Chapter 14
There were three bags by the throne room doors. One blue, one green and one black. There was a small piece of card on top with the inscription "–H".
I sent a silent prayer of thanks to Hermes as I unzipped the green bag and found a few sets of my clothes, a large roll of cash, a pouch of drachmas, and some nectar and ambrosia in a zip lock bag.
Thalia and Nico had similar items in both their respective bags.
We shouldered our bags and made our way down through Olympus waving at a few of the Minor Gods as the passed us. A familiar song about Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain played in the elevator as we descended.
The doors dinged open and we exited, giving a slight nod towards the usual security guard, who replied with his own curt nod.
It was dark out, but New York was always busy. The streets were bustling with people and the roads were crammed with cars.
We decided to walk as it was only a ten-minute walk to the train station. We were there before I knew it.
"Boston, D.C., Charleston, Detroit." Thalia said rattling off different trains. I scratched my head looking at the other boards. The neon boards were doing nothing to help my dyslexia and I could barely read what they displayed.
"Well, Lady Artemis said West. Let's get the one to Detroit and see if we can maybe head to Chicago after?" Nico spoke up.
"Yeah, that's a good idea." Thalia said shouldering her bag and looking at me for approval.
"West is West." I acknowledged nodding my head.
With that Thalia turned and walked over towards the counter. The woman sat behind the counter was a middle-aged red head. She was absentmindedly twirling a pen in her fingers and didn't notice us approach.
"Three tickets to Detroit please." Thalia announced, taking the woman off guard. The woman gave us a once over with a raised eyebrow before typing something on her computer.
"We have an overnight train leaving in 36 minutes or a faster rail in the morning." she responded, turning from her computer to look at us.
"We'll take the overnight train." Thalia said looking at us for approval.
"Cabin or coach?" she asked typing another few things onto the computer. "Cabin." Nico interjected. The woman raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"That'll be $378.89 please." she said, popping open a little slot for money. Nico opened his bag and pulled out a roll of money placing four $100 bills in the slot. She eyed the roll of money in Nico's hand but again said nothing. She gave us our change and our tickets with a quick 'Thank you' before shouting 'Next' ushering the person behind us forward.
The train soon appeared and we boarded, heading towards our cabin. There were four reclining seats facing inwards. I placed my bag down and slumped down into a chair. Nico took the one next to me and Thalia the one opposite. I sat looking out of the window, brooding over the fact that another Great Prophecy was supposedly beginning, another war I was being dragged into.
"Perce, what wrong?" Nico said looking at me with a frown.
"I was just thinking about the prophecy. It's got me a little worried." I replied turning to look at Thalia. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concern as she looked at me.
"Maybe if we go through it, we might be able to deconstruct it, get a bit more of an understanding of what we're facing?" Thalia supplied. I shrugged, but nodded.
"The Twice Saviour of Olympus shall fight, the Blackness, the Darkness, the Eternal Night. The sword and the bow must come together, or fight alone an endless terror. The Prison's walls have begun to break, the end of Olympus in its wake." I recited in a monotone voice not looking up from the floor. The words of the prophecy had haunted me over the past few years, circling around my mind constantly.
The war against Gaia had cost me more than I could have imagined, I didn't know if I was ready for another war.
"Shall fight the Blackness, the Darkness, the Eternal Night. I wouldn't think it'd be your father Nico, last I had heard he and Olympus were on good terms?" Thalia said looking over at Nico.
He nodded in acknowledgement "Yes, relations between my father and Olympus have never been better." he responded with a frown.
"Well who else, maybe Thanatos?" Thalia asked sitting forward. Nico again shook his head. "No, I wouldn't imagine so. Again, the relations between gods have grown much stronger, thanks to Percy's wish after the Second Titan War.
"What about other Primordials?" I piped up silencing the two. They both looked at me with wide eyes before Nico started scratching his chin.
"I thought all the Primordials were gone?" Thalia asked furrowing her eyebrows.
"So did everyone else until Gaia's rising. And then Tartarus appeared before me when I was down there." I said quietly, quickly glancing around the cabin and out the window.
Thalia's mouth dropped open a little. "What do you mean Tartarus appeared before you?" she hissed out with wide eyes.
"Thalia." Nico said pointedly, giving her a look. "Nico it's fine." I said waving him off.
"Just before I escaped through the Doors of Death, he appeared and attacked. I would be dead if not for Damasen who was able to distract his father long enough for me to escape. Thalia looked at me with a worried expression before continuing.
"Well in that case that would mean..." She said, before looking out at the night sky with an audible gulp.
"The Eternal Night..." I responded with a grimace.
"Oh Gods." Thalia cried out closing her eyes.
