Around midnight, the two came to a resort. You read right, a resort. There was a whole assortment of different types of craft docked. There was a pirate ship, with the name etched out due to time, there was WWII submarine, among others. "What is this place?" Percy questioned.
"I don't know," Annabeth admitted. "I don't remember any tropical getaways in Greek myths…"
Both being groggy and sore, they decided to hop off. They could only hope that this was just a mortal resort, and they could bluff their way into getting a nice soft bed to sleep on.
Yeah, like that could happen.
"This is a trap," Riptide claimed.
"Of course it is," Percy thought back. "But it doesn't hurt to check it out."
"Ha! That's the funniest thing you've ever said."
The two walked to the front desk, where a bellhop greeted them with a great smile. Well, she tried to make it look great, but her face was just a bit too toned to consider it a winning smile. "Hello, and welcome to C.C.'s Spa and Resort!" she greeted. "My name is Reyna; I'll be your assistant today!"
Annabeth and Percy exchanged a look. "Assistant for what?" Annabeth was the one to ask the question. The girl looked her up and down disapprovingly.
"Oh, that will never do. Please come this way," the girl beckoned to follow. "The Mistress will want to see you personally."
"This is a trap," Riptide reminded Percy. He stuffed his hand in his pocket and gripped Riptide, just in case he needed to quickly draw it. The bag containing the multivitamins and ambrosia was in Annabeth's back pocket. The further in they got, however, the more the environment and the pleasantness of it all seemed to lull him into a- "False sense of security. Focus!" Riptide snapped, forming and maintaining a small pressure behind Percy's eye just to keep him on track.
Eventually, they came to a larger room; off to one side were pets, it seemed. Small guinea pigs that looked like they hadn't been washed for centuries meandered about in cages. On the far end was a woman awaiting them. Her appearance that of a priestess or otherwise old woman of power, only old wasn't the right word to describe her. She looked quite young in fact, but she gave off this sense of…age. Percy had felt it before, but he couldn't quite pin it down.
"Ah, our new guests," her voice was divine; almost as soothing as the Sirens, but without the imminent danger.
"Or so you say."
She stood, and walked toward the two demigods with a sense of purpose. Instantly, the two felt extremely uncomfortable with her staring. It wasn't because of the fact that she was staring, but at the fact that she was staring with disappointment in her eyes, like they'd failed her personal test. Both demigods felt really hurt about it; they wanted to do better.
"Reyna," C.C. said her name, and she jumped.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Find your sister," she gave Annabeth a smile. "Give this young lady a tour, show her what we have to offer. Fix her up a bit?"
"Fix?" Annabeth looked hurt. "W-what's wrong with me?"
"Oh, just the hair: it needs work, and you're both so dirty from travel, no doubt. You both are truly wasting your true potential!" she claimed, and they believed her. The pressure behind Percy's eye intensified, but he ignored it. Annabeth let herself be lead off by Reyna, leaving Percy alone with C.C.
"What can we do?"
"Oh, right this way," she led the boy to her chair, which sat in front of a mirror. Percy sat down and the tension immediately drained from his body. All of the fatigue that he should've experienced throughout the journey was taking its toll here. He could've fallen asleep and never woken up again, but C.C. kept him awake.
"Here, child. Gaze into my mirror, and you will see the window into your deepest desire, into your own soul," she claimed. When Percy looked, he only saw himself. After a moment, the image blurred and soon morphed back into Percy, but it was different.
He was a little older, maybe eighteen. He was absolutely ripped, with Riptide in his hand. His face wasn't quite as round, as he had presumably grown out of it. He looked far more capable than Percy thought himself to be now. He was envious of this other Percy. "Can you make me look like that?" he wondered.
