Time After Time
Summary: "Till death do us apart, they say. I say - I will love you till this life to the next. And if next life won't grace me with you, I will still love you till the next one, and the next, and the next, till death finally give up on us." - Cynthia Go. Reincarnation. FemNaru.
Just a warning: FemNaru, AU, Language, Clichés, Prompt/Gift Fic, Reincarnation, Messed Time Line, More in the Future
Just so you know (Name): FemNaru's name is Miyako Uzumaki. Written as 美 (mi)夜 (ya)子 (ko), the name Miyako means "Beautiful Night Child".
I don't own anything related to Percy Jackson or Naruto!
Chapter 1. Lost and Found
P.J
Even before they reached Dracula's long forgotten castle, Percy Jackson knew that this would be far from a good and peaceful day. Not that he got a lot of those – Especially not after he first learned about his status as a half-blood.
He didn't say a single word as his mother babbled beside him, filling the eight-hour drive from New York to Bar Harbor with something other than uncomfortable silence. In the backseat, Annabeth and Thalia smiled at each other, looking rather amused at all embarrassing baby stories his mother told and retold about him. Percy couldn't even bring himself to try to stop his mom after seeing this, happy that the two girls had stopped looking they were moments from walking to their deaths.
Correction – Walking to Grover's death.
Honestly, none of them had any idea of what to expect in Bar Harbor but Grover had asked for their help – practically begging for them to come and help him with something that he was far too nervous to explain over IM – and so, there they were, driving to the unknown through the dark and cold blizzard...
"Oh, yeah," Thalia said sarcastically, wiping the fog off the car window and peering outside to stare at the black stone castle not all that far from them. "This'll be fun."
Percy eyed the towers and slit windows of the castle ("It's called Westover Hall, it was –" "Annabeth, no offense – but I don't care."), making a face as he tried to think of what kind of monster they would certainly be finding there. If not inside the castle, he thought, then something would certainly jump at them from the frosty forest or the gray churning ocean down the snowy cliff.
"Are you sure you don't want me to wait?" His mother asked as they got off the car, looking a little nervous.
"No, thanks, Mom," Percy shook his head, smiling a little. "We don't know how long this will take so maybe it's better if you go home."
She made a pause, frowning, "But how will you get back?"
"It's okay, Ms. Jackson." Annabeth smiled reassuringly, taking off her ski cap. "We'll keep him out of trouble."
His mother took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she seemed to think about it. A moment or two passed before her eyes snapped open and she nodded, sending him a nervous look. He was no mind reader, but something told him that she was forcing herself to agree and trust that they knew what they were doing.
"All right, dears," she said with a hint of defeat. "Are you three sure you have everything you need?"
"Yes, Ms. Jackson," Thalia nodded. "And thanks for the ride. You didn't need to bring us."
His mother didn't seem to have heard her as she stared at him and continued, "Extra sweaters? Do you have my cell phone number, Percy? I know you can't use one but if needed, you can ask someone to call me –"
"Mom," Percy said, trying to not laugh.
Maybe anyone else would have been embarrassed but the sea-green eyed boy knew that this was one of the ways his mother showed that she cared about him and his safety so he didn't really mind all the questions. Unfortunately, they didn't have time at the moment to indulge her.
"About ambrosia and nectar? And a golden drachma in case you need to contact camp? And –"
"Mom," he cut her off a little louder, making her blink. Percy smiled, "We'll be fine, but I think we should go now before it's too late."
She nipped her bottom lip, nodding her head as she threw her arms around him. Percy hugged her back until his mother forced herself to let go and sent a small smile towards Annabeth and Thalia, stepping back inside the car. They waited until her called disappeared from view before turning to stare at the terror inducing castle.
Briefly, he wondered what kind of parent would send their children to a school like this. What did they expect their kids to learn? Children-shaped robots with buzzcuts?
He was pulled out of his thoughts as Thalia turned to him and said, "Your mom is so cool, Percy."
"She's the best," he said proudly, always happy to brag about his mom. "What about you? Did you get in touch with your mom?"
All he wanted was to start a conversation; there was no malice in question. The look Thalia gave him, however, made it seem like Percy had insulted her fashion choice after killing her non-existent puppy. He flinched a little as sparks of electricity started coming out of the tips of her hands.
"That's none of your business, Jac –"
Annabeth interrupted her, pulling the sleeve of her leather jacket, "We'd better get inside. Grover is probably worried about us."
"Right," Thalia muttered, forcing herself to relax and glancing at the castle with a grimace. "I wonder what he found here that made him send that distress call."
Nothing good, Percy thought. He would have said so out loud but decided to stay quiet for now until he knew that it was safe to speak up once more.
The castle's oak doors groaned open as they approached it, and the three of them tensely stepped into the entry hall in a swirl of snow. The place was huge with flags lining the stone walls alongside a few different weapons; from antique rifles to medieval battle axes. There was even a display with heads of animals and what he really – really – hoped was a fake human skeleton dressed in a military uniform.
If the owners of that school wanted to intimidate everyone who stepped on their property, then they had been successful.
He took a deep breath, shoving his hand into the pocket of his jacket and gripping his very lethal ballpoint pen, Riptide. This place gave him the creeps and if the way Thalia was rubbing her silver bracelet was any indication, then they were thinking the same thing. Whatever was in this castle, whatever they would be fighting, was strong and dangerous.
"I wonder where –" Annabeth was cut off as the doors slammed shut behind them, making them jump.
"Ooo-kay, I don't think we'll be leaving any time soon," Percy muttered, looking around and praying that the door was mechanical and that this wasn't some kind of ghost.
