Hello readers!
It's been a while since I last posted, I had to do a surprising amount of research for this chapter to ensure it was representing each location properly. And in the meantime... over 3,000 views?! WHAAAA! OhMyGollyGoodness Thankyouthankyouthankyou! Wow! I cannot believe you guys. This story produced over 100 views each day for a full WEEK! Seeing that was absolutely breathtaking. Thank you to all my readers, y'all are the best!
(Also, 10 new reviews :D I so happy.)
Onto the shoutouts (and whew- are there a lot of them!)
Shoutouts to: tralalaperson8, WhisperOfTheHeart0925, FieryGirl101, summer164, CMDOBlitzen, and 14brendale thanks for favoriting this story :)
Shoutouts to: tralalaperson8, mayimoveon, WhisperOfTheHeart0925, FieryGirl101, SilentAngel33, CMDOBlitzen, 14brendale, and FloraJardim for increasing the following tenfold (technically, 8-fold, but whatever ;P)
Please enjoy chapter 10 (already in double didgets! O.o) of the PJO/TKC crossover: When Worlds Collide
-Ardoa88
Chapter 10: Peter Pan Never had These Problems
(Annabeth POV)
Annabeth's tour of London began when she almost became a stain on the west face of Big Ben.
Until then, her day had been going pretty well. For most of the afternoon, the Daughter of Athena had been glued to Daedalus' laptop, researching everything related to the Egyptian mythology. Gods, monsters, famous pharaohs, different types of magic and rituals. If they won't tell us themselves, she reasoned, I'll find out on my own. And so she had.
According to her studies, the Book of Thoth held all of the knowledge in the universe. Which was, quite honestly, ridiculous. No single tome was big enough to hold every piece of information. Unless it's magic, a traitorous thought whispered. Annabeth brushed it off; despite what those Egyptian kids seemed to think, magic was not the answer to everything. Wits and strategy had seen the demigod victorious through countless battles.
As for the Feather of Truth, it was an item used in the Land of the Dead's 'Hall of Judgement', which Annabeth figured was equivalent to the Greek version of the Underworld's 'Judgement Pavilion'. Said to weigh exactly as much as a human soul (Again, illogical. A soul had no weight), the feather could detect lies and would determine who proceeded to the Egyptian afterlife. If the feather determined one to be 'unworthy' (How could an inanimate object determine anything?) then a monster called Ammit the Devourer would eat the soul.
Annabeth was just contemplating how it would be possible to eat a soul, beginning to look for a more precise description on the site she was on, when there was a knock at her door. Looking up from the screen, the blond moved across the room, surprised to see the younger version of herself waiting outside.
Sadie glanced up, her jaw moving in a way that suggested she was chewing gum. "Percy called a meeting up on deck." The magician said, not waiting for a response before turning and making her way to the stairwell.
Annabeth frowned, hastily putting Daedalus's laptop away before she hurried to catch up to the kid. "Did he say why?"
"Nope."
The girls emerged onto the deck of the Argo III, both squinting in the light of the sinking sun. Percy and Carter were huddled by the starboard rail, deep in conversation while Leo stood behind the control panel on the quarterdeck. Annabeth glanced around, noticing the lack of ocean over either side of the ship. Instead, they were surrounded by a concrete jungle nearly three times the size of New York, and twice as clean. In the distance, a large clock tower stood erect, overlooking a river that snaked from east to west. To the right of the Big Ben was a monumental ferris wheel. The London Eye, Annabeth recalled, casting her gaze across the city that was bathed in the sunset glow. Lights were beginning to pop up as night approached, small flames among the larger expanse of metal candles that punctured the skyline.
Impressive metal spires rose into the air, reaching out like tall fingers hoping to touch Olympus. Each one snared the architecture-loving girls attention for extended moments before her storm grey eyes would snap over to study another, similarly impressive, building. Annabeth felt her mind buzz with excitement, a natural high she obtained when contemplating the designs of intricate structures and their aesthetic and practical appeal.
"This is… London?" Annabeth blinked a few times, taking in the sights.
"Technically we're over Kensington." Sadie said casually, her British accent slightly more pronounced. "But, essentially, yes. Welcome to England."
Percy glanced up, seeing the girls and smiling at Annabeth before waving them over. As they approached, Annabeth met Carter's gaze. His eyes darted to the floor and back up as he took a breath.
