OK now in this chapter is when they go to the museum and search for the tunnels entrance, lots will be uncovered in this chapter, especially what lies deep inside the tunnel...
Chapter 8
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Clarisse spoke, clearly shocked, all of them were.
The explosion rocked them, it was so unexpected.
They did not want to say it aloud but they all knew what each was thinking;
Who blew the van up? Was it the new campers? Who tasked them to and why?
These questions puzzled the half-bloods even more.
"We have to keep going, this quest has to move forward, the dinosaur exhibit. Let's go." Percy said.
Percy was right; they could not let the explosion slow their quest, keep moving forward.
They made their way to in the museum, the different exhibit dazzling the young half-bloods but it was only one they wanted to see, the T-rex.
"There it is!" Annabeth exclaimed.
"Ok Rachel we need your help, it was your vision, tell us, how?" Nico asked.
"Well all I saw was us entering the tunnel in that and Clarisse was leading the way. I'm sorry guys, I don't know anything else." She replied.
Disappointment read on their faces. Dead end.
"Wait!" Annabeth explained.
"Look at this, the T-rex' foot! There's some sort of inscription, take a look!"
They surrounded her, eager to see the inscription.
"It's in Greek." Percy replied.
Στο στόμα του κτήνους θα δείτε το σημάδι
The inscription read, puzzled look scattered about the group.
"I think I know what it says," Annabeth spoke up, her face in deep thought.
"It says: In the mouth of the beast, you shall find the sign."
"Well we know the beast is the dinosaur and it does have a mouth, so let's look." Grover replied.
"It's not that easy Grover, whoever's going to look has be agile and light enough to get there and not break it." Rachel replied.
"I have an idea," Annabeth spoke. "Does anyone have mirror?"
"I have one!" Thalia said.
After a couple of minutes Annabeth was able to construct their way in the "beast's mouth" all it took was Thalia's mirror and a spear that they "borrowed" from the Hall of Human origins exhibit.
"Now all we have to do, is lift the spear in the mouth of the dinosaur, reflect the mirror towards us so we can see what's in there." Annabeth instructed.
Clarisse lifted the spear in the dinosaur's mouth, careful not to destroy the exhibit, she reflected the mirror towards them, what they saw shocked them all.
(there was originally a picture here.)
"It's the Labrys!" Annabeth exclaimed.
"The famous double-headed ax." Percy continued.
"It was a symbol of fascism during the Greek times." Annabeth continued, noticing the blank stares of the others.
"Fascists believe that nations and races are in a perpetual conflict where in only the strong can survive." She explained.
"Survival of the fittest." Nico replied.
"Exactly and not only that it also represents female power." She added.
"Now the question is, how can that help us to get in that?" Grover said.
"I think I know how," Rachel spoke up. "The Labrys represent the survival of the fittest, strength and female superiority, that's Clarisse, it was like in my dream, you lead the way not because you wanted to or was forced to but because only you can access the tunnel, only you can open it." She finished.
"Me?" Clarisse replied. "I am going to open the tunnel?"
"Yes Clarisse, only you can do it." Thalia said encouragingly.
Clarisse went beside the structure, towering above her, she could not believe that SHE was going to open this "tunnel" she had no idea how but she was somehow going to have to figure it out.
She made her way towards the belly of the beast, the tunnels entrance, she crossed the barrier and made her way in to view it better, she observed the ribs, they a thought struck her, a double-headed ax, two. She looked at the second rib bone, nothing special or unique from the others, it looked like all the rest, she felt it, held it, tugged it, pulled it, shuved it and pushed it. It didn't work. The symbol, think of the symbol, she said to herself, she looked around the T-rex looking at each to bones when-
"I think I've found it!" She exclaimed, it was not often she made discoveries such as this. "Look."
They saw it, 3 of the dinosaurs bones matched the symbol, it was the symbol.
Clarisse pushed the three bones, then a click.
The ribs bones suddenly came apart, leaving an opening, the entrance to the tunnel.
"You found it!" Grover exclaimed hugging her, then immediately let go.
"Lead the way." Rachel urged Clarisse.
The inside of the tunnel could be described in one word- dark.
It was a narrow tunnel, all around them all they could see was darkness, luckily Clarisse had a lighter in hand, a flicker of light in the endless tunell of darkness.
It only went straight, no turns, no left and right, just forward. No inscriptions, writings, nothing.
After 20 minutes of walking it was starting to look hopeless when they saw it, light.
Clarisse made her way towards the light, it was a room brightly lit and absolutely breath-taking, sculptures were all around the walls, a large marble table was in the center and 17 chairs were set up around it, it was absolutely enormous.
The half-bloods were silent, they were all looking at the most breath-taking room they had seen in their lives. None of them knew who's room this was or who were the people in the sculptures on the walls, except of course for-
"This is the room of the Protogenoi." Annabeth spoke up.
She was right, the sculptures on the wall were the Protogenoi, below each of them their names were labelled in Greek, they all failed to notice this, except of course for Annabeth, who noticed the name Gaia and immediately knew where they were.
They looked at the walls, finding the four they would battle.
"Look it's Nyx and Erebos." Nico noted.
Indeed it was, the god of darkness and goddess of night were beside each other, faces stern and dark. They then saw Ananke, they all looked around trying to find Khaos, but they could not find any sculpture of him. He was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Khaos?" Grover asked, puzzled.
"He's up there." Thalia replied scared.
They all looked up, Annabeth immediately noted the name on the top, this was indeed Khaos. Yet, how could it be? The painting in the ceiling was nothing like what the children had imagined Khaos to look like, the myths and legends got it all wrong, Khaos was not a dark, big creature and was certainly not genderless, for Khaos was a girl, a little girl to be exact.
"Impossible." Percy said under his breath, but all had heard.
It pretty much summed up who they were looking at.
"It's you." Annabeth said, looking straight into the eyes of the daughter of Zeus.
***
OK! What do you think? NICE? NOT NICE? Horrible?
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