Leo
Leo had never been good with time. He was always late to activities when he was at camp, because he would always lose track of time while tinkering with one of his projects. Leo liked to take his time with things, making sure every piece was in the right place, checking and double checking before deeming the project usable. After all, as his mom used to say, it was better to spend more time building it right the first time than rushing through the job only to have to go back and start all over again when it broke. This time, Leo didn't have that time to waste.
He supposed he could blame Kronos. After all, he was the lord of Time, and he did harbor a grudge against demigods. Plus, he was Gaea's son, so of course he would play up to her needs (although he didn't exactly mention this to the others-particularly those who had fought against him in the Second Titan War. Percy was cool, but Leo didn't think he'd like it if the titan who was the cause for so many deaths could be called a Mommy's Boy).
They had just finished the IM with Chiron, Tyson, and Ella. Although the seven of the prophecy had left the Romans on good terms, Octavian had managed to turn the tables on them. He had apparently managed to convince approximately half the Romans- both his supporters and those he had blackmailed- to go to war with Camp Half-Blood. Reyna had managed to get a message to the seven this on their way to Rome, and they, in turn, had warned Chiron. At the time, they didn't think it was too much of an issue, seeing as Reyna was Praetor and the Romans couldn't go to war without her consent, but, according to the latest Iris Message from Chiron, things had drastically changed since their last meeting with the Romans.
The Romans were currently marching towards Camp Half-Blood. Half of them were going for peace negotiations and to join forces against Gaea; the other half were going to declare war. It was up to Reyna to hold the Romans in check until Chiron could successfully negotiate peace talks with them; however, Octavian was sure to do everything in his power- including lying, blackmailing, and deceiving the Romans to try and attack their Greek counterparts. According to Pegasi scouts, the Romans would be in New York in two days' time. The seven could only hope for the best.
"I have to go." Nico's voice, while weary, held a fierce determination in it. Hazel looked like she was ready to knock him out and tie him down to prevent him from going.
"Nico, you're still injured; you still need to recuperate! And how will you get there? It's across the Atlantic Ocean! Besides, if things go wrong and they go to war with each other-"
"But that's exactly why I have to go," Nico cut in. "to make sure that they don't go to war. I need to make sure they know who the real enemy is. I'm still the Ambassador of Pluto, and a demigod known to both Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood. If anyone can make them see sense, it's me."
"Or Octavian could use it against you," Frank countered. "He could say that you're a spy."
Nico shrugged. "That's a risk I'll have to take. I have to stop them from fighting each other. Besides... I'm not part of the seven, remember? I'm not even supposed to be on this quest. I'm just a pit stop you guys made on your way to stop Gaea."
"Nico, that's not-" Hazel started to protest, but was once again cut off by the son of Hades.
"Listen, something... something's telling me that I have to do this. Like it's my part to play in the war. I have to unite the two camps."
"How will you get there?" Piper, who had been silent up until now, chimed in.
"Well, normally I'd shadow travel, but I'm not sure I have enough energy. I'll have to take Blackjack."
"Blackjack?" Frank asked. "Like, Blackjack the Pegasus?"
"No, I mean blackjack the casino game," Nico retorted sarcastically. "Of course I mean the Pegasus."
Hazel started to protest again, but this time Piper cut her off. "I think it's a good idea; Nico's known to both camps. Are you sure Blackjack will take you? I thought he was Percy's Pegasus."
"He is," Nico said, "but he's not as uncomfortable with me as some... other animals are. I think he'll let me ride him."
"How long will it take to get there?" Leo asked.
"I'm not sure, but with the kind of superspeed thing the Pegasi can do... probably two or three hours, tops."
Nico and Hazel gazed steadily at each other. It was almost a battle of wills: Hazel pleading with him not to do it, while Nico's eyes still shone with the same determination. Finally, Hazel sighed and gave in.
"Fine, but be careful, okay?" she admonished.
"Yes, Ma'am," Nico muttered. Hazel gave him a look, let it go. Five minutes later, Nico had gotten Blackjack to agree to let him ride back to Camp Half-Blood. Of course, seeing as none of them were sons of Poseidon, they couldn't be sure of what Blackjack was saying, but seeing as he wasn't rearing or kicking any of them, they assumed that meant he agreed. However, the promise of sugar cubes when they got to camp could have improved their chances with the Pegasus.
Nico slipped on Blackjack's back. "Good luck," he said, looking down at them with a slight smile.
"You, too."
Nico turned back to face the front. Blackjack spread his wings and, with three great thrusts, the two of them were airborne for Camp Half-Blood.
[Annabeth's POV]
Annabeth ran faster than ever before. She ran faster than a satyr chasing a tree nymph. She ran faster than when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 came out on DVD.
Then again, Annabeth thought wryly, having an army of monsters chasing you does provide an incentive to move quickly.
As she rounded a corner at breakneck speed, shouting apologies to a random skateboarder whom she had almost knocked over, she checked her pocket to make sure her gift from her mother was still there. Sure enough, it was, glowing as brightly as ever.
Annabeth quickly patted her other pocket to see if the other item was still there. It was, which was good, because it would be a shame if she had made it through all the monsters, the collapsing buildings, and the cave only to have lost the thing she was sent to retrieve.
A few hundred meters ahead of her, Annabeth saw a massive shape looming above the trees on the outer layer of the Parco del Colle Oppio, or the Park of Opium Hill. Smiling, she put on an extra burst of speed and sprinted the rest of the way to the Argo II. She quickly scaled the rope ladder and then hauled it back up, although she knew that it wouldn't delay the monsters for more than a few minutes at best. She had to get back to the others.
[Back to Leo's POV]
Leo, Piper, Frank, and Hazel were on deck when Annabeth burst onto the ship, panting and out of breath.
