A/N: Well guys, thank you once again for the reviews and follows. It means a lot, and if you reviewed/followed, you deserve a cookie! (::) I want cookies too right now. Oh well, anyway onwards to the next chapter!
Soon, after I finish this chronicle, I might do a Doctor Who fanfic or two. I don't know. Any whovians out there who want some Who? Let me know what you think about Doctor Who fanfics in the reviews along with an actual review of the story. Please, I don't normally do this, but c'mon. I think it's because I was on hiatus that I've been losing readers. I am so sorry.
Percy: I hate school
Me: What happened?
Percy: My Foreign Relations professor is threatening to fail me if I don't do a good job on the final!
Me: I hate finals. I'm sure you'll do fine
OC: As long as he studies, he will
Me: ...
Percy: Professor James?! Uh, I, uh
Me: How awkward is it when my own OC is your professor?
OC: What is awkward about it?
Percy: I've had to go on an adventure with your younger self!
OC: Ah the Golden Years. So full of drama
Me: Every teenager's enemy is drama
Percy: Too right.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own PJO or HoO. Rights go to Rick Riordan
OC: ONWARDS!
3rd POV:
The simulator was ending for the couple. As the world around them turned from a dark New York scenery to a computerized warehouse, Percy began to feel relieved. At least the weapon was a paintball. Killing another human seemed so wrong to him. He always enjoyed killing monsters that attacked first. I guess Nazis count, he thought to himself.
The doors in front of them began to open. The Commander and Doctor J were walking towards them. Doctor J had a clipboard in his hands along with a weapon strapped to his waist. Percy was beginning to feel uncomfortable when they both walked in. Armed and ready for action.
The two finally reached them. Doctor J looked down at his clipboard. "Congratulations both of you. You managed to survive our simulation in record time. 5 hours and 5 tries was the time to beat. The record is now 4 1/2 hours in 1 try. Very impressive," Doctor J said.
The Commander nodded. "You both work really well together. Almost like a well oiled machine. Keep it up, and you might be fit to fully join the army. We need brains like yours, Annabeth. Your courage, Percy, is commendable," he said.
Percy smiled. "However-"
That smile faded. "You both have a lot of work to do before you are ready. Annabeth, what you lack in stamina and weaponry you fill with courage and smarts. You need to know how to correctly handle a weapon. Any weapon you pick up is a part of you, whether you like it or not. You cannot assume you know how each weapon works because you are Athena spawn," Doctor J said.
He turned to Percy. "Percy, you are courageous and strong, but you have the same flaws as Annabeth. You do not know how to handle a weapon. You seemed to have hesitated at first when the Nazis first showed up. Yes, you did look past that towards the end, but one does not hesitate while handling a weapon in war. You are also very bold."
A hologram of the library opened up. The picture showed Percy in a stolen Ford driving through the walls of the building. "This was a great tactic, but this plan almost got him killed in battle," Doctor J said.
He zoomed in on a frame near the truck. A lone Nazi gunner was within firing range of Percy's gas tank. One shot and the truck would blow to bits. "See this gunner? One shot and your whole plan would've been up in smoke. Now let's see what happened after."
He sped up the picture. He stopped at the scene where Percy was outnumbered with nothing but a gun and an old receiver. "Any real Nazi would've shot him where he stood. No time for any witty banter. Be careful next time you think about this. This could've ended a lot worse."
The Commander shrank the screen. "Both of you will begin training tomorrow at 0800. Annabeth, you will report to the firing range on the dot. A second late, and you will be doing drills around the base. Percy, I want you in Doctor J's classroom tomorrow at the same time. You will learn strategy and how to handle a weapon. When he deems you worthy, you will be brought to the firing range. Am I clear?" he said.
The couple nodded. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were mutes. I said: AM! I! CLEAR?!"
"Yes sir!" the two shouted.
The Commander backed away. "Better. Now, Doctor J will show you to your quarters. Dinner is in a few minutes. Doctor, take them away," the Commander ordered.
Doctor J saluted. The Commander turned and walked away. Doctor J sighed. "Ridiculous. He never asked for a response like that from the other soldiers. Anyway, you both are to follow me." Percy and Annabeth shrugged and followed Doctor J out of the simulator.
