Hello, loves! Guess what? We've got 700 reviews! I'm really excited about this, though I probably shouldn't be . . . . whatever, right?
'Kay, so I went to the Columbus Zoo a few days ago with Digger and we both got stuffed animals from the gift shop (courtesy of my aunt) and I got a white baby seal and guess what I named it? That's right - Percy. Digger laughed at me then turned around and named the barn owl she got Athena just to make fun of me. Haha, we have way to much fun together.
All right, review time! Thanks so much to all of you. A huge "Thank You!" to Random Chick. Guys, this girl is the best, not even joking. She really motivates me to hurry the Hades up (even though I don't always have time to) and she's honestly this story's biggest fan. So, thank you, Random Chick!
(Guest): Actually, that's a great idea. Not with blue or green though. Gray, possible?
SomeRandomSorcerer: Er, yeah, that never even crossed my mind . . . oops! Haha, I'll have to see what I can do about that. Thanks!
Simple-'nd-Ted: I suppose that yes, he should be a larger number but I liked Six better. And Percy wasn't able to summon anything because that's what the drug prevented. I mean, of course it wore off eventually, but . . . .
The Gentleman Ghost: Thanks! I've always wanted to put someone to sleep :) (Not in, you know, the death way. Like, the normal way . . . never mind)
Distantwave: I'm not sure of the name yet, but I've got a good general idea of the plot. but I won't tell you yet. Maybe another time :) As for how long it'll be . . . I'm not sure. I guess as long as it'll take until it's over. Say hello to Yeager for me! Echo out! *poof*
SmartyMcSmartle: True, Zeus will be upset. But he's just going to have to suck it up and deal with it. Flying is a part of Percy now :)
Daffodil Moon: Exactly! Truer words have never been spoken!
elena everdeen Jackson: Aw, honey, that's awful. I'd say I could sympathize but I've never had a boyfriend so I can't. But I've had friends who can and I know how it is. But someone better'll come along, that's for sure. Have fun with Chello, okay? Tell me how it goes!
WiseGirl1999: Hey, no problem! It was a great idea and I had fun with it!
Crystal Silvera: Haha, tell you sister she's amazing! Sorry about the apostrophes - they've never been my strong point. And the typo's are all me, I should triple-check my work (which I don't). Yes, I saw the House of Hades cover! Digger and I were freaking out and my sister kept looking at us like we were total idiots. but we didn't care because it was just so awesome! Um . . . refresh my memory, what Daniel X reference? Thanks again!
Random Chick: I love you, too! Yes, Perce does have his necklace. You know, you make me laugh, right?
PseudonymHere: I agree with you about the sleep thing. No, they won't meet Thalia - not in the woods anyway. Of, course Percy will see Annabeth again! What kind of person would I be if he didn't?!
Son of Zeus0001: Thank you so much!
TeAmLeO.56: Haha, just reading that was awesome! And unfortunately, you're right. It might be a while before Annabeth gets to see her Seaweed Brain again. Tears . . .
Snowyh2o: Which Anime? My sisters really into Naruto - I think that's what it's called anyway. You're probably right about the mistakes. Haha, and I see you haven't stopped with the questions. Great, let's get started. #1 - he's known since forever and of course he hasn't told the other gods! They'd flip out and Hades doesn't want to deal with that. #2 - yes, yes he did. #3 - nope. #4 - yeah, duh. #5 - haha! #6 - hmm, I hadn't thought about making one yet. I don't think so. It'll probably just be a super long story.
Nic-n'-Nyx: Sorry. I'm just plain awful at fight scenes. I can do torture, I can do romance (kind of), but I can't seem to do fighting. And transitions are a weak point, too. But I get your point and I'll work hard on that. Thanks! And I feel better that I can make people laugh. Normally I'm just . . . no. I think I'm funny and then everyone looks at me like "what are you even doing?" Anyway, thanks again and I'm looking forward to new constructive criticism!
AwesomeMe: Oh, don't you "Missy" me, Mister! Haha, just kidding. You know, cutting y'all off at the climax and a cliff-hanger is the best part! It's so much fun for me to watch you all stress over it - ha! Kidding, again. And I'm with you on having to have a character to imagine killing. Heck, I do that with my own characters that I come up with! Honestly, you're cracking me up right now, though. "Ma'am"? "Durn'ed"? But we can't have you not playing so here's your chapter. Hope your leg heals fast!