"Oh, really now?" Thalia drawled as she and Annabeth stashed their overnight bags behind a pillar down the hall, "Why would you say such thing?"
He shrugged, ignoring the looks the two girls gave him when he decided to keep his messenger bag with him. His mother had been the one to pack his things and he wasn't too keen in leaving his bag anywhere and risk something happening to it.
The three of them started walking slowly and, from the other end of the hall, they could hear the echo of music; the school must have been holding some kind of event for the students. It was good to know that even military schools tried to do something nice to their students so they can relax a little and distract themselves from their studies.
They didn't get too far, stopping when a man and woman marched out of the shadows to intercept them. Both had short gray hair, using a black military-style uniforms with red trim. The woman had a wispy mustache that would have made the children of Aphrodite cry of horror while the man was clean-shaven, both of his hands behind his back.
"What are you three doing here?" The woman demanded to know.
Percy tried to think of something to say. It was only now that he considered the fact that they didn't have an excuse to be there nor had they come up with a lie in the car.
"Ma'am," he started, hoping to be able to distract her, "we're just –"
"Ha!" the man cut him off, speaking with a French accent. "Visitors are not allowed at the dance! You shall be ejected!"
The black-haired boy paused, looking towards the man with caution. He was tall with a hawkish face and his eyes were two different colors; one brown and one blue, making him look like some kind of cat. Percy shoulders tensed a little as he looked into those eyes. There was something about this guy... Something that told Percy that he had found their monster of the day.
Before anything else could be said or done, Thalia stepped forward, her head held high as she snapped her fingers. The sound it made was sharp and a little too loud, being followed by a gust of wind ripple out from her hand and wash over them all, making the banners rustle on the walls. It took him a moment longer than necessary to understand what had just happened.
He had seen Lou Ellen and other children of Hecate using the Mist but he hadn't known that other demigods could do it too.
"Oh, but we're not visitors, sir," Thalia said. "We go to school here. You remember: I'm Thalia. And this is Annabeth and Percy. We're in the eighth grade."
The male teacher narrowed his two-colored eyes and Percy was pretty sure that Thalia's little trick didn't work on him.
But, instead of thrown the three of them into the snow or even attacking them, the man hesitated staring at them with calculating eyes. Percy refrained from glaring at him; he didn't want the monster (And he had no doubt that it was a monster. No one could change his mind about the matter) to know that he was onto him.
"Ms. Gottschalk," the man said to the woman, calmly, "do you know these students?"
Annabeth and Thalia gave him a look, telling him to stay quiet or else. Percy merely clenched his jaw tightly and bowed his head a little, trying to not start laughing.
Got Chalk?! Seriously? The poor, unfortunate woman.
Said unfortunate woman blinked, looking like she had just woken from a trance, "I – Yes. I believe I do, sir." Then, she frowned at trio, "Annabeth, Thalia and Percy – What are you doing away from the gymnasium?"
Before any of them had the chance of replying, Grover ran up into the hall, breathless and staring at them with bright and relieved eyes.
"You made it! You –" He cut himself off when he saw the teachers, letting out a rather nervous laugh, "Oh, Mrs. Gottschalk. ! I, uh –"
"What is it, Mr. Underwood?" Dr. Thorn asked, his tone not leaving any kind of doubt as to how much he detested Grover. "What do you mean, they made it? These students live here." His lips twitching slightly in what Percy could only describe as an evil smirk, "Don't they?"
Grover swallowed, wiggling his fingers, "Yes, sir. Of course, Dr. Thorn. I just meant, I'm so glad they made... the punch for the dance! The punch is great. And they made it!"
Percy sighed, trying to not facepalm.
One thing about Grover that everyone should always keep in mind when sending him to an important mission: He was a horrible liar.
Dr. Thorn huffed, glaring at them while Mrs. Gottschalk nodded her head dreamily.
"Yes," she said, making a gesture with her hand, "the punch is excellent. Now run along, all of you. You are not to leave the gymnasium again!"
They didn't need to be told twice. With a lot of "Yes, ma'ams" and "Yes, sirs" and a couple of salutes, they followed Grover down the hall and in the direction of the music. Percy took a deep breath, trying to ignore the eyes he felt on his back and, instead, moved closer to Thalia.
"How did you do that?" He asked in a hushed tone. When she looked at him without understanding what he was talking about, Percy snapped his fingers.
"You mean the Mist?" She asked, arching her eyebrows. "Hasn't Chiron shown you how to do that yet?"
His eyebrows twitched and he smiled tensely. As matter of fact, no – Chiron hadn't shown him how to do that. The centaur hadn't even mentioned that it was possible for him to learn how to manipulate the Mist. Why teach it to Thalia and not him?
Grover pushed them through the door with a very large GYM written on the glass and leaned against the wall with a sigh of relief and slumped shoulders, "That was close!" He said, accepting the hugs the girls gave him and sharing a high five with Percy, "Thank the gods you got here!"
The satyr hadn't changed much from the last time they had seen him. He may have gotten a little taller and had sprouted a few more whiskers but, otherwise he looked like he always did when he passed for human; wearing his ever-present red cap on his curly brown hair to hide his goat horns, baggy jeans and sneakers with fake feet to hide his furry legs and hooves. The only addition to his attire was a black T-shirt that, in bold letters, read: WESTOVER HALL: GRUNT.
Percy wondered if that was some kind of motto of the school of it was the way they used to identify the kids that were in the lowers position in the food-chain.
"So," Percy asked, "what's the emergency?"
Grover took a deep breath, looked at the three of them and said slowly, "I found three."
"Three what?" Thalia asked before her eyes widened with amazement, "Three half-bloods? Here?"
Grover nodded and now they finally understood why he had sounded so urgent when he sent that message for help. Finding one half-blood was rare enough, but three?
