I know it's Friday. And I know my update day is on Wednesday. But, I was spending a few days out in the country were there is no computer to type on and no Wi-Fi to even submit a chapter, so I'm really sorry.
But, hey! I did a Percy POV for you guys! (At long last!) And I did a Fang POV! So I hope that makes up for everything.
Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, so if you see a mistake, please ignore it. I'm getting better, but I'm still not perfect.
PERCY
Even by demigod standards, spending time at the New School sucked, and you didn't even get a free T-shirt out it.
I have been poisoned, poked, cut opened and operated on, which I was pretty sure wasn't that good for your overall health. Not to mention that times that I'd been squished in that unbreakable prison box, and they didn't even play fair. While I was disarmed and left with nothing to defend myself but my own fists, (I'm a wash out in wrestling…) they had injections and crazy, leather sporting adolescents that could predict your next move. It was almost embarrassing how many times I'd been taken down. I'd rather be in Tartarus, and I've actually been there already.
And then there was Annabeth. I hadn't been able to protect her or the rest of my friends for that matter. Every time she came back from one of those "I'm pretty sure that was illegal" experiments, it was like taking a knife to the chest; only the knife probably would have hurt less. For some strange reason, I couldn't stand being that far away from her either. Yeah, sure, we were only a foot apart, but I could only hear her voice. I wanted to hold her hand, and smell her hair and all that mushy stuff that I thought were totally irrelevant until this entire weird white coat event decided to work itself into our schedule.
I opened my eyes, squinted at the bright light that blurred above me. My wrists and ankles were restrained with unbreakable bonds, and the air around me was filled with the heavy stench of chemicals. Every nerve in my body ached, and never in my whole life have I felt weaker. The blood was pounding in my ears, and my whole world rang. It was as if my head was a gong in action, shaken up and screaming in pain.
Despite the throbbing, I struggled to raise my head off the platform, in attempt to get a better view of my surroundings, even though it probably wouldn't have done me any good anyway…
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You need to rest." A soft voice instructed.
Amelia.
"Oh, hey," I just managed to croak as I laid my head down, nausea coursing through me.
"How do you feel?" She inquired solemnly somewhere off to my right, but I was already too woozy to lift me head again.
"Like schist," I replied.
"What?!" Amelia gasped, confusion seeping into her words.
"Inside joke," I said simply.
"Oh," Amelia laughed softly. "For a second there I though…never mind."
Suddenly, I heard the sound of a drawer being fumbled opened, and the rummaging of plastics.
"How's Annabeth?" I questioned.
"She's fine. If it makes you feel an y better, she's doing better than you are." Amelia answered quietly, her thoughts obviously somewhere else as I heard the drawer shut.
She appeared in my view, her figure blurry- but at least I could tell it was a human. Or Omega. Whatever.
"Here," she toyed with an object that she gripped in her hands. "This should only hurt for a split second."
"What are you-" I protested, but she had already inserted the needle into my wrist.
"Sorry," she apologized.
"That's okay," I replied, the new numbness flowing through me.
She nodded silently, disposing of the empty needle, before chuckling.
"You know, Annabeth asked the same question. You guys are a cute couple."
I felt my cheeks get warm, "Um…"
"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable or anything, but…it's true," Amelia paused awkwardly, "I have to go now. You should really get some sleep."
"Wait! Are you okay Amelia? You seem kind of off," I questioned.
"So you're half-dead laying on an operating table, and you're concerned about my health? I'm fine. I just kind of ran into someone the other day… But really Percy, I'm all right. You're the one that you should be worried about," she said a little too quickly.
"Hey, wait, who did you…?" I started, but she had already closed the door behind her.
Well then…
I sighed, trying to think of any possible way that we could get out of here. Frank wasn't transported to the New School, but how could he know where we were? I hardly knew where we were. I knew we were in the Himalayas, but from what I can remember from World Geography the Himalayas were huge. This basically meant that we had to bust out of here ourselves, and with all the reinforcements that they had at the New School and in our state and condition… it was hard to be optimistic.
Just when I thought it couldn't get worst, I heard her- that creepy old lady.
I gritted my teeth. I hated her more than I hated Hera or Dionysus, which probably broke some sort of record.
She was outside in the hallway, but I could still clearly hear her voice, and from what I could tell, she wasn't alone. Another voice rose against hers, a deeper, more masculine voice. It took me a second to give face to the voice, but then it hit me like a blow to the chest. It was the guy that had been on the Argo II on the day we got attacked- another person that I would enjoy decking.
My "Hate List" was inevitably growing.
"Susana, give me back the files, now." The man said sternly, anger seeming through his tone.