A few minutes of silence passed as we contemplated the gravity of what had possibly been uncovered.
"I had a dream." Thalia whispered out. She didn't open her eyes but continued to speak.
"I was standing at the edge of a chasm, it stretched as far as the eye could see in either direction. The air was thick and heavy and coated in red mist. The ground was made of black rock and shards of black glass. When I peered over the edge, I saw a cage suspended above the chasm. There was this darkness like a thick black smoke seeping out of cracks in the cage. And then a voice... It acknowledged me, as if I was actually standing there. I spoke to Lady Artemis of this, but she did not have any answers." she finished opening her eyes. I had felt my eyes glaze over and Nico's hand appear on my shoulder during her story. I swallowed down the lump in my throat as she looked at me. Her face took up a confused look before I saw realization dawn, her eyes widening.
"That was Tartarus?" she choked out. I nodded with a grimace.
"The prison's walls have begun to break." Nico spoke absentmindedly not looking at anything in particular.
"Let's hope we're wrong." I whispered out, before the group descended into another bout of silence.
"I think that's enough for one night. Let's try get some sleep." I finished before leaning back into my chair feeling a wave of nausea overcome me. I felt Thalia's eyes on me for a minute or two longer before she relented and leant back too.
-Line Break-
The next morning, we were closing in on Detroit. We agreed to get some breakfast before we arrived, so we headed over to the dining car. We ordered large breakfasts with all the trimmings. I had a cup of coffee whilst Nico and Thalia had orange juice.
"So, what now? West is a bit vague." I asked in between mouthfuls of food. "Maybe we should IM Lady Artemis and Athena to see if they can help?" Thalia supplied.
"Well, we're looking for the Ophiotaurus, and it is a waterborne creature. Maybe ask some nature spirits or Naiads to see if they've seen anything?" Nico said taking a sip of his juice.
"Maybe do both?" I offered. "Any help is better than none. Detroit is at the edge of a lake as well." They both nodded in agreement.
An announcement that we'd be arriving in 15 minutes broke our conversation. We finished up breakfast quickly and returned to our cabin to gather our stuff. Soon enough the train pulled into the station and we exited into the bustling city. I hailed a taxi and we all crammed into the back.
"Where to kids?" the old man sitting in the driver's seat announced, looking at us through the mirror. He had grey thinning hair and wrinkles across his face.
"Can you take us to the lake please?" I asked looking over at Nico.
"Sure can!" he responded with a toothless grin.
It was a short journey to the edge of the lake. The cab driver made some conversation, asking about our day and where we were headed. I didn't pay any attention instead peering out the window. The large buildings and city blocks soon turned into nice suburbs. Large houses with even larger gardens, big green trees lining the roads and the edge of the lake off to the right.
"So where do you want to be dropped?" the man asked looking up in the mirror. Thalia looked out the window before responding.
"Just up here is fine, thank you." The driver dropped us at a small piece of jutting land with a sign saying 'Pier Park'. Nico paid the driver who quickly sped off back towards the city center.
We walked past the past the parking lot and into the luscious green park. There were some tennis courts off to the left and a kids play park and restaurant to our right. Up ahead was a marina with some yachts moored.
There weren't too many people around at the moment which was good.
"I'll go and see if I can find the spirit of this lake. You guys wait here." I said
"Don't take too long kelp head." Thalia said with a smile. I smiled back to her before slipping into the water.
I swam further and further out, using the water to boost my speed before diving down and coming to an abrupt stop. I was stood at the deepest point in the lake. I looked up and saw the surface maybe 10 meters above me.
"Huh, I expected it to be deeper." I said to nobody in particular. I looked around some more, seeing a few empty bottles and one damaged row boat sat on the floor. There wasn't much else though.
"Hellooooooooo" I yelled out looking around. I frowned at the lack of response.
A giggle behind me drew my attention. I turned to find a group of water spirits all staring at me.
"Uh, hello?" I addressed the group standing a few feet in front of me.
Another small round of giggles emanated from the group before one stepped forward. I raised an eyebrow as she approached, her head was lowered towards the floor, her eyes not rising to meet mine. She had long silky black hair, a small heart shaped face framing her beautiful features. Her body was petite. She wore pure white chiton. She had a sort of glow about her, unlike the group behind her that was slightly distracting.
"Uh I could use a little help." I said looking from her to the group behind her, none of which would meet my eyes.
"My name is Nerea and I am the Nereid who presides over this lake. How may we assist you Lord Perseus?" she asked finally looking up.
