As soon as they were clear of the cabin, Thalia turned on Percy.
"Alright. What do you want from me?" Thalia came right out and said it. Percy looked perplexed.
"What are you talking about?"
"I heard what Apollo said. You're indebted to a god because you did me a solid. What do you want from me?" On the inside, Percy was panicking. He was not ready for this, and definitely not ready to reveal his visions to Thalia of all people. Somehow, though, he showed no signs of his panic on the outside and even had an idea.
"And how is me driving the sun chariot and solid to you?" There it was, his idea laid out. Now it was just a matter of what she said next.
"Because I- I…" Internally, Percy smiled. Pride wouldn't let Thalia admit her fear to him, especially since they weren't close. His smile vanished when Thalia took a deep breath. "Because I'm afraid of heights… And you knew that! I know you did." She mumbled the first part, but he understood completely.
"I- I-" It was Percy's turn to stutter. Never in a million years would he have bet that Thalia would tell him her darkest secret in this moment. Yet she did, with only a moment's hesitation!
Thalia was furious at herself. Her instincts still told her with complete certainty that she could trust him, and she accidentally acted on that, revealing what took her months to tell Annabeth. Thalia was a woman of action, not thought. And because of that, she went with her gut, and Annabeth equaled her out. The thoughtful ying to her active yang. But Annabeth was gone, and now Thalia needed a ying more than ever. Her instincts told her that person was Percy, and her body was acting on its own trying to confide in him.
"How did you know? And what do you want?" She watched Percy take a second to collect his thoughts and she prayed to random gods that he was gonna have a good excuse. She needed to be able to trust him, something inside demanded it so.
"Annabeth told me, before you were brought back. She was thinking about you one day and just starting spitting facts off at random. She didn't mean to, but she didn't think that it would matter at the time." There it was, the excuse she needed to hear, but she still needed more.
"And what do you want from me, that you would make a deal with Apollo to save me from driving?" Subconsciously, she held her breath.
"I don't want anything. I made the deal with Apollo because… I asked myself what Annabeth would do, and she cared about you. She probably would have found a way to drive the chariot without getting indebted, but I did my best. For her… And for you, I suppose. I won't tell anyone about your fear. I promise." At least something Percy said was actually the truth. It came out more… 'Romantic' than he would've liked, but he got the point across. Now, from what he knew about Thalia, she wouldn't accept this as an answer. Being stuck in a tree makes you suspicious, he supposed. Regardless, it was the truth and he would stick with it.
"Thank you Percy. That means a lot to me." She was really throwing curve balls at him today. Percy stared at her in surprise and she turned away from his gaze. Nothing was said and awkward silence filled the space. Thalia kicked the ground and Percy continued to stare at her. Finally, she coughed and spoke once more. "So… Are we gonna tell the campers about… capture the flag tomorrow?" She scoffed at the notion and Percy felt the tension disappear.
"I know you want to get Annabeth back, but you have to be patient. Mr. D said we can't go on a quest to rescue her."
"Well fuck what Mr. D says! I'm not gonna let that poor excuse of a god stop me from getting Annabeth back!" Percy put a hand over Thalia's mouth as quick as he could.
"Shh! He can hear you! Look, I want to get Annabeth too, but we can't just steal supplies from the camp. We're not children of Hermes. How about we wait until another quest is issued, and we'll use that opportunity to look for her." She removed his hand from mouth.
"Alright fine. I have a feeling that a quest is coming soon anyway. Just promise me that you'll get me on it." Percy smiled, once again she had no idea how right she actually was.
"Of course. In the meantime…"
You and Thalia co-captain capture the flag and end up fighting.
"You and me should co-captain the team, it'll be a way to occupy yourself." Now was a good time to try and see if he could prove these visions wrong. Whatever happened tomorrow, he was not gonna fight with Thalia.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? I'm not very good at sharing leadership."
"Nah. It'll be fun!" Thalia didn't look convinced, but she shrugged anyway.
"Alright, just don't get mad at me when I end up ordering you around."
"Don't worry about it. We'll have a good time."
"If you say so."
"We will. No fighting, I promise."
After doing the rounds and informing all the cabins of the upcoming game, Percy returned to his cabin for the first time all year. He took sometime to get reacquainted with the room, taking in the sights that he had missed so.
The cabin was empty, or spacious, as Percy said, with the exception of Percy's corner of the room. His bed was as he left it, sheets laid on perfectly, the Minotaur's horn above his pillows. On his wall, the shield Tyson, his half brother, crafted him hung, adding some more personality to plain cabin. Percy realized that he could have used it, but shields just weren't his forte.
He took out Annabeth's cap and laid it on his nightstand. Yet another decoration to the room, hopefully a temporary one. No, definitely a temporary one. He would personally give it to Annabeth when he and Thalia found her. It was only a matter of time. Apollo had confirmed his visions, a prophecy was coming, and he would stop at nothing to get Annabeth back.
