Chapter 12:
Annabeth POV:
When Thalia had left, I turned towards the two boys. "So…we technically have a whole week to do whatever you want."
"Are you sure? Because knowing you, you'll just think about how to defeat Calypso and Luke," Percy teased.
I sighed. "Busted."
"Seriously, Annabeth. You really should take a day off."
"Yeah, I agree with Percy," Nico said.
I glared at him. "Since when did you become such an expert on me?"
Nico answered, "The day when Thalia introduced you to me."
I rolled my eyes. "That was two days ago."
"Exactly!"
I stood up. "I guess I'll visit the brook then."
"I'll go with you," Percy said, also standing up.
Nico huffed, "Okay. So you two think it's cool to leave me here all by myself."
"Yup, pretty much it," Percy joked.
Nico gave him a signature death glare.
"Okay, fine. You can come along," Percy relented. But on the way to the brook, I heard him muttering, "What is with those three? Always torturing me."
"Oh, so you think I torture you?" I teased.
He turned red. "I-uh-um-You heard that?"
"What do you think? I'm walking...what? One and a half feet away from you."
"Um…sorry?"
I laughed. "Seaweed Brain."
"Wise Girl."
"Kelp Head."
"Owl Face."
"B-" I was interrupted by Nico whining.
"How do you even keep track of all your nicknames for each other? I'm having a headache listening to them!"
Percy and I exchanged glances. Three...Two...One… "Shut up, Nico!" We shouted simultaneously. Percy also added a complimentary shower, courtesy of his powers.
Nico, who was now dripping wet, started glaring at Percy.
"Uh...five second head start?" Percy asked nervously.
"More like one," Nico said, lunging at Percy. The two took off running through the woods, with Nico chasing Percy.
I sighed, shaking my head. Boys will never change. Especially Seaweed Brain. Then I heard a thump, someone saying, "Oof!" and another that screamed, "Oh, Kelp Head, you are so going to get it now. You too, Death Breath!" Guess who that was.
Running over in Thalia's direction, I heard a few crackles and Percy and Nico complaining about the shocks of electricity Thalia was directing at them. "Thalia! Please don't fry them alive!" I managed to say when I got where they were. Nico and Percy were on the ground, groaning.
"Don't worry. Got the ambrosia plant."
"And I guess that means you're going to play-"
Percy interrupted. "More like torture."
Ignoring him, I continued, "-with them first? You were supposed to use the plants to heal Percy's hand you know…."
Thalia glared at both of them. "Not my fault they barreled right into me."
"Okay! We're sorry!" Both of them whined in unison.
Thalia rolled her eyes. "I'm letting you go this time. But next time, I'm not going to be so easy."
They both gulped and nodded frantically.
When we were walking back to the cave, Percy managed to whisper to me, "Thanks, Annabeth. I owe you one back there."
"No problem," I smiled.
"Hurry up, you two lovebirds back there!" Thalia called, and both me and Percy blushed red and looked in the other direction, hurrying to catch up.
~ooOoo~
"Are we supposed to eat it or grind it into paste and rub it on?" Thalia asked.
"Eat it," I replied with confidence.
Percy groaned. "I was hoping that I wouldn't have to eat it."
"Come on, it's not that bad," I coaxed.
"Yes it is. How am I supposed to trust Thalia when she was about to electrocute me just five minutes ago?"
"True," Thalia confirmed.
I glared at her. "Not helping."
Nico chimed in, "I'm getting bored. Just eat it or I'll shove it into your mouth for you."
Percy glowered at Nico. "If you dare…."
"Guys! Percy, just eat it. Nico, just shut up," I directed both of them.
"Fine," both of them relented, shooting each other looks.
"Oh, and Percy? I know the plant appears to be your worst fear, but trust me, it will heal you."
"Are you sure?" Percy dangled the plant in front of him, holding it as if it were a poisonous substance. Which he probably thought it was.
"Sure. It was to keep monsters and unworthy people from eating it when not needed. Oh, also because if you eat too much, you will spontaneously combust."
