A/N: 私は自分のパーシージャクソンとオリンポスしない (I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians). Are we ready?
Grover: Ready for what?
Me: (smacks him harder than necessary) OUR GUEST STAR YOU DOLT!
Grover: Owie…(passes out)
Hope: Well, who is it?
Me: Who else but the person who reviews the most! DRUMROLL PLEASE!
Jake: (groans, then starts drumrolling like the good lackey he is)
Me: McKenzie8463!
Everyone except Grover who got knocked out: W00T!
Me: McKenzie8463, COME ON DOWN!
(McKenzie8463 runs in through banner reading 'The Disclaimer Show' while sparklers explode next to the sign and runs through two rows of marching band people. One of the sparks hits Percy, though.)
Percy: MY LAYEGG! (passes out)
Third Person POV
Camryn jolted from her sleep, sweat beaded on her forehead.
Something was wrong.
Jade, meanwhile, was trying to sneak from the infirmary while Jake and Daniella were outside. She had been ordered by the blue-eyed boy and Chiron to stay in the infirmary, but she sensed something was wrong as well.
Camryn noticed.
"Jade?" she asked, her voice soft.
Jade cringed and turned. "What?"
"Take me with you. Now."
Jade wrinkled her nose. "Cammie, you're in no condition to…"
Camryn swung her feet from the bed, stood up, and grabbed a few ambrosia squares from the bedside table, munching on one.
"Take. Me. With. You."
Jade stared at her, then pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.
"You're just like A.J., you know that?" She said, grasping her hand.
Camryn gave a small smile. "Yes. Yes I do."
With that, the two mermaid sisters ran outside onto the battlefield.
After the Python attack, most of the monsters had retreated in fear. Only a pack of hellhounds remained.
As soon as they spotted Jade and Camryn, they began to charge. Camryn drew her sword, but Jade held her back and calmly stood in front of her.
"αύξηση." Rise.
Suddenly, green flames emanated as a thick ring from Jade's body, burning the hellhounds to a crisp.
"επιστροφή." Return.
The ring closed in around Jade, who sank to her knees, her body shaking. Camryn handed her a square of ambrosia.
"I'm-I'm alright," Jade mumbled, as she silently chewed on the godly food. Camryn helped her up, and they proceeded to the dining pavilion, where Camryn set Jade (who had passed out again) on a table.
Camryn looked around. The scene wasn't pretty. People were walking around, chatting. Some in desperation, some in questioning. It made her feel disoriented.
Soon, she spotted Nico running past. She grabbed his shoulders.
"Nico, what's going on?"
Nico stared at her for a long time, unsure what to say. He inhaled sharply.
"It's A.J."
Camryn felt like she had been stabbed in the heart.
"What about A.J.?"
He bit his lip and looked down and told her about the Python attack and her metamorphosis.
"…so we can only assume that she's in the Underworld."
Camryn's eyes pricked with tears. "So…is she…"
"No," Nico replied with a sigh. "Well…at least…"
Camryn turned away, trying to hide the hot tears streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't lose her. The world needed her. Arimithea needed her.
She needed her.
She quietly dragged her toe along the floor in frustration, when it suddenly bumped against something.
It was a long jagged crack, stretching down the front of the pavilion. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed before.
"Nico? What's this?"
He came over beside her, inspecting the crack and looking slightly embarassed. "Uh, yeah, I kinda opened that when I was ten to banish some skeletons to the Underworld."
She raised an eyebrow. "Geez, you say it like it's so casual," she replied with a small smirk. "Well, I should have expected it from a son of the Big Three."
Nico blushed slightly, while Camryn's eyes widened. "Did you say you banished them to the Underworld?"
Nico nodded. "Yeah…but, there's a entrance in Central Park and…what the heck…"
Camryn had dragged her fingers along the crack, and it had began to glow golden. Suddenly, a crunch was heard from ahead.
Camryn and Nico looked forward. In the place where Tory, Annabeth, Percy, and Jake had been talking, a large chasm had opened, and they fell in, all screaming.
Camryn was about to run to them, when a large crunch was heard below her feet. The cracks grew larger and larger until a chasm was formed under her and Nico's feet as well.