"I'm sorry," Carter began, "for storming out of the room earlier. I guess it's kind of hard to be productive when not everyone's there to pitch in. I mean-" He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not that I'm unwilling to work with you or your questions-"
Annabeth held up a hand, effectively stemming the flow of his words. Percy's remark rose to the forefront: We're not their superiors. We're their partners. "I forgive you." She smiled slightly. "We do still need to flush out your plan, though."
Carter nodded.
"Well-" Percy clapped his hands together, rubbing them in excitement. "Actually, that's why we called you guys. Carter here," the demigod slung an arm over the magicians shoulder, "Managed to get in contact with some guy named after a cookie-"
Sadie snorted. "What?"
"You know," Percy grinned. "Famous Amos? The cookie brand?"
Carter rolled his eyes, shrugging off Percy's arm. "We talked to my Uncle Amos to see if he could clear up some of the issues with our plan."
"Another Uncle?" Leo asked, suppressing a yawn as he leaned on the railing to look down at the rest of them. He was the only person who hadn't rested since the sphinx attack, instead working hard to repair the damaged parts of his ship.
"This one's not evil. And is related by blood." Sadie crossed her arms, "So? What'd he say?"
"He warned us to be careful about a library-" Percy began, before going on to explain what this Amos person had revealed. Leo visibly tuned them out as the conversation went on, stepping away from the railing to instead lean on the steering console and watch the picturesque London skyline grow near. Carter described how the connection was garbled at times, presenting his own theory that it had something to do with the clash of Greek and Egyptian magics.
"That's mildly annoying." Sadie frowned as her brother finished explaining how the Iris message had cut out key parts of their talk.
Annabeth tapped her chin, "I wonder why some combinations of Greek and Egyptian magic seem to work better than others." Carter gave her a curious look but Annabeth's gaze had snared on something behind him. "Uh, guys? Are we supposed to be this close to the clock tower?" The other three turned to stare at the rapidly growing figure of Big Ben that the Argo III was nearing.
Their fear only grew as the ship seemed to steer itself towards the iconic monument.
"Leo, change course." Annabeth directed, trying to keep her voice calm despite the threat of impact. When nothing happened, a note of panic entered her tone. "Turn it around, Leo. Leo-" The daughter of Athena whirled around, wondering what in Hades the mechanic was doing- only to see that their helmsman had propped his elbow on the console, head in hand, eyes closed.
Cursing in Ancient Greek, Annabeth took a deep breath and yelled in a voice that had carried over the battlefield of many a game of capture the flag. "LEO WAKE UP!"
Her booming words easily carried to the quarterdeck above where the son of Hephaestus jerked up and off the console. The ship stopped in its turn, but the damage had been done, their collision imminent. Leo's bleary eyes grew to the size of saucers upon spotting the obstruction, yelping, "Holy Hephaestus!" as his hands darted over the knobs and buttons.
Like a car slamming on it's breaks, the Argo III screeched, slowing drastically enough to send the others stumbling along the lower deck. The ship angled away from Big Ben, Leo twirling the Wii remote as fast as he could.
Standing at the rail, Annabeth could see the side of the ship just barely scrape the corner of the clock tower, grimacing at the grating sound of metal on metal. They were low enough for the demigod to notice the crowds of tourists below pointing up at the ship, some taking pictures with their cameras. The pot opal glass of the clock face was near enough that if Annabeth reached out she might have been able to actually touch it's polished surface.
With a few more flipped switches, Leo successfully steered the Argo III away from Big Ben and towards the Thames river that twisted below. Annabeth reached over to help Percy up, seeing Carter do the same for Sadie.
"That was way too close." Percy grimaced, rubbing where his shoulder had hit the metal floor.
Sadie was nodding, her brows drawn together. "Peter Pan never had this problem!"
"Sorry!" Leo finished adjusting the controls, making his way down to the lower deck. "Sorry, you guys okay?"
"Aside from the fact that we almost recreated the Titanic in midair, you mean?" Sadie growled.
Leo shrugged with an apologetic grin, ruffling his hair. "Guess I really should think about getting some parachutes, huh?"
Even his joking tone was laced with exhaustion. Annabeth gave the mechanic a once over, instantly seeing the red eyes and deep bags that came with inadequate sleep. Now that the rush of adrenaline was fading from his system, Leo's shoulders slumped, his eyelids drooping despite his efforts to keep them open. Most importantly, his hands were still. Leo's hands were never still.
"Leo," Annabeth said gently. "When was the last time you slept for more than five hours?"