"Annabeth," Hazel said, shock in her voice. "What-"
"No time," the daughter of Athena gasped out. "Monsters coming- quickly."
"Leo, get this ship in the air!" Piper yelled.
"The third upward thruster got messed up in Jason's and Percy's fight," Leo called back. "We can still fly, but it'll take us five minutes just to lift off."
"We don't have that kind of time," Annabeth said. "And- wait, Percy and Jason got in a fight?"
"Gaea was controlling them, but they're both fine, and Nico took Blackjack back to Camp Half-Blood to try and convince the Greeks and Romans not to kill each other." Piper gave Annabeth the abridged version of their adventures.
"Right... okay, there's no time, so listen closely. I've completed my mother's quest. The Mark of Athena- it's the owl she gave me, it's an automaton. Basically, it acts as a compass. It flies and points me in the right direction, and it glows brighter the closer I am. And I found what my mother wanted me to find- here."
From her pocket, she withdrew a key of solid black obsidian. It was soon clear that this was not an ordinary key, however, as it kept shifting, barely in focus.
"The doors aren't in one definite place. It's hard to explain, but it's like it borders in between two different realities: the real world and the mythological one."
"But... we exist in different realities, don't we?" Leo asked, confused. "I mean, we're part human, part god."
"Right, the keys are like that, too: they border between realities. But it's a bit more complicated than that. The doors can't be just in one place; they're constantly moving, and... it's complicated, but I don't think the doors are physical doors at all. The doors are just physical representations the pathway from the Underworld to the land of the living. They exist but doesn't have a physical form," Annabeth said.
"So, basically, the doors aren't doors but they are because the actual doors are not physical, but we think of them as doors because we need a physical representation of something for the human mind to comprehend?" Piper asked.
"I have absolutely no clue what you just said," Leo said from the control panel, looking really confused.
"Make that two of us," Frank added, just as lost as Leo.
Annabeth sighed impatiently. "Look, we don't have time for this. Basically, those are the keys to the Doors of Death. We need them to close the doors and prevent any more souls from escaping. I have no idea where the actual doors are or if there's a specific way to close them-"
"I may be able to help with at least one of those questions," Piper chimed in. She had pulled a map up on one of the screens. The other four demigods crowded around behind her. Piper tapped the screen and zoomed into one place.
"I think this will be the most likely place she'll rise," Piper said, pointing to a specific location.
"Of course," Annabeth muttered. "When I said I wanted to visit it, I didn't mean like this."
"The Pantheon," Leo said. "The temple dedicated to all the gods."
"What better place for Gaea to rise?" Frank asked bitterly.
A roar from behind them cut off any more conversation between the demigods.
"Leo, get to work on that broken third thruster thing," Piper shouted, not even realizing that she was using charmspeak.
Leo nodded quickly and grabbed a wrench from his magical tool belt, running quickly to the control panel.
"How long do we have before Gaea's minions get here?" Frank asked, even as another bellow- this time much closer than before- sounded.
"Not enough for us to get this boat into the air," Annabeth muttered grimly. "I only managed to survive this long because I outran them. They'll be here in less than a minute."
"What do we do?" asked Hazel desperately. "We don't have two of our best fighters, we can't run, and we're outnumbered thirty to one."
"We have to keep the key safe at all costs," Annabeth said. "That's our only hope for closing the Doors."
Hazel drew her spatha. "I'll die again before I let Gaea take over," she said.
"And me," Piper added.
"Same," Frank said.
"Me, too!" Leo's voice chimed in from where he was still working on the broken thruster.
Annabeth smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. "If we fight, we stand little chance of winning. We have to keep the key out of Gaea's grasp. Even if it means..." she trailed off.
"Annabeth?" Piper asked, concerned.
Annabeth took a deep breath. "The only chance we stand to win this is if we have a distraction." She turned to face them. "Promise me you'll keep the key safe. And tell Percy... tell him I'm sorry and that I love him."
"Annabeth, what are you-" Hazel started to say, but broke off in the middle of her sentence. Annabeth ran and vaulted over the edge of the Argo II. She flipped in midair, much like a Roman falling from an eagle, and landed solidly on her feet.
By then, the army was in sight of the demigods and making its way to the Argo II. She drew her bronze knife and ran straight for the monsters.
The army stopped and stared, astounded that anyone would be foolish enough to attack them by herself- and this was supposedly the daughter of the Wisdom goddess. It was only a brief second, but it gave Annabeth the advantage she needed. She started hacking and slashing through enemy lines, doing what she had been trained to do since she was seven.
The Argo II started to rise out into the air.
"What are you doing? We need to go back for her!" Hazel screamed.
Piper nodded and was about to use charmspeak to convince Leo to turn the ship around when Frank stopped her.
"Remember what she said. Percy and Jason are out of commission, and we can't defeat that many monsters without them. She's giving us the distraction we need. We have to take the advantage to get to the Doors."
"Do you want to leave her there to die?" Hazel asked desperately.
"No! Of course not! I'm just saying... her sacrifice can't be for nothing. She knew what had to be done. I haven't known her for long, but I know that she's strong. She'll come out of this alive. And then, after the Doors are closed, we can come back to get her."
"It might be too late by then," Hazel whispered, but she still saw the logic in his argument.
"What happened to 'no man left behind'?" asked Piper.
Frank sighed and looked at her sadly. "You know why she did it," he said.
Piper scowled for a minute then turned and stormed back down towards her quarters. Over her shoulder she called, "Fine. But you have to explain to Percy where Annabeth is when he wakes up."
There was a somber mood on the Argo as it drifted higher and higher in the sky. Leo peeked over the edge of the boat as they floated over the army of monsters.
Annabeth's bright blonde hair was nowhere to be seen.