I was taken aback by her response and looked at her with a questioning glance. She was a Nereid, one of the fifty daughters of Nereus, whom I had met years earlier in San Francisco, and part of the court of Atlantis. "'Lord Perseus'? What? I'm not a God." I said back looking between her and the group of Naiads behind her.
"I am aware my Lord. But you are the favoured son of Poseidon... Royalty." she said looking back down to the floor, her cheeks turning a pink colour.
I felt my eyes widen at her declaration and shook my head.
"Well there is no need. Percy will do." I responded with a smile. She seemed slightly confused but nodded at me.
"Nerea, I am on a mission from Olympus. We are tracking a creature with the head of a cow and the body of a serpent. I just need to know if you have seen it or have heard of its location?" I asked with another smile.
"You speak of the Ophiotaurus?" she asked plainly, to which I nodded in response.
"I have not seen or heard anything my... Percy." she responded I felt my heart faulter.
"But there is someone nearby who might. He is very well connected, and if anyone can help you, he can." she responded with her own smile.
"He's in Toronto, in a place called 'High park' at the edge of Lake Ontario." she finished.
"Thank you, Nerea. You have been a great help." I stated before turning and kicking off the ground back towards the shoreline.
I resurfaced near where I had entered the water. Thalia and Nico were sat at the edge of one of the docks, their feet dangling into the water. I smirked and went back under the water, gliding towards the two.
"BOO!" I screamed out. Which was followed by a shrill scream.
Whack
I had surfaced just in front of the two and startled them, and Thalia's immediate reaction was to kick me in the face. Nico just burst out laughing.
"Jesus, Percy, you scared the life out of me" Thalia said, her hand covering her mouth.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up Death Breath." she said her face turning it a shade of crimson.
"So, anything?" she asked after helping me up onto the dock. Both her and Nico started putting their socks and shoes on whilst I spoke.
"We actually have a lead, I met with a Nereid and she said there was somebody nearby who can help." I answered with a grin.
"Okay, that's good. Where is he?" Nico asked standing up straight.
"In Toronto, a place called High Park." I replied holding onto Thalia's shoulder as she hopped around trying to get her other shoe on.
"I thought you said he was close?" Nico said raising an eyebrow.
"Well... relatively." I retorted a small grin on my face. Nico laughed and shook his head.
We walked out of the side of the park and back towards the main road.
"So, another train? Thalia asked looking back towards the city skyline.
"Nah, I think we should rent a car instead. It gives us a bit more freedom than relying on trains." I returned looking up and down the street. I saw a bus heading down the road towards us. Convenient.
The bus stopped at the stop next to the park and we boarded. We sat near the back of the bus as there were less people.
Soon we returned into the city center. After we stepped off the bus Nico just started walking off. I looked at Thalia, but she shrugged. We followed him through the streets for around ten minutes before he stopped and turned to look at us.
"Rent-A-Car right?" he asked looking at me. I nodded, a little confused. He then pointed across the street to a rental place.
"Oh... How did you know it was here?" I asked. He looked around for a few seconds before giving me a strange look.
"God, remember?" he grunted out with a raised eyebrow. I forgot he was a God at times, he acted no different to his normal self, and never really announced to anyone that he was.
We crossed over the street and walked into the building. There was a man sat on the other side of the sleek white counter. Nico strode up to the counter, the man raising his head from his work to acknowledge us. He never got the chance as Nico snapped his fingers in front of his face.
"We're here to pick up our car, in the name of Nico." he said with an authority. "The 4X4 outside." The man's eyes glazed over and he nodded reaching under his desk. He placed a key on the counter. Nico scooped up the key and tossed it to me. Before walking over to the door. The man behind the counter sat back down and continued working as if nothing had happened.
I shrugged and followed, Thalia on my heels. I walked out and clicked the unlock button feeling satisfied as the chirp chirp sounded from a sleek red Ford F-150.
We dumped our bags on the back seats Thalia taking shotgun much to Nico's chagrin.
"But I got us the car, why am I in the back?" he complained crossing his arms and pouting.
"You didn't call shotgun. You know the rules." she said with a giggle directed towards him.
"My, my, did the great Thalia just giggle?" I said with a smirk as we pulled out of the parking lot. Her face fell open, whilst Nico just burst out laughing.
We set off through the midday traffic following the built in SATNAV towards the Detroit Windsor Tunnel. We followed the lanes of cars through the tunnel and out the other side.
Traffic began to lighten up as we drove further from the city. Soon the city blocks and suburbs faded into fields that stretched on as far as the eye could see. Thalia flicked through radio stations eventually settling on one she liked.
It had heated up in the middle of the day and we had rolled our windows down, blaring the music louder to compensate.