The door slid open, revealing a dark room. Inside was a simple bed, a bookcase, and a desk. The bookcase was filled with hardcover classics that appeared to be supported by gold. Doctor J smiled. He liked how every room had a bookcase filled with great novels. It was something the soldiers did to keep their humanity. Reading a good book kept them tied to Earth.
Ever since the purge on books, the Commander had been scattering authors all around the globe. The new Nazi regime believed that if enough books survived, the people would find a sense of hope and rise from the ashes of their old world. It was working. Since then, not one person had started a revolt or tried to overthrow their government.
Books hold more power than most believe. It takes an open mind to unleash their full potential, he kept telling himself. "Well Percy, this is your room. Make yourself comfortable and be back outside in a few," Doctor J said.
Percy nodded and closed the door behind him. It was too dark. Luckily with his wolf senses, he was able to maneuver without crashing into anything. It was like the lights were on the way he was moving. Thank the gods for the training from Lupa, he thought.
He sat down on the bed and began to remove the armor on him. He threw off the iron pants, and finally allowed himself to breath. His tattered jeans and camp t-shirt was pressed onto his body by the armor. After a few minutes, his clothes began to breath.
He walked over to the bookcase and browsed. Normally he didn't like reading, but it was something that caught his eye every once in a while. Especially now with most of the books turned to ash in the outside world. He pulled out one book and brushed off the dust from the cover. It read: Journal of the End of the World. How lovely.
He cracked open the book. He turned on the lamp on his desk and began to read. Every page was dated. The first page was dated January 15, 2012.
"I probably should've gotten rid of that book when I had the chance," a voice said.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. With the speed of Hermes, he whipped out Riptide, and turned to the source of the voice. His sword collided with a metal blade. A scythe? The bearer of the scythe was hidden in the shadows, which was easily corrected as the figure walked out. The figure was wearing a long black cloak with the hood down. The only bits of flesh he could see, besides the hands, was his lower mouth. The figure had a grin that suggested he was expecting it.
The figure chuckled. "Your speed has improved since we last met, hasn't it Jackson?"
Percy tightened his grip on his sword. "How do you know me?"
"What? You don't remember me? Well, I guess I have Hera to thank for that. I am genuinely heartbroken that Hera locked away your memory of me. When I get back to Olympus, I will correct that," the figure said.
Percy swung the sword again. With a weak perry, the figure knocked the sword away from him. The figure struck back with an overhead attack. Percy was quick to block. He tilted his sword, allowing the scythe to slid off. Percy jumped up, and roundhouse kicked the figure in the head. The figure was knocked back into the bookcase.
Percy had his sword leveled to the hood of the figure. He inched it closer to the hood. Before he could lift it, the figure shot out his hand and hit Percy with a purple glow. He was frozen in place.
The figure picked up his scythe and walked towards the door. "Predictable Perseus Jackson. Maybe one day, we can have a real fight because that was weak. I expected more from you. Farewell Jackson." Then the figure disappeared. The spell wore off, throwing Percy to the ground. He looked around with his sword raised. The figure was nowhere in sight.
He looked around, and lit up the room. No way that'll happen again. He looked back to the book, and continued to read.
Annabeth was really enjoying the base. Compared to the city above, this place was huge. It was old though. Almost like it was built in the 1900s. She checked the arches above her. "Late 1900s?"
Doctor J looked over at her. "Excuse me?"
Annabeth pointed up. "The arches look old. Reinforced, but old. I'm guessing the late 1900s."
Doctor J looked up. "Oh. Well you're close. This place was built shortly before the Cold War began. It used to be a bunker until we found it. We expanded all over the sewer system. Not what you call a labyrinth, but I think it's close."
"You just started expanding?"
Doctor J shook his head. "The Freedom Movement has been in operation since before WWII, but we never had a base close to a city. This place was discovered in '53, and they expanded it to the point where I can take a submarine to the ocean."
Annabeth nodded. "I've never heard of the Freedom Movement. When was it created?"
Doctor J shrugged. "It's been everywhere. I can't pinpoint exactly when it was created. I can tell you that it never reached the President's desk. No form of government has any idea what's going on down here. The Reich knows about us, but finding us is impossible."
Annabeth smiled. She was in a secret world. Suddenly, there was a rumble. The ceiling cracked a little bit, but that worried Doctor J. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver device. Annabeth guessed it was a scanner. "Earthquake?"
"I hope."