Percy shuddered while still dangling the plant in front of him, and I could see the indecision in his eyes.
That was the exact moment a monster attacked us.
Percy POV:
I had to eat that...that...what was it again? Oh yeah, ambrosia or something like that. Anyways, to be short, I DID NOT WANT TO EAT THAT. Even if it would heal my hand, which I doubted it would(considering it was Thalia who picked it….)
"Come on, it's not that bad." Annabeth tried persuading me.
"Yes it is. How am I supposed to trust Thalia when she was about to electrocute me just five minutes ago?" I shuddered at the thought of it. If it weren't for Annabeth...
"True," Thalia said, confirming my suspicions.
Annabeth glared at her. "Not helping."
"I'm getting bored. Just eat it or I'll shove it into your mouth for you," Nico complained.
I shot daggers at him. "If you dare…."
"Guys! Percy, just eat it. Nico, just shut up," Annabeth instructed.
"Fine," we both whined.
I managed to force myself to pick up the plant, dangling it in front of my face. Oh, the horrors. How was I supposed to eat THAT?
"Oh, and Percy? I know the plant appears to be your worst fear, but trust me, it will heal you." Leave it to Annabeth to spout random facts about ambrosia.
"Are you sure?"
"Sure. It was to keep monsters and unworthy people from eating it when not needed. Oh, also because if you eat too much, you will spontaneously combust."
Spontaneously combust? Thalia gave me a plant that's supposed to heal you but if you eat too much you will die? What type of plant is this?
Of course, this was the best moment ever for a monster to barge in and try to kill us.
"Percy! Just eat the stupid plant, okay?! You do not want to be fighting with a broken hand!" Annabeth screamed over the snarls and growls of a very large and ferocious hellhound that was most definitely not Nico's friendly pet.
"Oh, so even you admit it's stupid," I muttered underneath my breath, but tried tearing off a piece of a leaf and tentatively placed it into my mouth. Immediately, I felt like I was eating my mom's blue chocolate chip cookies again-warm out of the oven, with the chips still melting. My hand's throbbing also lessened a lot. That meant I didn't hesitate to devour the rest of the plant. Who knew there was a plant out there that tasted like chocolate chip cookies?
As soon as I felt better, I tried flexing my hand and only felt a slightest twinge of pain. Whipping out a ballpoint pen that my father gave me, I uncapped it and it grew into a long sword-my sword, Riptide.
"You distract it while I kill it!" Annabeth shouted.
"Hey, what about me?" Thalia and Nico said at the same time.
"Thalia, shoot at it. Nico, help Percy distract it."
After a few arrows, shouts, and slashes, we had a mound of monster dust in the middle of the clearing. We were about to trudge back to the cave before we saw five more hellhounds and ten dracaena emerging from the forest.
All of us groaned, "Oh, come on." Reluctantly turning around, about twenty minutes of hacking and slashing at the monsters rewarded us with sixteen piles of monster dust that blew away in the wind. All of us hardly had any scratches on us, even though we were panting from ducking and dodging a flurry of claws that came one after another in battle.
Once we were back in the cave with our few scratches cleaned with water, Annabeth immediately started talking. "I'm guessing the monsters were from Luke's army."
"How would he know that we were here?" Thalia asked.
"He probably has spies everywhere looking for us," I chimed in.
"Great. So we need to stop the wedding and defeat a whole army of monsters while he has spies everywhere that probably are going to kill us and I'm passed out from shadow traveling back. Any survival chances for me here?" Leave it to Nico to be all positive about this.
"Thanks for making me feel a lot better about this, Death Breath," Thalia remarked.
"You're welcome."
"Who's taking night watch tonight first?" Annabeth asked.
"Wait, what?" I had no idea where exactly Annabeth got the idea of taking night watches from. "Why?"
She rolled her eyes. "Seaweed brain, in case a monster attacks us at night."
"Oh." In the few moments of silence in the cave, Nico, Thalia, and I all exchanged glances. Then, all at once, we chanted, "Not it."
Annabeth sighed. "Oh well. I knew you guys would team up on me…."