The mechanic blinked tired eyes. "Um…" He scrunched up his face in thought. "Last Thursday?"
"You've been awake for four days?" Sadie practically screeched.
"I guess. That makes today- um, Friday, Saturday…" Leo started counting on his fingers, frowning as he tried to remember what came after Saturday.
"Sunday?" Carter supplied slowly, looking at his doppleganger with concern. "Leo, it's Monday evening."
"Really?" Leo blinked at him, glancing at his Arc Gauntlet for a moment, "Huh, so it is. I guess time really does fly when you're fixing the secondary auxiliary hydraulic pump."
Percy exchanged a look with Annabeth. "Dude, you need to sleep."
Leo waved off the comment. "What I need is to know where to land." This time he couldn't hold back the gargantuan yawn that escaped his lips, wiping the back of his hand across his eyes. "Unless you just wanna hover over the city?"
"As soon as we land, you need to get some rest." Annabeth said, using her no-nonsense voice.
Leo rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, Annabeth-"
"We almost crashed into Big Ben." Carter pointed out. "I know they're already planning repairs to touch-up the clock faces, but probably not to that extent."
Leo opened his mouth but Percy cut him off. "Leo, you're the only one who can fly the Argo III. We need you to be ready to take off at a moment's notice in case something goes wrong, and you can't be ready if you don't get some rest."
Annabeth could almost literally see the gears turning in the repair boy's mind as he contemplated Percy's words. "We need to know that we can count on you." The daughter of Athena added.
That decided it. If there was one thing Leo hated more than a faulty machine, Annabeth knew, it was the idea of being a burden to his allies. She felt a stab of guilt for having to exploit her friends' weakness, but the blonde justified the low blow by reminding herself it was for Leo's own well being. She watched as the mechanic winced slightly, ducking his head. He ran a hand through his shock of brown hair, puffing his cheeks and blowing out slowly.
"Fine." He said in a manner reminiscent of a child complying with a request to finish his vegetables else he forfeit dessert. "But only if you promise to wake me up as soon as you get back."
"Sure thing, Leo" Percy smiled, waiting for the mechanic to turn around before glancing at Annabeth. The daughter of Athena saw in his eyes that her boyfriend had no intention of waking up their exhausted companion if he was still asleep when they returned. Nodding in silent agreement, Annabeth smiled; for a minute, she wondered when they'd become so good at reading each other's unspoken intentions. With a mere look or a tilt of the head, Annabeth could tell exactly what Percy was thinking and vice versa. Maybe it was because they'd been through so much together, or maybe it was because they were dating. Either way, Annabeth saw it as a positive development in their relationship.
"So," Leo asked, now back in front of the control panel. "Where should I put her down?"
"Next to Millennium Bridge." Sadie replied. "It's about halfway between the Shard tower and the Needle."
"O-kay." Leo looked over the bow, pursing his lips as his eyes jumped between the dozens of bridges spanning the river. "Um… which bridge is it? There are a lot of bridges, if you haven't noticed." He said defensively at the incredulous look Sadie shot him.
The magician pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. "You have repeating crossbows, a goat alarm system, and, according to Carter, a giant spray gun on this flying contraption- yet you don't have a GPS?"
Leo bristled slightly. "It's got an autopilot but it's based on the coordinate system of longitude and latitude-"
Annabeth cleared her throat. "On a time schedule here, guys."
"It's that one there." Sadie said, pointing to what looked like a shallow suspension footbridge supported by two vertical pylons that descended into the river below. Annabeth was intrigued by the design, her mind running through the construction process necessary to ensure that the low suspension cables could support a heavy pedestrian load.
"Why do I feel like I've seen that bridge before?" Percy wondered, brow furrowed in thought.
Carter shrugged as Leo maneuvered the ship towards the structure. "It was destroyed in one of the Harry Potter movies, I think."
"It's destroyed in a lot of movies." Sadie corrected. "Because most people know what is is"
Within fifteen minutes, the Argo III splashed down along the east side of Millennium Bridge, docking at one of the ports that lined the north bank of the river. Annabeth saw the pedestrians on the bridge snapping photos with their phones as Leo shut down the engines.
"Heh, look at that, we're famous." The mechanic joked. "Smile and wave boys, just smile and wave."
"Bed." Annabeth ordered, pointing to the stairway. "Now."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Leo grumbled. He reached into a pouch on his toolbelt and produced a small sheet of paper, holding it out to Annabeth. "Here."