There was another rumble. This time, it was coming from the front door where they came in. Two guards were standing ready on either side of the door. And then, Hades broke loose. The wall exploded, sending the two guards in opposite directions. Emerging from the wall was a battalion of Nazi soldiers. Their weapons were raised. Doctor J raised the alarm.
"ALL UNITS TO ARMS! CODE RED! CODE RED!"
The troops ran to intercept the invading army. The whole room was suddenly filled with the sounds of bullets. Doctor J pulled Annabeth behind a piece of machinery. He cursed loudly. "How did they find us?"
Annabeth was genuinely scared. Sure she has been in an army before, but this time it was different. Instead of Greek weapons, it was modern. She touched her belt, and noticed her duel pistols. She counted to 10 and whipped around. She began shooting at the Nazis like a pro. Any Nazi who tried to get close to her only fell to her.
Percy threw open his door with a weapon in his hands. Strapped onto his back was his water turrent. Strapped around his waist was a fairly large book. He fired a few shots before he ran to join his girlfriend. A bullet flew past his ear, and he could swear that it seared some of it.
"OK, who opened Hades?" Percy asked.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Now is not the time! We gotta get out of here!"
Doctor J nodded in agreement. "If I can contact Excalibur, I can get us out of here. My comm link is broken though," he said.
Annabeth passed him a small device. With a quick reprogramming, Doctor J was online again. Percy continued to fire at the Nazis. "This won't mean a thing if we can't get them to stop!"
Annabeth tensed. She looked around, hoping to find something to use. All she had at her disposal was a few ceiling pipes, a broken piece of machinery, and Percy's water tank. Suddenly, she had her idea. She turned to Doctor J. "This place needs an advanced cooling system since it's underground, right?"
Doctor J nodded. "Would that cooling system be liquid nitrogen?"
Percy lit up. Like the figure did to him in his room, a simple freeze will give them time to run. "I'll order our troops to retreat!"
Annabeth smiled. Percy was ready. He willed the water to come out of his tank, and launched the wave at the Nazis. All it did was wash them down. One or two of them actually were knocked over. Annabeth looked up at the pipes of liquid nitrogen. She had to disconnect the pipes in order to spill the liquid. She unstrapped one of her grenades, and threw it at the ceiling. The grenade exploded, spilling nitrogen on the Nazis.
Doctor J laughed. The front lines were frozen solid. He looked behind him, and noticed the troops were moving towards the back of the base. "OK, let's go!"
The trio ran for the back of the base. When they got there, Percy was the first to be surprised. There was a waterway. A large reservoir was in front of him with a metal hatch on the surface. "Submarine?"
"Well, small transport to the submarine. It's waiting for us out in the ocean. We gotta get out of here!," Doctor J said.
He and Annabeth jumped in. Percy was about to follow them, but stopped. He looked over his shoulder, and noticed a soldier pinned under some rubble. His senses went into overdrive as he knelt down and tried to dig out the soldier. As he did, he noticed something, a large boulder was sitting on top of the soldier. One wrong move and he could be crushed.
The soldier looked up. "Leave me!" he said.
Percy stood. He looked back at the submarine. The Commander had just escorted the last soldier in, but stopped as he noticed Percy. "JACKSON, LET'S GO!" he ordered.
Percy clenched his fists. He wasn't going to leave anyone behind. He climbed into the rubble, and set up base underneath the boulder. He put all his strength into lifting the boulder.
As he did so, something amazing was happening. The waters began to churn near the sub. Percy was reaching out to his domain. Poseidon please! Give me the strength!
The waters began to rise up, and spilled onto the floor. It inched closer to Percy as time progressed. Suddenly, he felt stronger. His leg muscles seemed to have gotten bigger as well as his biceps. He felt almost like he was turning into the Hulk. He continued to push the boulder. Then, it started to get lighter for Percy. With one final push, the boulder was completely lifted from the soldier. The Commander ran in to grab the soldier and helped him into the submarine.
Percy turned back to the front of the base. He needed to lock them in while they escaped. Percy summoned whatever strength he had left, and threw the boulder at the base. It clogged the entrance into the base. Immediately, he began to feel weak. He jumped into the water, and with the hatch closed, the submarine followed. They had escaped.
A/N: Ok, everyone, I hope you liked this one. Remember to review your opinion about this chapter, and I will be back with a new chapter. I know this is a bit long, but I really wanted this to work out. Anyway, thank you for your time, and peace out!
-Newage