Chapter 10
Water closets
Poseidon's POV
I have not left Percy's side for a whole week. Percy and I were in the central courtyard of the underwater civilization of Atlantis. Except now, it was my Sea Palace. I gazed up at my son, suspended in a large orb of water from the Fountain of Youth. Yes, the Fountain of Youth. But what was the Fountain of Youth to mortals was actually a small pond of nectar-contaminated water. It was only by luck that the mortals had not found it and taken a drink. The problems it would cause gave me a headache just thinking about it.
But since Nectar was perfectly ok for Gods, Goddesses, and Demigods, I thought it perfectly safe for Percy. The water shifted around his body, being taken in in little spurts by the pores of his skin. It was almost like an IV in mortal hospitals. But this needle was around his whole body, constantly feeding him.
I barely noticed the sea nymphs floating around Percy and me. Each one carried a tub of water from the fountain of youth, and added it to the orb of water surrounding Percy. I gazed at my son's face. "Perseus…you really are my favorite son…" I raised my hand and grazed the outside of the orb. I closed my eyes and sent a portion of my power into the orb. It shone bright and brighter until it seemed Percy was hanging in midair. But gradually the light disappeared and all the sea nymphs lowered their arms from their face. I knew that Percy would awake. This medical attention would work. What I didn't know was how Percy would act once he awoke. The experiments before him, on deceased sons of Poseidon were…inconclusive to say it nicely. Many of the experiments went insane, attacking all, friend or foe, as a side effect of the copious amounts of Nectar that were in the body. Athena knew this right from the beginning and she warned me, not unkindly, by the way. But I pushed these thoughts out of my mind. My voice was quiet, but it roared in meaning. "Perseus is different. He will survive and will be the greatest of my sons." Now my voice shook with passion and belief. "He will lead us against my father, and in the end, Percy will be a hero of heroes." I felt a hand on my hip, and saw a young sea nymph, her long dark hair and intelligent eyes, looking up at me. She nodded once as if to say, "Damn straight." I smiled and picked her up. She was light and delicate in my arms. She laughed at the height that she was at now, on top of my shoulders. I closed my eyes and listened to the high clear soprano of her laughter.
? POV
I opened my eyes a crack and saw a tall man with laugh lines crinkling his face, and a small girl in his arms. His black hair and booming laugh comforted me, although I did not know him. Then the pain came. My skin felt like it was on fire, even in this water closet thing I was in. I looked to the tall stranger that held the girl. I wanted to reach out to him to help me, but suddenly it seemed as if they were laughing at me! My pain was their enjoyment! I fought weakly to strangle the both of them, but even the thought caused me pain. I could steadily feel my strength coming to me, but it would be much longer before I could even move without fainting. Which is exactly what I did. I blacked out. I was so disoriented as I passed out that I didn't eve find it strange that I could breath underwater.
Tyson's POV
A sage visited me today! I could not believe it! He said he prophesied about my gift, and knew what it needed. He wrapped it up with great care as if it were a child instead of my sturdy gift to Percy. But the care that he showed it touched me. He introduced himself as Tiloi, senior sage of Poseidon's court. He said, "I will pass this on to my fellow sages. We will have it back to you in about five months give or take a week or two. It shall be complete, the blessings and folding finished. I took a bow, as it just seemed like the right thing to do. He chuckled at my formality, and with a bow of his own disappeared with my gift.
Annabeth's POV
It was only a few weeks since Percy had perished, but the wound felt much more recent that that. I woke up in the mornings, content until I remembered. Percy was dead. This happened every morning. Eventually my mind grew accustomed to the fact that Percy was gone, and this perhaps hurt more.
Most days I went off into the woods, refusing human contact. Yes I know, I sound like a loser and a loner. And maybe I was. But I can say that the only person who would have never thought that was P-P-…gone.
So one morning, in the middle of my go-off-and-be-alone ritual, I saw a flash of movement. I ducked down and grabbed my bronze knife and my baseball cap. I put the cap on and turned invisible. I crept forward into the brush, knife extended. As I parted the brush, I saw Zeus's fist, and beyond that, the opening into the Labyrinth. I remember Nico saying that Daedalus was still alive. Since Daedalus's life force was connected to the Labyrinths' it only made sense that it was still working. But I also remembered the huge earthquake that announced the crumbling of the maze. And so I decided to take a look. I crept closer to the crack in the wall, and saw a single dark corridor. The maze was not a maze any longer! I gasped and pulled my head out quickly. I spun around and came face to face with Ethan Nakamura.
I gasped as I realized that he knew that I was there. His smile told me so. "Well well…this is interesting…" he breathed. But I was in no mood for talking. I quickly cut him through the arm, and he jumped back in alarm. I I turned to run, but tripped and fell. Figures. As I stood up, I felt strong fingers wrap around my hair. I twisted to see Ethan raising his arm to strike with his sword. I reached back and blindly waved my knife around, actually slicing off two Ethan's fingers. He yelled in pain and shock, and let go of my hair.
At that point, I must have been a child of Hermes from the way that I raced back to camp. People turned to watch me as I raced through the Camp. I didn't stop my sprint until I reached Chiron where he was sitting with Mr. D playing a game of chess.
Chiron was sitting in his wheelchair and looked totally calm while I wheezed and gasped and struggled to speak. Patient as he was, he sat there while I struggled to get my words out. When I finally could speak, I yelled practically in Chiron's face, "I was sitting by the entrance to the Labyrinth, and when I looked inside, it was still standing! But instead of the twisting passageways, there was one single corridor! And Ethan was there too, the half-blood that we saved from the arena. I know if L-L…Kronos finds out, then-"But Chiron finished for me. "Kronos could use the simplified Labyrinth to invade Camp again." His face paled.
But Mr. D nonchalantly moved one of Chiron's pieces on the board into a better position for his knight to seize it. He said in a bored voice, "Chiron, the girl is obviously lying. Her darling Percy's gone so now she has to find some other way to grab attention." My vision became tinged with red around the edges, I was so angry at the insolence of the gods. It was their fault that Percy was dead. Their stupid prophecy was forced upon his shoulders. But my anger took a different turn. It was ALL Poseidon's fault, for having a child…I would fall so in love with. Angry tears spilled from my eyes, and I hastily wiped them away. Children of Athena. Did. Not. Cry. For anything. So instead I cleared my throat to make sure my voice was steady and said, "My finger seems to disagree with you." I held up my finger-or rather, Ethan's finger, and I placed it on the chess board, knocking over Mr. D's king in the process. I shook my hair, which still carried bits of Ethan's dried blood, out of my eyes. A look of shock on a god's face was really something, something that everyone should see at least one time in their life.