-Percy-
I went downstairs to gear up. We had no idea what kind of monsters would be down there, but we were pretty sure that this was something that the gods would not leave sitting out unprotected.
"Addie seems off," Annabeth muttered as I threw on chest plate. She was lacing some arm armor on, and I leaned over to help her tie it.
"Yeah, she does," I replied. "You know she's not going to tell us unless she wants to though, right?"
"I know," Annabeth sighed. I finished lacing it up, and began tracing the lines on her palm. She laid her head on my shoulder, and I gripped her hand in my own. We never got any alone time together, never any time for peace. I hoped that we would get some, and that we would both make it out of this thing alive. My gods, two prophecies was enough for me. I've had enough action for a lifetime. There was so much I wanted for Annabeth and me. I would fight tooth and nail to get it for her, to give her the life she deserved. That hope was the only thing that kept me going, the hope that all of this was worth it.
"Annabeth?"
She turned her head towards me, and our lips were just about an inch from each other. Her grey eyes met mine, and they seemed to sparkle in the morning light. I tucked a curl behind her ear, and she leaned into my hand. I pulled her into me and brushed her lips with my own. I wished we could do this for hours, that for a while we could just be together with no monsters, prophecies, or evil, primordial goddesses to worry about.
"I love you," I breathed against her lips. Her hands came to my neck, intertwining with my hair.
"I love you, too," she quavered. My hands went to her waist, pulling her into my lap as we continued kissing. Every nerve ending in me felt like a live wire.
"YOU CUPCAKES BETTER BE GETTING READY OR SO HELP ME!" Hedge yelled from down the hall. He was banging on the doors, ensuring that all of us were behaving. I shook my head in exasperation. Couldn't I get one measly minute to make-out with my girlfriend? Annabeth began to laugh and slid out of my grasp. I gave her an unapologetic smile and stood. She wrapped her hands around my neck and rose up on her tip-toes to kiss my cheek.
"When all of this is over, you won't be able to avoid me so easily," she teased. I bent down to trace kisses along her jaw.
"That's what I'm hoping for," I whispered against her neck. I tasted the sweetness of her skin, and her hands tensed around my neck. She sighed, the sound wanting, when the door slammed open.
"Something going on in here!?" Coach Hedge boomed. He looked from me to Annabeth. We had dropped out arms, huge grins on both of our faces.
"No, sir," I said, edging past his attempted oppressive stance. Annabeth shook her head, fighting not laughing. As soon as we made it up the stairs, we were out of breath with laughter.
Everyone was already on the deck of the ship ready to go. It was decided that Frank, Piper, and Leo were going to stay to do some work on the ship, and the rest of us would go check out the Parthenon. Addie was off from the others, sitting on the stairs that lead up to the steering wheel. She was messing with the bracelet Tiberius had given her. Her fingers brushed the surface, and the expression on her face was full of desperation.
"Ready to go?" I said as I walked up to her.
"Yeah," she sniffed. Addie stood up, her expression now blank. Something was off with her, and it made me feel anxious. Something had obviously happened to her while she was gone.
"Addie, are you okay?"
She looked back up at me, her eyes apprehensive. I saw the way she balled her first at her sides, and there was tension in her stance, like any minute she was expecting the fight of her life.
"I'm fine, Percy. I just want to get this over with," she stated. I reached for her, but she moved away out of my grasp. I let my hand fall, but I promised myself to try to get her to open up later.
We all headed down the ramp from the ship, walking towards the Parthenos. Leo had parked the Argo II relatively close to it. The Parthenon stood on top of the tallest hill in Athens, overlooking the city below it. Tourists were flooded around it, waiting in line to see the ancient wonder.
"Are we going to wait in line?" I asked uncertainly.
"No, we are taking the demigod express," Nico replied without looking at me. We walked to the front of the line, getting some pretty nasty stares from the people waiting. Trust me, I felt their pain. After a few quick words with the security guard up at the front, Nico ushered us in ahead of the rest of the line.
"Nice," Jason bragged, putting at arm around Nico's shoulders. He looked questioningly at Jason's arm, but he didn't shrug out of it.
We walked up to the ropes that barred the mortals from walking into the ruins, and I tentatively stepped over.
"I got the mist," Hazel assured us. "The mortals won't see us."
We all crossed over towards the ruins, and I could hear excited noises coming from Annabeth.
"Oh my gods, oh my gods, we are here, at the Parthenon, this is real," she quavered. I grabbed her hand, a smile erupting on my face. Annabeth's eyes were fixed on the columns, looking at them in wonder. Her hand reached out, touching the smooth marble columns. Even after all the wear, they were still smooth and soft.