He was deep in thought when he heard the sound of water gurgling. There was something new in the room. How he didn't see the giant stone fountain at the back of the room was a testament to his dedication to finding Annabeth, or perhaps just his obliviousness. The fountain was carved from gray sea-stone, a fish spewing hot water into a basin. Mist radiated from the fixture like a sauna. It was a gift from Poseidon, Percy could figure out that much. At the bottom of the pool were a dozen golden drachmas and he realized what it was for.
Percy opened a window and a rainbow was made in the mist, confirming his theory. It was to contact his family, to stay in touch. Now the question was, who would he talk to? He pondered this, moving a drachma through his fingers. He could say thank you to his dad, but he wasn't sure if an iris message even worked for gods. Plus, he did run the risk of being smited doing so.
"Eh. Fuck it." Percy had already gotten on the wrong side of countless gods, one just today! What was one more? "Iris, O Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering." He chucked the coin into the mist, it disappeared. "Show me Poseidon, in Atlantis." He wasn't actually sure if that was where his father was, but it seemed like the best guess.
The mist shimmered and Percy was shown an image of his father arguing with show merpeople in what seemed to be a war room. Iris messages worked on gods, confirmed.
"Dad!" Percy shouted through the misty window. Clearly, Poseidon wasn't expecting any calls and the god jumped two feet in the air. Seeing the god they worshipped so frightened, the merpeople ran away screaming. Percy chuckled at the sight. Poseidon turned to the mist and sighed in relief.
"Oh. Percy. You gave me quite the scare. I didn't think you'd call me." Percy shrugged.
"Mom always said to thank the people you got gifts from, regardless of if you liked it or not." Poseidon smiled at the mention of Sally, but then frowned.
"You don't like the fountain? I thought it was nice…"
"Oh no, that's not what I meant. It is! I like it, I really do. I'm sorry for giving off that impression." Percy hurriedly corrected.
"Okay, son. I believe you. Now, I'd love to stay and chat, but as you probably saw, I'm kinda busy."
"Well not anymore, you're not." Percy remarked. Poseidon shook his head with a smile and Percy continued. "Why are you so busy?" All of a sudden, Percy could clearly see the weariness on Poseidon's face.
"Oceanus, Aigaios. They're waking up, and they want to take back the seas. Were at war, Percy."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"Not unless you're secretly a god because some more godly support is really what we need right now." Poseidon chuckled.
"Have you told the council?"
"Of course I have, but you've seen our meetings. They're all too busy arguing over which ones the prettiest to give a damn about what's going on in the oceans. It doesn't concern them." Poseidon sighed and looked away from Percy. "I have to get back to work, Percy. Just remember that I love you. And be safe."
"Love you to, dad. I will." With an arm swipe, Poseidon ended the message, leaving a melancholy mood over the cabin. Somehow, Percy felt even more lonely than before.
Dinner wasn't much better. The food was great, as always, but the whole ordeal was pretty shitty. Thalia sat alone, looking miserable, the Athena Cabin glared at him, probably blaming the son of Poseidon for Annabeth's kidnapping, and the rest of the tables were quiet. Truly the only table having any fun was Artemis' table, where the Hunters sat.
They laughed, and told jokes, and were just generally having a good time. Percy shook his head in sadness, seeing Bianca, knowing she had signed her own death sentence by joining the Hunters. She seemed to be having a good time, unlike her brother, who was staring at her the entire time.
When everyone had finished eating, Chiron made a customary toast to the Hunters, welcoming them. Everyone clapped halfheartedly, but the mood definitely turned for the better when Chiron announced capture the flag. Percy looked at Thalia and gave her a reassuring smile, her returning smile was less enthusiastic.
After all that, the campers and Hunters went back to their cabins for an early lights out. Percy had hoped that his dreams would give him a break tonight, and believe it or not, they did! He had a dreamless sleep, something that he hoped would continue.
Annabeth was on a dark hillside, shrouded in fog. She struggled up the hill, mutter to herself while climbing.
"He's mine… This isn't right… Get away from him…"
Ancient greek pillars lined the hill as she continued her mindless ascent, but she didn't even notice them. Nor did she notice Luke at the top of the hill, in tremendous pain. The fog was condensed on him as he tried to rise, drenched in sweat.
"Annabeth! Help me, please!" For a moment, she snapped out of her muttering and turned to him, walking over calmly.
"A trick… As it should be… He will be mine… Wrong…" Even in his distress, Luke looked at her, confused.
"What- What are you talking- Ugh- Talking about? Help me, please!" Annabeth titled her head, seeming to look right past Luke, as if he didn't exist at all.
"I will make things right… I will not let it change…" In an instant, she knocked Luke out of the way and took the full force of the sky herself. "He will be mine he will be mine he will be mine~"
She continued to repeat the same four words on a loop and Luke was stupefied.
"What the… Not how I thought it would go, but it worked out nonetheless. Umm… Try not to die." Annabeth made no signals that she even heard Luke, continuing to repeat her phrase. Luke shrugged and walked away from his longtime friend without remorse. "Probably the gods' fault. Don't worry Annabeth, I'll avenge you."
Chapter Twelve Done. Until next time,
-AGR