"There is one girl as well a brother and a sister," the satyr said. "The girl and the sister are twelve while the brother is ten. I don't know their parentage, but all three of them are really strong." He gulped, "We're running out of time, though. I need help."
"Monsters?" Annabeth frowned.
"Just one." Grover looked around nervously, as though the monster would jump at them from the shadows. "He suspects. I don't think he's positive yet, but this is the last day of term and I'm sure he won't let them leave the campus without finding out. It may be our last chance! Every time I try to get close to them, he's always there, blocking me. I don't know what to do!" The satyr shook his head, looking at Thalia with desperation.
Percy wasn't even surprised that the one Grover looked at when in need of some kind of answer was Thalia. She was the oldest demigod there and had more experience when feeding off monsters. That, however, didn't mean he wasn't a little upset by the fact that his friend had barely glanced in his direction.
"Right," Thalia muttered. "These half-bloods are at the dance?" She waited for Grover to nod before saying, "Then we're going to the dance. Who's the monster?"
"Oh," Grover said, looked around nervously. "You just met him. It's the vice principal, Dr. Thorn."
Percy made a face, not all surprised.
When they got to the gym, Percy saw that it was covered with black and red balloons, some guys kicking them in each other's faces, or trying to strangle each other with the crepe-paper streamers taped to the walls. The majority of the girls moved around in football huddles, wearing lots of makeup and spaghetti-strap tops and brightly colored pants and shoes that looked like torture devices. Every once in a while, they surrounded some poor guy like a pack of piranhas, shrieking and giggling as they covered his hair with ribbons and covered his face with a bunch of lipstick graffiti before move onto their next victim.
Then, there was a small group of boys and girls that uncomfortable, hanging out at the edges of the gym and trying to hide, theirs eyes flickering from one place to another as though they were either ready to fight for their lives or take the first opportunity that presented itself to get the hell out of there.
"There they are," Grover gestured towards three kids in the bleachers. "Bianca and Nico di Angelo, and Miyako Uzumaki."
The di Angelo siblings were easy to identify; both had dark silky hair, dark eyes and olive skin. Bianca wore a floppy green cap as though she was trying to hide her face, and moved her hands a lot when she spoke, alternating her attention between her brother and the girl with them. Nico was shuffling some kind of trading cards, a wide grin on his face as he laughed about something.
Miyako, who was playing with Nico and nodding her head seriously as Bianca spoke, was a really beautiful Asian girl with violet eyes and natural cooper hair. She had faint, almost unnoticeable whiskers-like scars on her cheeks and was wearing a black headband with some kind of leaf symbol embroidered all over it in orange thread. And, although she seemed to be relaxed, she kept looking around like she sensed that there was something wrong.
"Do they..." Annabeth started, noticing the same thing, "I mean, have you told them?"
Grover shook his head quickly, "No! You know how it is – Once they realize who they are, their scent becomes stronger and that would put them in more danger."
He glanced at Percy at those words, making the demigod shrug.
It wasn't his fault that being Poseidon's son made it so he smelled delicious to monsters.
"Well, let's talk to them and get out of here," Percy said, stopping when Thalia grabbed his shoulder.
He looked back at his cousin in confusion before following her line of sight to see Dr. Thorn slipping out of a doorway near the bleachers and standing far too close to the di Angelo siblings and Miyako. The monster nodded coldly in their direction; blue eye glowing as he stared at them.
Judging by the expression on his face, it was easy to confirm that Dr. Thorn hadn't been fooled by Thalia's little snap trick with the Mist and that he knew what and maybe even who they were, and was just waiting to find out what their little group was doing in that school.
"Don't look at the kids," Thalia ordered. "We need to pretend we're not interested in them until there's a chance for us to get them."
"And we're going to do that how...?"
He was ignored as she continued, "We need to throw him off their scent."
"How?" Grover asked, worried.
"We're three powerful half-bloods," Thalia said. "Our presence should confuse him. Ok, we need to mingle. Act natural. Do some dancing. But keep an eye on those kids."
"Dancing?" Annabeth mouthed the word a little awkwardly.
"Yes, dancing." There was a pause as Thalia listened to the music echoing through the gym and made a disgusted face. "Ugh. Who chose the Jesse McCartney's song?"
Grover looked a little hurt at that and raised his hand slowly, "I did."
"Oh my gods, Grover. That is so lame," Thalia shook her head as though mourning for the satyr taste on music. "Couldn't you pick, like, Green Day or something?"
"Green who?" He asked, clueless.
"Never mind." She huffed and said, "Come on, let's dance."
There was pause before Grover pointed at himself, "Wait, me? But I can't dance!"
"You can if I'm leading. Now, let's dance, goat boy," Thalia said, ignoring his protest as she grabbed his hand and started leading him onto the dancefloor.
"You know," Annabeth smiled at the duo, watching as Thalia frowned at Grover and tried to keep him from stepping on her feet. "It's just cool to have Thalia back."
Percy had no idea of what to say to this, shifting his weight from one foot to another as he tried to come up with something.
Act natural, he thought mockingly.
What did that mean?
What was natural when one was a half-blood on a dangerous mission?
"So, er, design any good buildings lately?" Was the first thing that he could come up to start some kind of conversation.
As predicated, Annabeth's eyes lit up just like they always did when architecture was involved and she said excitedly, "Oh my gods, Percy. At my new school, I get to take 3-D design as an elective, and there's this cool computer program..."