"I can't believe that I'm here. I've always wanted to come here," she breathed. "This was my mom's temple. The Parthenos stood here," she said reverently.
Everyone was milling around looking at the ruins in interest in the shining sun. Addie leaned against a column. She was looking down at the ground, that same worried and determined look on her face. I gave Annabeth's arm a quick squeeze, making my way over to her. The others followed, and Addie looked up at us.
"So, how exactly do we find this thing?" Jason asked.
"It's here, but…. It's not here," Addie pondered.
"Very helpful," Nico said petulantly.
"Nico," she snapped, "Shut the hell up."
Nico raised his eyebrows, but otherwise kept his mouth shut. Addie walked to the center of the structure, her eyes closed. "There's a latch, a trigger of some sort keeping it parted. We just have to find it."
"What will it feel like?" Annabeth asked.
"Like a catch, or a pocket, sort of, if I had to guess. Do not activate it when you find it. I doubt the gods have booby-trapped it, but we still need to be careful."
"Why not? Shouldn't we expect something like that?" Annabeth ventured.
"No, because they are confident it is well enough protected," Addie dared. I could hear the sarcasm and bitterness in her voice. We split up over the ruins, searching for the hidden switch. I walked over to where Annabeth was standing, towards the back of the structure.
"This is where it would have stood," she marveled, pointing to a spot in front of her. I leaned against the column, and my head hit something solid.
"Ow," I grumbled, pulling away from the column. I rubbed my head at the sharp pain.
"Percy!" Annabeth exclaimed.
"I know, I know. Seaweed brain hitting his head on a column, very funny-"
"No," she interjected. "I think you found it."
Her eyes were big, and she pointed to an area just over my head. I reached up, my hand gliding to the spot that my head hit. About a foot away from the column, it hit something solid in midair. It felt like crack, and I slid my fingertips just inside of it. They disappeared, vanishing right before my eyes.
"Woah," I commented. "Addie! I think I found it."
She ran over to me, her eyes anxious. I pointed it out to her, and she reached for it. Her fingertips were just out of reach of it.
"Dammit," she muttered. "I need a boost. I don't want to tarnish the marble."
"Here, get on my shoulders," I offered. She climbed on, and I lifted her up to the spot. Addie didn't seem to weigh much at all. It was surprising how light she was. You always expect warriors to be big and strong. Addie was strong but not very big or intimidating when you first look at her. Annabeth put her hand on my arm, helping to steady me. I watched as Addie's hands reached in the pocket, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Hazel, Nico, and Jason, watched us from nearby, and Addie let out a huff of breath.
"Okay," she confessed. "Here goes nothing."
She pressed down with her hand, and it disappeared into the crack. The air around us began to ripple, swirling and condensing like smoke. I blinked my eyes, and when I opened them, I gasped. We were standing in the middle of the Parthenon, and not the ruins were just in. It was as pristine and new as the day it had been built. Fires burned in braziers, and the Parthenos stood there, looming in front of us. It was night here, darkness now surrounding the structure.
"What in Tartarus," I muttered.
"Different plane," Addie sighed from above me. I squatted down, letting Addie get off of my shoulders.
"Different plane?" I stuttered.
"Yeah, they work the same way as the Labyrinth does. Same principle. This could actually be part of the original Labyrinth, which would be really smart. I doubt anyone would ever find it. Hephaestus's used the Labyrinth a lot, but you know that already didn't you?"
"We ran into him once," Annabeth muttered. "When we were looking for Daedelus. Where are the others?"
"On the other side, most likely. We just got pulled in because we were all touching one another."
We walked around to the front of the Parthenos and paused. In the middle of the room was a glowing orb. It reminded me of the orb they used to protect Bessie, except there was no water in this one. The only thing inside of it was a tiny gold object, floating directly in the center.
"I'm guessing that is the key?" I wondered.
Addie nodded her head, walking around the orb. She was looking at it intently, and she reached her hand out towards it. Arcs of lightning connected with her hand, and she snatched it back quickly. I pointed Riptide towards the orb, and the same light hit my sword, sending tingles of electricity up my arm.
"Be careful, Percy!" Addie admonished. "There is no telling what would happen if we tried to breach the barrier improperly. Most likely, it would disintegrate us. This is a very complicated spell," she admitted. Her eyes narrowed, and a furrow appeared in her brows from her concentrating.
"How do you know? Who taught you magic?" Annabeth pondered.
"Just from experience. I got some basics while I was mortal, but most of it I learned after I was cursed from Hecate and Trivia, her roman aspect. Circe also taught me some. Hecate and Athena were the ones who taught me how to transport myself. It made it a lot easier on the gods for me to do their bidding if I didn't have to get a lift. I just picked up on things the older I got, honestly."
