I stood there, shocked. Nick just fell in, I went the edge, and my hand was stretched out. "Jack." I muttered again. He was gone, just like that. I then looked back at Brock. He was just laughing with his hands on his fat stomach. "We're getting paid fellas!" He yelled. "You monster!" I yelled. He then looked offended. "Now that's no way to talk, we prefer cyclops!" He yelled. He then laughed, and every other cyclops in the building did as well.
"Alright, now were gonna mix in the ice boy with the robot, put it in!" Brock yelled. Then the torso of the robot opened, and his head went back, revealing an empty torso, it was directly underneath the lava bucket, I then saw what was happening. Then the giant bucket started to lean forward, and lava started pouring out of it, into the torso of the robot, and I felt some tears go down my face.
I only knew Nick for a few days now, maybe a week, but he was one of my best friends, and he is now dead. I looked back at Johnny, and he had the same look I did. But as the bucket wa s leaning, I heard something, like a rock hitting metal. Me, Johnny, and Brock quickly ran over to the edge and looked down. The robot wa struggling to stand, there was a circular rock in the torso. 'What's that!" Brock screamed. Then the robot's legs broke, and it crumbled to the ground, spilling lava. A few cyclops didn't move quick enough, and turned to dust once they hit the lava. And the rock was just sitting there.
"I want someone to fix the robot, and get that rock out of here, and I want it done yesterday!" He yelled out loud. But I saw Johnny backing up. He then opened his jacket, and his dagger was inside of it. He drew and slowly approached Brock. He looked at me, and I nodded.
"AGH!" I heard a deep voice yell, it came from down below. It sounded like someone screaming through a megaphone, and then played out of a TV. "What's going on?" Brock asked silently. Then I heard pounding, like to rocks colliding multiple times. Something came bursting out of the rock, a hand, and the fist was clenched, and it looked like brass knuckles on it's fist, but solid ice, and spikes on the sides.
It was blue, light blue, and its arm was bleeding from the rock, but whatever it was, it probably didn't care. Then another fist came out, then the rock ripped open, to reveal a monster. It looked maybe seven feet tall, and had huge muscles. It looked like a smurf turned into the hulk, it even had the matching pants, no shirt, just a pair of ripped pants. And it's hair, it went down to it's shoulders and was pure white, with bits of snowflakes in it's hair, and there was a sword tattoo on it's arm. 'What is that!?" Brock asked backing up. Then it looked up at us. He had light blue eyes, almost glowing, but it's nose, it's jawline, and the eyes, It looked familiar.
"Attack it, whatever it is we need to kill it!" Brock yelled. But the monster lunged forward and grabbed a cyclops and starting beating it until it turned to dust, it then jumped another one, it was moving like Doomsday, from DC. But as it was fighting, I realized why it looked familiar. "Jack?" I asked silently. But Brock didn't hear me, he was staring at who I assumed was Nick.
"Now's my chance!" Johnny said. He then lunged and thrusted his dagger into the back of Brock. "AGHH!" Brock yelled looking up. He then turned into a pile of dust, all that was left was Nick's necklace and the tool belt. A cyclops went flying in the air in front of me and hit the ceiling, and he turned into dust. "So that's Nick?!" Johnny asked me. "What else could it be!" I yelled back at him. "I don't know, but last I checked Nick didn't take steroids!" Johnny yelled at me. I then pulled my bow out of its case which I kept hidden in my bag. "Well let's help him!" I said. I then ran and jumped over the railing, bow in one hand, arrow in the other. I landed on a cyclops and put the arrow in him, killing him.
I looked around, cyclops were circling around. "Alright Nick, you and me!" I screamed. But Nick just looked over at me. "What's wrong?" I asked him. His eyes started at me, they were full of rage. He then grabbed my leg and picked me up. "Nick, let me go!" I yelled at him. But then he threw me like a baseball. I went flying in the air, why did he attack me? But I could think about that later, I saw I was approaching a girder, I reached out and grabbed it, I then swung myself over the rail.
I looked up and saw Johnny standing in the same place he was before, but he had Nick's necklace and the tool belt with him. He then ran over to me. I'm not gonna lie, to see Johnny running to me in a tan suit, it looked like an action movie, him jumping over railings and stabbing cyclops, but I ran to him to.
Once we reached we just looked at eachother, not sure what to say. "What's wrong with Nick?!" He asked me. I looked down at him, he was slinging around a cyclops and punching the another with his ice knuckles. "I don't know, but he isn't in control of himself." I told Johnny. "Fine, but while the cyclops are distracted, let's go get Leo." Johnny told me. I nodded, and we ran to the furnace he was in.