"Oh, but Jeb," Dr. Hoarfrost purred, "I have just begun to dig into them. You can't possible think a busy sergeant as myself could investigate two files such as these in one night, did you?"
"If you don't give them back to me this instant, I swear to the Gods that I'll-"
"That you'll do what? Fire me? Sergeants that do this kind of dirty work aren't exactly easy to come by Honey, especially one of my valor."
Jeb laughed, gravel in his tone, "Valor? That is hardly what I'd used to describe you."
"Mmm? Call me what you wish, but I'm sure you didn't come here just to talk smack. If you want to talk about the files, I'd be more than happy. All the dirty secrets buried in here… it looks like the company had been very busy even before I was hired."
"Which was the worst mistake of my career…" Jeb started, but Dr. Hoarfrost refused to be silenced.
"I never would have guess who the twins parents were. Quite an interesting pairing if you ask me…"
What?! I thought, The only pair of twins I know who are associated with the New School are…
"Doctor," Jeb growled. "I'd rather you not recite what's in the files."
"So their mother was none other than Kathrin Q. Doyenne. I thought I saw some sort of resemblance. That's too bad for them though. I would hate to be the daughter of a good for nothing traitor that backstabbed her own work ," She mused.
"Susana! That is enough! I.."
"But the girls father…now that's when it gets interesting. I mean, I knew we were once good friends with the immortals that wished to overthrow Olympus during the second Titan War, but I didn't know that one of them would agree to this."
Before Jeb could even rebuttal, Evil-and-Creepy was already a step ahead, "How are you able to hide their powers? They have the blood of an immortal, a very powerful one at that,"
Blood of an immortal? Does that mean that Amelia and her sister are…demigods?
She gasped, responding to Jeb's new quietness, "Oh, I see. You've been poisoning them with the same substance that disables the powers of the demigods. Perhaps you're even overdosing them, hmm? And what about Omega 113? Her dosage is bound to wear off any day, yes?"
Jeb remained silent.
"I can see why you don't want to kill them off right away then. After you went through all the trouble to prepare them. But they are both mistakes you know. The one that's still at the New School, yes, her, I ran into her in the hallway yesterday. She's a mistake. I can't wait to sit back and watch this all crumble on top of you Jeb."
So that's who Amelia ran into yesterday! I recited mentally, No wonder she was shaken up…
I heard the slamming of heavy paper smacking against the tile floor, "And when it does, I'll be there to laugh in your pathetic face." She hissed, and then I listened as her heels echoed through the hallways, Jeb cursing underneath his breath.
When I finally remembered that you needed to breath to live, I felt blank. Absolutely blank.
Amelia and her sister had the blood of the Gods, and they didn't even know it.
FANG
I was sitting in a crowded café in Palafrugell, Spain, waiting for my order. Every seat in the small restaurant was taken, each consumer speaking rapid Spanish that I couldn't even understand, but that didn't matter. I hadn't come there to chat anyway.
I pulled out the high-end laptop that I had been tucked into my bag when I had taken off back at the Argo II. When I looked back at the moment, I felt a twinge of guilt. I had overreacted a bit, but I was just so angry. Besides, there was no way that I was going to return to the flock right away. I had my own research to do.
I opened up the top of the compact computer. Before I decided to formally start my research, I opened the link to my blog, before beginning to type steadily:
You are reading Fang's Blog. Welcome!
Today's date: Already Too Late!
You are visitor number: 321, 5645, 432
THEY ARE UP TO IT AGAIN! DON'T THEY EVER STOP TO TAKE A BREATHER?
Yep, you read it right ladies and gentleman. The evil scientist that we all know and hate are up to it again, but I'm afraid that this time, it is much worse than any of us expected. Just about a week ago, I learned that they recreated yet another school, and they are calling it, gasp, the New School. Even as unoriginal as the name is, it is still major bad news. They have kidnapped some of the most powerful demigods in the world, so that they too can be turned into avians.
And yes, I said demigods. If there can be winged kids then there is enough room in the world for Greek/Roman demigods in the world, too.
But, that's not the point. This New School is rumored to be located in the Himalayas. Where in the Himalayas, I don't know. But if any of you live near the area, please keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. Anyone who is wearing a white coat is fair game.
I'm doing this trip solo, so Max and the rest of the flock aren't with me, but I intend to do my best in stopping them. Along with the demigods they have also taken Angel, and I hate to think what could be going on with her.
So stay alert and stay alive. And if you see anything flying in the sky that isn't a plane/U.F.O/bird, do us a favor and turn the blind eye.
-Fang, somewhere in Spain.
