Hey, guys. I'm back! I'm so sorry if I got you all waiting for a long time. I just got bombarded with a lot of things. My aunt just got operated with her larynx, and now she can't speak for two months. I've been helping her with a few stuffs. Seriously, what she needs is an ASL tutor. And my parents are also coming to the city. I had to fix my place.
Anyways, thank you all for the reviews! You guys are awesome. And as requested, I'll stop with the blackmail. But please don't stop with the reviews. It makes my heart all fluttery. :D And thanks to anonymous Jeff for that awesome message. You're absolutely right! I wish I could've thanked you properly, but I have no way of contacting you.
I don't know if you read that long babbling of mine, and I don't really mind if you didn't since I got you all waiting for so long. I'll stop here.
DISCLAIMER: Seriously, this is useless.
Chapter 12: The Ugly Ducklings
"We're going to visit an old friend."
"Where?" Grover asked. I smiled because we were together then when we last saw her.
"Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium."
"What? Why? You still remember what happened the last time we went there, right?" Grover asked with no pause. Yeah, who could forget that night. We almost ended up as garden gnomes for Medusa's garden. Before I could answer, everyone started talking at the same time.
"What are you talking about?" Thalia asked.
"You've been there before?" Nico added.
"Percy, can you please explain," Chiron requested.
"...don't want to go back there."
"...Kelp Head?"
"Why? What...
"...tell us."
"Foood..."
"Guys!" I snapped. "Please, just let me talk," I pleaded. They all looked at me, finally shutting up. I sighed and told them our encounter with Medusa on our very first quest five years ago. Grover was nervously playing with the eyes as I explained what my idea was. While I was talking, I kept glancing at Chiron who smiled at me reassuringly.
"Are you sure it will work?" Nico asked.
"Maybe," I shrugged. "I mean, Zeus did it."
"He's a god, Perce. We're not," Thalia pointed out.
"That's why we're going to get Medusa's help," I answered.
"You think she'll help us turn Laelaps into stone after what you did to her? I sure won't if you cut my head off," she said.
"That's because you won't be able to since you'll be dead by then," Nico stated. Grover and I tried to hold our laughs as Chiron held Thalia on her seat.
"Well, if she won't help us, we'll just have to cut her head off again," I said, resuming the matter at hand. I know it won't be easier this time around, but they seemed to like the idea, except for Grover.
"Can't we just ask the gods to return the head you sent them?" Grover asked, trying hardly to persuade us to not return there.
"What do you mean?" Chiron asked. Grover then explained how impertinent I was by sending the gods a box with Medusa's head in it. Chiron shook his head disapprovingly while Nico and Thalia didn't look surprised. They already knew I had a major talent for ticking off the gods.
"Actually, dad gave it back," I informed them. I told them how Poseidon returned Medusa's head back then to help me decide on what future to take, and that I left it with my mom for her to use. They all stared at me grimly trying to figure out what my mom could've used it for. I smiled wickedly at the thought of her concrete life-size sculpture entitled The Poker Player. Grover's expression told me that he knew, and he looked like he can't decide if he'll smile or frown. "And she told me she disposed of it," I finished. We sat in silence as we thought things through.
"So, we're really going through with this," Nico said.
Instead of answering his question, I turned to Chiron. "Chiron?"
He stroked his chin while he thought about it. Then he nodded. "Well, the plan seems to be plausible. Just be careful."
I each looked at the others. Thalia was staring seriously at the table while Nico played with the eyes. Grover was muttering something about flying goats and his Uncle Ferdinand. I thought for a while as we sat in silence. "I guess we'd better get going," I spoke up.
"Don't you think we should figure out the rest of the prophecy?" Thalia asked.
"It mentioned something about our journey coming to an end and finding a guide. I think we'll find out along the way," I replied.
"I meant the last line," she said softly, shifting her gaze on me.
"Oh," I muttered. I felt myself tremble, and my hands were shaking uncontrollably. I gazed at Nico and Grover who gave me looks of sympathy. I somehow forgot about the visions, and I haven't told Chiron and Thalia yet. I knew Chiron will be able to help me understand them, but it felt like understanding the visions will just make things worse. Nico gave me a slight nod towards the direction of Chiron and Thalia. I guess it was time that they found out about it.
