Hi. Here's another chapter. I brought in some fresh meat. ;) Any way I hope you enjoy and I don't own Percy Jackson.
THEY SPIRALED THROUGH THE DARK in a free fall, still on the dragon's back, but Festus's hide was cold. His ruby eyes were dim.
"Not again!" Leo yelled. "You can't fall again!"
He could barely hold on. The wind stung his eyes, but he managed to pull open the panel on the dragon's neck. He toggled the switches. He tugged the wires.
Esperanza, Tristan and Beryl were on the edge of their seats.
Frederick read quickly to ease the worried parents behind him.
The dragon's wings flapped once, but Leo caught a whiff of burning bronze. The drive system was overloaded. Festus didn't have the strength to keep flying, and Leo couldn't get to the main control panel on the dragon's head—not in midair. He saw the lights of a city below them—just flashes in the dark as they plummeted in circles. They had only seconds before they crashed.
"Not again." Tristan whispered. "If it's that snow goddess' fault-"
"It's not." Esperanza said. "Festus is carrying too much weight."
"Esperanza is right. While the dragon is metal, it has its limits. Nothing can be completely without faults." Athena spoke. "Hephaestus actually warned him about it."
Esperanza and Tristan fell silent.
Frederick continued reading.
"Jason!" he screamed. "Take Piper and fly out of here!"
"What?"
"We need to lighten the load! I might be able to reboot Festus, but he's carrying too much weight!"
"What about you?" Piper cried. "If you can't reboot him—"
"I'll be fine," Leo yelled. "Just follow me to the ground. Go!"
Some gods winced at that. They knew what would happen.
Jason grabbed Piper around the waist. They both unbuckled their harnesses, and in a flash they were gone—shooting into the air.
"Now," Leo said. "Just you and me, Festus—and two heavy cages. You can do it, boy!"
Leo talked to the dragon while he worked, falling at terminal velocity. He could see the city lights below him, getting closer and closer. He summoned fire in his hand so he could see what he was doing, but the wind kept extinguishing it.
Frederick frowned in thought as he kept reading. It just occurred to him that Annabeth would be a part of these books soon. He could only imagine how that would feel.
He pulled a wire that he thought connected the dragon's nerve center to its head, hoping for a little wake-up jolt.
Festus groaned—metal creaking inside his neck. His eyes flickered weakly to life, and he spread his wings. Their fall turned into a steep glide.
"Good!" Leo said. "Come on, big boy. Come on!"
They were still flying in way too hot, and the ground was too close. Leo needed a place to land—fast.
There was a big river—no. Not good for a fire-breathing dragon. He'd never get Festus out from the bottom if he sank, especially in freezing temperatures. Then, on the riverbanks, Leo spotted a white mansion with a huge snowy lawn inside a tall brick perimeter fence—like some rich person's private compound, all of it blazing with light.
The gods winced again.
"Pardon me for asking, but what is it with that place?" Queen Marie spoke up. "Is it a monster hideout?"
"You'll see." Hades said, smoothly.
Queen Marie looked down. She hoped Hazel wouldn't be in that much danger in these books. She was just beginning to see how much trouble the life of a demigod could be. She was lucky that Hazel had survived for so long.
A perfect landing field. He did his best to steer the dragon toward it, and Festus seemed to come back to life. They could make this!
Then everything went wrong. As they approached the lawn, spotlights along the fence fixed on them, blinding Leo. He heard bursts like tracer fire, the sound of metal being cut to shreds—and BOOM.
Leo blacked out.
Esperanza clutched the chair she was sitting in. He had to be okay. He had to be. Just because they say he died, doesn't mean that he died right now. He has to be okay.
When Leo came to his senses, Jason and Piper were leaning over him. He was lying in the snow, covered in mud and grease. He spit a clump of frozen grass out of his mouth.
"Where—"
"Lie still." Piper had tears in her eyes. "You rolled pretty hard when—when Festus—"
Aphrodite looked up in concern when she heard that Piper was crying.
"Where is he?" Leo sat up, but his head felt like it was floating. They'd landed inside the compound. Something had happened on the way in—gunfire?
"Seriously, Leo," Jason said. "You could be hurt. You shouldn't—"
Leo pushed himself to his feet. Then he saw the wreckage. Festus must have dropped the big canary cages as he came over the fence, because they'd rolled in different directions and landed on their sides, perfectly undamaged.