"What's this?" The daughter of Athena asked, taking the item and scanning the words scrabbled on the lines.
"A love letter." Leo grinned impishly, earning himself a glare from Percy.
"Anti-seize: Bronze Compound, Pro-seal, Locktite Liquid Wrench, Polka Dot Duct Tape-" Annabeth read, looking up. "Is this… a shopping list?"
Leo made a game show dinging noise. "And we have a winner! Fifty points to the daughter of Athena! Even my amazing tool belt needs the occasional restock." He said more seriously.
"Leo, I don't have the faintest clue where to find this stuff."
The mechanic shrugged. "I'd go myself but someone made me promise to go to bed as soon as we landed. You should be able to find most of that stuff at any auto repair shop."
"But," Percy frowned at his friend. "We've never been to London before. It might take a while to find somewhere-"
Sadie coughed loudly to get their attention. "Hi! I'm Sadie Kane, London born and raised. Or could you not tell by the accent?" She smiled with fake cheer. "Now that that's been established- sure! I'd be more than willing to help you find the perfect store for all of your flying boat needs- after we check on the Needle."
"Well… okay then. Problem solved." Annabeth shrugged. Then she looked back at Leo who was mid-yawn. "Bed. Now. Go."
"I'm going, I'm going." The mechanic assured, sending them a small wave as he descended the stairs. "Good luck!"
It took the four teenagers about ten minutes to get to the London Needle once Sadie hailed a taxi. On the ride over, Annabeth studied Leo's list with a frown. Despite his reassurance that most of the things on the page were easy to obtain, the Daughter of Athena was already factoring in the extra time it would take to run around central London looking for the supplies. In an effort to shorten their visit, Annabeth decided that splitting up would be the best course of action, and she made mention of her idea to the others.
"It's not like we need four people to go check on the Ninth Nome." She reasoned. "Two of us can go gather Leo's supplies while the others talk to this Latoya Barnes person and get the book."
"You think splitting up is a good idea?" Carter asked.
"If it'll save us some time," Percy nodded. "I say we do it. We don't really need four people to deliver a message, anyway."
Carter shared a look with Sadie. "Okay." He sighed, still looking unconvinced. "So what are the groups? Obviously Sadie's going with whomever is fetching supplies."
"And it's probably best if you go and talk to the Ninth Nome people, since you're a fellow magician." Percy agreed. "I'll come with."
"Looks like it's girls night out, then." Annabeth said, looking to Sadie who just shrugged.
"Fine with me."
They pulled up to the Victoria Embankment, Sadie handing the driver a twenty-pound note as they exited the cab and joined the tourist-filled foot traffic. Looking across the street, Annabeth couldn't help but admire the backdrop framing the London Needle. The obelisk was flanked on either side by two Egyptian sphinxes- identifiable by the weird headdress and lack of wings- cast in bronze. The statues appeared to be looking at the monument as opposed to protecting it, with their faces turned inwards instead of outwards.
The pedestal supporting the Needle itself was adorned by a polished metal clamp that captured some basic Egyptian imagery: with scarabs and snakes and bird wings molded from the black iron. A plaque had been fastened to the base of the structure, reading:
THROUGH THE PATRIOTIC ZEAL OF ERASMUS WILSON F.R.S. THIS OBELISK WAS BROUGHT FROM ALEXANDRIA ENCASED IN AN IRON CYLINDER. IT WAS ABANDONED DURING A STORM IN THE BAY OF BISCAY. RECOVERED AND ERECTED ON THIS SPOT BY JOHN DIXON C.E. IN THE 42ND YEAR OF THE REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA
1878
While Annabeth studied the plaque, Percy had wandered over to one of the guardian statues, inspecting the human face before noticing something. "What does that say?" Percy asked aloud, pointing at the neck of the bronze sphinx.
Annabeth looked over to see a set of hieroglyphic inscriptions encircled by an oval. Sadie glanced at the picture words, her blue eyes skimming the engraving. "Netjer nefer men-kheper-re di ankh." She read, as easily as if Annabeth had been told to recite the alphabet.
"Did you just... read Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs?" The Daughter of Athena inquired..
Sadie raised an eyebrow. "Percy's the one who wanted to know what it says. It's not like you haven't heard us speak it before." The magician elaborated. "The spells? Ancient Egyptian."
"Yes, but those were spells," Percy iterated, as if it made all the difference. "You have to practice them."