I was about to tell them but Chiron spoke up first. "Do not worry about it too much, Percy. You yourself know that prophecies have double meanings," he assured me.
I avoided his gaze. "That's not what's troubling me. There's... there's something else."
"What is it?" he asked with a concerned look on his face. And so, I told them about the incident we had with Rachel regarding the visions the Oracle showed us. Nico and Grover shifted uncomfortably on their seats as they added their own bits of the story. We also told them what we saw in the visions but we didn't go into too much detail. Thalia looked like she just solved a very hard math problem. Chiron, on the other hand, looked very uneasy.
"So, that's why you were acting so strange when I was driving," Thalia said, referring to Grover. He nodded. We sat in uncomfortable silence after, waiting for someone to speak up.
I gazed at Chiron who leaned in forward and laced his fingers on the table. His face was blank and his eyes that were full of answers looked like a mist. Somehow I knew the truth was somewhere in them, but it was being covered by a thick fog. I waited for him to speak up, but it looked like he wasn't about to talk for a millennia.
"Has... has this ever happened before?" I asked him nervously. He nodded slightly, his face still expressionless. He then started to tell us stories of heroes and campers that have been given visions before, but most of them either died from fear and horror, or turned insane. The few that did survive faced their fates according to the visions they saw, either good or bad. He explained that the visions weren't always about the one who sees the vision, but there is always a connection, just like my visions were somehow connected to the ones Rachel and Nico saw.
"And just like how prophecies have double meanings, the things you see in visions are not always what they seem," he finished, trying to assure me but it sounded more like he was convincing himself. He just said that the visions came true every single time. There's no escaping it.
"Percy-" Grover started. I knew he was just trying to comfort me. He understood how I felt that moment. But I cut him off.
"I think we better get moving," I said coldly. They all just looked at me with concern and a little bit of pity. I tried to open my mouth to speak, but instead it came out as a yawn.
Chiron gave a weak smile. "You should stay and rest for the mean time. I'll have Argus take you to the city later."
I wanted to protest, but I felt my body weaken. My invulnerability was draining me again, and my lack of sleep wasn't really helping. We ended the short meeting and went off to different directions. Grover headed to the woods to check on Juniper. I went to my cabin to take a quick nap, and so did Thalia and Nico.
As I entered my cabin, I was expecting Alex to be sprawled on his bed. But to my surprise, he wasn't there. He's bed was in a mess which meant he was just here moments ago. My mind was telling me to look for him, but my knees started to buckle. I quickly made my way to my bed, and as soon as I laid down, I fell asleep. My quick nap wasn't worth the nightmare I was about to have.
I was in an endless ridge of shadows. At first, it was just complete darkness. I started to walk in a random direction and things started to magnify. I instantly knew where I was. The Underworld. But I was in an area that I haven't been before. Nothing was in sight, not even the tall walls of Erebos. I was in the middle of a huge desert of black soil.
It felt like I've been walking for hours of nothingness. I just wanted to wake myself up and end this boring dream. For the first time, I actually felt like I wanted a nightmare rather than having this kind of dream. But soon enough, I regretted having such thoughts.
As I kept walking, something came into view. The horizon started to glow a faint color of orange and yellow. As I got closer, I realized that it was a long line of fire. It looked like one of those wildfires you usually see in Oregon or California. And as I drew nearer, it wasn't just any fire. It was a river of fire. Literally.
It wasn't a river of magma, but it was really a river. A river with water that was flowing slowly downstream, following a certain path. The boiling water was bubbling, making popping sounds. I could sense if the river was mixed with oil, but it was not. For some strange reason, the unquenchable fire was burning endlessly on the surface of the water. I was only a few more feet away, and if it wasn't for my bathe on the river Styx, I should've been burnt and turned into Percy a la crisp by now.
As I approached the river, I felt the mix of intense emotions coming from the river spirit. It was full of passion and desire. I soon realized that it was the river Phlegethon. I remembered the story of the river god Phlegethon and his lover, Styx. He tried to be with her but she was consumed by his flames. This caused Styx to send him to the Underworld, and he desired nothing more to be with her again. Eventually, Zeus accepted Styx's river to flow through the Underworld, and the rivers met somewhere at the center of the Underworld.