Toe! I've missed you! And don't sweat not reviewing. A lot of people don't. Thanks for liking this chapter! And you're out of school now, so that's good, right?
Thalia woke with a start, her clothes damp with dew and dirt clumped on her face. She brushed away the moist dirt and ran her fingers through her hair, pulling out leaves, moss, and (guess what?) more dirt. She stretched her arms above her head and arched her back, letting out a yawn and trying to remember what she was doing asleep on the ground. Why wasn't she in a tent back at the Hunters camp –
Her eyes widened and she whipped her head around, searching for the dead body she'd found last night. The corpse lay only feet away startling Thalia. She was sure it had been at the other end of the pit last night – now it was nearer to the middle. And to make matters even scarier the body was lying face down with one arm outstretched like it was trying to crawl towards her. Definitely not how she'd left it last night.
Thalia's eyes darted left and right, hoping to catch a glimpse of something, anything, that would have moved the corpse. She only saw the steep slope of the hole she was in, the body, and the trees above. She bit her lip, not exactly wanting to accept the fact that the body must have moved itself.
Well, somebody could have come along while she was sleeping – no, she would have heard it due to her Hunter training. Well, the wind could have been really strong – no, they were in a pit. The wind would be weaker underground. Well, an animal could have snuck down here and – no, nothing would be strong enough drag that body without waking her up.
The corpse had definitely moved itself.
Thalia didn't see how that was possible, though. She was sure the little girl had been dead last night. She was positive the girl was dead. So unless she'd become undead overnight (and that was quite impossible without Nico's help) Thalia could only wonder. And consider. Thalia pushed herself off the ground and straightened her shirt. She inhaled deeply and let her breath out slowly. She was a Hunter of Artemis. She would figure out what had happened here.
Now that it was daylight it would be easier to see just what the body was. Thalia had undeniably felt rough skin instead of smooth, claws instead of fingers, and seen horns in the girl's temples. She knelt by the body, reaching for the outstretched arm. Brown scales lined the limb instead of skin and small, sharp talons curled from the fingertips. Thalia's eyes narrowed as they scanned the body down to the feet. Trails of blood lead from where the corpse was now to where it had clearly been last night.
Thalia stood and stepped to the little girl's original resting place. The blood was dried now, dark and flaky, coating the leaves and dirt on the ground in various places. She moved back to the body. Careful not to jar the girl to much, Thalia gently rolled the corpse to its back. Her brow furrowed as she examined the girl's body. It was paler than it had been the night before – of that she was certain. The gashes were still there, the horns in her temples were hard to miss, and her glassy eyes were still staring lifelessly. But there was definitely something different.
The girl's mouth was parted slightly, something that wasn't there the last time. She was paler (Thalia'd already covered that) and strangely the body's cheeks had tiny pricks in them as if the girls claws had lay there. Thalia clasped the scaly hand of the girl, pity settling in her chest. She may have been a monster but she was still a little kid. Who would kill one so young? Thalia hung her head, breathing deeply once more and placing a hand softly on the cold chest of the corpse.
Thalia then nearly shrieked in horror and the young body gasped loudly and seized up, clenching a firm hold on the Hunters hand, unwilling to let go. Life and color rushed to the girls face as she convulsed again let go of Thalia's hand to clutch at her own stomach. Thalia scrambled backwards, eye wide, chest heaving. She froze when the little girl wailed, a drawn-out, pitiful sound. Then she lay still, weeping vigorously. Thalia didn't know what to do. On one hand the girl could just be playing her, waiting to attack but on the other she could be seriously scared and confused.
Thalia took the chance. She rushed to the mutant's side and reached for the clawed hand only to have the girl flinch away with a whimper. Thalia's heart went out to the young girl and she gathered her in her arms, careful not to let the horns poke her. The girl was still shaking violently and she pressed as close to Thalia as she could. The Hunter could feel tears welling in her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks.