"I think it's similar to how you demigods can inherently understand Ancient Greek." Carter explained, coming to stand next to his sister. "Since we're… magicians, we can read hieroglyphs pretty fluently with practice." Annabeth's eyes narrowed slightly. Even with practice, Sadie had barely looked at the inscription before rattling off it's translation.
"So what does it say in English?" Percy wondered.
Carter spared the engraving a long look. "The good god, Thutmosis III… given life. Or something." He shrugged. "I'm not as fluent as Sadie. But we came here for a reason." Carter reminded, tilting his head towards the Needle.
As the small group made their way to the base of the obelisk, Annabeth noticed a melancholy air descend over the siblings. Carter's eyes had lost some of their focus as he looked up at the stone structure, while Sadie had crossed her arms tightly over her chest. The latter took a long inhale, letting it out in an extended sigh. Annabeth glanced at Percy, her boyfriend having picked up on the mood shift as well, frowning at the two magicians with concern.
"Back where it all started, huh?" Sadie muttered.
The ghost of a smile crossed Carter's lips. "Technically, it all started when Dad blew up the Rosetta Stone."
Sadie snorted. "Good times."
"Your Dad did what?" Annabeth's eyebrows shot up so fast that they threatened to achieve escape velocity.
"Don't worry, we put it back together." Carter assured, his eyes never leaving the Needle.
"The Rosetta Stone is a priceless decryption tool of not one but three dead languages. It is not a puzzle to test dynamite on!" Annabeth's outrage went unnoticed by the magicians who remained transfixed by the monument.
Sadie stepped up to the obelisk, placing the palm of her hand against the stone surface of its base. She closed her eyes, bowing her head as her purple-tinged locks billowed softly, as if a warm breeze had blown through her hair. To a casual observer, it probably looked like the girl was praying. After a moment, Sadie looked up, stepping away from the Needle.
"Well, the magic's still intact." The magician declared. "Hathor hasn't been here yet."
"That's good." Carter muttered absently.
Sadie nodded, hugging her arms again. The two magicians stood there, in that trance-like state, just staring at the Needle for a solid minute. Lost in their own world. Annabeth glanced at Percy; her boyfriend shrugging to say he was as clueless as she felt.
The Daughter of Athena cleared her throat to garner their attention. "So, are we done here?"
Both magicians simultaneously jerked around at her words. Carter blinking in surprise, as if he'd forgotten the demigods were there, and Sadie- Annabeth did a double take as she saw that the girl's eyes were glossed over with the telltale moisture of barely withheld tears.
Sadie recovered first, whipping her head away from the demigods shocked stares.
"Right." She said, her voice shaking slightly. The magician wiped the back of her hand across her face, still turned away. When she spoke again her tone was once more under control. "Places to go, people to see. Better get to it."
"Sadie." Carter placed a hand on his sister's shoulder.
"I'm fine, Carter."
Carter's gaze was sympathetic. "I know. I miss her too."
"I said I'm fine, Carter." Sadie growled with a hint of her usual annoyance as she shrugged his hand away. "I'll go get us a cab."
Her brother made no move to stop her as she stalked away, raising her hand to wave down a passing taxi. Instead the boy sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Percy looked at Carter, worry evident on his face. Annabeth felt resigned fondness for that part of her boyfriend- his instant protectiveness of his allies, even when said allies were still being secretive and stubborn to a fault.
"What was that about?" Percy asked, obviously concerned.
The magician shook his head. "Don't worry about it."
"We will worry about it." Annabeth stated with an undertone of irritation. "Sadie's clearly shaken for some reason. She may be your sister but she's also our ally, so for once I would like a straight answer."
"Annabeth." Percy cautioned.
"No, it-" Carter looked between the demigods. "It's okay. You have a point, we're your comrades, you have a right to know." The magician took a deep breath, looking back at the Needle, his chocolate eyes glazed with sorrow. "This is... this is where our mom died."
Awkward.
"I…" Annabeth had the grace to look ashamed. "Sorry... I had no idea."
Carter shrugged with a small smile. "Not your fault. You couldn't have known."
"If you don't mind my asking," Percy ventured, "how did she…"
"She died by because of her magic." Carter's gaze dropped to the floor as he spoke. "She used to much. Mom was a diviner- a magician who could predict the future. She saw a day in which chaos would take over, the snake, Apophis, would rise and destroy everything. She and Dad tried to change that, only…" The magician glanced back at the obelisk. "Something went wrong. Mom sacrificed herself, saving the world and protecting our Dad in the process." Carter chuckled lightly. "I guess blowing things up isn't the only thing that runs in the family."