We passed a few towns on the way, but didn't stop, it was a straight road the entire way. On patches of quieter road, I was able to let loose, pushing the car faster. The three-lane road eventually widened into four lanes and more cars were seen forcing me to slow down a little.
A few songs I knew played and I sang along, but others I had no idea. Thalia was animatedly banging on some invisible drums laughing as Nico played the air guitar along.
It was late afternoon when the skyline of the city appeared. I had to admire the city as we drove.
"Can I drive?" Thalia announced from my side. I smirked at her.
"I don't want to get pulled over because there's a 15 year old driving, Thals." She frowned at my smirk and swatted me over the back of the head.
"I'm older than you fish boy." she retorted
"Could have fooled me." I whispered out loud enough for both of them to hear. A suppressed laugh came from the back seat and Thalia whipped round to glare at Nico.
"Pleeeeease." she complained giving me puppy eyes as we stopped at a traffic light.
"Alright, we're going to have to take it in shifts anyway." I supplied earning a smile from my cousin's direction. We followed for a little while longer driving through the city until we arrived at our destination.
We found a parking space near the park and pulled over. As I pulled the key out of the ignition my stomach rumbled.
"I agree. Let's get some food." Thalia said opening her door. Nico hopped out of the back and I got out locking the car behind us. We walked for a few minutes till we found a café. We sat down on a small table outside. I took a breath of fresh air. The drive had taken quite a toll on me and I was starting to develop a headache.
A waitress appeared next to the table and gave us a smile. She was around 18 or 19 years old. She had blonde hair and brown eyes. She was pretty but had quite a lot of makeup on and reminded me a lot of Aphrodite. She was wearing a sleeveless top and a short pair of shorts.
"What can I get for you three?" she asked, pulling a pad and pen out. We ordered a sandwich each and a few drinks. She left with a wink in my direction. I ignored her instead turning to look at Thalia who was frowning in the waitress's direction.
We ate our lunch with some small talk and after we finished Nico brought up the park.
"So did the Nereid say anything about who we were meeting?" he asked looking at me. I shook my head taking a slurp of my drink.
"So, we don't know who or what 'he' is? I think we should be prepared in case we need to fight." he said. Thalia absentmindedly started playing with her bracelet Aegis. I fiddled with cross-current on my finger. I hadn't used it much since I had received it, a few times at the most. To be honest the blade scared me. Even though it was mine, it didn't feel like it was.
The waitress came back over and I paid for our meal. We got up and left walking to some lights to cross over to the park.
We cautiously entered the park, looking around. It was about a third the size of Central Park in New York. It was mostly covered in trees and there was a large lake taking up one corner.
We walked around for a few minutes, following the trails but didn't come across anything. So instead we turned off of the trail walking into the trees. We walked until the trail was out of sight stopping to have a look around.
"So do you reckon..." Nico started before I was tackled to the ground by something. I heard Aegis spin out on Thalia's arm and I assume Nico had armed himself as well. I elbowed whatever was on top of me in the gut before rolling it onto its back, myself on top. Riptide was out in an instant and at the things throat.
"GROVER!" I shouted out falling back off him in surprise.
"PERCYYY!" he bleated out climbing back up and dragging me into a hug. I was shocked at first but returned the hug tenfold, a hug that would have made Tyson proud.
Grover eventually broke the hug turning and giving one to Thalia, with a smile. As he was, I got a chance to look at my oldest friend. He had grown a little, his horns were now out for show sticking through his scraggily hair. He had a full-on goatee now and his acne had nearly faded. He was wearing a brown jacket, wearing nothing on his lower half.
He turned to Nico ignoring any protests and swooped him up in a hug. Nico eventually relented and hugged him back.
"What are you guys doing here!?" he exclaimed eyes full of mirth a cheesy grin on his face.
"We're on a quest from Olympus." I replied looking at Thalia and Nico. "Bessie was taken from Olympus, we're tracking her down. So far we have 'West'." I said. Grover's smile faltered, his face taking up a concerned expression.
"That's not good." he said frowning and starting to scratch his goatee.
"Actually, Grover we could use your help." I started. He looked up at me in response nodding for me to continue.
"I spoke to Nerea the Nereid in Lake St Clair. She told me there was somebody here who'd be able to help us in the right direction." I finished looking at him as a smile began to break out on his face.
"What is so funny?" I asked as he just stared at me.
"Sure, I'd be able to help, let me go gather some things." he said turning and walking into the trees. I looked over to Thalia and Nico who didn't look as surprised as I was. Thalia started to follow, Nico after and me at the back.
"So, the Nereid was speaking about you?" Thalia asked from up ahead. Grover spared her a glance before continuing on
"Yeah, you remember when Bessie and I left you Percy and Zoé in San Francisco on our quest for Artemis?" he said stopping at a tree and knocking three times on the trunk.