"I can…" C.C. claimed. "Stay still, child, as I transform you into what you are in the deepest recesses of your heart!" she sounded almost mythical when she spoke. Percy felt himself slowly sink into nothingness, all the while staring at the mirror. He wanted it to stay in the image of this ideal version of Percy, but then he realized something. It looked a little bit too familiar. This version of Percy was bore too much of a resemblance to Luke. Upon this realization, the image blurred again, this time turning into a grotesque, macabre version of Percy, with ripped-out hair, one eye missing, scars making up most of his face, and multiple missing teeth.
"What the hell?" Percy questioned. He was tempted to stand up, but with C.C. working her magic and Percy's own morbid curiosity, he just kept staring. The image shifted then, from one image to another; to the different monsters he'd faced, to many monsters he had never seen before, each more hideous than the last. They kept shifting from the monsters, to Percy's grotesque form, to his ideal self. He realized that the mirror was showing him what was inside. And with all of the bad ones, all the horror, only one was ideal, and he didn't even particularly want that one.
"Hey!" Riptide yelled in his head. "Wake the fuck up!"
Percy shot up from the seat, feeling a new burst of energy all of a sudden. He whirled around, seeing in C.C.'s hands black shrouds which, with the twitch of her fingers, moved and flowed. He drew Riptide. "I knew it was a trap!" Percy claimed. "I knew from the moment I set foot on this island!"
"Dick…"
C.C. laughed. "A Celestial Bronze sword? Against my magic? That's adorable, deary," her voice was still as enticing, but Percy wasn't fooling around. "Come on, then," she challenged. Percy burst forward.
"Uh, I really don't think that's a good idea!" Riptide exclaimed, but it was too late. Percy leapt up into the air, ready to cut C.C. in half, but she shot her hands out, and Percy soon lost the grip of his sword. By the time it clattered to the ground, and Percy landed along with it, it had grown, or…maybe not. In fact, his clothes were growing a lot bigger too.
Then Percy realized that he was actually shrinking. When it was done, he had the distinct feeling of terror at not being able to see, as his clothes were in the way. C.C. unshrouded him and then picked him up. "Oh, such a cute one to add to my collection," she claimed, walking him over to the cage. Percy just barely caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror; he only saw a guinea pig.
He was set down in the cage with the other pets. Percy clawed at the bars of the cage, desperate to get out. He squealed and squealed, hoping someone would help him, only for him to realize that that's what the other guinea pigs had been doing for him. C.C. quickly disposed of his clothes, and then sat back down in her chair at the far end of the room.
"Great!" Percy thought to himself, feeling the hopelessness of the situation. "I finally work things out with Annabeth, and now I'm a fucking rat."
"I told you it was a trap," Riptide said. "And I think the correct term is 'rodent'."
"Oh, shut up! I don't need your smart-ass right now!" Percy tried to sound intimidating in his head. It didn't work.
That's when Annabeth came back into the room, followed by Reyna and a girl looking slightly older than the bother of them, probably the sister that C.C. mentioned. One of them was carrying Annabeth's old clothes, which they set on the table, before the two left.
Annabeth herself looked stunning. Her long hair was taken out of its tie and let left hanging gracefully down her back with small braids laced with gold falling behind her ears, with also some also framing her face and covering her forehead. Not only that, but she was wearing makeup, which she would normally never be caught dead in. Percy was thrown for a loop at the sight of her, given how un-Annabeth-like she looked.
Percy scratched at the cage bars and tried to get her attention. She only glanced his way before turning her attention back to C.C.
"How was your tour?" C.C. asked, her voice back to its sweet tone from earlier.
"Oh, it was wonderful! Your library is amazing!" Annabeth claimed, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Oh, of course! You may read and study whatever you so desire, my dear," C.C. offered. "You can be whatever you want!"
"An architect?" Annabeth inquired.
"Oh, you think too small, young lady!" C.C. claimed. "Think bigger, think a bit more…mythological."
"W-what-?" Annabeth started.
"Oh, I know a daughter of Athena when I see one," C.C. claimed. "I believe that you would make an excellent sorceress. With that kind of power, you can do many things, including building your fancy structures."