I decided to follow the path of fire, thinking that I would probably at least find a better place than this barren land. But before I could, I noticed a figure opposite me across the river. I tried to focus my vision to see who it was, but all I could see was his silhouette. He had one foot on another silhouette which I figured to be a body. His giant spear that he held with his right hand was brandished at the stomach of the other figure. He started to laugh with a booming voice, and I knew I've heard that before.
I tried to focus even more, but the flames started to grow bigger and sway wildly. I then heard the shouts of other voices, but I was too busy watching the fire consume me.
"Percy!"
My eyes shot open and I quickly sat up, sweating profusely. The voice sounded like it came from my dream, but I realized it was just Alex, waking me up. He was standing next to the bed. He looked at me with puzzled eyes, his face full of concern.
I inhaled a big amount of air before speaking. "I'm fine. Just a nightmare," I smiled. He studied me for awhile before nodding. "So, where've you been? When I got here, you were already out," I asked as I moved to sit on the edge of the bed.
His concerned face suddenly changed into a cheerful one as he talked about how Blackjack woke him up earlier because of a group of Hippocampi requested for help. There was a pair of fishes trapped with a group of sharks in the middle of a minefield. Where did I hear that before?
Then he told me about how he carefully controlled the current to slowly move the mines out of the way for the fishes and sharks to get out. As he continued talking, I started to feel like I wanted to scold him. Unlike me, he could've been blasted into fish food! Wow. When did I start acting like my mom.
Then, I realized what I've been doing before and how I made my mother feel as I went on dangerous quests. I ignored my thoughts and smiled at Alex, congratulating him for a job well done instead.
"Is Annabeth back?" he asked delightfully. The mention of her name made my heart twist into a knot. I slowly shook my head in response.
"Oh," he said as his face fell. "What-what happened?" The way he asked sounded like he thought Annabeth was... gone.
"We just came back to talk to Chiron. We'll be leaving again later," I answered. His face changed into something happy but sad, if that even makes any sense. He was about to speak but the conch horn sounded. It was time for breakfast. I stood up and noticed that Alex's bed was already neat. I fixed my own, not wanting to leave him with a very disordered cabin during inspection.
"Come on," I said after, motioning him to follow. As we got out of the cabin, there a satyr humming and tapping his hoof while eating a tin can a few feet away. It was Gleeson, and I figured he was waiting for Alex.
"Oh, hey, Percy," he said, nodding slightly. "If you're looking for Grover, he's with Juniper by Zeus' fist."
"Thanks," I smiled. I let them go ahead since I'll be with them at the same table anyway. I stood there for a moment, inhaling the fresh morning air. My nightmare suddenly came back to me. Images of the two figures across the river of fire. Me being engulfed in flames. The voices I heard that I somewhat recognized. And that laugh, I know I've heard it before.
I was deep in my thoughts, but I got distracted when two campers passed by talking about gossip. I usually ignored those kinds of stuff, but I couldn't help but listen when I realized they were talking about a prank pulled on the Aphrodite cabin.
"Did you hear what happened to the Aphrodite cabin?" one of them asked. She had that distinct baby face that can only be seen on campers from a certain cabin. I figured she was a child of Hebe.
"No. What?" another asked. I've gotten used to that look that can only mean she's from the Apollo cabin.
"The Hecate cabin changed all their designer perfumes with transformation potions. They all look like the ugly duckling!"
They started to laugh, and I laughed silently to myself as they walked away. The Aphrodite cabin must be freaking out right now. At least they still looked like something related to their mother. I didn't mean Aphrodite was ugly. What I mean is you know, because the ugly duckling turned out to be a swan. And the swan is one of the symbols of Aphrodite. You don't get it? Never mind.
"Why are you laughing?"
I turned around to see Thalia slowly walking towards me. I waited for her to catch up before heading towards the pavilion.
"Did you hear about the Aphrodite cabin?" I asked. She nodded and started to laugh.
"Yeah. They're all like 'Oh, my gods! I have a beak!'" Thalia said as we cracked up. "Serves them right."
