I gotta tell you, I am having so much fun with the chapter I'm writing at the moment- it contains a character who in cannon is pretty hated but I've sorta adjusted their character and holy crap I love it- so much fun, the cockiness is just so fun.
Also, just wondering- would please be interested in a fic that crosses over with the Kane Chronicles more with Fem Percy because I have some ideas. Anyways read and review as always!
They ended up spending the night at the ranch- with Geryon gone it was safe enough, Eurytion was grateful to them- and filled with ideas and plans for the changes he was going to make- by the time Geryon returned- and it would be a hundred years or so- apparently he was a slow reformer.
They ended up gathering in the living room of the ranch- Eurytion had offered up a couple of beds, but they'd all agreed they wanted too stick together and none of the bedrooms were big enough, so after some discussion they all laid their bedrolls on the ground, and Percy and Kayla- the two who were recovering from minor injuries and exhaustion- after eating Percy had basically crashed- she'd used a lot of power, her exhaustion was understandable, and she had to admit that she was grateful that they'd all agreed she'd be one of the ones crashing on the couches.
She smiled softly to herself as she snuggled down under one of the blankets Eurytion had gotten out for them. It was nice, comfortable, and- well, if Annabeth had laid her bedroll right up against the couch Percy was sleeping on, and if Percy's hand was poking out of the blanket and hanging down so that Annabeth could thread their fingers together- well no one commented.
And it didn't take Percy long to drift off.
When she opened her eyes she was somewhere familiar- it looked different than it had when she'd last been there but she recognised the dark stone- the palace on top of Mount Tam. Mount Orthys come again. Percy forced down a shiver. It was rebuilt now, green fires burning in braziers along the walls- the floor was a polished black marble and a cold wind blew down the hallway and above her through the open ceiling as the sky swirled with gray storm clouds.
As always Percy found her gaze drawn to Alabaster, who was dressed for battle, wearing camouflage pants, a green shirt and a bronze breastplate.
She was almost relieved to see that he didn't have that abomination of a sword at his side. He was walking through the halls of the palace, and Percy let out a huff, following him reluctantly, bending down to try and pick up a loose stone from the ground- she was rather disappointed when she found that she couldn't.
It would be nice to at least be able to annoy the bastard if she was going to be forced to endure constant dreams about him. Seriously, one night free of
dreams, she would very much be grateful for that. Please? She snorted to herself, shaking her head.
"Hey there, can you hear me?" she followed him closely, "Hello? No. No I didn't think so." she shook her head, "So what am I seeing today." she was getting seriously sick of the dreams- sure they did keep her up to date on the threat, but still, seeing Alabaster was never a pleasant thing.
Soon enough they reached a large courtyard and Percy's breath caught in her throat- her eyes going wide in shock.
It was filled with dozens of warriors- demigods and dracaenae were in armor and weapons and Percy stepped back slightly. There were so many- and Alabaster was planning on attacking camp with them. The thought was beyond horrifying. She snarled, lunging at Alabaster and stumbling through him as if she was nothing more than a ghost- which made sense, it was a dream, she couldn't interact with anything. She could see, but not interact.
When they saw Alabaster the demigods in the army rose to attention and they beat their swords against their shields. Percy's eyes scanned over their ranks- she was painfully glad to see that she only recognised maybe three or four of them from camp. The rest of them must have been picked up off of the streets- and that was a sad thought because there were so many of them- gods but how many innocent demigods have been living, desperately trying to survive when Alabaster and Kronos had recruited them? They'd never had a chance had they?
Percy was drawn out of those dark thoughts by the voice of one of the dracaenae.
"Isssss it time, my lord?"
"Soon." Alabaster's back was straight, his head held high, tilted slightly upwards- like a tyrant overlooking his people. "Continue your work."
"My lord." a voice came from behind them, and Percy let out a very loud huff, turning her head to glare at the empousa making her way towards them.
Kelli was smiling at Alabaster, she was wearing a blue dress that clung to her body in a way that looked wickedly beautiful and just as deadly, her eyes flickered—sometimes dark brown, sometimes pure red. Her hair was braided down her back and seemed to catch the light of the torches, as if it were anxious to turn back into pure flame.
Percy tensed up, glaring fiercely at the empousa, "Hey bitchface. You gonna try and chase me off again?"