The two teens looked at each other, then at the hole under them, as if in a cartoon, and they fell in screaming as well.
The two both landed in an open field with dead grass, still screaming. Nico stopped as soon as they landed in Asphodel, but Camryn was still screaming. Nico was suddenly very aware that Camryn had been clutching to him the whole time.
"Camryn…"
"AAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa….oh…we're not dead…."
"Camryn…uh…your fingernails…they're kinda…."
Camryn suddenly realized her arms were wrapped around Nico's waist, and let go quickly, her face heating up.
"Oh! Sorry about that…" She heard a soft snicker and turned.
Tory and Jake both gave her innocent smiles and raised their eyebrows.
OH SHUT UP! She thought to both of them.
"So…what now?" Percy asked.
Nico was about to answer, when suddenly, Jake collapsed. Camryn screamed, and ran over to him.
He looked up, his chocolate eyes now bright green.
"She's-she's fighting…" he rasped, his breathing heavy.
"Who's she fighting? And who's she?" Annabeth asked.
"Anastasia…fighting…death…coward…pleading…" He then collapsed again.
Tory picked him up and threw him over his shoulder.
Nico frowned slightly and looked down, his expression pensive.
"If she's doing what I think she's doing…" he muttered.
He faced everyone else.
"Come on. We need to get to the Throne Room. Now."
A.J. POV
The ugly hag of a Fury led me to the double doors of obsidian.
"Wait here," she hissed.
Ugh. She didn't need to tell me that again. I was close to collapsing from fatigue.
I didn't even know if I was dead or alive. Ever since I had gotten to the Underworld, my battle armor had changed to a black dress that reached my knees. I was wearing makeup and jewelry, and my war circlet had changed to a black tiara with an aquamarine phoenix and diamonds.
I had recognized the outfit immediately. It was the outfit that my mother made me choose during the Titan War that I would have been…buried in.
The thought made my stomach churn.
Don't think about it…don't think about it…
The Fury returned. "Lord Hades will see you know."
The double doors opened, and I quietly stepped in the Throne Room. A tall man, probably at least ten feet tall, sat on a black throne. Actually, practically everything in the room was black. The throne…the walls…his robes…me….
Hades raised his dark eyebrows, which stood out among his pale skin. That was probably my cue.
I stepped forward and bowed. "Lord Hades," I murmured softly.
He sat back in his throne, his face expressionless. "What is your business here, Anastasia Phoenix? You must have something important to receive and audience with me."
I took a deep breath and silently prayed to Hermes. I wasn't very good at speaking.
"Um…if it pleases you, Lord Hades…ah…I would like to plead my case…I mean…I want to find a way to live…no wait…"
His lips twitched. "Many people try to cheat death…"
My breath hitched. "Oh-oh! That is not my goal at all…" I took a deep breath. I needed to say what I needed to say and I needed to say it straight.
"Lord Hades, I need to live. The world is depending on me. I am willing to take any challenge you throw at me; just give me a chance."
I fell on my knees, my heart ready to pound its way out of my chest.
"Please, the world is slowly ending as we speak," I whispered.
No emotion showed on his face.
Please let that be good…please let that be good…
"I cannot disobey the Ancient Laws," he began. "In order to remove yourself from the…limbo…that you are in, you must fight Death itself."
I raised an eyebrow.
"You must fight the god of Death, Lord Thanatos, in an one-on-one combat. If you win, you return to the realm of the living. If you don't, you die. But be warned, many men have attempted this and many have failed."
I drew my sword. "I'll do it."
Hades stood up with an amused twinkle in his eyes and snapped his fingers. Smoke gathered next to his throne, making me cough slightly. When it disappeared, a human sized man stood in black battle armor (biiiiiig shocker) with a hood covering his face. Even from a few feet away, I could feel his strong aura of death radiating off of him.
Suddenly, the double doors opened and Camryn ran in, pulling a boy along-I think his name was Nico or something- followed by Annabeth, Tory, Percy, and Jake, who was walking as if he was half-asleep.
"A.J.!" Camryn cried.
I turned to her. Her expression was filled with pain and worry.
"Camryn, I want you to get Little Boots, okay?"
"But…what are you…"
"I'm bargaining for my life. Just get her, okay?"