"You still have that Hunter-Aphrodite feud, huh?"
"Yup. Never gets old," she smirked.
"Give it back!" someone shouted coming from behind us. We turned around to see Travis and Connor running and laughing. Behind them was Katie, struggling to chase them.
"Hey, guys," they greeted in unison. They grinned as they ran pass us, heading towards the mess hall. Katie stopped beside us, resting her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.
"Hi," she greeted, forcing a wave from her hand that was clutching her tired knees.
"Hey. What's going on?" I asked.
"Oh, you know. Travis and Connor just took another pile of special seeds from me. The usual," she smiled as she tried to stand straight.
"They got away again, didn't they?" Will asked Katie as he, along with Jake, approached. Katie sighed and nodded.
"I told you the traps would help," Jake put in.
"For ten drachmas? Uh, no thanks," she answered.
Jake shrugged and turned to us. "'Sup, guys. How's the quest going?"
"Other than almost being turned into dog food, it's been pretty good," Thalia said. We laughed and started to go to the pavilion together, but I noticed at the corner of my eye someone running.
"I'll see you guys later," I said as I stopped on my tracks. Thalia turned to see why. She nodded when she saw Malcolm coming towards me. She mouthed the words We'll talk later. I nodded and faced Malcolm.
"Hey, Percy. So, uh, any news about Annabeth?" he asked. I shook my head in response. "Oh," he said with disappointment.
"Well, the quest wasn't that bad since your mother has been helping us. And even though we didn't find any leads, we did get a prophecy."
He studied me carefully as his mind worked. "You went to see Rachel?" he asked but it sounded more like he was accusing me.
I rubbed the back of my neck subconsciously. "It's kind of a long story," I answered. He glared at me but I decided to ignore it. "Anyway, from the way it sounds, we're going to be successful in getting Annabeth back. We just need to figure out how."
He kept on glaring at me. I wanted to tell him that it wasn't my fault we ended up in Rachel's place, and she's the Oracle! I mean, if he's thinking I was cheating on Annabeth. I was about to tell him that I'd never do something like that, but as if he was reading my mind, the look on his face softened.
"I guess that's good news. The cabin is still a little freaked out and I don't know what to do," he forced a smile. "And speaking of the cabin, I need to check on them. I'll see you around." He walked ahead and muttered something about not being responsible enough.
I trailed behind Malcolm, realizing I was the only one left standing near the cabins. As I reached the entrance of the mess hall, I noticed Thalia and Nico leaning against the marble columns of the pavilion. They were clearly arguing, again. As I came nearer, they noticed me approaching.
"Finally!" Thalia exclaimed.
"You've been waiting for me?" I asked.
She rolled her eyes. "You figured that on your own, Kelp Face?"
I decided to ignore her comment to avoid more arguing. "What is it?" I asked curiously. She glanced around first, making sure no one was near enough to hear whatever we were going to talk about.
"Tell me exactly what you saw in your visions," she whispered, but she said it like it was a matter of life and death. Turns out it was.
"Haven't you asked Nico?"
"He's not making any sense!" she said, throwing her hands in the air. Nico just scowled and stuck his tongue out.
"We already told you. We saw ourselves killing a bunch of monsters and... and me dying," I shuddered as I thought about the visions.
Her eyebrows scrunched as she studied me carefully before speaking. "Percy, come on. I'm not Chiron."
"Why are you asking anyway?"
"Maybe we can do something to prevent it."
"What are you talking about? You know we can't fight against something like that."
"That's what I told her," Nico put in.
Thalia glared at him before turning back to me. "Maybe we can. We can't fight against prophecies because we have no idea what we're up against and we only get hints. They don't even make any sense at times-" Thalia started but Nico cut her.
"Like you," he muttered. Thalia tried to stop her urge of smacking him at the back of his head, but it turns out she can't control herself. "Ow!"
"If you don't have anything sensible to say, just shut up, Corpse Head!" she glowered. Then she turned back to me. "As I was saying, we only understand prophecies when things finally unfold. But with visions, well, I just thought that if we found out what exactly will happen..." she trailed off.