The little mutant turned her sweet brown eyes to meet Thalia's icy blue ones and in the moment Thalia knew she couldn't let this girl die. She had to reach someone fast. The only problem was that she had no way of doing that. There wasn't enough mist anywhere for an Iris Message and her Hunters were too far away to hear yelling, no matter how good their hearing was.
She could only hold the little one close and pray to all the gods that she made it through until the Hunters found them.
Nico let out an exasperated sigh and fell sideways, letting his shoulder hit the wall hard. He'd lost track of how long he'd been walking a while ago and was now just wandering aimlessly. As if he hadn't been doing that already. He let out another breath and pushed himself from the wall, making sure to keep one hand on the cool stone. Wouldn't want to get lost down here, now would we? Nico nearly chuckled at the irony.
Thoughts of the mutated ghosts swirled around his mind. What were they exactly? How did they become like that? Were they aliens or was it a forced mutation? He shook his head – he needed sleep. A clearer mind might be able to analyze this situation better. And after what he'd just witnessed he didn't exactly have a clear mind.
What he really needed though was to call Thalia. She always seemed to know what to do. But there was no way to do that. He had no mist and no shadowtravel. His shoulders hunched and he stuck both hands in his pockets. To Hades with getting lost – he was about as lost as he was ever going to get.
Nico moaned aloud and turned abruptly to slump against the stone wall. He put his elbows on his upturned knees and placed his head in his hands. His fingers raked through his hair, stopping when the tips reached the back of his head. He sat in silence for a few seconds trying to regain his bearings when a faint spraying sound reached his ears. Nico's head slowly came up, his brow furrowed. He leaned to the left and the sound got slightly louder. He scrambled up and ran for the sound before halting immediately and putting a hand to the wall, scolding himself. He should probably take things slowly.
The spraying sound gradually turned into a rush, which turned into a roar. This hidden door was much like the other – hidden. It took him a bit longer to find it but he knew it was here. The roar was loudest around this point. Not that that didn't mean that the door couldn't be at the opposite end of where the roaring was coming from. Nico tried not to think that. Thankfully, it wasn't long before his hand slipped into a small crack and he pushed the door inward, stumbling forward as the door swung shut behind him.
He rightened himself and looked up – and froze.
A huge waterfall (Annabeth would have called it "gargantuan") poured from backside wall into a medium sized pond. The pond then broke off into six tendrils, three headed to the right wall, three headed towards the left. Water flowed easily through them, seeming to pass right through the stone when it hit. Glowing rocks lined the bottom of the pond and streams giving an ethereal glow to the place – silver mixed with lavender almost. Shining silver trees grew sporadically around the large room, dripping some kind of sap.
Nico stood in awe for a moment longer. Then it hit him that the waterfall was giving off a mist that was traveling around the room like a fog. He moved forward to get closer to the fall and had to dodge out of the way of a sap-dripping tree. He thought it best if he didn't touch anything. He dug in his pocket for a gold drachma, panic gripping him when he couldn't find one. Then his fingers closed around a circular coin and relief washed away the panic. That could have gotten bad.
"O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering." The coin dissolved and Nico knew he had the go-ahead. "Thalia Grace, Hunter of Artemis."
"Location." A voice hissed through the mist making Nico scrunch up his nose and lean back.
"Uh . . ." He only knew that they were in California. That would have to do. "California."
The voice was silent for a second or two. "Searching closest match."
Nico bit his lip and crossed his fingers behind his back. The waterfall roared in his ears making him frown. Nearly a minute passed and Nico became anxious. He let out a frustrated noise from the back of his throat and started pacing. A soft breeze rippled through the mist, cutting a hole through the floating water, and Nico knew he'd gotten through. He rushed for the portal as color and outline began to form within.
"Thal's!" Nico called as soon as the girl appeared. She'd been huddled over, shivering slightly, and now her head jerked up and she looked around wildly. Nico was a bit confused by her actions but didn't stop to dwell on it. "Behind you."
Thalia twisted and Nico saw that her eyes were pink as if she'd been crying. "Nico! Nico, you have to help me!"
Nico blinked. "Um, that's why I'm calling you, actually." He stated sheepishly. She didn't seem to hear him. She gathered something into her arms and shifted so she was facing him.
"What'cha got there?"