We ran to it, ignoring Nick killing and cyclops and throwing another one behind us. We were then right in front of it. "Okay, let's try this." Johnny said. He then reached out and opened the grate. And there was Leo, still making fire. "Hey, come on, we're here to help!" Johnny yelled. Leo then looked over. "Brock is dead!" I yelled. Leo nodded, he then fell to the ground, probably from exhaustion. "No, let's go!" Johnny yelled at him. He stepped in, but then stepped out. "Jeez that's hot!" Johnny said blowing his hand.
But Leo wasn't moving, just laying on the ground. "Please, do it for Calypso !" I yelled at him. He then looked up at me. He then tried to stand, he stumbled a bit, but he started walking to the exit. Me and Johnny backed up as he was walking to us. He put his hand out, Johnny then grabbed it and pulled him out, Leo then fell forward, catching himself on the railing. "Okay, I'm good, I'm A okay." He said breathing heavily. He then turned and looked at us, ignoring the giant monster down below. "So, who are you guys?" He asked us, he looked like he was trying not to pass out. We then told him the story, but the short version, and he seemed to understand.
"Okay, well first things is first, give me that tool belt." Leo said. He the held out his hand. Johnny didn't hesitate, he immediately gave Leo the tool belt. Leo the reached into onto of the pockets, he then pulled out two things, it looked like a pair of shorts and a shirt. "Okay, turn please." He said. "Okay?" I said. I then turned around.
And then like ten seconds later he said something. "Okay, we're good." I turned and he was wearing a fresh pair of gym shirts and a red t-shirt, and the tool belt was around his waist. He then reached into the pocket, and pulled out a red bull. He opened it and chugged it in two seconds, impressive really. He then threw it on the ground and he had crazy eyes. "Okay, now that that is taken care of, we need to get Nick under control." Leo told us. I wanted to tell him: Well thanks Sherlock, but I didn't. 'Well, we have no idea why he's doing that, or what he is anymore." I said worried. Well, is there anything weird about him?" Leo asked us. I looked at Nick, he looked the same, except for the fat that was like a foot taller and nothing like his old self, but I did see something, he didn't have on his necklace. "Hey Johnny, doesn't Nick's necklace glow when he uses his ice powers?" I asked him. "Yeah, why do yo-" But he stopped talking once he said that. He then looked at me with wide eyes. "The necklace!" We both said at the same time.
"What?" Leo asked us. "We need to get the necklace on him!" I told Leo. "Okay, I think, I think I got it, I'll distract it, you guys sneak up behind it. He then pulled out a light two handed hammer out of his tool belt. He then jumped over the railing. I wondered how the red bull revived him, but he's helping us, so I wasn't complaining. "Come on!" I said. Me and Johnny then ran around the girder and ran down the stairs, we then turned and ran to where Nick was.
Nick was in the middle of killing cyclops, and it was a war-zone. The dust of monsters littered the floor and his hair, but there was also Leo running around shooting fire at him, something Calypso didn't mention about him, but Johnny didn't look confused, so they both didn't tell me, great.
But I had one shot at this. "He can't turn around at me, help me out with that." I told Johnny. He didn't ask question, he just ran to Nick, avoiding the fire and cyclops. He then slid between Nick's legs, and stabbed Nick in the foot with his dagger. "AGH!" Nick howled in pain. He was about to grab Johnny, but a fireball hit Nick before he could.
I then ran full speed at him. I dropped my bow and jumped at Nick. I landed right behind his head and I then wrapped my arms around his neck. His skin was so cold though, it felt so cold it was burning. But Nick was flipping out, trying to grab me, slamming into the nearest wall, but it didn't knock me off. I then put the necklace around his neck, I was about to fasten it, but i was a little small. But I pulled the leather strap hard, and it clipped together. Nick then stopped moving. I then jumped off of him, but my hands were steaming from the cold, causing some ice burns.
But Nick got smaller, grew back to his normal height, and he lost the muscles, his hair grew back to it's normal length, and he fell on the floor. He was curled up into a ball, shivering. All he had were his ripped pants, but that was it. And he was so skinny, borderline anorexic, I've never see him without his shirt, but he was the definition of someone starving. He looked like Christian Bale in The Machinist.
"Nick?" I asked him. He just laid there, shivering. "Okay, look, there like a bunch of cyclops that want us dead, so let's run to the office where the gods are, now!" Leo told me. "Okay, Johnny, get Nick." I told Johnny. He nodded. He then tried to help Nick up, but had trouble, so Leo put one arm over his shoulder, and the other over Johnny's shoulder.
