Damn this chapter got long! Hope everyone is staying safe and going well during these rough times. I find myself reading and writing fanfics to keep my mind off the news and social media. I guess that is why this chapter is long. I just kept adding to it.
As always I do not own Percy Jackson but Chloe is my OC!
Will rolled to the side landing in a crouch with an arrow notched. A split second later several arrows from the three archers bounced off the golden fur. The Son of Apollo quickly retreat to a further distance. Zoe and Bianca were already on top of the Apollo capsule, rapidly firing arrows.
The Lion swiped at the capsule, tipping it to the side sending the Hunters to the ground. Zoe land on the ground right in Will's path causing the Son of Apollo to quickly jump to the side so he wouldn't stepped on her. Will went to help the Huntress up but she slapped his hand away.
"I don't need your help boy," Zoe snapped, jumping to her feet.
"I was being polite!" Will snapped back.
"ROOOOOOAAAR!" The lion growled, sending chills down Will's back. The Son of Apollo looked over his shoulder seeing the lion clawing at the air, backing away from Thalia's shield. The lion retreated, crouching low, it's leg muscle's tensing. Like when his mom's cat does at home before it pounced.
"HEY!" Percy yelled charging at the lion, slashing Riptide at its hind leg sending sparking into the air. The lion swatted at the Son of Poseidon, ripping though his jacket. Annabeth yelled, charging ate the lion as well but just as Riptide her knife only sent sparks in the air.
"Here kitty kitty!" Will shouted, rapidly sending several arrows at the Lion's hind. The Lion roar but changed his attention on the Son of Apollo. "That's right. Here kitty, kitty!" Will called out, taking a few steps back.
"What are you doing?" Zoe hissed, notching her own arrows.
"Distracting it. Now move!" Will yelled, turning and running to another exhibit. The lion roar again charging after the Son of Apollo. Will ducked behind a helicopter like model, trying to think of a plan.
"Will!" Percy shouted, entering the exhibit from another way with Annabeth and Thalia on his heels. "Climb!"
Will didn't need to be told twice. He slung his bow over his shoulder and scaled one of the exhibit's pieces to get to the second story balcony where Bianca and Zoe were already. From there Will was able to safely fire his arrows but they were no use.
Thalia pointed her spear and a spidery arc of blue electricity shot out, zapping the lion in the tail.
"Zoe! Target the mouth!" Percy shouted.
"ROOOOOARRR!" The lion turned and pounced. Thalia rolled out of the way, holding up Aegis to keep the monster at bay.
The three archers quickly moved to find the right angle to get the shot. However, the lion wouldn't open his mouth open enough to allow them their shot no matter where they moved too. The rained arrows down on the monster but it was no use. The lion knew better then to open it's mouth too much.
"No clear shot!" Zoe yelled back. "Get it to open it's mouth more!"
"Thalia, Annabeth," Percy said. "Keep it occupied."
Thalia nodded, sweat running down the side of her face.
"Already on it Seaweed Brian," Annabeth called out from nowhere.
Will watched as Percy ran to the gift shop. What was he doing?
"This is no time for souvenirs boy!" Zoe yelled.
Thalia jabbed at the monster and backed up. The lion pressed her.
"Percy," Thalia called out. "Whatever you're going to do –" The lion roared and swatted at her like a cat toy, sending her flying into the side of the Titan rocket and she slide to the floor.
Annabeth took off her cap, waving it in the air. "HEY! Come and get me!" She yelled. The lion roared, pouncing on her however she vanished before it could. She reappeared several feet away. "Too slow!" Annabeth would take a few slashes at it's legs before placing her Yankee's cap on and disappearing before the lion could get her. It was the most dangerous game of cat and mouse.
The Son of Poseidon ran out of the shop with arms full of silver packets.
"Hey!" Percy yelled, hurling Riptide like a throwing knife. It bounced off the back leg but it got the monster's attention. Will watched in amazement as Percy charged at the monster, weaponless and arms full of snacks. Lion jumped at him but the Son of Poseidon was quicker and hurled a silver package into it's mouth. The lion eye's widen and it started gagging.
"Zoe, get ready!" Percy yelled, stumbling back from the monster. Zoe was already moving into a better position before he could warn her. Will and Bianca quickly followed behind her, their bows drawn and ready to fire.