"We jumped around a few times before we ended up on the East coast. One of the places we surfaced was Lake St Clair." he said turning to look at us. The leaves above him shook and a bag fell out from the tree smacking Grover on the head on the way down.
"Ouch." he whined rubbing his head, looking up at the tree.
"Anyway, I met Nerea and she helped me in the right direction, I think she could communicate with Bessie, and got us to the coast." he said picking his bag up and walking us out of the woods and back onto one of the trails. We followed him for a while more until we ended up near the other side of the park at the small lake.
He bent down and stuck his face in the water and began blowing bubbles. I looked over at Thalia who looked just as confused as I felt. Grover pulled his face out the water, and then stuck his finger in his mouth. Pulling it out he stuck it up in the air and then began sniffing.
"Well West is right. From what I can gather Bessie is over near the West coast. Seattle maybe? It's hard to tell, I need to get closer." he said looking between us ignoring the odd looks we were giving him.
"So are we flying or...?" he asked which seemed to snap me out of my stupor.
"NO!" I shouted out quickly, gulping. I wasn't comfortable flying, I never had been and I knew Thalia wasn't that comfortable with heights either.
"Where's the car then?" he asked walking us towards the edge of the park. We exited onto the side walk and I pointed down the road toward the red pickup.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" he asked with a grin.
I'm sure I would feel Thalia's wrath at some point. She was sat in the back of the car next to me with a frown. I had tossed Nico the keys out of pure instinct, and Grover had called shotgun.
"So, Seattle?" Nico asked looking down at the SATNAV.
"Head north and then round Lake Superior. Seattle is a guess." Grover responded with a glance at the map.
With that Nico, pulled out of the space and joined the road. Following the road to the highway and driving North.
Nico drove for a few hours along the highway. We listened to some jazz music as per Grover's request. I kept trying to get Thalia's attention, but apparently, she was pissed that she didn't get to drive.
We turned off the highway onto a smaller road. The sky above us beginning to darken as night set in.
"Yeah, that's pretty much it." Grover said from in front of me. He had been explaining where he was during the second Giant war. Apparently, many nature spirits had wanted to rise up in defense of their 'mother' and Grover had been working round the clock to quell any uprisings.
"I came back to camp after Gaia was defeated but you guys weren't there. I was able to break Junipers life line though, and now she is able to come with me anywhere." He said turning back to me with a smile.
"I'm so happy for you man." I responded with my own grin. For just a moment I saw something in his eyes, an unspoken pain. His eyes dropped slightly before he smiled again, turning back to the front.
I looked over at Thalia. She had fallen asleep a while ago and was snoozing quietly her head resting on her shoulder. I smiled at her unconscious form.
Suddenly a blue flashing light filled up the car. I turned and looked behind us and saw a police car matching our speed.
"Is that for us?" I asked Nico, who shrugged and eased off the gas, hitting the indicator. The police car didn't pass, and slowed down with us. I gently shook Thalia awake nodding in the direction of the police car. She sat further up rubbing her eyes.
"What did you do Nico? I told you I should have driven." she said with a smirk.
Nico slowed to a stop, pulled the handbrake and turned the car off. I looked around out the windows as the police car pulled to a stop a few meters behind us. We were on a dark road that was elevated off the floor. There was a small incline on either side of the road that led down to forest on either side. The woods on either side were pitch black and a thick mist was setting in.
The cop knocked on the window. Nico rolled down the window and smiled at the officer. He was tall and had short black hair under a hat. He had kind eyes and a smile on his face. He was wearing a black uniform under a black stab vest. A handgun was strapped to his side.
"What seems to be the problem, Officer?" Nico asked. I cracked a grin at the cliché line.
"Can I see your license and registration, please?" he asked kindly. Nico nodded and pulled a black driver's license out of his pocket that had white writing and a picture of him on. The Officer raised an eyebrow at him as he took it.
"Wait here a moment." he said before turning and walking back to his car.
We sat in silence for a few minutes waiting for him to return. I turned and looked out the back window, but couldn't see past the glare of his headlights.
Another few minutes passed before I spoke up.
"What do you think he's doing?" I asked curiously looking at the others. None of them answered. I was unnerved, something seemed very off.
A car rounded a bend ahead of us driving in our direction. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up on end as I watched the car slowly driving towards us. My stomach twisted in an unsettling fashion as I turned to look at Thalia who was also squinting at the car heading our way. Something definitely felt off.
I let out a sigh as it drove past.
BOOM!