She went on and on to explain how she'd designed this huge monument that she wanted to build at Ground Zero in Manhattan. She talked about structural supports and facades and stuff that he just didn't understand. Percy was more than happy to listen though. It was certainly better to have a one-sided conversation than to stand there and do nothing. Plus, it was good to know that Annabeth was liking the new all-girls school she and Thalia were both attending in Brooklyn. He unfortunately couldn't say the same about MS-54 in Manhattan.
Not that his school was bad or anything!
The thing was... Percy just felt a little lonely there on his own and fond it a little difficult to bond with any of his classmates.
"Don't you think so?"
He blinked as Annabeth's voice pulled him out of his thoughts and nodded automatically, "Yeah, uh, cool." Percy nodded to himself and then asked before she could say anything else, "So, you'll be staying there the rest of the year, right?"
Percy had to keep himself from grimacing when her face darkened. Was that the wrong thing to ask? Why did he keep asking the wrong things today?
"Well, maybe, if I don't –"
"Hey!" Thalia called out, cutting her off.
Turning around, they saw that she was now slow dancing with Grover, who was tripping all over himself, kicking Thalia in the shins, and looking like he wanted to die from embarrassment. Thalia glared at him before turning back to Percy and Annabeth.
"Why aren't you guys dancing?!" The electric-blue eyed girl asked. "You look stupid just standing there."
Percy did grimace at this, sea-green eyes flickering from Annabeth then tothe pack of girls who were roaming the gym. Beside him, his blonde-haired friend crossed her arms and gave him an irritated look.
"Well?" Annabeth asked, impatiently.
The Son of Poseidon hesitated. He really didn't want to dance, much less dance with a girl, but if it was truly necessary then...
"Er, who should I ask?"
She punched his arm and glared, "Me, Seaweed Brain."
"Oh... Right."
Grey eyes rolled with annoyance as she pulled him onto the dance floor. Percy made a face, looking over his shoulder to check how Thalia and Grover were doing things. Unfortunately, he must have done it wrong because Annabeth frowned, looking at him as though she wanted to punch him again and make it hurt.
"I'm not going to bite," she said. "Honestly, Percy. Don't you guys have dances at your school?"
He shrugged, refusing to explain that although his school did have dances, he never actually danced at one. Actually, he either skipped it or was one of the guys playing basketball in the corner while trying to ignore everyone else in the gym.
"What were you saying earlier?" Percy asked, trying to distract her from his lack of dancing skills. "Are you having trouble at school or something?"
"It's not that." She pursued her lips before adding, "It's my dad."
"I – Uh – I thought it was getting better with you two..." He said slowly, knowing how rocky the duo relationship was. "Is it your stepmom again?"
"No... He decided to move," Annabeth sighed. "Just when I was getting settled in New York, he took this stupid new job researching for a World War I book. In San Francisco," the daughter of Athena pursued her lips, saying the words San Francisco the same way she might have said Fields of Punishment or Hades's gym shorts.
"So, he wants you to move out there with him?" Percy asked slowly, a little confused and wondering what was the problem with San Francisco. He had never stepped a foot out of New York but from he knew, the place wasn't all that bad.
"To the other side of the country," she muttered miserably. "And half-bloods can't live in San Francisco. He should know that."
Sea-green eyes blinked, taken aback, "What? Why not?"
Annabeth rolled her eyes as if he had just made a very bad joke and gave him a look, "You know. It's right there."
"Oh, right." Percy nodded, "I forgot.".
He had absolutely no idea of what she was talking and knew that she would just get more annoyed if he asked her about it. Hopefully, he would be able to find someone at the camp willing to explain – Maybe one of Apollo's or Hermes' kids. They were all pretty chill and never treated him as though he was stupid just for not knowing what the Athena's kids or other camps would consider to be common knowledge.
"So..." Percy cleared his throat, "you'll go back to living at camp or what?"
"It's more serious than that, Percy." Annabeth frowned, "I – I probably should tell you somethi..." Her voice faded as she froze, grey eyes widening in alarm. "They're gone."
"What?" Paling, the black-haired boy turned around to find that the three half-blood kids – Bianca, Nico and Miyako – were no longer in the bleachers and that Dr. Thorn was nowhere in sight.
"We have to get Thalia and Grover!" Annabeth said, looking around frantically. "Where'd they dance off to? There! Come on!"
She barely finished speaking and she was already running through the crowd. Percy tried to follow but was stopped by a mob of girls, all of them smiling and trying to get him to talk with them. It took longer than he would have liked to get rid of them and when he did, Annabeth had disappeared.
He turned around a few times, trying to find a sign of her. Surely, she won't have left him behind and was actually in the gym somewhere – Percy stopped, his mind going blank and blood chilling when he noticed, about fifty feet away from him, a familiar floppy green lying on the gym floor. As he made his way to grab the cap, he noticed a few scattered trading cards near it.
Percy thought for a moment before reaching out for the items. Just as he collected all the cards, shoving the deck and the cap into the pocket of his beatdown hoodie, Percy noticed Dr. Thorn by the corner of his eyes. The monster was quickly making his way out a door at the opposite end of the gym, steering the di Angelo siblings and Miyako by the scruffs of their necks as though they were nothing more than misbehaving little kittens. Although going by the expression on her face, it would have been better to compare Miyako to a wild kitten.
He looked around and pursued his lips.
Percy was truly alone and he didn't need to be a genius to guess that Annabeth had spared a single thought before leaving behind to look for Thalia and Grover.
He took a deep breath, trying to not dwell on the fact that ever since Thalia woke up, he felt like his friends were a little distance; seeking her out first before even thinking of looking at him for anything. Percy shook his head sharply. Now really wasn't the time. The di Angelos and Miyako were in danger and if he didn't do anything now then it would probably be too late.
I can handle this alone, he thought, running through the door Dr. Thorn had used and into a dark hallway. I know monsters and I can do this by myself.