"Snack time!" Percy yelled. The lion roared and the son of Poseidon shot several packets into it's mouth. The monster reared up on it's back paws, it's mouth hanging open wide.
"NOW!"
Immediately arrows pierced the lion's mouth. Three. Six. Nine. The lion thrashed widely, turned, and fell backwards. Then it was still.
Will lowered his bow, breathing a sigh of relief. How does Chloe and Percy do this each summer?
* line Break *
Will stretched out in the back seat of a Rolls-Royce staring at the picture in his hand. The afternoon sun shining through the gaps between the cars, casting a spot light on the photo. It was taken near the end of last summer. Katie had taken it when several campers from various cabins gathered in cabin seven one raining after noon. Naturally one is his siblings had cranked up the radio while they played card games. About an hour later Chloe shouted that she loved the song was on her feet happily singing along. Soon several other campers including Lee and Selena were up dancing as well. Will clearly remember the song was "Wild at Heart" by Gloriana. In this picture Chloe and Silena were face to face half singing half laughing through the chorus. Chloe cheeks were flushed and her sea-green eyes sparkled like the ocean under a full moon. In the photo Will was sitting on his bed, with Gabi in his lap, staring at the Daughter of Poseidon in wonder.
Will learned two things in that moment: 1) Chloe could sing. 2) He was hopelessly head over heels for his best friend.
"You really like my sister, don't you?"
Will almost jumped out of his seat as a voice brought him out of the memory. His blue eyes meet a pair of sea-green eyes in the driver seat across from him.
"You scared me," Will gasped, feeling his heart about to jump out of his chest. The Son of Poseidon just started at the Son of Apollo. "Is this the point where you threaten me to stay away from your sister?" Will asked softly breaking the silence.
Percy shook his head. "No. The only time she seems happy and herself is when she is with you. I worry for her."
"I won't hurt her," Will vowed.
"I am not worried about you hurting her. She can protect herself in that department. I worry about her losing herself fighting in this war." Percy confessed. "Promise me you will protect her from herself."
A healer's hand gives life to the Sea's daughter again.
Will frowned at the serious tone in Percy's voice. "Always. Even if she doesn't feel the same—"
Percy snorted. "Oh, she does."
"— I will always be there for her."
"Good." Percy turned back around in his seat, staring out the window.
"What about you and Annabeth?" Will asked, turning the tides of their conversation.
Percy visibly stiffens. "What about us?"
"You know what I am referring to."
"There nothing between us." Percy whispered.
"Sure, there is. Everyone can see there is something there."
The Son of Poseidon shook his head, sinking into his seat. "I don't think she considers me her friend anymore."
"Did something happen?" Will asked gently.
"Yeah… I am a Seaweed Brain," Percy said before quickly fleeing the car.
* line break*
"I thought you were going to ride in Thalia's car?" Percy said getting into the driver seat.
Annabeth didn't answer, just kept looking out her window. Her hands fidgeted with her Yankee's cap. At lest it wasn't her knife, Percy thought. He sat there quietly waiting for Annabeth to break the silence, however when the minutes started passing by he started to worry.
"Annabeth?"
"Ever since I arrived to Camp I always dreamed of going on quest," Annabeth confessed, staring out the passenger side window. "It felt like it was my density to be out there fighting monsters. However, I had wait for 'the one'. When I went on the quest with you to recover the stolen Master Bolt, I felt like I finally was full filling my calling. Then Last summer the chance of another quest was ripped away from me when you and Chloe ran after Clarisse. I was so mad at you for that."
Annabeth shot a glare at Percy. The Son of Poseidon tired not to flinched at the hurt and anger in those stormy grey eyes. "I had thought that it was understood that I was going on that quest. I was there when you got the coordinates from the Grey Sisters. I was the one who taught you about the Golden Fleece and the Sea of Monsters. Without me there would have been no quest last summer. And yet you left in the middle of the night with your sister and Tyson. Leaving me behind!"
Percy watched as Annabeth took a deep breath, her hands clenching her hat tighter. He wanted to argue with her. To tell her that he hadn't planned to leave. That everything had happen so suddenly and that Chloe and Tyson had ran to the beach only because they thought he was in trouble. However, Percy knew that Annabeth need to rant so he kept his mouth shut to not make comment he will later regret. Like he did before he left camp for this quest.