Thalia moved the bundle and Nico saw a little girl with dirty-blonde hair. But he could instantly tell she was different. If the horns sticking out of her temples didn't give it away then it was definitely the claws and scaly skin. She was a mutant. Just like the dead kids in the secret room. Except this one was alive – as far as he could tell anyway.
"Nico, you've got to get her now." Thalia stumbled over her words. "This girl's hurt, Nico! She could die at any minute. You've got to help her!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Nico had never seen her like this – frantic. Her eyes were wide and her face was almost as pale as the body she held. The dead body. The girl was certainly dead. Thalia had probably found the girl alive and had watched her die, then convinced herself that she was still breathing. Nico sighed. So much for Thalia being clear-headed.
"Okay, Thal's?" He got her attention. "Thalia, you need to calm down . . . that's it . . . deep breaths, right. Okay, now I need you to let the girl go."
Thalia gasped. "No! She'll die, Nico!"
Nico sighed again. "She is dead. It'll really help if you –"
The little girl's moan cut him off. He froze as one scaly arm lifted to grip Thalia's shoulder, and then fell again, weak. Crap . . . .
"All right. You win." He rubbed his forehead. "You can't just walk back to camp, Thalia?"
He wondered why she hadn't thought of that then realized it was probably for a good reason. She was either trapped or too freaked out of her mind – though the former was the better option. He'd only seen Thalia like this one other time in a situation very similar to this minus the dead/not dead girl.
Thalia just looked at him, eyes narrowed.
"You're trapped, aren't you?"
"Really, Nico. I thought I'd sit here all night with a dying girl just to see how long it would take for someone to find us." Nico hid a smile. This was the Thalia he knew. "Seriously though, what do I do?"
"Uh . . . ."
"Oh, come on! You're good with death, help me out!"
"Okay, okay! Let me think." He stepped back and tilted his head to the ceiling, one hand on his forehead the other on his waist. "I honestly don't know, Thal's. I've brought people back from the dead and I've brought people into death but I've never tried to stop one from dying. What's she dying from?"
"She's lost a ton of blood so that definitely is one of the causes but I don't know if she's been poisoned or how long she's been lying here or how long ago her wounds were inflicted. I found her last night and had no means of reaching anyone or I would have."
"All I can tell you is to keep her warm and try to staunch the blood-flow."
"Okay, I can do that, I think." Thalia pulled the little girl closer, wincing when a horn pricked her collar-bone. The image flickered and Nico's eyes widened, knowing he had limited time.
"Thalia? I've got, like, three seconds." The Hunter looked up.
"No! I need you!"
"I'll try to call Phoebe, okay? Just keep the girl alive for –" The image went black and another breeze swept in to shred the portal. Nico ignored the hissing voice telling him to toss in another drachma for five more minutes as he fished in his pocket. He pulled out a gold coin and tossed it into the mist.
"Phoebe . . . ." Nico realized he didn't know her last name. "Phoebe, Hunter of Artemis, California."
It took another minute for the search to finish and when the portal opened to reveal a girl with a bow at her back leading a troop of other girls, Nico jumped forward. Phoebe snarled when she saw him.
"Thalia's not here, nitwit. Get lost." She moved to break the connection.
"Wait! That's why I'm calling." Phoebe halted.
"What do you mean?"
"You know Thalia's missing, right?"
Phoebe stared at him, incredulous. "You're kidding, right? You boys are so stupid. Of course we know she missing, numbskull. We're following her trail right now."
"Good. She's trapped – I'm guessing in a pit of some sort. She's –"
"You talked to her?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Is she okay? She's not hurt is she? Oh, gods, that'd be awful! How would we get on? Tell me exactly where she is! Don't think I'll –"
Nico had been trying very hard not to get frustrated with this girl but it was turning out to be harder than he thought it would be – this girl seriously frustrated him.
"Would you shut up?!"
Phoebe stopped talking and blinked, taking a step back. Then she narrowed her eyes and leaned forward as if she was going to tell him off. Nico stepped in before that could happen.
"No, no. Listen to me. Thalia is perfectly fine besides being a bit shook up. But there's a girl with her – a young one. She's badly injured and Thalia thinks she might die if she doesn't get medical attention soon."