But Kelli seemed completely ignorant to her presence- that was good, very good. Percy was grateful for that fact, the gods knew she didn't want to have to deal with the traumatic sight of the empousa trying to make her jealous- as if she'd ever be jealous of a monster and Alabaster- any chances of that had been dashed a very long time ago.
"You have a visitor," she told Alabaster. She stepped aside, and even Alabaster seemed stunned by what he saw.
The monster Kampê towered above him. Her snakes hissed around her legs. Animal heads growled at her waist. Her swords were drawn, shimmering with poison, and with her bat wings extended, she took up the entire corridor.
"You." his voice was tense, almost shaky though he did a good job of hiding it. "I told you to stay on Alcatraz."
Kampê's eyelids blinked sideways like a reptile's. she spoke in that weird rumbling language, but this time Percy understood, somewhere in the back of her mind: "I come to serve. Give me revenge."
"You are a jailor." Alabaster seemed to mentally brace himself, "Your job is to guard- not to-"
"I will have them dead. No one escapes me." and Alabaster faltered, his eyes narrowing before he nodded, "Very well. You will go with us. You may carry Ariadne's string. It is a position of great honor- but when you find them, bring me the Chase girls head- and don't kill the daughter of Poseidon. She is mine."
"And there you go!" Percy threw her hands up, "and here I thought you'd go a whole dream without mentioning me. It was almost a record!"
Kampê hissed at the stars. She sheathed her swords and turned, pounding down the hallway on her enormous dragon legs.
Alabaster stared after her as she went, shaking his head, "I don't trust her. She's too chaotic. Too powerful-"
"You should not fear power Alabaster. You should use it." Kelli almost scolded him, "Using her to kill off your little rival isn't worth it, let alone using her to retrieve your little-"
"Don't speak of her." Alabaster snarled the words, a glint of bronze in his hand suddenly- and Percy gasped in horror at the sight of the blade he had pressed against Kelli's throat.
It was painfully familiar- and so it should be.
It was the dagger Luke had given her for her birthday- when she turned fourteen. The dagger he'd used to curse her dreams not so long ago.
"You don't speak of her after what you did last time-"
"I just put on a show, you want her jealous don't you?" Kelli hissed the words, and Alabaster lowered the dagger slowly, shaking his head.
"Persephone isn't the jealous type. You know nothing of her. I wouldn't expect you to understand-"
"Oh because you know me so well." Percy muttered, "The delusion is strong with this one."
"If you say so." Kelli looked annoyed.
"The sooner we leave the better-"
"Why, eager to get to her-"
"Kelli- push your luck and you'll be sent back to Tartarus." Alabaster growled the words, "Don't push me. You know better than that-" that earned him two eye rolls, one from the monster and one from Percy- who was then horrified that she'd actually reacted in the same way as a demon cheerleader.
"Sorry." Kelli gave a smile that was somehow sweet as anything with a sharpness to it- a smile like that could cut like a knife. "So my lord- are you ready for your role?"
"I know my duty." there was a flicker of something Percy almost thought looked like fear in Alabaster's eyes but he suppressed it almost instantly. "I know what's to come. I made my choice and I will see it through. Lord Kronos has promised me that I will get everything I desire."
"That's good then." Kelli purred the words "Is our strike force sufficient, do you think? Or will I need to call Lady Hecate for help? Your mother favors you greatly-"
"We have more than enough." Alabaster's voice was grim, "The deal is almost complete. All I need now is to negotiate safe passage through the arena."
"Mmm," Kelli said. "That should be interesting. I would hate to see your handsome head on a spike if you fail."
"I will not fail. And you, Kelli, don't you have other matters to attend to?"
"Oh, yes." Kelli smiled. "I am bringing despair to your eavesdropping enemies. I am doing that right now." and suddenly Percy realized that Kelli could sense her- a moment too late because the empousa was lunging, her talons suddenly out as she slashed at Percy- and just like that everything changed.
Percy stumbled at the suddenness of the change, dizzy for just a moment before she steadied herself, looking around slowly.
She was at the top of a stone tower, overlooking rocky cliffs and the ocean below. The old man Daedalus was hunched over a worktable, wrestling with some kind of navigational instrument, like a huge compass. He looked years older than when Percy had last seen him. He was stooped and his hands were gnarled. He cursed in Ancient Greek and squinted as if he couldn't see his work, even though it was a sunny day.
"Uncle!" a voice called.
