Chapter 10: Be Prepared
Ariadne looked like she had just had cold water dumped on her in her sleep.
"That's so obvious if it were a spider it would have bit me. There's no place to put him in California without people noticing something, and if they put him in Alaska, but then he'd melt everything. In Hawaii, no one can tell if a volcano is erupting or if Hyperion is just angry." Ariadne got up and ran inside her cabin for a second, and then instantly ran back out. "Come help me look for some maps, we're going to have to make a few stops along the way." August stepped inside Athena's cabin, which looked more like an underground bunker built for war than a cabin. The beds were all pushed to the sides, and the middle was used for maps, war strategies, and calculations. To the back, the whole wall was lined with book cases to the ceiling. Ariadne was already looking through the cases and pulling out books. August was just about to look through the shelves when she heard someone come through the front door.
"I see that you've already started planning." August turned around to find Annabeth in the doorway.
"Oh, yeah. Better get it over with now before it's too late." August said, looking back at the titles. Annabeth walked up beside her and searched the shelves.
"I wanted to say I'm sorry for bearing down on you like that yesterday. You didn't deserve that. It's just that we've had a lot of deaths on our hands for the past several summers. I just don't want some new guys going out and getting killed because they don't know what they're doing. But, I think you've got a good sense of what you're supposed to do." Annabeth said with an apologetic look on her face. She pulled an atlas from the shelf, and examined it.
"I know you were doing it out of genuine concern, and I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing in your position. You don't have to say you're sorry for doing something in the right mind." August responded. Ariadne had already pulled off as many books as she could handle, but motioned that she was ok.
"I'll meet you outside." She said, trying to open the door with her feet and succeeding. August nodded back.
"Please tell me you at least chose her." Annabeth said.
"Who else?" August said with a smile.
"Good, she is probably the best one to chose in terms of new blood. Maybe even the best one to chose period, besides me of course." Annabeth said jokingly, but August knew she really wasn't.
"I want you to know that I swore on the Stix that I'd do everything in my power to get her back safely. I'm dead serious when I say I'm not going to mess around with this quest." And she was. August wasn't in any way joking around with this quest. She felt it was almost too risky to even talk about, let alone joke about it.
"I know. Look, I really got onto you for not choosing Percy or me not because I thought you wouldn't do a good job, but because Apollo's kids have a habit of talking big stuff and then backing off when the going gets too hard. I didn't know if you were showing off in the Big House by saying you could do it without guidance, but I know now that you really mean what you said." Annabeth's eyes were actively trying to bore through August's head, trying to make sure that August was up to the challenge.
"I know I'm a show off, but I also know that I don't tell people I can do something if I can't. I wouldn't talk big unless I knew I could do it, and I know I can do this." August felt responsible and in charge for this quest, and she wasn't about to let her fears get in the way. Annabeth nodded and gave August an interesting look.
"I believe that you can. You know, you and I may have more in common than you think. Go ask Ariadne what the term hubris means. Anyways, I must be off. There is one more thing I'd like to give you." Annabeth took out a small business card with the name Frederick Chase, and an address in San Francisco. "That's my dad. He's a very nice guy who may be able to help you with supplies and such when you get to California. Tell him I sent you, and he'll understand. Good luck August." Annabeth said as she turned towards the door.
"Your mother said the same thing to me right before I got on the airplane." August called back. Annabeth smiled over her shoulder and continued on.
"I don't have the materials here to make that kind of armor." Leo said as he tinkered with what looked like an old game boy.
"Wow just awesome. Do you at least know where we can get something like that?" August asked, not pleased with the fact that they would have to travel somewhere else to get armor that could withstand the heat of the sun. Ariadne had told August that the only way to fight Hyperion without literally bursting into flames would be to get the same armor that Apollo wears during his travels. August had a feeling it wasn't going to be easy to get three suits of it though.
"Yeah I do, but it's not going to be easy." Leo got up from his work bench and walked to the back of the workshop where a large map of the country was displayed. There were certain areas that were marked with red pins, and Leo pointed to a few of them. "These are some of my dad's workshops that he has around the country. Most of them are located in mining towns or areas where metal is used a lot." The three that stood out were located in Pittsburgh, Arizona, and West Virginia.
"Perfect, we'll go to the one in Arizona. That's closest to where we need to be, and we can head on to Hawaii from there." August remarked, happy that their first stop was so close.
"Actually, West Virginia is going to be your best bet. The type of armor you guys are looking for is going to probably need a ton of fuel to make, and that's exactly what West Virginia is known for. Hephaestus uses that workshop mostly for large scale things for Ares. If you're looking for something that needs a lot of fuel, like heat proof armor, West Virginia it is." Leo went back to his workbench and picked up something that looked like a bronze cog and a small metal dog tag with Leo's named carved into it in Ancient Greek. "You'll need to show him this tag if you want him to make you anything though. He doesn't just hand out armor." Leo handed August the cog and tag.
"Great. Could this be any harder?" August asked herself, not happy that she'd have to make a stop in the drabbest area of the country to get the armor.
"Look on the bright side. After you get the armor, its smooth sailing from there." Leo said, going back to his gameboy.