A Hunter behind Phoebe gasped at the news. Phoebe grew grave and nodded. "Don't worry, we'll find them and make sure the girls all right. I'll send word." Then she slashed her hand to break the connection. He hung his head as the mist grew apart once more.
"This is a hidden room for a reason, Nico."
Nico jumped at the sound of his dad's voice and whirled around.
"Dad! I –"
Hades held up a hand for silence. "I already know. You got lost. What? I see, hear, and feel everything that happens in my kingdom, Nico. No need to explain. But I suppose I have some explaining to do, yes?"
Nico's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Hades was being particularly nice. Something was wrong.
"Yes. You have some major explaining to do."
"Then we best be getting back." He turned on his heel and briskly walked out of the room, the door slamming shut with a bang. Nico stood, rooted in his spot, not quite sure what had just happened. The door re-opened and Hades popped his head in.
"I'm not slowing for you so if you want out I suggest you keep up, boy." The Lord of the Underworld disappeared once more and Nico had to smile. That was the dad he knew.
Thalia took a calming breath and tugged the little mutant even closer to her body. Nico had said to keep her warm and Thalia planned on doing just that. She'd even shed her jacket to give to the girl. There wasn't anything around to stop the bleeding so Thalia just pressed her hands over the wounds and hoped for the best. She looked up towards the sky, then let her eyes trail down until they reached the edge of the pit.
"Thalia!" The cry sounded far away but Thalia heard it just fine. Her heartbeat picked up.
"I'm here!" She tried to signal back but her voice cracked and she had to clear it. "I'm here!"
"Girls! This way, I heard her!" Thalia smiled widely as the sound of feet pounding on the ground grew closer. Heads poked over the side of the pit to stare at her. Phoebe smiled.
"Heard you were in a bit of trouble?"
"Oh, gods, get me out of here!" Thalia laughed. Then quickly sobered when the girl whimpered. "Hurry up, I've got a wounded girl here!"
Mel, a small girl with long brown hair, jumped over the edge and slid down the slope, stumbling a few feet when she landed. She knelt beside Thalia and looked over the injured mutant. Her face paled.
"Oh. My. Gods." Mel murmured. "What is that?"
"She's a seriously hurt young child, Mel." Thalia defended. "Now, help me!"
Mel looked into Thalia's icy eyes then turned and called, "Rope, Phoebe!"
Phoebe relayed the message and a rope was thrown into the pit. Phoebe slid down with it.
"All right, we're going to – um, is that the girl?" She looked uncertain.
Thalia rolled her eyes. "Yes!"
Phoebe held up her hands. "Okay, sorry, sorry."
Mel grabbed at the rope as Thalia carefully positioned the mutant over her shoulder. Mel went up first, Thalia next, and Phoebe behind to steady her leader if need be. It was slow going with many slips and stumbles but they eventually made it to the top after many near-misses. Thalia almost collapsed to the ground, then remembered the little girl and surged forward.
"Wait! Thal's!" Mel shouted. Thalia paused.
"What?"
"Well, its – um – how do you plan on getting her help? I mean, look at her! No hospital will take a girl looking like that."
Thalia cast a sharp glance over her shoulder. "Then we take her to Camp Half-Blood."
"But that's on the other side of the country!"
"Then we wait until Nico is good for shadowtravel." Thalia stated, moving so that she was facing her Hunters.
"But what are we suppose to do in the meantime?" Mel asked.
Thalia grit her teeth. "We start towards New York."
Mel went to ask another question but luckily Phoebe saw that their leader was getting frustrated and stopped the girl from speaking another word.
"I'm sure, Thalia has it all planned out."
"Thank you, Phoebe." Thalia whirled around and head off towards their campsite muttering under her breath. Her Hunters footsteps scrambled after her and Thalia shook her head. Phoebe rushed to walk next to her.
"You'd better tell me everything when we get back." She whispered. Thalia nodded.
"I was planning on it."
"How is she?"
Thalia shrugged her free shoulder. "Who knows? I just hope she lives through the next couple of days."
All right, people. I've got a little riddle for you. If you've got the app then you probably already know the answer but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway.
You heard me before,
yet you hear me again.
Then I die, 'till you call me again.
What am I?
I already know the answer but what about you guys?