A smiling boy about Nico's age, perhaps a bit younger came bounding up the steps, carrying a wooden box.
"Hello, Perdix," the old man said, though his tone sounded cold. "Done with your projects already?"
"Yes, Uncle. They were easy!"
Daedalus scowled. "Easy? The problem of moving water uphill without a pump was easy?"
"Oh, yes! Look!"
The boy dumped his box and rummaged through the junk. He came up with a strip of papyrus and showed the old inventor some diagrams and notes. They didn't make any sense to Percy, but Daedalus nodded grudgingly. "I see. Not bad."
"The king loved it!" Perdix said. "He said I might be even smarter than you!"
"Did he now?"
"But I don't believe that. I'm so glad Mother sent me to study with you! I want to know everything you do."
"Yes," Daedalus muttered. "So when I die, you can take my place, eh?" The boys' eyes widened. "Oh no, Uncle! But I've been thinking…why does a man have to die, anyway?"
The inventor scowled. "It is the way of things, lad. Everything dies but the gods."
"But why?" the boy insisted. "If you could capture the animus, the soul in another form…well, you've told me about your automatons, Uncle. Bulls, eagles, dragons, horses of bronze. Why not a bronze form for a man?"
"No, my boy," Daedalus said sharply. "You are naïve. Such a thing is impossible."
"I don't think so," Perdix insisted. "With the use of a little magic—"
"Magic? Bah!"
"Yes, Uncle! Magic and mechanics together—with a little work, one could make a body that would look exactly human, only better. I've made some notes."
He handed the old man a thick scroll. Daedalus unfurled it. He read for a long time. His eyes narrowed. He glanced at the boy, then closed the scroll and cleared his throat. "It would never work, my boy. When you're older, you'll see."
"Can I fix that astrolabe, then, Uncle? Are your joints swelling up again?"
The old man's jaw clenched. "No. Thank you. Now why don't you run along?"
Perdix didn't seem to notice the old man's anger. He snatched a bronze beetle from his mound of stuff and ran to the edge of the tower. A low sill ringed the rim, coming just up to the boy's knees. The wind was strong.
Perdix wound up the beetle and tossed it into the sky. It spread its wings and hummed away. Perdix laughed with delight.
"Smarter than me," Daedalus mumbled, too soft for the boy to hear.
"Is it true that your son died flying, Uncle? I heard you made him enormous wings, but they failed."
Daedalus's hands clenched. "Take my place," he muttered.
The wind whipped around the boy, tugging at his clothes, making his hair ripple.
"I would like to fly," Perdix said. "I'd make my own wings that wouldn't fail. Do you think I could?"
Maybe it was a dream within her dream, but suddenly Percy imagined the two-headed god Janus shimmering in the air next to Daedalus, smiling as he tossed
a silver key from hand to hand. Choose, he whispered to the old inventor. Choose.
Daedalus picked up another one of the boy's metal bags. The inventor's old eyes were red with anger.
"Perdix," he called. "Catch."
He tossed the bronze beetle toward the boy. Delighted, Perdix tried to catch it, but the throw was too long. The beetle sailed into the sky, and Perdix reached a little too far. The wind caught him.
Somehow he managed to grab the rim of the tower with his fingers as he fell. "Uncle!" he screamed. "Help me!"
The old man's face was a mask. He did not move from his spot.
"Go on, Perdix," Daedalus said softly. "Make your own wings. Be quick about it."
"Uncle!" the boy cried as he lost his grip. He tumbled toward the sea.
There was a moment of deadly silence. The god Janus flickered and disappeared. Then thunder shook the sky. A woman's stern voice spoke from above: "You will pay the price for that, Daedalus."
And Percy had heard that voice before. Athena, the goddess hated Percy so it always put her on edge.
Daedalus scowled up at the heavens. "I have always honored you, Mother. I have sacrificed everything to follow your way."
"Yet the boy had my blessing as well. And you have killed him. For that, you must pay."
'I have paid and paid!" Daedalus growled. "I've lost everything. I'll suffer in the Underworld, no doubt. But in the meantime…"
He picked up the boy's scroll, studied it for a moment, and slipped it into his sleeve.
"You do not understand, Athena said coldly. You will pay now and forever. Suddenly Daedalus collapsed in agony and Percy felt what he felt. A searing pain closed around her neck like a molten-hot collar—cutting off her breath, making everything go black.