She opened her mouth to reply, then closed it and nodded.
I snapped my fingers, my armor appearing on my body, and then turned to Thanatos and placed the tip of my sword on the ground.
He did the same, the blade of his sword crossing over mine.
And it was a huge-ass sword, long and made of pure Stygian iron.
From under his hood, his lips twitched into a smirk.
"So, the young queen shall fight in a dress?"
I gave him a bitter smirk in reply. "Yes, yes she shall."
With that, we both raised our swords, and the battle began.
Camryn POV
I turned away and tried to ignore the battle that was going on.
Tory handed me a lock of Little Boots' hair and threw a turquoise fireball on the ground. Covering the lock in amber flames, I threw that into the turquoise fire and murmured: "Angelique Amanda."
Within ten minutes, Little Boots rose from the now violet portal, still in her Spongebob nightgown.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes and looked around.
"Cammie! What's going on? Where am I?" She turned and saw A.J. fighting Thanatos. "Why is Annie Jen-Jen fighting?" She asked, her eyes filling with tears.
I was at a loss for words. What could I tell a three year old?
Oh, yeah, your big sister is fighting the god of Death so that she can live and save the world, which is slowly deteriorating as we speak, and right now were in the Underworld, the Land of the Dead.
Right.
I was about to attempt to answer her, when she started to cry. I sighed, picked her up and started to walk around bobbing her up and down, but her wails started to increase.
Ugh, what calms little children? Toys? No. Food? No. Lullabies?
That could work.
I started to rack my brain for any lullabies. One particularly stuck in my mind: an Italian lullaby I had learned in school.
I sat down, set Little Boots in my lap, and began to sing softly in her ear.
Fa la ninna, fa la nanna
Nella braccia della mamma
Fa la ninna bel bambin,
Fa la nanna bambin bel,
Fa la ninna, fa la nanna
Nella braccia della mamma.
Her sobs began to lessen as she buried her head in my neck. I heard a soft cough above me. I looked up. It was Nico.
"Where did you learn that song?" he asked softly, sitting next to me.
"I learned it in school, in my language class," I replied. "You've heard it before?"
He nodded, his expression shadowed. "Yeah. My mom would sing it to me when I was a kid."
I looked at him. "You know, Nico, when I disappeared in that portal thingymabob…"
He snickered.
"…I went to Elysium. And, I saw your mom."
He raised his eyebrows. "You did?"
I nodded. "She's watching over you, you know."
He stared at me a long time, then gave a small smile.
"That's nice to know," he said softly, stroking Little Boots' hair.
He started to sing the lullaby again, and I joined in, harmonizing.
Fa la ninna, fa la nanna
Nella braccia della mamma
Fa la ninna bel bambin,
Fa la nanna bambin bel,
Fa la ninna, fa la nanna
Nella braccia della mamma
A.J. POV
Note to self: Gods tend to have more fighting experience than teenagers.
Thanatos fought and he fought hard. After twenty minutes, I was cut all over my arms and legs, and I was exhausted. Sweat poured down my cheeks.
But the god was relentless. We kept fighting, our swords clashing, sparks flying ever so often.
Keep holding on, I told myself. You have to…
I felt a shove to my front and a pain explode in the back of my head. I looked up to see Thanatos cruelly grinning down at me. Tears sparked in my eyes…and I started crying.
Why must I keep fighting? I thought. Why must everything be so painful?
"Is the young warrior crying?" Thanatos asked, his voice filled with taunting. He slashed my arm and I cried out in pain.
"Many men have fought death and failed, Anastasia Phoenix. What makes you any different?"
I struggled to stand up, gripping my arm, but I slipped and fell on my face. Sobs began to rack through my body and I pushed my face up, my tears mixing with the sweat and blood on my cheeks.
Then I heard it. Just that one word.
"Coward."
Coward.
Coward.
COWARD.
The word echoed through me like it had been blasted through a speaker. It ran through both my brain and my heart.
Shaking, I stood up and faced him, pointing my sword. Then, the words came.
About time, Hermes.
"W-when I was in school, I ran. I r-ran from the bullies. I ran when the teachers scolded us. I ran when the kids beat each other up in the parking lot. Even when I was a princess, I ran. I ran when the leader of Parliament told me to my face when I wasn't qualified to be queen. I ran from every boy I was forced to put up with in order to gain my throne."
