Earth's crust, there was white-hot lava that shined brighter than anything else.

I sucked in a breath, and it felt like I was inhaling pure heat. Uh-oh. I struggled for oxygen, but found none. I was such an idiot for not thinking about it sooner; there isn't enough oxygen for breathing down in a lava chamber. Black spots began to form before my eyes and I struggled to hold onto my consciousness, though it was a losing battle. I collapsed onto my side, lungs screaming bloody murder and then everything went black.

-Ω-

"How is he possibly alive? The heat should've killed him by now." A meek and petty voice chirped.

"I'm not sure." replied another voice, which sounded a lot like the first only slightly lower.

"I think we should-wait his eyelids are moving!" Gentle hands shook me awake and some water was drizzled into my mouth. I gulped it up, realizing how parched I was. I sat up on a bed of rock, which wasn't very comfortable. I looked around to see three young girls. Their skin was a variety of warm colors; orange, yellow, red, and all the colors in between. Their hair were masses of fire that flickered and danced across their scalps, much like an empousa's. But these weren't empousai; they didn't have fangs or porcelain-white skin. In fact, they looked a lot like Flame Princess from Adventure Time.

"Who are you?" I asked, baffled. I realized that we were in a sort of alcove that had been cleaved into the chamber's wall, so that the right wall of the tiny room was open to the churning lava. How was I breathing right now? I had yet to find out.

"I am Burn." said one girl, obviously the oldest by the way she spoke; with authority. She had been the one to answer the other girl's question.

"I am Blister." said another. Her voice was high and peppy, like the voice of a girl who hadn't hit puberty yet. She was most likely the youngest.

"I am Blaze." said the last. She was the middle child by the looks of it; the one who asked how I hadn't burned.

"I'm Leo, Leo Valdez." I told them nervously. You couldn't really trust anyone who randomly helped you and saved your miserable life at first until you got to know them a little. "Um…what are you? No offence." The oldest, Burn, chuckled.

"We are the nymphs of this chamber." She told me. Her voice sounded like crackling fire and her eyes were alight with dancing flames. She looked smoking hot. No pun intended.

"Wait…lava can have a nymph's life force attached to it?" I asked quizzically. This was new, and I supposed that these nymphs were pretty legit, so I let my guard down a little bit.

"Yes, Leo. And how are you not burning?" Blaze asked again curiously, tilting her head to the side. She wore a red robe that was embroidered with gold, as did her sisters. She looked like a queen in them; the queen of fiery hell.

"I'm a son of Hephaestus; a fire-user." I replied sheepishly and scratched the back of my head self-consciously. I was glad the orange-yellow light of the lava was hiding how much I was blushing. The nymphs raised their eyebrows in completely perfect unison. I nearly chuckled, but I knew that now was not the time.

"And what brings you down here?" Blister squeaked, her smile broadening. She looked so cute in that little-kid-who-gives-you-puppy-dog-eyes kind of way.

"My friend…he's sick. Very sick. He's…" I got choked up and tears threatened to fall, but I blinked them away, "…dying. Me and my two other friends who are waiting up on the surface are searching for a cure. Right now I'm looking for acacia. It's supposed to be magic and able to grow anywhere."

Burn's face softened with sympathy. "I feel sorry for you, Leo. But luckily you're in the right place." The nymph pointed across the cavern, where another, shallower alcove was carved into the dirt and rock. In it sprouted a plant with little yellow puffs for flowers. It seemed to be thriving, even down here where plants weren't supposed to be able to grow. It sparkled and that's how I knew it was magic. Only Edward Cullen could sparkle like that. That flower was the plant I was looking for; that was the acacia. I turned to the nymphs.

"How am I still breathing?" I asked.

"Burn is the actual nymph of the lava. That's why she's the oldest." Blaze explained. "Blister is the nymph of the heat the lava generates and I'm the nymph of the light it gives off. Since Blister can control the heat, she put you in a bubble that prevents you from breathing in pure heat and gives you oxygen." My eyes widened. It was just like when Hazel, Frank, and I visited Camp Fish-Blood and we had those bubbles of air around us.

"You mean that nymphs can attach themselves to something other than actual objects and living things?" I said incredulously. Burn, Blister, and Blaze nodded.

"You must hurry, to save your friend. Get to that acacia, but only take a few flowers, don't take the entire plant; it's what makes Yellowstone truly Wild." Burn warned. I nodded. I got off of my rock bed and stepped towards the edge of the alcove. This was it. It was either now or never. I looked back at the three nymphs who were looking at me expectantly with eyes of fire.

"Thank you." I say sincerely. They smiled.

"You're welcome. I hope you can heal your friend." Blister replied cheerfully. I grinned and ran my hand through my curly brown hair, taking deep breaths. This was it. It was time to face the challenge laid out before me.

I jump on three. I thought bravely.

One. I braced myself; feet apart, knees bent, eyes forward.

Two. I bunched my muscles and prepared myself.

Three. I jumped.

The scenery whipped by as I plummeted down to the lava below. It came rushing towards me I had no time to react when I hit the surface. I was underwater…or at least…under lava. I couldn't breathe. Blister's bubble didn't work when I was swimming in molten rock. The good part was that I wasn't dead or incinerated; I only felt an intense case of pins and needles all over. I broke to the surface, gasping. I looked up to see the acacia way overhead. How was I possibly going to get all the way up there? I touched my Celestial Bronze sunglasses, just to make sure that they were not melted and still there. I began to paddle towards the opposite wall, each stroke as if I was running through quicksand. This must be how it felt to be in one of Kronos' time-thingamajigs. It sure was frustrating.

A lava fountain exploded next to me and I was shot into the air, the pins and needles becoming unbearable. When I fell back into the lava and resurfaced again, I was still determined. My face was beaded with sweat and my clothes were smoking.

Please don't burn your only clothes.

Please don't burn your only clothes.

You don't want to be naked for the rest of this quest.

I willed my clothes to not burn, and that was extremely difficult to do when I was trying to swim in lava at the same time. After what seemed like forever, I finally reached the opposite wall. I clung to it and tried to climb up, but it was sheer and I couldn't so much as get a foothold. I struggled desperately; I had to get the acacia! I had to do it for Jason! Then I saw a geyser explode a few feet away from me. Light bulb. I strategically placed myself so that the lava geyser would explode right under me.

While I was struggling to keep my head above the surface, I felt the heat building up under me like a newborn storm. The pressure built and built until it couldn't hold anymore; it exploded with the sound of a bomb detonating. I let out a whoop as I soared through the air and managing to snag the edge of the alcove the acacia was growing in. I plucked a few flowers off of it and tucked them into my tool belt. I smiled. One plant down. Four to go.

-Ω-

Percy POV

"Leo!" Piper and I yelled in unison as the son of Hephaestus came strolling out of the tunnel. We had been waiting anxiously for him to return for two hours now. It was a huge burden off of my shoulders to see him alright. His clothes were riddled with smoking holes and his hair was even messier than usual. His eyes were hidden behind…were those tinted Celestial Bronze glasses? Well he did have to shield his eyes from the light somehow. Leo took off the glasses when he saw us staring and tucked them into one of the pockets of his tool belt.

"The acacia is safe." He said with a wide grin. His brown eyes sparkled despite the fact that he looked like a hobo. Festus clanked and whirred, nudging Leo with his nose. "Aww, missed you too, buddy. All right what's the next ingredient we have to go find?" Piper opened the map.

"It says here we have to find Aloe Vera in Yosemite." She announced.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Leo asked incredulously, his eyes shining with mischief. "Let's go find that plant!"