"I…can?" Annabeth was actually considering it.
"No, no! We're doing something important! Annabeth! Abort mission, abort!" Percy kept clawing at the cage.
"Wow, that's a…big question, um…"
"Oh gods, she's forgotten about me. How could she forget about me?!" Percy was getting more desperate by the second.
"For the record, if you don't get out of this somehow, I'm going back to the horse-man," Riptide warned.
Percy considered it for a second. "Okay, Annabeth, leave me in here."
"Can I have just a minute to think about this?" Annabeth requested.
"Of course, dear," C.C. left Annabeth alone. She quickly made her way over to the cage.
"Okay, which one of you is Percy?" she questioned. All of the guinea pigs squeaked in unison. "Ugh, you're insufferable."
"You're the impossible one!" Percy shouted in his head.
"Alright, just hang tight and let me handle Circe," the daughter of Athena assured. "Then I'll have you all out of there."
Right as soon as she said it, the door opened again. Circe walked back in. Percy had absolutely no idea how Annabeth was going to fight the witch, but he had to be ready in case he had to…squeak at her, or something.
"Deary," she woman started. "Have you made up your mind?"
"I have, and," she drew her knife from underneath her clothes. "I have to say that I can't really see myself turning guys into guinea pigs."
Circe frowned. "Oh, dear, are you really going to try this?"
"I am," Annabeth confirmed. "And I bet you won't even touch me," she challenged, walking toward the witch. Circe started working magic, and the aimed it at Annabeth, but nothing happened. Circe tried again, but her time was running out. Once again, it didn't work, whatever she was trying to do.
"What? What is this? Why aren't you-" she didn't finish, as Annabeth held the knife up to her throat.
"I wonder how many men you've transformed since Odysseus?" she wondered. "I wonder if, if you turned them back, what they'd do to you? Probably a lot worse than what I can do to you, for sure."
"I-I can't turn them back!" Circe claimed.
"Really? And what if I say I don't believe you?" Annabeth's voice was cold, low, and threatening. She slit a small cut onto Circe's neck. "Here's what's gonna happen. You're going to get the little packet of multivitamins in my old clothes, and you're gonna drop a few into the cage, capisce?" Circe quickly obeyed, fearing for her life.
As the guinea pigs ate, the cage grew smaller, and it soon burst, as each of the men grew back to full size. All of them were in their original clothes, somehow. Percy chalked it up to Circe's magic. Percy took several deep breaths. "Oh gods, oh gods, that was the worst experience of my life!" he exclaimed, patting himself down to make sure he was fully human again. He looked at his fellow guinea pigs. All had old-fashioned clothes and cutlasses at their sides. One of them, their leader, had this big hat and this awesome beard.
"Yo! Are you pirates?" Percy wondered.
"Blackbeard?" Annabeth guessed.
"Aye, lad," the man confirmed. "And thanks to the young lass, we're back to normal, and…" he and his men turned their attention to Circe, who was cowering in the corner. "We be very angry pirates."
"Now, h-hold on, young men," Circe was obviously scared out of her dress. "I think we c-can…work out compensation. What do you say?"
Percy smacked his lips a couple of times, and looked to Annabeth for the go ahead. She made a gesture that said "your move." He pulled out Riptide, drew it, and then pointed it at Circe. "Get her!" he yelled, signaling all of the men to run after her. She dashed out the door, and the guys followed. She didn't even try working her magic anymore, as she figured it wouldn't work on them just like it didn't work on Annabeth.
As the guys were having their fun, Annabeth went ahead and passed out multivitamins to the other enclosed animals, turning them back into men, who similarly rampaged through the resort. She then tried to find Percy.
Percy himself had actually drifted off from the pack of pirates chasing Circe around. He was actually looking for Annabeth. Instead, her found Reyna huddled with her sister, hiding from the chaos. "Hey," he greeted, as if nothing had happened.