"Maybe we can prevent it from happening," I gasped, finishing what was on her mind. She nodded. "So, we're like trying to find a loophole."
"Exactly," she smiled.
"So."
"So? Tell me already!"
"Oh, right. Well, it was dark, and... and I was sprawled on the ground bleeding to death."
She waited for me to continue before asking, "That's it?!" She stared at me, hoping that there was more. Sadly, that was it. I sighed and nodded. "Ugh!" she groaned in exasperation.
"I told you so," Nico said playfully, smirking. Thalia gritted her teeth.
"Nico..." she growled. Nico raised his hands in surrender but Thalia wasn't about to buy it. I decided to stop them before they ended up beating each other.
"Look. I appreciate what you guys are trying to do. But I think there's really no way out of this," I said flatly. They both looked at me sympathetically.
"Percy, maybe Rachel's right. If you come to think of it, you did look a little older. Maybe it won't happen for a few more years. We can prepare ourselves," Nico stated. I didn't really notice that I looked older in the visions since I have no idea how I look at the present.
"I don't know," I said, looking away. "I think... I really think it's connected to the last line of the prophecy."
"Well, that's just what you think. For the first time, it's a good thing you're a seaweed brain," Thalia chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. I forced a smile.
"We'll figure things out. For the mean time, I really want to go inside already. I can't stand the smell of the waffles," I said. They smiled and nodded. We entered the mess hall and sat at our respective tables. Alex and Gleeson were already seated at the Poseidon table, devouring the waffles. I grabbed my plate and went to the fire in the center of the hall. I scraped a few waffles and thanked the gods for helping us with the quest.
Breakfast was pretty low-key. Everyone talked about their own agendas. The only highlight was the Aphrodite ducklings quacked loudly as they chased the Hecate campers around the pavilion, causing everyone to erupt in laughter. They must be shouting something like "Change us back!" and "We can't brush our feathers!"
Mr. D was still in a very good mood, so he ignored all the commotion. He was happily biting cookie after cookie. I noted to pester Chiron later on exactly how he got Mr. D in such a trance.
The number of campers in the mess hall slowly trickled down as they went on their morning activities. Alex and Gleeson stayed for awhile, telling me what they've been up to lately. But later on, they left me alone. They mentioned something about messing with the campers that were trying to beat their current record for the climbing wall.
"Hey." Annabeth slid next to me on the bench. "Happy Birthday."
I stared at her. She was holding a huge misshapen cupcake with blue icing. "What?"
"It's August 18th. Your birthday, right? Make a wish," she said.
"Did you bake this yourself?" I asked.
"Tyson helped."
"That explains why it looks like a chocolate brick. With extra blue cement."
She laughed as I made a wish and blew the candle. We cut the cupcake in half and shared, eating with our fingers. We silently watched the ocean in the horizon.
"Percy," Grover said, waving his hand in front of me. He was seated next to me.
"Oh, hey G-man. Didn't see you there," I said stupidly.
"That's because you were busily daydreaming again," he grinned teasingly. I just shot him a look, but I smiled back.
"How did things go with Juniper?" I asked.
"Oh, you know. We just did some... catching up," he said, blushing when he finished. Go figure.
I didn't want to find out what he meant by catching up, but somehow, my curiosity took over me. I was about to ask him unwillingly. Thankfully, Nico and Thalia, along with Chiron, came and interrupted.
"Percy, Argus is waiting by the hill. You can leave anytime you're ready.," Chiron stated.
I looked at the others. They all smiled and nodded at the same time like it was rehearsed. I couldn't be more grateful for having such great friends. Not to mention their amazing powers that really comes in handy every single time. And I couldn't ask for more. I smiled back and nodded.
"Let's go."
AN: There you go! Another chappy. I'll try to update again soon. But it will probably take awhile since my parents are coming to the city.
Anyway, did you guys catch the Finding Nemo part there? No? Too bad. :D
One more thing I would like to say, just as I did with my other stories, that all of the stories I write are connected. I'm not telling you to read them, but it would be nice if you did. And also review. :D But my point is, I mention a few things in my other stories that add a few points to this story and insights on the plot.
That's it. You all know the drill. Review!