I'm sure you're all anxious to find out about Ryan after that last cliffhanger, so here I am! I won't keep you waiting, so let's jump right in!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of Rick Riordan's writings
Reyna POV
With the boys out, we finally had some relative peace and quiet. Of course, Leo was still here, but so far, he had mostly kept to the workshop. When dinner time rolled around, we decided to order take out for dinner and Calypso and I offered to go pick it up. Calypso wanted to see some more New York City, having only seen some on the drive to school and when we went to Sweet on America. I decided to go because Calypso obviously couldn't drive having only been in the modern world for a few months, and the others were starting some show that didn't really spark my interest.
So Calypso and I drove through the city heading first to a Mexican place we'd ordered from, and after that we'd be going to an Italian place. I'd half hoped the Mexican place would have some mofongo, but its menu had been pretty standard.
"Have you ever been here before?" Calypso asked suddenly as we were pulling into a small garage. I'd seen on the car's GPS that the Italian place was only a few blocks away, so I'd figured we'd just walk.
"Besides the time Camp Jupiter passed through here on our way to destroy Camp Half-Blood, I don't think so." I replied, smiling slightly. I craned my neck all the way up, wondering if the building on which we had negotiated with Rachel and Grover was anywhere in sight.
"Leo told me about that." Calypso said thoughtfully. "You know, if I'd somehow gotten off Ogygia before Leo, I might've joined you. I wasn't particularly fond of Greek demigods at the time." She smiled wanly.
"Percy would've left about a year ago then, right?" I asked, remembering the stories about everyone's adventures. Calypso nodded, her smile slightly sad. "That must've been awful for you." I could relate to being turned down by boys in favor of other girls. We entered the resteraunt and I showed the ticket we had printed out with the order number to the girl manning the take-out counter.
"A moment, please." She said before heading back into the kitchen. Calypso was looking around at the restaurant, peering at tables with food on them.
"I didn't know what half the stuff on the menu was." She confessed. "I just got the, uh, tortilla soup, I think it was called, because the description sounded most like the stew I made back on the island." I glanced at her curiously because I was surprised that she'd said 'back on the island' and not 'back home'. "Reyna? Is something wrong? You look like there's a monster behind me." Calypso said, at first jokingly. "Oh, Zeus, is there really a monster behind me?" She started to turn around and I laughed.
"Sorry, and no, there's not." I told her. "You are an interesting character, Calypso, daughter of Atlas." I said as the girl came back with our food. I handed her the money, was handed my receipt, and Calypso and I headed out.
"How far is the Italian place?" Calypso asked, looking around at the city. It was Sunday night, so it wasn't too busy, but there was still a good amount of people, more than what Calypso had probably seen in the last thousand years.
"Five minutes, maybe." I replied. It's not too far. Calypso nodded, then suddenly jumped, like she'd seen something. "What's wrong?" I asked, already reaching for my dagger.
"Oh, it's just my phone." She said, pulled in from her jacket pocket. "I had it on vibrate and it startled me. Look! It's from Leo! He's fixed up Festus and is going to join us for dinner!" She said happily. I scrunched my brow in distaste. Calypso laughed at my expression. "Still haven't forgiven him for blowing up New Rome, huh?" She asked. I shook my head. "You should. Leo's a good guy once you get to know him." I shrugged.
"Well, we're here." I said, and we entered to Italian restaurant. As i walked up to the counter, I spotted some familiar looking heads. "Hey, are those the boys?" I asked, pointing over to them. Calypso followed my gaze and her eyes widened in surprise.
"I think so." Then her eyes darkened as she caught sight of something else. "Look." She said, her tone fearful. I looked over at he door on the the other side and my stomach clenched.
"Ryan Crestan." I said, my voice bitter. "What's that little..." I trailed as I saw who I think was Percy double over, and saw Ryan clench his fist. "This can't be good."
Annabeth POV
The phone in the kitchen rang and since I was one of the only ones not completely glued to the tv show we were watching, I stood to get it. Thalia, who had been reading something on the couch, watched as I picked up the phone. "Hello?" I asked.
"Annabeth? Is that you?" Reyna voice came over, sounding pretty sratchy. "Never mind, we're at the Italian place and the boys are here, and so's Ryan, and I think he's doing something to Percy." My heart froze. "Hazel can shadowtravel by herself right? Get her, and Thalia, yeah, definitely Thalia, and whoever else, and get here. I'm not sure if Ryan is, Holy Jupiter!" I heard a scream, and then the call ended.
"What's up?" Thalia asked, walking over to join me. "Who was that?" I placed the phone back in it's charger.
"The boys are in trouble, Ryan is doing something. We need Hazel." I said in one breath, already double checking that my Drakon bone sword was at my belt. Thalia nodded and went over to grab the daughter of Pluto. I wanted to cause as little fuss as possible, less of a mess to alter with the Mist afterwards.
"Um, what's wrong?" Hazel asked as Thalia rejoined me. "Why are you both so freaked out?" Hazel sounded a little freaked out herself, but I wasn't going to comment.
"How good's your shadowtraveling?" I asked. Hazel shrugged. "Can you get us three somewhere?" Her brow furrowed, thinking and she looked us over.
"I think so, but not without being completely wiped out afterwards." She said. "And not too far, like, not anywhere outside the city." I nodded.
"Can you get us to the Italian place we ordered food from?" I asked.