Festus hadn't been so lucky.
The dragon had disintegrated. His limbs were scattered across the lawn. His tail hung on the fence. The main section of his body had plowed a trench twenty feet wide and fifty feet long across the mansion's yard before breaking apart. What remained of his hide was a charred, smoking pile of scraps. Only his neck and head were somewhat intact, resting across a row of frozen rose bushes like a pillow.
The mortals gasped.
"How are they going to get across the country now?" Beryl whispered.
Tristan was deep in thought. It seemed impossible how the three managed to save him and Hera all before the solstice. "We are all going to have grey hairs from this, aren't we?"
Everyone looked at him.
"I mean, this in only the first book. We have four more, right? That means it's most likely that it is the same life and death situations the whole time. I think that since this book is Piper, Jason and Leo's quest to save Lady Hera, that the next book that Lord Apollo said was in Percy, Hazel and Frank's point of view means they also will have a quest. In the third book I think they reunite then because Lord Apollo also said that Annabeth's point of view comes in then. So, we at least have one more book that has a quest in it." Tristan faltered at the end of his speech.
"Very good Mr. Mclean. The next book, Percy, Hazel and Frank do go on a quest. The next book is the beginning of the Seven's journey to the homeland. These five books span the war with the Earth that we go into. The other series is the Titan war." Apollo sat forward in his chair. "So, in answer to your question, yes, it is very likely you guys will have some signs of stress show. At the worse, it would be a heart attack but don't worry. I got you covered." Apollo wiggled his fingers in a wave.
The mortals didn't look very reassured.
"Look," Sally stepped up and addressed the mortal parents. "They make it out okay. They are still alive. We can help them win this."
As Sally was speaking, a glowing light appeared behind the thrones. It grew brighter and brighter until, finally, everyone noticed.
The light separated into four individual shapes.
"Nico!" A male voice was heard as the light cleared. "You can't just- Oh."
The light dissolved around four teens. The first was a girl with choppy brown hair with a blue feather braided into it. The second was a blonde boy with a scar on his upper lip. The third was a dark boy who radiated death. The fourth was a bright blonde boy wearing scrubs and shorts with flip flops.
"Piper?" Tristan breathed.
Esperanza deflated that Leo wasn't apart of the group.
"Jason?" Beryl spoke just as softly. Seeing her boy now and how he has grown startled her. The last she saw of him, he was just a baby.
"Nico." Maria had tears in her eyes. Her little boy was growing up.
"What are we doing here?" Piper directed her question to the gods.
"Uh . . . Pipes?" Jason caught Piper's attention. "Is that your dad?"
Piper spun around really fast. "Dad?"
Tristan got up and approached the demigoddess.
"What are you doing here? What is he doing here? I thought you said he couldn't handle me being a demigod." Piper tried hard not to cry.
"Piper, dear. It wasn't our choice. The Fates decided to have us read with your mortal parents about your triumphs." Aphrodite spoke kindly.
Tristan put an arm around Piper. "I am so sorry Piper. I am so sorry. I never knew you just wanted to spend time with me."
Piper turned into her Dad's embrace.
"Where are you guys at?" The blonde in scrubs asked.
"Who are you?" Sally asked curiously.
"Oh, I'm sorry ma'am. I'm Will Solace. Son of Apollo." Will held out his hand politely.
"I don't think I've seen you before. I thought I met quite a few demigods after the war in Manhattan." Sally shook his hand a little amused.
Will blushed and shoved a hand through his hair. "Ah. I'm strictly a healer. I have little to no archery skills for a son of Apollo. I was a behind the scenes person. Taking care of the wounded."
Zeus cleared his throat. "We do have a book to read."
"Sorry." Several voices muttered.
There was some loud talking as the demigods got introduced and were brought up to speed on the book.
Piper settled down on a couch in between Tristan and Esperanza. Jason sat by Sally and Emily.
Beryl stayed back. Jason hasn't noticed her yet and Beryl wanted to keep it that way. She wanted to know her fate before making Jason see her.
Nico sat down, cautiously next to his mother, Will plopping down next to him.
Nico threw a look at Will.
"Hey, Death boy, I'm just looking out for you. You still are not back 100%." Will said with a sunny smile.
Nico rolled his eyes. "Don't call me that."
"Alright Sunshine." Will smirked.
Nico glared. He side looked at his mother and back to Will.