I opened my eyes, my ears ringing my vision was blurry but from what I could make out everything looked wrong. Upside down. I put my hand up to my head feeling a warm sticky liquid on my forehead. I blinked away he stars in my eyes as everything cleared up.
Our car was upside-down, down the embankment. I looked over at Thalia. She was slumped hanging from her seat. Grover was in a somewhat similar position. Nico was on the floor, or roof of the car, face down.
"Ughh." I choked out, some blood dripping from my lips down onto the roof of the car. I reached up and unbuckled my belt, slamming down with a crash.
My body hitting the floor seemed to wake Nico up who groaned. Ichor dripping out of a cut on his cheek.
"Nico." I spluttered out in between coughs, touching his shoulder. He seemed to respond, sitting up and turning towards Grover. I turned to Thalia shaking her. There was no response. Panic began to rise as I stuck two fingers against the side of her neck.
"Thank the Gods." I whispered out feeling a pulse. I pulled her hanging body into an embrace and pressed the buckle. She dropped out of her seat and crashed into me, sending us both to the floor.
I looked over at Grover who was awake now and seemed relatively unscathed.
"What the fuck just happened." I questioned looking around. Thalia's door was slammed against the side of a tree. I turned and tried mine but had no success. It was wedged against the mud.
Nico grimaced at me before turning towards his door. With some added godly strength his door flew off its hinge impaling into the side of the hill. Grover tried his and it opened. The two clambered out Nico drawing his sword and walking round to Grover's side.
I rolled Thalia onto her back and put my arms under hers linking them just under her breasts.
"Sorry Thalia." I whispered out before putting pressure against them and dragging her towards the front of the car. Grover helped me get Thalia out of the car, while Nico stood looking around, his black armour already coating his body, sword in hand.
My hands were covered in cuts thanks to broken glass, but I ignored the pain throwing our bags out the side of the car before clambering out the car.
Grover had sat Thalia up against a tree and was pouring some nectar on her head wound. It was much worse now that I got a good look at it. Thankfully the nectar seemed to work as the wound stopped bleeding and close up slightly.
A flash of lightning lit the sky up, followed by a rumble of thunder. Rain began pouring from the sky.
I moved and sat next to Grover and summoned some of the water to my hand. I coated my hands with the water before applying them to her head wound. A soft orange glow emanated from under my hands as the water flowed over the wound.
When I removed my hands, the wound was much smaller than before. Grover looked at me with wide eyes but was drawn back when Thalia's eyes fluttered open.
"Perce... what... what happened?" she asked her eyes having trouble focusing on me.
"I don't know Thals." I said standing up, apparently too quickly as I fell back down on my ass feeling nauseous. Some blood dribbled down into my eyes.
I turned to look at Nico. He was stood in the same spot, except his face was an ashen white colour he was staring out into the pitch-black woods. A sudden chill shot down my spine and I turned to look in the direction he was.
"We need to move." I felt my lips say my eyes still fixated on the woods in front of us. Grover was the first one to his feet grabbing our bags and pulling Nico back towards the hill. I helped Thalia up to her feet. She stumbled a bit before we all quickly climbed up back to the road.
"Holy fuck..." Thalia voiced looking at the burning wreck in front of us. The car looked to have been a 4 door of some kind. The whole car was engulfed in flames. There was nobody in the driver's seat thankfully, but it didn't help the terror I was feeling.
The only light was from the burning vehicle and the police car that was sat a ways back, the lights still flashing. Other than that, it was nearly pitch black, no moon or stars were out.
I felt another shiver down my spine, like something was standing behind me. I whirled around accidently knocking Thalia off balance who was still using me as support.
There was nothing there, but I felt as if there had been. It was still raining, and seemed to have gotten a little heavier. I reached out with my senses into the forest.
There was a patch maybe 40 or 50 feet into the tree line that wasn't natural. The rain seemed to be avoiding it, scooting around it. Suddenly the patch moved a few feet forward before it stopped again. I turned to look at Nico who was staring in the exact same direction, Riptide appearing in my hand.
"Do you feel that?" I hissed out, my lower lip starting to tremble. For the first time Nico drew his eyes away from the forest to look at me. His eyes showed nothing but fear. He looked like he was shaking. He then turned towards Grover and pointed at the police car, before taking his sword in both hands.
Grover understood the silent message and took off in the direction of the car. Thalia had slumped to the ground without me supporting her. She was holding her head in her right hand and wincing in pain.
My head snapped back to the forest as I felt it move again, another few feet closer. Whatever this was it wasn't natural and had Nico and I pretty shaken. Then it moved again a little closer. I heard the police car roll to a stop next to us and Grover hop out helping Thalia to her feet, but I didn't dare look.