"I'll do my best." Hazel replied, and took mine and Thalia's hands. "Let's give this a go." In an instant, we were going so fast it fel like my face was peeling off. It was pitch black and I could hear strange noises. The next minute we were in he restaurant and Hazel slumped onto the ground.
I saw Percy doubled over, his face consorted in pain. I was ready to run right in and kill Ryan, but I had to consider Percy's situation. Killing Ryan might not ease Percy's pain, and I couldn't risk that. "Thals." I gestured at all the mortals who were starting to take notice. She snapped her fingers and their faces became blank. I saw Reyna and Calypso standing by the take out counter and tried to make eye contact.
However, they didn't respond at all. I glanced at the boys and saw that they were all frozen too. Even Thalia, who had moved seconds earlier, was frozen. I could feel ice seeping through my bones. Sudenly, Ryan's head whipped around, saw me, and the cold stopped.
"Well, well, looks like it's Annabeth to the rescue." He said mockingly. "You know, you freaks had me wondering for quite a while. Why do you all have such amazing reflexes? Why does that one seem like she's never seen our world?" He gestured to Calypso. "Why are you the most stunning girl I've ever seen?" My grip on my sword tightened. "So, I did some digging. Asked questions. And guess what? I'm a freak too!" He let out a short bark of laughter. "Well, not as freaky as some of you."
"Impossible." I protested. "You can't be a demigod, you would've attracted monsters." Ryan laughed again, and stepped closer. I prepared to strike.
"Allow me to introduce myself then." He said. "Ryan Crestan, son of Boreas, Lord of the North Wind." I realized that because he was the offspring of such a minor god, he'd not attracted many monsters. "You know, my sister had some dealings with the Jupiter-spawn." He nodded at Jason. "Apparently we children of Boreas are often attracted to those who are already taken." He glanced at Percy.
"You are going to leave before all of my friends come and we tear you to shreds." I told him. "Then you'll get the Tartarus out of our lives." Suddenly, I heard Percy moan.
"Wise Girl."
Calypso POV
When everyone started to freeze, I figured something was up. I did my best to look just as frozen as the rest, so as not to raise suspicion. As Ryan did his evil villain monologue, as Leo would call it, I started to formulate a plan. Ryan seemed to be pretty focused on Annabeth. If i could slowly inch around to Percy and could maybe ease his pain. My healing magic had stayed with me after I'd left Ogygia, though I probably couldnt have healed an injury like the one Percy had when we met.
So, as slowly as possible, making only the most minuscule movements, I crept over to where the boys sat. I could see their eyes still moving, watching me, and I brought a finger to my lips, though it really didn't make a difference. I knelt right next to Percy and began to sing after summer and beaches and-
"Wise Girl." He moaned. Annabeth's head swirved to look at him and she caught sight of me. Any grudge she held against me dissipated as she mouthed a single word, Behind. I didn't understand at first, but then I saw that Ryan's back was completely unguarded; he probably thought that is freeze power would hold everyone.
I pulled a small knife from my pocket and crept around to Ryan to face his back. I silently move towards him, ready to press the dagger to his throat, almost close enough to do so, almost...
"Going somewhere, Cally?" Ryan asked, though he didn't turn around. He used my school name with scorn, and something told me that he knew my real name. I jumped forward and pressed the knife to the back of his neck. "Careful," I said, squeezing his fist tighter. "We dont want poor Percy dying of a frozen heart, now do we?" Percy let out an anguished scream and Annabeth had tears openly running down her cheeks.
Frozen Heart. The words rung a bell in the back of my mind, a movie my friends had shown me called Frozen. How in the story, only an act of true love could thaw a frozen heart. Like true love's kiss. I had to tell Annabeth. (The lyrics about to be used belong to Disney and Frozen)
Born of cold and winter air and mountain rain combining
This icy heart both foul an fair has a frozen heart worth mining
Cut through the heart, cold and clear
Strike for love and strike for fear
See the beauty sharp and clear
Split the ice apart, beware the frozen heart
i finished singing and Ryan turned to face me. "You mock me?" He exclaimed. "I have all of your friends frozen and you dare to mock me with that song?" I watched Annabeth as she put the pieces together. Her face lit up and she nodded at me. I returned m gaze to Ryan.
"You're not freezing all of us." I said, then pounced on him, knocking him to the ground. "Annabeth!" I exclamed. But she was already running over to Percy. Ryan snarled and clenched his fist as tighter than probably physically healthy. Percy let out a scream so powerful, water flowed from the kitchen, water that was instantly frozen to ice. Ryan's face suddenly dropped, and I turned to see Percy and Annabeth, locked in each other's arms, obviously kissing.
"Impossible." He muttered. "How...?" Everyone unfroze and we all surrounded Ryan. Annabeth was supporting a still weak Percy and both were standing off to the side.
"So what should we do?" Jason asked. We decided that killing him was out of the question because Boreas might get mad and he might send Calais and Zethes to torment us, something I'm sure Piper would've hated.
"I have an idea." Nico said. He pulled out his sword and clonked Ryan over the head with it, knocking him out. "I'll take him to Olympus and let the gods decide." We all agreed with this decision, and Piper smiled deviously.
"Wait until my mother finds out!" She exclaimed.
And that is all I have for you today. I hope you didn't think it was too sappy what with the whole 'love will thaw a frozen heart' bit I stole (read: borrowed, Disney owns it and the song!) from Frozen. I would love some suggestions for some mini-adventures for the demigods to have before Homecoming, maybe with Emily Cooper. So, that completes that, and I will get back to you ASAP. Bye!