"Then how are we supposed to get it out?" I put in.
"Give me a minute to think," she protested.
We watched her watch the orb. She tried a few different things. She started muttering something, and the orb turned a violent shade of red. She shook her head, and a bottle of something appeared in her hand. She poured a sparkling powder into her hands and blew it on the orb. It shimmered, and it seemed to freeze over, like a layer of thin ice had grown on it. Addie grunted, running a hand through her hair. The orb returned to normal. She tapped her finger against her chin, and then a light appeared in her eyes.
"I wonder," she mused out loud. "It can't be that easy," she uttered disbelievingly. She summoned the dagger on her left wrist and cut a slash in the palm of her right hand. Blood sprang from the cut, welling over the sides of her hand. She reached forward again, and she was muttering something in Greek and what sounded like a much older language. No lightning came to meet her hand this time. Instead, it seemed to hit a barrier, but her hand was slowly pushing through.
"Gia to áxio," she finished firmly. Her hand fell through the orb and brushed the object inside. Addie's fingers slid around it, and the fires in the room dimmed. The object seemed to be glowing, getting brighter as Addie pulled it from the orb.
"Sanctum mauris," Addie stuttered. "I did it." She held the object out in her palms, and Annabeth and I inched forward to take a closer look at it. It looked like a tiny, cartoon version of the sun, and was not much bigger than the palm of Addie's hand. There were twelve points on the outside, evenly spaced around the edge. It hung from a thing gold chain, and it was in remarkably good condition for something so old. In the center stood a blood red stone, its cut harsh compared to modern gemstones. Around it swirled ancient symbols, but there was a saying in Greek discernible from them: μηδὲν ἄγαν.
"Nothing in excess," Annabeth translated.
"Fitting," Addie snorted. She slid it into her pocket, a steely look on her face. "We need to get back. I'm sure the others are worried."
Annabeth and I nodded our heads, and we walked back around to the back of the Parthenos. Addie took Annabeth's hand, and I grabbed Annabeth's in my own.
"Just press the latch, it should let us back in," Addie instructed me. My free hand waved for the crack and upon finding it, reached in it. It disappeared for a minute, but I could feel the latch that Addie mentioned. My fingers pressed against it, and once more, the world around me dissolved and reformed.
Immediately, I registered that something was wrong. My hair stood up on the back of my neck, like there was something behind me, breathing down my neck. I turned, and I wasn't disappointed. One of the giants loomed over me, and it was one that was familiar to me. Polybotes stood over us, an evil grin on his humanoid face. I grabbed Annabeth and Addie's arms, and together we back away from the giant. I glanced around for Hazel, Jason, and Nico, who were all tied against a separate column. Their mouths were gagged, but all of them were looking at something that was behind us. I heard Addie's intake of breath and turned.
There was a young man in front of us, one I instantly recognized from my dreams. He was in traditional Roman clothing and had a laurel around his head. He was staring at Addie, a smug expression on his face. He raced towards her, pulling her into his arms. She returned the gesture, but pulled away quickly.
"Ry…wh-what are you doing here?" Addie squeaked.
"I figured I would come meet you, to make it easier for you. Did you get the key, Addie?"
Addie did not answer. She just stared at her brother, a pained expression on her face. She didn't seem surprised that her dead brother was standing in front of her. Granted, she had paled considerably, and she glanced quickly back at Annabeth and me. Orion's face broke into the biggest smile, and he laughed.
"Very, very good, Addie! I knew you could do it!" he exclaimed as he placed a hand lovingly on her shoulder. His other hand went to her face, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Addie didn't move. Orion offered her a comforting smile. "Gaia was right; it was a lot easier for you than it would have been for me. Now, little sister, give me the key, and we can begin to avenge our fate."
A/N: Sorry its been a few days you guys! I have class until the 18th, so between work and that, I haven't had time to work on this chapter. Please don't hate me for where I left it! If all goes well, I should update tomorrow or the next day :D. What is Addie going to do...hmmmm...
It is very late and I do not feel good, so please excuse any errors you find. I'm not in the best editing mode this evening!
I have another story I am working on called Teen Olympians. Check it out if you are feeling adventurous. ;)
Thank you to the new follows and reviews. You guys have no idea how much you inspire me to keep this story going. As I have said before, I love hearing how you are taking the story, where you think its going to go, and your opinions! I try to message everyone, and I do not bite! ;)
I'd love to hear what you like best about this story... is it a character, the way I write, the plot, etc. ? I want to improve my writing, so please tell me what you think!
Until next time... ;)