The Son of Poseidon wished he could believe in his own words.
Uncapping Riptide as the sounds of scuffling and a painful grunt reached his ears, Percy tensed. The bronze Greek sword glowed faintly, casting a golden light on the rows of lockers as he walked down the corridor, scanning his surroundings until he opened a door leading back to the main entry hall. Dr. Thorn was nowhere to be seen but there, on the opposite side of the room, were the di Angelo kids and Miyako. The red-haired girl looked as tense as he was – maybe even more – and had one of her arms warped around Nico while holding Bianca's hand tightly. The di Anelgo kids froze when their eyes landed on him while Miyako glared, her violet-eyes darker than the last time he saw them.
Percy approached them slowly, lowering the tip of his sword and doing his best to look like the friendly guy some of the campers said he was.
"Hey – It's okay." He said, "I'm not going to hurt you."
They didn't answer.
"My name's Percy," he tried again. "I'm going get you three somewhere safe, ok?"
That got a reaction out of them. Nico's eyes widened while his sister clenched her fists in fear and Miyako narrowed her own eyes.
"Move," the violet-eyed girl ordered with an accented voice.
It was then that it clicked.
The did Angelos weren't afraid of him and Miyako wasn't looking at him.
Dr. Thorn was there with them.
Just as he realized this, pain exploded in his shoulder as a huge hand yanked him backward and threw him against the wall, near the trio. A cold laugh echoed through the hall as he staggered, trying and failing to move. Percy turned his head to see that he was pinned to the wall by some kind of spike; a black dagger-like projectile about a foot long.
"Yes, Perseus Jackson," Dr. Thorn said from somewhere in the hall, his accent mangling the J in the demigod's last name. "I know who you are."
Percy ignored him, hissing as his shoulder burned. The spike had grazed the skin of his shoulder and he quickly recognized the burn as being a byproduct of poison. He blinked, forcing himself to concentrate and stay awake. He couldn't pass out now...
With a chuckle, Dr. Thorn stepped out of the shadows and into the dim light, still looking human but his face looked rather ghoulish. He had perfect white teeth and his brown/blue eyes reflected the light of my sword. For a brief moment, Percy wished Annabeth was there. Maybe she would've been able to tell him what kind of monster Dr. Thorn was.
"Thank you for coming out of the gym," Dr. Torn said. "I hate middle school dances."
"Do you go to school dances often?" The demigod muttered sarcastically.
Dr. Torn either ignored him or didn't hear him. Not that sea-green eyed boy expected an answer nor did he want one. He was far too focused on trying to detached himself from the wall. Percy froze when he heard a loud WHIIIISH! sound before a second projectile shot from somewhere behind Dr. Thorn, impaling itself in the stone wall and almost hitting a terrified Bianca. The monster hadn't even moved an inch during this. It was though someone invisible was standing behind him, throwing those missile-like spikes whenever he needed.
"All three of you will come with me," Dr. Thorn said, looking at Percy as he did so. "Quietly. Obediently. If you make a single noise, if you call out for help or try to fight, I will show you just how accurately I can throw."
Finally detaching himself and knowing that no, he won't be able to protect those three alone, Percy closed his eyes.
Last summer, Grover created an empathy link between the two of them, using to send Percy's visions to let the boy know when he in trouble. Percy had never tried using the link himself but there was a first time for everything, right?
"What are you doing, Jackson?" Dr. Thorn hissed, "Start moving!"
Opening his eyes, he started shuffling forward alongside the trio.
"It must be his shoulder," Miyako said, making the monster turn to look at her sharply. She glared right back, "It can't be easy for him to move."
As Percy kept trying to send some kind of mental SOS to Grover, he discretely looked at her with gratitude. Well, it looked like he wasn't all that alone at that moment. It was nice to know that someone like her, who must have been both terrified and confused at what was happening, would still step up to help or defend him somehow.
"Bah!" Dr. Thorn sneered, "My poison causes pain. It will not kill him. Now, walk!"
Uh – Good to know that he wasn't going to die poisoned any time soon.
Thorn herded the four of them outside. Making their way through the woods, they took a snowy path dimly lit by old-fashioned lamplights. The wind roared in their ears, the cold biting into their skins in such unforgiving manner that Percy wondered how long it would take before he turned into a Percycle.
"There is a clearing ahead," Dr. Thorn said. "We will summon your ride."
"And where would we be going?" Miyako asked nonchalantly as though she wasn't all that interested to know the answer. Her eyes, however, told another story all together.
At the same time, Bianca must have gotten tired of being afraid because she demanded, "What ride?"
"Silence, you insufferable girls!" Dr. Thorn snapped.
"Don't talk to my sisters that way!" Nico snapped back, glaring at the monster. Percy was rather impressed with him; his voice quivered and the boy was clearly afraid but he still decided to defend his sister and Miyako.
Nico flinched a little, stepping closer to Miyako when Dr. Thorn made a growling sound that definitely wasn't human. After that, their group walked in silence for what seemed to be hours before the woods had opened up and they reached a cliff overlooking the sea. At least, that was what Percy thought. He could sense the sea down there, could hear the waves churning and could smell the cold salty froth, but all he could see was a dense mist and endless darkness.
Percy stumbled as Dr. Thorn pushed them towards the edge of the cliff but Miyako was faster. He didn't even notice her move, letting go of Bianca's hand to pull him closer to the trio while scanning their surroundings as though she was trying to come up with the best way to get all of them out of there safely.
"Thanks," he murmured.
Dark violet eyes focused on him as her lips curled up in a small, humorless smirk, "You're welcome."