I made a split-second decision and capped Riptide, turning the ring on my left hand. Cross current formed in my hand.
I felt the presence falter and stop suddenly before inching just a little closer. I heard Grover call my name and I dared a look. Thalia was in the back seat and looked to be unconscious both of the doors closest to us were open and Grover was sat in the driver's seat waving at us.
I grabbed Nico by the shoulder and dragged him away from the edge of the road towards the car. He seemed to snap out of whatever it was and climbed into the passenger seat. I dove into the back seat slamming the door behind me.
Grover didn't even wait and stepped on it tearing off down the street. As we rounded the corner and sped off down the road, I felt an immense pressure release from on top of me. I didn't even have time to think as I threw up onto the floor between my legs.
Nico wasn't faring much better, he was still a pale colour and he had his eyes fixated on the rear-view mirror, looking out the back of the car.
After a few minutes Thalia roused from her sleep. She stretched out from her position her head landing in my lap. Her electric blue eyes stared up into mine for a few minutes before she mimed out
What the fuck!?
I shook my head in response not understanding what had just happened either. She let out a heavy sigh, wincing in pain as we went over a bump. I framed her face with my hands and watched as the wound began to heal even more. Her eyes didn't leave mine as I worked. I felt sweat begin to break out on my face and a wave of nausea over took forcing me to stop.
Thalia took my hand in hers and gave it a squeeze smiling a reassuring smile at me. My head slumped back and I felt my eyes fighting me to close them.
After another half an hour or so lights came into view ahead. Grover pulled the car to a stop just off the side of the road before turning to look at everyone in the car. His eyes looked heavy.
"We should get indoors." he announced, before opening his door. Nico opened his and got out still watching the road we had just come down. Thalia sat up from my lap before helping me get the bags out of the car. The rain had lessened to just a dribble.
Together we walked into the small town. On the corner of an intersection was a motel and we made a beeline straight there. I let the rain soak through me a little not wanting to raise any suspicions.
We walked in the door and up to the front desk. A man was sat behind the desk. He had short blonde hair and a scruffy blonde beard. He gave me a frown as he looked over at the cut that was leaking blood down my face.
"You alright, son?" he asked standing up, his face etched with concern.
"Yeah, tripped and hit my head. I'm so clumsy, should be okay though." I responded weakly.
"Are you sure it looks quite bad." he said reaching for the phone on his desk.
"Honestly sir, it's not a big cut, it just looks bad because of the blood." I replied forcing a smile at him. He gave a nod before turning to the others.
"Just a room for the night." Grover said, a hat appearing out of nowhere on his head.
"Sure, we have one spare, it only has two doubles though, I hope that isn't a problem?" he said writing something down on a pad.
"That shouldn't be a problem." Grover said plainly. He pulled a roll of cash out of one of our bags plopping it down on the desk.
"Uh, sorry sir... this is American Currency." he said looking at Grover. I heard a quiet snap sound. Grover frowned at the man before looking down at the money.
"I'm sorry sir, what do you mean?" Grover questioned. The man followed his gaze and his face morphed into one of utter confusion. The money which had definitely been US Dollars just a second before was now a roll of Canadian Dollars.
The man said nothing, instead looking between the money and us a few times. His eyes then raised to stare at Grover for a few moments. You could have heard a pin drop.
Eventually the man relented.
"I must be losing my mind." he sighed out before unrolling the money and taking some handing the rest back to Grover.
The man then grabbed a keycard and swiped it through a machine before handing it to us.
"Room 12, Enjoy your stay." he said slightly shaking his head.
We quickly grabbed our bags and made our way to our room. Grover swiped the card and the door clicked open. It was quite a nice room. There were two Queen beds against one wall with a night stand separating them. They had white quilt covers and big feather pillows. On the other wall was a stand with a TV and a remote. Next to the TV stand was a small table with four chairs around it. Just in the entrance was a doorway that lead to a bathroom with a toilet, sink and shower. Finally, on the opposite wall was a large window, that head the curtains drawn halfway.
I threw my bag down to the floor before slumping down into a chair. Nico took the chair next to me, putting his own bag on the floor. Grover placed his bag down before flopping onto one of the beds. Thalia mirrored his action on the other bed.
Nico rummaged through his bag, coming out with some ambrosia and nectar. He grabbed some tissue before helping to clean the cut on my head. I quietly chewed on the ambrosia as he wiped the excess blood up and poured some of the godly liquid on the cut.
He sat back down with a sigh. Before looking around the room.
"We need to come to a decision..." He said. Grover sat up whilst Thalia tilted her head in his direction.
"I'm not afraid of the dark, in fact I relish its presence. But whatever that was scared me. After what we discussed on the train, I don't think we should travel at night." he concluded looking between us.