I started walking towards him.
"But there was a day that I had to stop running. I had to stop running when Tory and I fought those orcas that one day. I had to stop running on my coronation day. I had to stop running during the Titan War. And you know what? I was scared. Scared as heck. And I'm scared right now."
I kept walking towards him, my hand shaking. He stepped back in obvious amusement.
"But that does not mean I'm a coward. For 'courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.' Right now, the world is more important than my fear. Because I know who I am. Do you know who I am?"
Instinctively, I lunged forward, as if to stab him, but fell on him at the last second, pushing him over.
That was unexpected.
Using all my energy, I rolled him on his back and pressed his arm backwards.
That was REALLY unexpected.
"Some people call me A.J. Some people call me Annie Jen-Jen. Some Jennifer. Some 'Your Majesty.' And some Anastasia, but that's usually when I'm in trouble. But all I know is, I'm me, and I will NEVER…"
I gripped my sword.
"…BACK…"
I raised it with both hands over my head.
"…DOWN."
With the last word, I drove the blade of my sword into his back.
"AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH!" he bellowed in rage. He stood up and raised his hand to strike me, but Hades stopped him.
"She has won, Thanatos. Begone."
He glared, well at least I guess he glared, at me.
"You have won this time, Phoenix. But be warned, for this, I shall relish your death when the time comes again."
With that, he waved his hand, and disappeared in the form of flying crows.
I stood up. Then, it dawned on me.
I just fought a god. The god of death.
And won.
I looked down. I was covered in blood. My face was strewn with sweat and tears.
I didn't feel very heroic.
My body shimmered, and I was in my battle armor once again.
I inwardly sighed. Alive once again.
Hades looked at me, impressed.
"Well done," he mused. "You have won the battle, but you have made an enemy of the god of death. This will haunt you one day."
I nodded slowly. "Thank you, Lord Hades. I understand this."
He nodded, then looked dawn to the end of the room.
"Andromeda Phoenix," his voice boomed.
Camryn stood.
That must be her Greek name…
"You have opened an unauthorized entrance to the Underworld. Therefore, instead of using music to get in, you must use music to get out."
Camryn raised an eyebrow. "Lord of the Dead say what? OW!"
Jake gave her a whack on the head.
"Now, if your business is done here…"
I got the hint and bowed a final time. Then, we all left the throne room. Well, except that Nico kid. Hades said something to him that I couldn't hear, and Nico came out his face masked with irritation and his cheeks pink.
"Come on, let's get to Asphodel Fields," he said, grabbing Camryn's hand.
I softly snickered.
I'm pretty sure I knew what he had said.
Camryn POV
They made ME sing.
How unfair was that?
I didn't mind, really, I guess, but I was feeling pretty tired…no, lazy, really.
"How many songs do I have to sing?" I asked Nico.
He shrugged. "It depends. It's harder to leave the Underworld than entered it."
"Can you force your skeleton dudes to give us some music?"
He snapped his fingers, and four skeletons rose from the ground. A.J. came and whispered something in my ear.
"Do you know Battlefield by Jordin Sparks?" I asked them. How fitting.
They nodded as instruments materialized in front of them. One handed me a mic.
I took a deep breath and began.
Don't try to explain your mind
I know what's happening here
One minute, it's love
And, suddenly, it's like a battlefield
One word turns into a
Why is it the smallest things that tear us down
My world's nothing when you're gone
I'm out here without a shield - can't go back, now
Images from the battle passed through my mind as I sang.
Both hands tied behind my back for nothing, oh, no
These times when we climb so fast to fall, again
Why we gotta fall for it, now...
I never meant to start a war
You know, I never wanna hurt you
Don't even know we're fighting for
Why does love always feel like a battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield
Why does love always feel like a battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield
Why does love always feel like
Can't swallow our pride
Neither of us wanna raise that flag, mmm
If we can't surrender
Then, we're both gonna lose we have, oh, no
Both hands tied behind my back for nothing (nothing), oh, no
These times when we climb so fast to fall, again
I don't wanna fall for it, now...
As the song progressed, so did my emotion. I hated this war.