Will nodded. He got the message. No flirting.
Frederick cleared his throat. He wasn't happy that Annabeth didn't seem to be a part of the little group.
"No," Leo sobbed. He ran to the dragon's head and stroked its snout. The dragon's eyes flickered weakly. Oil leaked out of his ear.
The group sobered up.
"Where are we again?" Piper asked.
"You guys just landed in a rich persons front lawn." Esperanza spoke up.
Jason and Piper shared looks.
"Is this our quest to rescue Hera?" Jason questioned next, a resigned look on his face.
"Yes." Tristan answered.
"Great." Piper sighed. "Well, let's get to it."
Frederick picked up the book again.
"You can't go," Leo pleaded. "You're the best thing I ever fixed."
The dragon's head whirred its gears, as if it were purring. Jason and Piper stood next to him, but Leo kept his eyes fixed on the dragon.
He remembered what Hephaestus had said: That isn't your fault, Leo. Nothing lasts forever, not even the best machines.
His dad had been trying to warn him.
"It's not fair," he said.
The dragon clicked. Long creak. Two short clicks. Creak. Creak. Almost like a pattern … triggering an old memory in Leo's mind. Leo realized Festus was trying to say something. He was using Morse code—just like Leo's mom had taught him years ago.
Esperanza smiled sadly.
Leo listened more intently, translating the clicks into letters: a simple message repeating over and over.
"Yeah," Leo said. "I understand. I will. I promise."
The dragon's eyes went dark. Festus was gone.
Leo cried. He wasn't even embarrassed. His friends stood on either side, patting his shoulders, saying comforting things; but the buzzing in Leo's ears drowned out their words.
Even Ares was silent even though he desperately wanted to say something.
Finally Jason said, "I'm so sorry, man. What did you promise Festus?"
Leo sniffled. He opened the dragon's head panel, just to be sure, but the control disk was cracked and burned beyond repair.
"Something my dad told me," Leo said. "Everything can be reused."
"Your dad talked to you?" Jason asked. "When was this?"
"When was that? He never answered." Jason wondered.
"When he was sleeping before the dragon crashed." Sally revealed.
Jason nodded. "Okay."
Frederick huffed and kept reading. Looks like he will never finish this chapter.
Leo didn't answer. He worked at the dragon's neck hinges until the head was detached. It weighed about a hundred pounds, but Leo managed to hold it in his arms. He looked up at the starry sky and said, "Take him back to the bunker, Dad. Please, until I can reuse him. I've never asked you for anything."
The wind picked up, and the dragon's head floated out of Leo's arms like it weighed nothing. It flew into the sky and disappeared.
Piper looked at him in amazement. "He answered you?"
"I had a dream," Leo managed. "Tell you later."
He knew he owed his friends a better explanation, but Leo could barely speak. He felt like a broken machine himself—like someone had removed one little part of him, and now he'd never be complete. He might move, he might talk, he might keep going and do his job. But he'd always be off balance, never calibrated exactly right.
"Hmmm? I wonder." Apollo muttered.
"What?" Athena asked her half brother.
"In the first series, Percy always describes things like water or beach references. Leo just described something like a machine. I wonder if our kids do the same but to our domains. I mean, we will see anyway. As each of the seven including Nico and Reyna will have a point of view in these books, but I am just curious." Apollo mused.
Suddenly a huge wave of fear and darkness shadowed the room.
Everyone looked to Hades.
"Not me." Hades shook his head.
Everyone looked to Nico who was practically shaking, shadows reaching for the boy.
"No! Nico, Nico, stop." Will clutched Nico's hand frantically humming under his breath with his hands glowing.
"My p-point of view." The son of Hades only stammered once. "That means everyone will know about-" He stopped and glanced nervously at his mother and father. His eyes darted over to Poseidon then back to his parents.
"Nico." Will spoke firmly.
Nico looked up and stared into Will's sky blue eyes.
"Calm down. It's okay. I won't let anything happen, I promise." Will soothed quietly.
Nico felt himself relaxing. "Thanks."
Nico looked up and saw Apollo kneeling next to him.
"May I? Just to see what's wrong." Apollo asked, stretching out a hand.
Nico nodded hesitantly.
Apollo touched him then flinched back almost immediately. "What did you do for us?"
"What are you talking about Apollo?" Zeus demanded.