I clicked out, accepting the coffee that the waitress had given me, handing her some money. Sipping the scalding liquid, I entered in through the Internet, scrolling to the Google search box that blinked in anticipation. I started out simply, inserting the cursor into the box before typing in the words: New School.
I scrolled through the thousands of bright blue links, clicking on anything that looked plausible. Eventually, I added other keywords, which include Omegas, Scientists, Himalayas, and even EVIL! But nothing came up except for some old news reports, which proved to be useless.
I stretched out my neck, easing the stiffness. I had searched for hours, and had hardly touched my coffee. People milled in and out of the shop easily, but I was still glued to my seat, steaming with frustration.
You're typing in the wrong words, a voice echoed.
I was so startled; I nearly spilled my coffee over the laptop. It was the Voice, the slightly irritating yet usually resourceful conscious that Max had for the longest time, but I had also experienced. But, as far as I was concerned, Angel had been the Voice.
Angel? Is that you? I thought quietly.
No, it responded, dull and emotionless, I'm just a voice. I'm not the Voice.
Umm…okay? I responded silently. Then who are you?
My identity means nothing to you. But what does matter to you now concerns the New School. And at the pace you're going, you'll still be without information by nightfall.
I clenched my jaw. Why should I trust you? And how do you know about the New School? That leaves a lot of windows open for trouble if you ask me.
It paused, but when I thought that it had finally gone away, it started up again.
If you don't trust me, Angel will die. The flock will run right into a trap, and everyone that you love will fall into the New School. You and I are the only one that can stop it.
I inhaled sharply, glaring down at the coffee. The Voice didn't seem malicious, yet it held no emotion. Grudgingly, I opened up the laptop, and reentered into the Google homepage, ready to type.
Fine, I thought coldly. Now what do I type?
Type in the words "Fly. To. Survive", The Voice commanded.
Realization sucked the breath out of me. Aren't those lines from the prophecy that the orange-cle said back at the Argo II?
Yes Fang, Voice replied. The New School website is named after the very lines that the oracle of the Delphi recited. It's ironic, don't you think? The words that predict our doom are what we follow by.
My fingers flashed across the keyboard, typing in the words Fly to Survive before punching the enter key. The results listed across the screen, opening up about a million different options.
Which one do I click? There is about a million of them! I mentally screamed.
Click on the first one. It's obvious, is it not? Voice responded.
I leaned into the screen, peeking at the first option. Underneath the link written in prim black was only one phrase: The keys to a better future.
Yep, this is it, I thought as I guided my cursor towards the link, selecting it. Immediately, I was redirected to a new window…that required a password.
I rolled my fingers into a fist. Nudge would have been better at this then I would have. I was going to be sitting here forever.
Oh please, Fang. Do you really think that I would have guided you here with only to have you stumped on the password page? Max was right. You need to learn how to trust.
Anger boiled in my ears, but I managed to keep control. Looking back down at the computer screen, I noticed that the password box was filling itself, the black dots multiplying before it finally entered in, loading up yet another page.
How did you…? I questioned Voice.
You underestimate me Fang. Now go on, discover. Learn. Even strength has to bow down to knowledge sometimes.
Rolling my eyes, I trailed over the main screen. On the first page, it offered and introduction. I scrolled down, unraveling the secrets. Most of it was utterly useless, explaining how a woman named Kathrin Q. Doyenne founded the New School after graduating from one of the prestigious colleges in Athens. She could see through the "mist" and that soon began her quest in "testing" the demigods. She was the first one to discover the antidote that could eliminate the mist's effects. It also stated that she was the lead scientist in many cases that involved avian and human DNA combinations. Yet, the article later stated about her so called "retirement", which left me wondering why she had retired at such a young age when she was apparently very successful.
I continued to trek down the page, reaching the last paragraph. As my eyes flew across the paragraph, I felt my heartbeat grow faster and my blood freeze over. It read:
One of Doyenne's last projects before her most unfortunate retirement was a complicated, yet beautifully elaborate plan that involved a powerful scientific masterpiece. Title appropriately as Action Alpha, this operation would allow complete and utter domination of Mount Olympus itself, giving the New School newfound power to recreate the world in our own image. This plan would change the course of humanity as well. The main weapons in this plan have taken nearly sixteen years of preparation and is it expected to be put in effect in early September.
A new weapon! The recreation of the world! I sounded as if they had really outdone themselves now. If they could control the Gods, then the entire world would crumble underneath us!
I looked at the date, August 20, 2013.
That gave us only twelve days until the 1st of September.
Twelve days until the world crumbles.
I am really sorry about this chapter being so late! I feel so bad…
-medusa's pen