"What is he?" Bianca whispered urgently, grabbing the other girl's arm and looking at him with wide eyes. "And how do we fight him?"
The black-haired boy hesitated, "I – I'm working on it."
"I – I'm scared," Nico admitted, fiddling with a little metal toy soldier of some kind.
Miyako shushed him gently, placing her hand on the back of his neck and pulling him closer. The boy accepted the gesture without fuss, throwing his arms around her and burying his face into her jacket.
"Stop talking!" Dr. Thorn snarled from behind them, "Face me!"
Slowly, they turned around and Percy glared as Thorn's two-toned eyes glittered hungrily. The monster pulled something from under his coat and Percy tensed, thinking that it was a weapon of sorts only to find that it was just a phone.
The sea-green eyed boy's face twisted at this.
A monster using a cellphone, Percy thought dryly, feeling a little creeped out by the sight.
Thorn pressed the side button and said, "The package – it is ready to deliver."
There was a garbled reply and Percy glanced over his shoulders, wondering how far the drop was. Maybe he could convince the trio into jumping into the ocean with him... He was sure that he could use his powers to protect them from both fall and the cold. And if his dad was in a good mood and listening, then he might help.
Maybe...
...Hopefully...
Dr. Thorn interrupted his thought process, laughing, "By all means, Son of Poseidon. Jump! Save yourself!" He gave them a wide, animalistic grin and continued, "I won't try though... I would've killed you before you ever reached the water."
There was a pause as Dr. Thorn tilted his head and observed the expression on Percy's face, looking amused.
"You do not realize who I am, do you?" The monster asked before there was a flicker of movement and another missile-like spike whistled so close to Percy that it nicked his ear. Sea-green eyes narrowed as something sprung up behind Dr. Thorn. Was that a catapult? No. It looked like a tail. "Oh, well, you should be thankfully, boy," Dr. Thorn continued, "that you are wanted alive, if possible. Otherwise, you would already be dead."
Bianca's fear seemed to disappear at that moment as she tried to take a step forward, but one sharp look from Miyako stopped her. That look, however, didn't keep her from demanding answers.
"Who want us? Because if you think you'll get a ransom, you're wrong. Miyako's mom will pay for her but Nico and I..." Her voice broke a little as she continued, "Aside from Miyako, we don't have any other family."
"Aww," Dr. Thorn cooed. "Do not worry, little brats. You will be meeting my employer soon enough. Then you will have a brand-new family."
"Luke," Percy whispered without thinking, the face of his friend turned enemy flashing before his eyes. "You work for Luke."
Dr. Thorn's mouth twisted with distaste at the name and he bared his sharp looking teeth, "You have no idea what is happening, Perseus Jackson. I will let the General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you."
"The General?" Percy asked. Miyako snorted and the black-haired demigod realized with a grimace that he'd said it with the same French accent Dr. Thorn had. "I mean – who's the General?"
"Ah, here we are." Dr. Thorn ignored his question and looked toward the horizon, "Your transportation."
Percy turned his head to see a searchlight in the distance. Then, he heard the chopping of helicopter blades getting louder and closer.
He frowned, turning his attention away from the helicopter when Nico spoke up hesitantly:
"Where are you taking us?"
"You should be honored, my boy." Dr. Thorn said, "You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls."
The small boy flushed in embarrassment and glared. Like with his sister, Miyako had to stop him from stepping forward and possibly doing something that would get him killed, "They're not dolls! They're figurines! And you can take your great army and –"
"Now, now," Dr. Thorn warned, wiggling a finger slowly. "You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And if you do not, well..." He grinned, "There are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway, after all."
"The Great what?" Percy asked, wanting to keep the monster's talking while he tried to figure out a way to get them all out of there alive. The burn from Dr. Thorn Poison wasn't bothering him all that much any longer and he could at fight properly now. He just needed a plan.
"The stirring of monsters," Dr. Thorn explained with an evil smile. "The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known." His voice started to get louder as though he couldn't contain his excitement, "And soon we shall have the most important monster of all – the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!"
"Okay," Bianca said to Miyako, "he's completely nuts."
"Bianca..." the other girl tried and failed miserably to sound stern. It was clear that she was amused.
"But he is!"
"I agree with you," Miyako said, her eyes a few shades lighter as she looked at Bianca, "but I don't think now is the time to talk about the guy's insanity."
"We have to jump off the cliff," Percy said, cutting Bianca off before she could say anything else. When they stared at him with identical looks of disbelief, he elaborated, "Into the sea."
That didn't help at all.
"Oh, super idea." Bianca drawled, "Miya, look, he's completely nuts too."
"It's catching," Miyako stage whispered to Nico who hide a grin behind his hand.
Percy opened his mouth to speak but before he could, an invisible force slammed into them and knocked the four of them to the ground. It was Annabeth, Percy decided not even a second later as he watched a volley of spikes zipping harmlessly over them.
Pushing himself up, Percy watched as Thalia advance towards the now stunned Dr. Thorn, wielding her magic shield – Aegis. The shield was modeled after one her dad Zeus used (Which was also called Aegis), a gift from Athena. Thalia's shield had the head of the gorgon Medusa molded into the bronze, and even though it wouldn't turn you to stone, it was still terrifying enough to make most people panic and run at the mere sight of it.
Dr. Thorn winced when he saw the shield.
Thalia smirked, moving in with her spear in hand, "For Zeus!"
At that moment, Percy thought that Dr. Thorn was a goner but as Thalia jabbed at his head, the monster merely snarled and swatted the spear aside. Then, his hand changed into an orange paw with enormous claws that sparked against Thalia's shield. Honestly, hadn't it been for Aegis, Thalia would've been sliced in half... Not that Percy would ever say it out loud. Despite what a lot of people thought, he did have a tiny bit of common sense and self-preservation.