"Alright, thanks Leo. I owe you one." August said as she walked out of the workshop. Just as she turned the path to go back to her cabin, she saw Ariadne walking down the path with Nico, Hades' son.
"There you are August. This is Nico, son of Hades. He'd like to have a word with us about our quest. Nico, this is August." Ariadne introduced the two. August noticed that Nico looked like a typical emo that she saw at her school, but he had a distinctly older sense about him, like he was not from this time. His hair, though shaggy, was neatly combed, and his clothes were tucked in and well kept for modern day attire. His eyes were dark and brooding, but not in a bad sense. August didn't feel the least bit intimidated by him, though she knew he was not someone to get on a bad side with.
"I hear that you guys are going after Hyperion. I want to let you know that my dad is literally the king of darkness, and I think he may be able to help. Follow me." He led them down the path to his cabin. The cabin was made of a pure black stone with green fire torches. It looked like something out of a My Chemical Romance video, but infinitely cooler. As he led them inside, the whole thing looked very old fashioned. The inside was furnished with older wooden furniture, there was a fire place where a green flame flickered, several book shelves that held books with necromancy titles, and a large wooden desk with an interesting map laid out on it. Nico motioned them over to the map for a closer look.
"My father, Hades, uses a type of magic that allows him to keep parts of the underworld dark all the time. Do you think that magic would come in handy with your quest?" Nico asked.
"I believe it would be incredibly helpful, yes." Ariadne responded, studying the map. August looked over it herself, and realized that it was a map of the underworld.
"Yeah, I agree with Arry on this. Anything and everything can help. How to do we go about getting this magic?" August asked, continuing to look at the map and all of it's tunnels.
"My dad isn't someone who just hands over spells and favors, so getting it from him will require this." Nico handed over a small, rectangular, black tile with his initials. "If you can manage to get to him, which isn't easy, give this to him. He'll know it's me and he may help you. Also, take these too. They'll disguise your scent and make you seem dead." Nico handed August three necklaces with silver dog tags.
"What's in our way besides Cerberus?" Ariadne asked, already making marks and planning an enter and exit route.
"Well you have the fates. If they catch you, then you're in for it. There's also the River of Forgetfulness, Tartarus, The Fields of Punishment… you know what, just take this route." Nico moved in next to Ariadne at the desk, whose ears turned slightly pink.
"The main entrance is the DOA recording studio in Hollywood. After you get in there, give the boat man on the River of Stix a few drachma, and he'll take you to the judgment area. Then, take this path past the fields, and past Tartarus. Do not under any sort of circumstances stray from this path. It will hurt." Nico finished drawing the path, then rolled up the map and handed it to Ariadne. "I trust that you'll be the one to take care of this?" He said, giving her a smile.
"Uh, yes! Yes I will, thank you." As Ariadne took it from him, August could have sworn she saw her blush a little harder.
"Alright Nico, it's very cool to meet you. I owe you big time." August shook Nico's hand.
"I may not look like it, but I'm on the hero's side too. If you ever need anything else, don't be afraid to ask." With that, the horn blew for dinner. "Looks like we're being summoned, let's head out." The three of them walked towards the lunch terrace as Nico managed to lose them in the crowd rush. The two of them didn't mind lagging behind a little; it had been a long day already. August turned the tile over in her hand. It was cool to the touch, no matter how long she held it, and it was shiny, but so dark that nothing could be reflected in it. It made August a little edgy holding it.
"Stygon iron. Only Nico and Hazel, his sister, are known to control it. It's supposed to be the underworld equivalent to Celestial bronze. That is to say, powerful and holds magic." Ariadne explained. August felt now was as best a time as any to get on Ariadne's nerves.
"So, you like him or what?" August had a feeling this wouldn't fly well, but she had to ask. Ariadne's cheeks turned bright pink as she turned away.
"To be honest, I don't know if I like him or the fact that he pays attention to me." Ariadne admitted.
"Pays attention to you? Arry, I would think that you would have like, so many guys after you." August was dumbfounded that Ariadne didn't have more people with her name on their list. Ariadne turned red again and let her hair fall over her face for cover.
"It's complicated. Many people tend to avoid Athena's kids in terms of dating for various reasons. For one thing, Athena is still a virgin goddess with her kids coming from thought and not, well, intimacy. I guess that puts it into people's heads that we're all stuck up and not looking for romance. It comes with the whole mind over heart mentality. Not that Athena's kids hate relationships, but they're not known for them like many other demigods. Also, have you seen my eyes lately? Not exactly a warm color." As Ariadne explained, August knew exactly what Ariadne was talking about.
"I think I get it. A lot of people avoid me because they think I'm, I dunno, intimidating? They think it's all one giant competition from me. Not to mention the piercings don't seem to help. The last time I walked into a 7/11, the cashier watched me the whole time to make sure I didn't steal anything. Kinda sucks actually." August said as they reached the dining pavilion. Ariadne handed the tile back with a smile.
"I guess that makes two of us. I'll see you after lunch then. We can explain everything to Ed." Ariadne said over her shoulder as she walked towards her table. August had a feeling this quest was going to be a little more work than she intended.