I ran over and picked up my bow, I then drew an arrow. We then walked back to the stairs, the cyclops were pouring through the entrance, somebody must have alerted them, and a lot of them had stains on there white jumpsuits, so they were on a lunch break. So we needed to hurry. We got to the stairs. But I looked back and Nick was slowly making it up the stairs on his own.
But I got to the top of the stairs, the other three were right behind me. I then ran to the office room, I grabbed the handle, but was locked. "It's locked!" I said frantically. I could cyclops coming through the door of the factory, yelling curses at us, they looked confused though, probably from not having Brock to guide them around.
Leo stepped in front of me and pulled out a key from the tool belt. "That's not gonna work." Johnny told him. I looked back and Nick was resting on Johnny's shoulders, he wasn't looking to good. But Leo ignored him and put the key in the lock, and twisted. And the door opened.
"What?!" Johnny asked looking at the door. "Go now, ask questions later my man." Leo said. We then rushed in the door, I then slammed the door shut and locked the door back. Johnny set Nick down leaning against a wall. He was still shivering. "Okay, so where are the keys for them?" I asked Leo. "We have names." Hermes said, I could tell it was him, not every god has a UPS uniform on. "Sorry dad." Johnny muttered under his breath bitterally. "Look, the keys are here." Leo said. He then pulled out a key-ring from the tool belt, I was wondering how that even worked.
But as he was waking up to the gods I head pounding from the door. Leo then dropped the keys and ran to the door and pressed it, trying to block it, Johnny then ran up and helped him. I ran over and picked up the keys. I looked at them, one was pink, on was tan, another was purple, and the last one was blue. I ran over to Aphrodite.
"Hi, please let me out." She said, like nothing was wrong. She was such an airhead, never been a fan of her, her kids were alright, but she was to much for me. I went behind the chair she was sitting in and unlocked the handcuffs, they then fell to the floor. She then stood up quickly, it looked like a gust of wind went down her and she suddenly had on a white dress that looked more expensive then a wedding gown, and she had fresh makeup on and her hair fixed itself. "Agh, yes, freedom, thank you all, but I must be going now, bye bye." She said. She blew me a kiss, and was gone. "You're welcome." I muttered under my breath. I then ran over to Mr. D he used to help Chiron at camp-half blood, but a few years back he was called to Olympus.
"Agh, Tiffany Anderson, good to see you again." Mr. D said. "Bethany Henderson." I said as I unlocked the lock on his handcuffs. Then the cuffs fell to he floor, and without saying a word, he was gone. "Where'd he go?!" Johnny asked me pressing himself against the door. "I don't know, he's gone." I said looking around.
But then I heard the Michael Jackson get louder, I looked back and one cyclops put a hole in the wall and was trying to grab Johnny and Leo. But an ice blast hit the door, repairing the door. I looked back and saw Nick standing there. He was leaning to one side, and one arm was tightly pressed to his side, but he was moving. "Nick, get Hermes out!" I said throwing him a key. Nick grabbed it and walked over to Hermes.
I then ran to Poseidon and quickly put the key in the lock. Then Poseidon stood up, and I saw Hermes stand up to. "Okay, so, I need to run, got stuff to deliver." Hermes said. He then threw something at the door, it was a beam of some kind, but whatever it was it made the door still. Then Johnny turned and looked at him with wide eyes.
"You're just gonna leave?!" Johnny asked walking up to him. "Well, yeah, I need to do stuff." Hermes told him looking down at ho,. "Yeah, is that what you told Mom?" Johnny asked him. They fell silent, staring at each other. "I'm sorry, but take these, I know you won't forgive me, but, just know I do love you." Hermes said throwing Johnny a bag. His eyes were sad looking, but Johnny didn't look like he cared, he just stared at his dad. Hermes then disappeared. Johnny just looked at the small bag, it was made of cloth and was tied with a small string. But he just shoved it in his pocket.
"Okay, I need to make sure my loyal cyclops are alive, so here are these." Poseidon said throwing Leo keys, they looked like car keys. "Hey, before we go, can you help us?" I asked him. "Sure, it's the least I can do." He told me. "Well, the next part of the prophecy says go where the dead talk, do you know where that is?" I asked him.
His eyes then drifted to Nick, it looked like sadness. It looked like he wanted to say something, but then didn't, but he had something to say"Your mother...she was a great women." He told him out of the blue. Nick just looked at him. "My, my mother?" Nick asked him, but it sounded painful, like Nick was struggling to talk. Poseidon nodded. Nick just looked at him. "What was she like." He said silently looking at the floor. "She was kind, always giving to charity, respected where she was." Poseidon told him. "What does that have to do with the quest?" Nick asked him. Poseidon sighed, like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't, like how he started talking to Nick. "You..you want to go to Quebec." Poseidon told him. Nick looked like he had a million questions, but he just nodded.