The short-haired girl managed to roll backward and land on her feet while the sound of the helicopter was getting louder behind Percy.
He didn't dare to look though, deciding to forget about it for a moment.
Dr. Thorn launched another volley of missile-like spikes at Thalia and, this time, Percy finally noticed how he did it. It was truly a tail; a leathery, scorpion-like tail that bristled with spikes at the tip.
The spikes deflected off Aegis but the force of their impact against the shield was enough to knock Thalia down.
With Dr. Thorn distracted with Thalia, Grover sprang forward. He brought his reed pipes to his lips and began to play a frantic jig that sounded like something pirates would dance to. Grass broke through the snow and, within seconds, rope-thick weeds were wrapping around Dr. Thorn's legs, entangling the monster.
Enraged, Dr. Thorn roared and began to change; growing larger until he was in his true form. Although his face still human, his body was that of a huge lion and his leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly thorns in all directions.
"A manticore!" Annabeth exclaimed.
He jumped a little, finally noticing that she was actually visible. Her magical New York Yankees cap must have come off when she'd plowed into him and the other three.
"Who are you people?" Bianca screamed, probably having enough of them. "And what is that?"
At the same time, Nico gasped, "A manticore?! He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!"
Percy had no idea of what he was talking about.
Some kind of game, maybe?
With another roar, the monster (The manticore, he reminded himself) clawed Grover's magic weeds to shreds before turning towards them with a snarl.
"Get down!" Annabeth pushed the Bianca flat into the snow while Miyako warped her arms around Nico and jumped to the side so quickly that his brain barely had time to register her actions.
"Wow," he heard Nico say.
He would've agreed but there wasn't time for him to be impressed, Percy knew that he needed to do something. At the last second, he remembered his own shield and reached out to hit his wristwatch – Metal plating spiraled out into a thick bronze shield and Percy grimaced as the thorns impacted against it with enough force to dent the metal. For a moment, he wondered if the beautiful shield his brother gifted to him would be able to stop a second volley.
Probably not, he decided a little angry.
There was a thwack and a yelp before Grover landed next to Percy with a muffled thud!.
"Yield!" Dr. Thorn the Manticore roared.
"Never!" Thalia yelled back from across the field.
With a snarl, the Daughter of Zeus charged towards the monster but then, there was a thunderous noise and a blaze of light from behind them. The searching lights of the helicopter blinded Thalia and the manticore swatted her away with its tail, her shield and spear flying off in different directions into the snow.
Percy's head snapped toward the helicopter as it hovered just beyond the cliffs. It was a sleek black military-style gunship, he noticed with horror, with attachments on the sides that looked like laser-guided rockets.
Were – Were mortals actually working with a monster?
"Thalia!" Annabeth screamed.
Paling, Percy turned his attention towards the blue-eyed girl and started running as fast he could. He wasn't fast enough but thankfully, she managed to slide out of the way somehow just before the spike that launched at her managed to hit her chest. Percy looked at Thalia as he reached her, raising his shield over them. He didn't know if it would help but he certainly hoped so.
"Nice reflexes," he said. Hadn't she managed to move out of the way, there was no doubt that she would've died.
She stared at her feet with wide eyes, stunned, "I – I didn't do anything."
The black-haired boy's own eyes widened as he gave her a look, "What?"
If... If she hadn't done anything then who – or what – had? His eyes flickered around them, trying and failing to find anything that could have possibly rescued her.
Dr. Thorn started laughing, making them look at him, "Now, do you see how hopeless it is?" The monster said, "Yield, little heroes."
Percy tensed but before anything else could be said or done, he heard a clear, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods and muffling out the chopping of the helicopter blades.
Everyone, even the manticore, froze in place.
"No," Dr. Thorn breathed out a moment later. "It cannot be –"
Something shot past Percy like a streak of moonlight and a glowing silver arrow pierced Dr. Thorn's shoulder, cutting him off and making the monster stagger backwards, wailing in agony.
"Curse you!" Dr. Thorn cried, unleashing dozens of spikes at once into the woods where the arrow had come from, but more silver arrows shot right back in reply. Percy watched in disbelief as the arrows intercepted the thorns in midair and sliced them in two.
He rubbed his eyes, not believing what he had just witnessed.
No one, not even Apollo's kids at camp, could shoot with that much accuracy. His eyes must have been tricks on him.
Percy took a deep breath. He needed to stop getting sidetracked, now really wasn't the time for him to wonder about strange rescues or amazing archery skills (ADHD – He blamed the stupid ADHD).
The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain, breathing heavily. Percy took the chance and tried to swipe at him with his sword but, unfortunately, the monster wasn't as injured as he looked because he dodged the attack and slammed his tail into the sea-green eyed demigod's bronze shield, knocking Percy aside.
Then, just as Percy got to his feet and tried to think of what to do next, the archers came from the woods.
There were about a dozen of them; girls from at least ten to fourteen years old. They all wore silvery ski parkas and jeans, and were armed with bows. The advanced on the manticore with determined expressions, not even blinking or flinching as the monster let out a furious mix of a roar and a snarl.
"The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.
The what? Percy thought, looking at her in confusion.
Thalia scowled, muttering to herself sarcastically, "Oh, that's just wonderful."
One of the oldest girls in the group, a tall and graceful girl with coppery colored skin and a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair, stepped forward with her bow drawn and asked, "Permission to kill, my lady?"
"This is not fair!" The manticore wailed much like an overgrown child. Percy practically expected him to start stomping his feet angrily as he continued, "Direct interference is against the Ancient Laws."