"Then when Thalia came back, I forgot about being mad at you. I was just so happy to have my other best friend back. I thought things were going back to the way they were that first summer… Now here we are back at it again."
Annabeth angry wiped away a stray tear that Percy pretended not to see. "I guess I am trying to say is that you were right that other night." Her grey eyes meet his sea-green again. "All I ever want to do is go on quests so when someone else, especially my friends, gets one and I don't… It hurts, okay? It feels like I am not good enough or that I am not worthy."
"Annabeth you are the smartest person I have ever meet." Percy told her. "You are an incredible leader and warrior. There is no way I would have been able to retrieved the Master Bolt with out your brains there to think of the next step. The whole time I was in the Sea of Monsters I found myself thinking about the plans you would come up with. If I had my choice, I would have asked you to join us but I didn't. We had to leave before the harpies found us. Besides camp needed you. I remember the Stoll brothers and other camps telling me how you were the one to lead them into battle when monsters got through the magical border. They told me about how you had organized a patrol even against Tantalus orders not to. No one sees you as weak or worthless."
Percy ran a hand through his head. "I am sorry for what I said to you, Thalia, and Grover before leaving with Will. I was tired and worried for my sister and I took that out on all of you."
Annabeth shook her head. "No. Don't apologize. The things we said were rude and wrong. It was a slap in the face that I needed. When Zoe got get her quest prophecy, she had requested that I join her on it. I refused at first until both Grover and Thalia practically dragged me out of my cabin."
"You want to join the Hunters," Percy stated.
Annabeth blinked at him. She sighed, looking down at her hands. "Camp Half-Blood is my home. I don't want to leave the only place I have called home. Or my friends. Who is going to stop you and Thalia from arguing over how to play capture the flag? Or keep Grover from eating all of Mr D's Diet Coke cans? How could I leave Chiron?"
Percy lip twitched slightly. "Annabeth whatever choice you make, know that everyone will always support you. That's what friends do."
"Thank you, Percy." Annabeth said, giving him a pain smile before leaving the car.
Percy sinker into his seat looking out his window as the sun set. His mind was racing between his conversations he just had and his sister. He knew he should go to bed however he was worried about what he would dream. Would it be about his sister captivity? Or Annabeth running around with the Hunters? Both he was scared of.
"Oh, don't be afraid of dreams," A voice next to him broke the silence.
Percy looked over. The homeless guy from the rail yard was sitting there in the passenger seat.
"If it weren't for my dreams I wouldn't know half the things I know about the future. They're better than Olympus tabloids." He cleared his throat, then held up his hands dramatically:
Dreams like a podcast,
Downloading truth in my ears.
They tell me cool stuff."
"Apollo?" Percy guessed.
The god put a figure to his lips. "I'm incognito. Call me Fred."
"A god named Fred? Aren't you in the wrong car? Will is that one," Percy pointed off to the upper right.
"Eh, well… Zeus insists on certain rules. Hands off when there's a human quest. Even more hands off when it comes to your own children. Even when something really major is wrong. You're not the only one with a twin sister missing. Nobody messes with my baby sister. Nobody."
Percy nodded in understanding. That's how he feels about his own sister. Percy would go to hell and back if that is what it takes to get his sister back.
"Can you help us?"
"Shhh. I already have. Haven't you been looking outside?"
"The train," Percy stated. "How fast are we going?"
Apollo chuckled. "Fast enough. Unfortunately, we're running out of time. It's almost sunset. But I imagine we'll get you across a good chunk of America, at least."
"But where is Artemis?" Percy asked. They knew about Chloe location but not Artemis.
The god's face darkened. "I know a lot and I see a lot. But even I don't know that. She's clouded from me. I don't like it."
"What about the monster Artemis was seeking? Do you know what it is?"
"No," Apollo said. "But there is one who might. If you haven't yet found the monster when you reach San Francisco, seek out Nereus, the old Man of the Sea. He has a long memory and a sharp eye. He has a gift of knowledge sometimes obscured from my Oracle."
Apollo checked his watch. "Ah, look at the time! I have to run. I doubt I can risk helping you again, Percy, but remember what I said! Get some sleep! And I expect a good haiku about your journey when you return!"
Percy opened his mouth to protest that he doesn't even know how to write a haiku but Apollo snapped his figure and Percy was out.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Wow lots of talk about feelings! Let me know what you think in the comments! Thanks for reading and stay safe out there!