I never meant to start a war
You know, I never wanna hurt you
Don't even know we're fighting for
Why does love always feel like a battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield
Why does love always feel like a battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield
Better go and get your armor (get your armor), get your armor (get your armor)
I guess you better go and get your armor (get your armor), get your armor (get your armor)
I guess you better go and get your
We could pretend that we are friends, tonight (oh)
And, in the morning, we wake up, and we'd be alright
'Cause, baby, we don't have to fight
And I don't want this love to feel like a battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield
Why does love always feel like a battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield
I guess you better go and get your armor...
I started moving and dancing to the beat. The music held me captive.
I never meant to start a war
You know, I never wanna hurt you
Don't even know we're fighting for
Why does love always feel like a battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield
Why does love always feel like a battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield
I guess you better go and get your armor (get your armor), get your armor (get your armor)
I guess you better go and get your armor (get your armor), get your armor (get your armor)
Why does love always feel like (oh, oh)
Why does love always feel like a battlefield, a battlefield
I never meant to start a war
Don't even know what we're fighting for
I never meant to start a war
Don't even know what we're fighting for...
I finished the song, my chest heaving. I looked up. There was a small hole in the 'ceiling', I guess you could call it, and the light cascading from it was forming a small cylinder.
I looked at Nico. "Another?"
"Another."
I mused for a few minutes till another song came to mind. I went over to the skeletons.
"Decode by Paramore?"
They nodded again, then pointed to Nico, who came over. They handed him a guitar and motioned to him.
"You play?" I asked.
"A little," he admitted.
They started to hand me a guitar as well, but I stopped them and summoned my own.
It was pretty simple, purple and white. I quickly tuned it and turned to Nico.
"Ready?"
He nodded.
I plugged it in the amp and moved towards the mic again.
How can I decide what's right
When you're clouding up my mind?
I can't win
Your losing fight
All the time
You can't ever own what's mine
When you're always taking sides
But you won't take away my pride
No, not this time
Not this time
How did we get here?
Well I used to know you so well
Well how did we get here?
Well I think I know
The truth is hiding in your eyes
And it's hanging on your tongue
Just boiling in my blood
But you think that I can't see
What kind of man that you are
If you're a man at all
Well, I will figure this one out
On my own
(I'm screaming, "I love you so")
On my own
(but my thoughts you can't decode)
How did we get here?
When I used to know you so well, yeah
How did we get here?
Well, I think I know
This was the hardest part. I started to shred on my guitar, concentrating on every note. My fingers started to spark from the friction.
Do you see what we've done?
We've gone made such fools
Of ourselves
Do you see what we've done?
We've gone made such fools
Of ourselves
Yeah!
How did we get here?
When I used to know you so well, yeah! Yeah!
Well how did we get here?
When I used to know you so well
I think I know
I think I know
There is something I see in you
It might kill me
I want it to be true
The last verse reminded me a lot of Nico. He was a son of Hades and pretty dangerous.
CAMRYN! STOP DOING THAT! One part of me told myself.
STOP YELLING AT ME! The other side retorted.
I looked up. The portal was wide open and shimmering. We all stepped towards it.
"Well," A.J. said softly. "The world is waiting."
A/N: I don't own Battlefield by Jordin Sparks or Decode by Paramore!
McKenzie8463: So… what do you guys do around here?
Me: (shrugs) Eh. Whatever, I guess. This show is the epitome of madness.
Nico and Justin: (walk in)
Nico: Hey, it's the girl who keeps reviewing about us!
McKenzie8463: (blushes)
Me: (evil grin) Justin, Nico, can I talk to you for a second?
Justin: (muttering to Nico) She's getting that look again….
Me: (grabs them both by their collars and leads them outside)
(soft muttering is heard, followed by various punching noises)
Justin and Nico: (both walk in and kiss McKenzie8463 on each cheek)
Me: A token of my appreciation…
McKenzie8463: (dazed)
Me: NOW GUYS!
(Percy, Annabeth, and Exene jump out of nowhere and taze Justin and Nico)
McKenzie8463: O_O WTF
Me: Eh, I was getting bored.
Next episode: River Seas, daughter of Poseidon!