"Not so," another girl said. This one was looked to be a little younger than Percy himself, maybe closer to twelve or thirteen years old. She had auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail and unique silvery-yellow eyes that resembled the moon. Her face was so beautiful but the expression on her face made her look both stern and extremely dangerous, "The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast." She then looked at the other girl with the circlet and said, "Zoë, permission granted."
The manticore growled, "If I cannot have these demigods alive, I shall have them dead instead!"
With those words, he lunged wards Percy and Thalia.
"No!" Annabeth yelled, charging at the monster without thinking.
"Get back, half-blood!" the girl with the circlet said. "Get out of the line of fire!"
But Annabeth didn't hear her, leaping onto the monster's back and driving her knife into his mane. The manticore howled, turning in circles with his tail flailing as Annabeth hung on for dear life.
The girl with the circlet frowned but still ordered, "Fire!"
"No!" Percy screamed, fearing for his friend's life.
But the Hunters ignored him, obeying the girl who seemed to have some kind of authority in the group and let their arrows fly. The first arrow caught the manticore in the neck while another hit his chest, making the monster stagger backwards with a roar. Dr. Thorn snarled, shaking his head and baring his teeth at them. He seemed to have come to some kind of decision. Maybe he knew that he was outnumbered and that he won't be able to win against those girls.
"This is not the end, Huntress!" The manticore screamed, leaping over the cliff and tumbling into the darkness with Annabeth still on his back, "You shall pay!" His voice echoed in their ears.
"Annabeth!" Percy yelled, trying to run after them, but not all enemies had left. The helicopter was still there and there was no way to mistake the sound of gunfire as anything else.
There was a tug under his feet and a cold feeling washed over him before his body went numb for a moment and then, he was moving on his own, dodging a small shower of bullets that would have surely hit him. Then, Percy blinked and the cold was gone as fast as it came, leaving him standing there in the snow as though nothing had happened.
The gunshots continued for a little longer and most of theHunters scattered, tiny holes appeared in the snow at their feet. The girl with auburn hair didn't move, calmly looking up at the helicopter.
"Mortals," she announced, "are not allowed to witness my hunt."
With those words, she thrust out her hand and the helicopter exploded into dust – No, that was wrong. It wasn't dust. The black metal dissolved into a flock of birds (Ravens, he noticed absentmindedly) which scattered into the night. Then, the Hunters advanced towards them, the one called Zoë coming to a halt when she saw Thalia.
"You," Zoë said with distaste.
"Zoë Nightshade," Thalia's voice trembled with anger. "Perfect timing as usual."
Zoë pursued her lips, choosing to ignore the Daughter of Zeus as she scanned the rest of the group with sharp eyes as though assessing them. Finally, after a short pause, she said, "Five half-bloods and a satyr, my lady."
"Yes," the younger, auburn-haired girl said. "Some of Chiron's campers, I see."
"Annabeth!" Percy yelled, not being able to contain himself any longer. He was far too angry and worried to do so, "You have to let us save her!"
The auburn-haired girl turned to look at him, her eyes cold but not unkind as she said, "I'm sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond help." Percy shook his head and struggled to move but a couple of the girls held him back and she continued, "You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs."
"Let me go!" He demanded.
This couldn't be happening. Annabeth was his friend; he needed to save her.
The auburn-haired girl must've been important because Zoë sneered, stepping forward to hit him in the head.
"Who do you think you are?" She snarled.
"No," the other girl ordered. "I sense no disrespect, Zoë. He is simply distraught. He does not understand."
There was moment of silence, Percy could practically feel the tension in the air as the young girl looked at him, her eyes colder and brighter than a winter moon.
"I am Artemis." She said, "Goddess of the Hunt."
After seeing Dr. Thorn take off with one of his closest friends and failing to save her, Percy felt a little numb, staring at the young goddess with unblinking eyes. He had no idea of what she wanted him to say or do.
"Ooo-kay?" He said after a moment, his voice sounding little distant even to his own ears.
Surprisingly, Grover gasped, practically throwing himself at the goddess' feet and bowing with reverence and a stupid expression on his face, "Lady Artemis! Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're so... you're so... Wow!"
"Get up, goat boy!" Thalia snapped, forcefully pulling him up by the arm. "We have other things to worry about. Annabeth is gone!"
Percy clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. The numbness left him and all he felt was anger. At Thalia, at Dr. Thorn, at Annabeth, at the Hunters, at himself... He wanted to scream and rip something apart.
She wasn't gone, he thought angrily, She –
His thoughts were cut off when someone tapped his shoulders, making him jump. Turning around quickly, he found Miyako standing behind him, one arm around Nico while holding out a familiar cap; Annabeth's Yankees Cap. He stared, ignoring the warily way Bianca was staring at him from her position at Miyako's right.
"Here," she said, smiling in a way that made him relax unconsciously. It was a beautiful smile, reminding Percy of warm spring mornings; those types of mornings that always brought you a little ray of hope no matter what. "Don't worry about it. We'll get her back safe and sound."
He took the cap, not finding her wording even a little odd despite the fact that they didn't know each other and there was no reason for her to include herself in any kind of rescue mission.
The only thing that mattered to him at the moment was that Percy believed in her, believed in her words.
They would get Annabeth back.
So… For those who read Rewrite the Stars, Headmistress Potter and Sogno di Volare, don't worry! I'll be updating them all soon together. Things have been a little complicated so I don't really have a lot of time to write but I am almost finished with the chapters for those stories (Finally! Thank God).
Anyway… Hope you liked this introduction and please, don't forget to:
Review, Favorite or Follow and if you have questions/suggestions or just want to chat, just send me a PM.
-Cissnei.