Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO.
Tenth Chapter
{Bianca}
I was panicking so very much. My second quest and already someone was missing. After Marina and Jasper stopped walking, they dropped to the ground, unconscious. Then, about seven minutes later, they disappeared completely. I haven't had any experience with this type of thing before. It's not even lunch yet!
Okay, calm down. Marina would want you to calm down because then you can think a little rationally. Think rationally. Okay, so, if a) you don't hear from them until tomorrow or b) they don't show up by tomorrow, tell their parents and/or tell the gods. They'd (or, more specifically, their bodies had) been gone for barely ten more minutes when all of a sudden Marina appeared in front of me.
She spun around to face me and looked relieved. "Okay," she said, "I don't have a lot of time, so I've got to make this quick. You have to go to your grandfather's house in the ancient lands. Please sacrifice something uneaten and/or packaged food to Hermes among whatever other gods you wish to sacrifice. Tell the other people at Camp the same thing. I really hope that we can survive this and complete this quest. Good –"
Marina was gone in a flash and I was left to process what she had said. Go to Grandfather's house in the ancient lands? I'm pretty sure that Mars doesn't have a house in either of the ancient lands and neither does Plut – oh. Omigods! Omigods, omigods, omigods, omigods! They were going to. No, no, no this isn't happening, this can't be happening.
But, I knew in my heart that they were indeed going there. I brought my fingers to my lips and whistled and called out, "Crest, Porkpie, Diana!" I could hear the beating of the pegasai's wings getting closer and closer. So, the actual point of my quest begins.
{Piper}
Jasper, Marina, and Bianca had been gone for about an hour. I really hope that their quest goes well. A knot has been clenched in my stomach for a good thirty minutes. As soon as I told Jason about it, he started busying me so that I wouldn't try to think about what it could mean. Every time that I get the knot, it's normally something wrong with one or both of my children. Jase calls it my mother's instinct, but with an Aphrodite twist.
That is how I know that something is wrong the moment that a ghost-like image of my son appeared. His back was to me and he immediately whipped around. He let out an almost inaudible sigh and started speaking rapidly.
"Huh, it actually worked! Hi, Mom, Aphrodite visited me and said told us that we'd be able to visit someone in our sleep before we went to…somewhere. Anyway, Marina asked – well, more like told – me to tell you to please sacrifice your food to Hermes. Uneaten or packaged, but nonperishables. I have no idea what that means, but she looked scared about where we're going."
I think I may have paled a little because he narrowed his eyes at me. "Mom, what do you know?" Before I could answer, there was a flash and he was gone. I broke into sobs and collapsed onto the ground. That was how Jason, Leo, Hazel, and Katie found me thirty minutes later. I knew that I would have to tell Percy and Annabeth and how crushed Annabeth would be. The last time she was conscious, she was surrounded by eight kids, now she's only got five with her.
Stifling the sobs, I got to my feet. There were tears in Hazel and Katie's eyes. They had raised Marina along with the other women. Most of the other specials considered Marina their sister. Now, one of the most famous members of Camp Half-Blood was in the worst place known to the gods. I loved her like my own daughter (not even going to mention my son) and I knew that even Clarisse would have a few tears in her eyes.
Please, I begged, directing my thoughts toward the gods, please let them live. Let the poor kids live through the worst place in and under the world. Let them survive Tartarus.
[I'm evil, I know, but the trip through that place is going to be a big part of this story (DUH!) and any other stories that follow this in a series. Okay so, I know that I haven't updated or anything and please don't get mad about the fact that I said between chapters One and Ten, but had 'twelve' chapters up. To be fair, three of them are little guides and one is an Author's note. Please ask me questions that you want answered about Marina and Jasper. Hope you liked! Au revoir!]