"I agree." I said turning to look at Thalia. She didn't respond, instead nodding to agree.
"Wait, what exactly did you speak about?" Grover asked shuffling forward slightly. I looked at Nico and Thalia mentally face palming. He had no idea that this may be the beginnings of the Prophecy.
"Grover, when Zeus issued us this quest, he said he feared it was the beginning of the next Great Prophecy." I confessed out. "When we were travelling from New York on the train we went over the prophecy and we think we might have figured out who we're up against."
"Who?" was his response. I heard Nico's breath hitch. Thalia was still laying back staring up at the celling.
"Darkness and Night." I whispered out, not wanting to say their names. In that moment I saw Grover's face fall.
"Di immortales." Grover whispered out. Putting his head in his hands.
"If that is the case, I agree as well then, travel only during the day." he said, not looking up. We sat for a few minutes in a quite depression before Thalia stood grabbing her bag and walking towards the bathroom.
"I'm going for a shower." she announced before closing the door and locking it behind her.
Nico kicked off his boots before sitting on the bed next to Grover and leaning back against the pillows. He raised his hand and the remote flew across the room into it. He switched the TV on and began flicking through channels.
After a minute or so Grover leaned back next to him and gave me a sad smile.
"Can I hear the prophecy?" he asked looking between us two. Nico hit the mute button before reciting the lines of the prophecy to him.
"You're never gonna catch a break, Perce." Grover said with a small laugh, shaking his head.
"I'm starting to think the same thing, bud." I responded watching the flashing images on the TV, but not really taking in what was being shown.
After a while the bathroom door clicked and Thalia emerged. Her hair was slightly wet and hanging off the side of her head over her shoulder. Her silver huntress circlet had moved from the top of her head to her hands. She had a splash of freckles across her face, and her blue eyes seemed to glow. She was wearing a baggy Green Day t-shirt that hung off of one shoulder and a pair of short shorts revealing a pair of pale long legs.
"See something you like, Kelp Head?" Thalia asked with a suppressed laugh. I gave grunted response standing and walking over to the bathroom with my own bag. I locked the door behind me and got undressed and turned the shower on. I felt my muscles relax as the hot water cascaded over my shoulders and down my back.
I mulled over the words of the Prophecy as I traced my fingers over scars on my body. I traced my fingers over a large scar trailing from shoulder down to my mid bicep. An image of a crazed Goddess with stringy hair and sunken eyes flashing through my mind.
I let out a sigh and turned the water off, stepping out and willing myself to dry up. I put on a pair of sleeping shorts and walked out of the room. Nico was still sat watching TV, whilst Grover was curled up already asleep. Nico's eyes followed me as I crossed the room, but he said nothing, instead watching intently.
Thalia was sat on the edge of the bed with her back to me. She was running a comb through her hair, but turned when she heard me. Her eyes widened and I saw them move from my face down my body before returning to my face. She scowled at me but didn't say anything. Nico switched the TV off and went into the bathroom with his bag.
I grabbed the pillow off the bed after setting my bag down and threw it onto an empty space of floor. Thalia watched me for a few more seconds before she spoke up.
"It's okay Percy, I'm not going to make you sleep on the floor." she said putting the comb down before climbing into the bed.
"Are you sure?" I asked eyeing her for a few seconds.
"I don't want to end up as an animal." I said looking down at my body before looking up at her.
"I'm sure." she said with a certainty before sitting back into the pillows. I scratched my head before relenting and joining her in the bed. It was... snug. I felt my cheeks burning a shade of crimson being in such close proximity to her and accidently brushing her every now and again.
I sat back into the bed and let out a sigh.
A/N: I'd first like to say Sorry. To those of you who have PMed me or left a review and never received a response, to those of you asking for an update or if this story is going to be continued and not hearing anything. I'm not gonna try and excuse myself, it's been a long time since I updated. I just want you to know that this story is not dead, it never will be. I went through a patch of not writing at all and not having any motivation until recently and for that I apologize. I am going to try and update more often as I seem to have gotten the spark back.
I also wanted to say Thank you for bearing with me.
Now to the story, I spent a large amount of time combing through each of the previous chapters and editing. I fixed (To my knowledge) all of the grammatical errors.
I also changed some plot points and fixed a few plot holes. Nothing too Major and nothing that should change the story significantly. Them being: Lupa and Octavian they are now both actually addressed. As well as Lily's disappearing act after she is found in NYC. Other than that, I changed the scene with Gration and Percy, completely removing the ice powers as it didn't feel right.
The story is the same, with maybe a few more fleshed out scenes, nothing serious.
Thank you, xoxo