"Go away!" the older sibling demanded.
"Okay," Percy obliged, walking away from them.
"W-wait!" they called.
"What?"
"H-help us! Please, we don't-" the woman cut off. "You're capable, right? Get us to the mainland and we'll-"
"Sorry, no can do," Percy claimed. "I'm kinda on an important mission, trying to save the lives of hundreds of demigods and all," he explained. "But, uh…" he held up Riptide.
"You mind if I let them borrow you?"
"I'd think nothing less of a hero."
"Alright, let's not get ahead of ourselves now," Percy thought. He tossed the blade to Reyna. "You've gotta fight if anyone gets near you," he said to them. "Fight like your life depends on it. Go to the docks, find a working boat, and go…" he pointed northwest. "That way; that's the nearest land," he said, jogging off. "Oh, and before I forget, that sword will return to my pocket in a few minutes, so you might want to find another weapon soon!" he called back to them. He truly hoped they made it off the island. Percy never saw them again after that encounter.
Soon enough, he found Annabeth, back at the main lobby. "There you are!" she said. Percy grabbed her hand.
"Come on, I have no idea where the pirates are, and I kinda gave away Riptide to-"
"It's fine," Annabeth claimed. "I think they went further inland, leaving the docks alone," she said, walking casually out. Percy followed, but was sure to stay a few steps behind. He wasn't sure what it was about her, but it almost felt like Percy wasn't worthy to stand beside Annabeth, not when she looked so regal.
"I, uh…" Percy tried to put his feelings of gratitude into words. He also tried to shake off the feeling the images in the mirror gave him at the same time. "I, uh…thanks, I mean, for, you know…" he scratched the back of his head. Annabeth stopped.
"Thanks for what?" she wondered, appearing equally uncomfortable. This reeked just a bit too much of Crusty's from last year.
"I mean, for…being so…ready, for anything. You always, I mean, usually, have a plan, and, uh…" he was rambling, put off by the girl's appearance. "And, back there, when I was…smaller and…craving lettuce all of a sudden, I, uh…"
She giggled, walking behind him. When he turned, she was facing toward him, and smiling a genuine smile. She ran her hand through her hair, drawing it back, only for it to fall back into place perfectly. "I'm glad you're not a guinea pig, Seaweed Brain," she said. The image was stunning; not only was Annabeth gorgeous with her new look, but the lights of the resort, and the resort burning down incidentally, made her glow, like a thousand stars shimmered around her.
"Uh…me, too," was all Percy could manage to say. He didn't even realize that that was the first time she called him 'Seaweed Brain' since she'd come back to Camp Half-Blood. She grabbed his wrist and started walking again, and the two made it to a bigger ship, Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge.
Their journey continued, eagerly awaiting and simultaneously dreading their destination.
Author's Note:
Gee, I wonder which show that final scene was inspired by. *cough, cough* Sound! Euphonium *cough, cough*
Anyhoo, this time I wanted to share what I think would make a good ending theme to this "season" of Cruel Spider. Last "season" is was Everyone's Peace, from Gurren Lagann. This time I'm really feeling Mashi Mashi (tran. "More and More") from Haikyuu. Specifically, the English version by Dima Lancaster (you'll hear that name more in the future).
First off, the dude's a hugely talented musician. Second, the words, I feel, capture a sense of chiding and encouragement that can only be used in the context of Riptide and Percy in Cruel Spider. The first verse and chorus is basically Riptide propping Percy up, and the second verse can be a continuation of that, or it could could be Percy going to Annabeth, and telling her not to hide things, or vice versa, and then the rest of the song is just some fun. It's these double meanings that I think really sells the song as being able to be connected to the work...that was also a very poor way of conveying that.
P.S. consider this chapter the calm before the storm. Next time, shit's gonna go down hard. Also, for the record, I think the next chapter is going to be very divisive among this audience...just a thought.
Anyway, let me know what you guys think!