"Oh, and one more thing." Poseidon said. "Yeah?" Nick asked him. Poseidon then threw him something. It was in the shape of a cylinder, and it was kind if small, the size of a sword handle, and was dark silver, but still shining. Nick caught it with one hand and just held it in his hands. "Give that to Percy for me." Poseidon told him. Nick then looked up and nodded.
Then I heard cyclops yelling. "Well, time for me to go, the dumpster is below that window, so jump down and you'll be good, bye now, and good luck Nick." Poseidon said. He then was gone, leaving Nick, just looking at where he was.
His arm then went off his side, and I saw something on his forearm, a tattoo. It was thing I saw on the train. It looked like it was a sword, and besides the color, it was exactly like the one he used to fight Zethes. I was gonna have to talk to him about that later. But Leo broke the silence. "Alright, let's get out of here, like now, I miss my wife and my dragon, so let's go." Leo said. He then walked to the window and opened it. He then jumped.
"Alright then." Johnny said, he then ran and dived through the window head first. I was about to go, but I looked back Nick. He was just standing there, wearing his tattered Hulk pants and necklace, with the silver cylinder in his hand. "Nick, let's go." I told him. "Do you think she's alive?" He asked me. I didn't know how to answer, I knew who he was talking about. I walked up to him, I then put my hand on his shoulder. "Nick, we'll find her, I promise, but now, we need to go." I told him. He then looked me in the eyes, but his eyes looked sad, but now wasn't the time to console him, we needed to run. I then grabbed his hand and ran to the window.
We both jumped out, and I heard the door slam open as we jumped. We landed in the dumpster. I landed on a garbage bag full of bottles that smelled like a sewer, great, and Nick landed on an old mattress, I don't want to ask where that came from. But we were fine. I then scrambled out of the dumpster and Nick got out next to me. But I looked up, and a few cyclops were jumping out. "Run." I said. We then ran off, looking for Johnny and Leo. But I knew where they were.
They was a big pick-up truck, it was a two door F-150 and looked like it had an eight foot bed. But on the side it said: Neptune's fishing gear rental! It was what the keys were for, and it looked like Leo was ready to go. "GO GO, WE'RE HERE!" I yelled at him. He didn't ask he just started to go forward, and I jumped onto the back, I looked back, but Nick was a little behind. "Jump, I got you!" I yelled holding out my hand. He then lunged forward and grabbed my hand. His knees then hit the concrete while we were driving, but I the pulled him over the tailgate and we both landed in the bed. "Get back here!" I heard a cyclops yell, but we were gone, thank the gods, I was getting sick of Michael Jackson.
I then laid on my back, Nick next to me. I was tired, smelled like old beer from the trash, and Nick didn't look good and smelled just like me. "So, mind explaining what happened?" I asked him still laying back. For a second, Nick didn't answer, I thought he passed out. "I don't know, but I found out I'm a monster, my mom is somewhere, and my necklace is super powerful." Nick said. I then looked at him. "Nick, you're not a monster." I told him. He just looked up. But I saw his tattoo again. "And is that where you got your sword. Nick had a painful look on his face, like when people describe how they got injured, but then he slowly nodded. "Can I see it?" I asked him.
He sighed, he then reached at his arm, and a long cut appeared in his arm, I nearly puked. But then a sword handle appeared, he then pulled a sword made of ice. The blade was a little jagged, like an icicle, and the handle had white leather and a white pommel. "My sister gave it to me in a dream, I didn't want to use it, but now that the walking stick is gone, I might have to." Nick said. I then held out my hand, I wanted to see it. He then handed it to me. I grabbed it, it was cold, but had nice feeling leather. "Well, it looks like a good weapon." Bethany told me. I then handed it back to him.
He then turned it and stabbed himself in the arm, and the tattoo reappeared. I then put my hand down. "Hey, what happened?" Nick asked me. I looked at him weird. "To what?" I asked him. He then pointed to my hand. I knew what he was talking about. "Well, when you turned, your skin was super cold, and I touched it, and it gave an ice burn." I told him. Nick just looked at my hand, his eyes were wide. "I'm, I'm sorry." He said quietly. "You couldn't control yourself, you're fine." I told him. "Okay then well I'm just gonna lay down, I'm not feeling the greatest." Nick said. "Okay Jack." I told him. He then leaned his head back, and closed his eyes, I then leaned my head back, and just looked up at the sky.