"And your Dad-"
"Dead." Carter interrupted, the one word laced with heartache.
Annabeth knew first hand how hard it could be to grow up without the guidance of a parent. She had run away from home at the age of seven, fending off monsters for months with only a small hammer and her wits. Then she'd been found by Luke and Thalia, and together they'd traveled to Camp Half-Blood where she'd met her godly family; half-brothers and sisters who were also children of Athena. Annabeth held no qualms about her decision to run. What few memories of her dad and stepmom she had weren't ones she treasured or valued at the time. Then the prophecy about the fall of Olympus had come to pass and Annabeth had rekindled her connection with her mortal family: nothing like the end of the world to bring people together.
From their reactions, Annabeth realized that the magicians' situation was slightly different from her own. It seemed as though Carter and Sadie had fond memories of their parents, evidenced by the backlash they'd shown from visiting their mother's place of death. And yet… while they were mournful, the magicians hadn't been despondent. They hadn't broken. Both parents dead and they were still cracking jokes, fighting monsters, and trying to save the world. The Daughter of Athena made a mental note to amend her initial impressions of the siblings.
A sharp whistle pierced the air, Annabeth, Percy and Carter looking up at its origin. Sadie waved them over, having completed her self-appointed task of getting them rides. "Let's go, slowpokes." She called. "It's not like the world is gonna save itself."
Fin! Thanks for reading!
Welcome to London! Just as an FYI, I do not live in London. I have never been to London. Not do I know anyone who lives/has been to London. All descriptions and portrayals will be purely based on information gleaned from the Internet and Google earth.
That said, to any Londoners reading this: How did I do? Accurate or way off the mark? Feel free to let me know. I don't want to misrepresent your city.
Next few chapters will get exciting again, so get your swords and wands ready ;)
Final things: (a.k.a. my 10 AWESOME reviewers. 10!)
First, to Ensis96: I agree that the old satyr would approve. And yes, Percy and Carter are adorable ;) We'll have to see where Annabeth and Sadie's relationship go, moving forwards. Thanks for the review and all of your continued help and encouragement :D
Secondly, to HaywireEagle: Thank you for sharing your opinion :) I'm glad you enjoy the story and I hope I continue to keep the characters in character as the story develops. Thanks for the review!
Next, to WhisperOfTheHeart: Wow! Thank you for the multiple reviews! :D you had me fist pumping with your third review (people at the restaurant thought I was insane ;P). I have a soft spot for the magicians as well, I love their personalities so much. I'm not sure what to say about changing your head cannon... sorry/you're welcome, I guess? When reading the books I had assumed the same thing but when I looked into it for this fanfic I realized that there was a slight age gap. It worked out well enough, I think. Also, yes- Setne is BACK, and as annoying as ever. He's got some wicked little plans mulling about in that overly-gelled head of his. Thanks for your patience and your comments :) Each one made my day.
To Demigods9: My english teacher would disagree with you on the grammar compliment, but thank you :) The technicalities of writing has never really been a focus or a strong suit for me so I'm glad you think the story reads well. Here's your update! Sorry for the wait, hope you enjoy :)
To FieryGirl101: Thank you, I plan to :) Hope you had fun with this chapter as well. Thanks for the review!
To SilentAngel33 (Ch.8): I can see your reasoning, but if you get to chapter 9 you'll see that Percy does tell Carter about how he's a veteran at apocalyptic situations. Having Percy confront the magicians didn't feel in character so instead he just had a nice little encouraging talk with Carter. Thanks for keeping me honest, and thank you for the review! :)
To CMDOBlitzen: You noticed, huh? I actually included a big clue during Sadie's Ba dream that no one's picked up on yet (or, at least, no one's pointed it out). But yes, Camp Jupiter IS located somewhere in California, who knows? Maybe we'll see some more familiar faces as the story progresses.
Last, but not least, to Guest (Ch.9): Thank you :D I feel honored by that praise. 3 years on fanfiction... wow! I'm glad you enjoy it, I certainly enjoy writing it. Thanks for the review! I saw it just before I began the process of posting and it made me so excited to get another chapter out there for you to read.
As always, please review and comment and critique and rant, rave, protest, praise, and whatnot (i'm running out of synonyms for review... O.o).
See you next time!
-Ardoa88
p.s. Ancient Egyptian translations: Netjer nefer men-kheper-re di ankh = The good god Thutmosis III given life