Apollo stood up and began pacing. "He overtaxed his abilities. He's becoming a shadow. Soon, if he doesn't get the right treatment, he will dissolve and the shadows will claim him."
The gods gasped.
"How did you do that, boy?" Zeus asked.
Will stood up, enraged. "Because he was helping you! Nico shadow traveled the Athena Parthenos from Greece to New York and Camp Half-Blood! Before that he wandered Tartarus for you! Nico isn't like other demigods. He saw it for what it really was. After Tartarus he was stuck in a bronze jar with no food or water for over ten days! He survived by eating pomegranate seeds from the Underworld. Before all of that he exhausted himself looking for Percy. He had too much stress put on his body in too little time. It took everything in me to heal him this much. His body has built up a tolerance for ambrosia and nectar. He now has to have unicorn draught to heal him." The son of Apollo had been shining slightly with heat as he spoke. He glared daggers at the King of the gods.
"On top of all that are his emotional issues. Did you know that he thinks he isn't welcome at camp because of who he is? Because of who is dad is? You guys certainly don't help much will Hades still not being a part of-"
"Will." Nico reached out and grabbed his hand. "It's alright. I'm fine."
Will deflated at Nico's touch. "I'm sorry." Will told the gods. "Nico has done so much for you. It just hurts me that you can think of him that way. Nico isn't a traitor."
Apollo kept glancing between his son and Nico. "Do you know how to heal him?"
Will scrubbed a hand down his face. "Sort of. I have been trying to get him in the sun more and have been giving him some medicinal mixtures. It has seemed to hold it off for now but he still isn't back to normal."
Frederick closed the book with the bookmark in it. He sighed. He really wanted to finish the book.
"Good, good. What he really needs is-" Apollo started.
"Apollo!" Zeus thundered. "We were brought here for a reason! Not to interact with our kids. Sit down. You can talk to him on our break."
Apollo nodded. He winked at Will and sat down in a chair.
Everyone looked at Frederick.
Frederick picked up the book and started reading.
Still, he couldn't afford to break down completely. Otherwise, Festus had died for nothing. He had to finish this quest—for his friends, for his mom, for his dragon.
He looked around. The large white mansion glowed in the center of the grounds. Tall brick walls with lights and security cameras surrounded the perimeter, but now Leo could see—or rather sense—just how well those walls were defended.
Nico frowned. He was still curious about what happened to the fire user. Maybe this will tell where he is.
"Where are we?" he asked. "I mean, what city?"
"Omaha, Nebraska," Piper said. "I saw a billboard as we flew in. But I don't know what this mansion is. We came in right behind you, but as you were landing, Leo, I swear it looked like—I don't know—"
"Lasers," Leo said.
"Uh, excuse me? Did you just say lasers?" Esperanza choked.
"That's what is said." Frederick answered.
"Who exactly lives there?" Tristan asked, his arm slung around Piper.
"You will see if I can read." Frederick scowled. "All the interruptions is making this extremely difficult."
Nobody said anything and Dr. Chase went back to the book.
He picked up a piece of dragon wreckage and threw it toward the top of the fence. Immediately a turret popped up from the brick wall and a beam of pure heat incinerated the bronze plating to ashes.
Jason whistled. "Some defense system. How are we even alive?"
"Festus," Leo said miserably. "He took the fire. The lasers sliced him to bits as he came in so they didn't focus on you. I led him into a death trap."
"Not your fault mijo." Esperanza whispered.
"You couldn't have known," Piper said. "He saved our lives again."
"But what now?" Jason said. "The main gates are locked, and I'm guessing I can't fly us out of here without getting shot down."
Zeus winced at that.
Leo looked up the walkway at the big white mansion. "Since we can't go out, we'll have to go in."
"Done." Frederick closed the book with relief. He was finished. Now others could read and he won't have to again for a while. "Who's next? Should the children read?"
A white light flashed and a note fluttered to Athena.
"It says: The children do not read. The book is in English and they will struggle. Since we know that the son of Apollo will ask later, you are here to learn and to know the Seven. Considering who you are going to be in a relationship with, we thought it best. There still will be more we are sending. Do not fear Esperanza Valdez. You will see your son. Have a good time reading. The Fates." Athena read. "So I guess it is my turn to read."
Frederick handed her the book. "Good luck."
Athena gave him an unreadable look then gazed down at the book. "Chapter 31 Jason."
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