To be completely fair, if it weren't a creepy, rusty, dilapidated, abandoned lumber mill with a sign that implied immediate death, it might've been a little cozy. Especially considering the weather, which had become a constant, brutal downpour ever since they'd left the twins' cabin. Percy had a toque on, one that he'd fished out of Leo's magic bead, but it wasn't really helping.
What he could really have used was his cowboy hat, but it's new wearer had taken a very fond liking to it.
Percy wasted no time taking the lead, moving towards the mill with Maelstrom already drawn and sitting in his hand. He clenched his fist on the grip as the rain bounced off the blade, admittedly a little nervous as he approached. It had been a while since he'd had to kill anything other than the odd coyote, and even then it was with his rifle. Now he was walking through an abandoned lumber mill on a magic mountain where there were apparently tons of brand new monsters and he hadn't stabbed anything since... well, since Naples. He stopped for a second, took a deep breath, and calmed himself.
Breathe.
"You alright?"
Percy turned back to Zoe, who'd been hot on his trail, closer to him than the others. She had her bow in her hands and and arrow notched, and had a look on her face of deep concern from under his hat.
He nodded, forcing a smile, "Yeah just... been a while since I did any sword stuff." He admitted.
She let out a smile, "I'm sure it'll all come flooding back."
He nodded, before pointing at his hat, "Wanna trade?"
She clamped her hand over the brim of the cowboy had and shot him a glare. "Not a chance, Jackson. You can have it back when we get home."
He sighed, and faced forward, continuing his path with her by his side, before a small smile spread across his lips.
"So when you say get back home, do you imply that it'll be our home?" He asked her. She drew her lips back into a firm line.
"If you're okay with that." She answered quietly, "My cabin can be a little... lonely sometimes." She admitted. Percy let out a smile.
"Waking up next to you every morning? I think I could get used to that." He said, looking at her with a smile. She looked back at him, her cheeks turning a little red, before she turned back forward, hefting her bow again. He kept his eyes on her for a moment as she readied herself again, studying her as she walked. She looked confident. Courageous. Determined. A little sexy, if he was being honest. Well, a lot sexy actually.
That Zoey steadfastness that he'd known for all that time, for all those years that she'd been trying to escape, if had snuck back into her behaviour. Her brow was furrowed and her body was firm and ready. She looked like she was pissed, and that the next monster she ran across was gonna feel her wrath. He'd kinda missed it, actually, which wasn't surprising considering that was the girl he'd fallen in love with. Then again he couldn't really complain with how she'd been the past few days, but still, he couldn't deny it.
Dangerous Zoe was sexy.
He focused back on the path ahead of them. They had entered the little outpost by this point and we're slowly sneaking their way to the gondola, keeping their eyes (and in Freya's case, her rifle) trained on the windows and doors. They made it to the gondola and Leo wasted no time pulling a panel off the side of the engine and taking a look at it.
"How we looking, Leo?" Percy asked in a hushed tone, his back to the boy as he scoured their surroundings.
Leo let out a sigh as he dug through the machinery. "Well, it's not hopeless, I can give you that. Most of this I can fix, but I'll need a new set of spark plugs."
"Any chance you've got some in that tool belt of yours?" Percy asked. Leo dug his hand in, and pulled out nothing, turning to Percy with a glum look.
"Nope."
Percy sighed, "So I'm guessing that means one of us is gonna have to go into the creepy buildings and look for them, right?"
Leo stood up, cracking his knuckles. "You mean more than one of us, right? Because I'm obviously gonna have to go find the things, but if you think I'm going alone then you're nuts." He said, pulling out his hammer.
Percy sighed, "All right, Annabeth, Zoe, Freya, you guys stay here. You see anything weird? Stab, pierce, or shoot it. Preferably all three."
The three girls nodded and hefted their weapons. Percy smiled, before it fell slightly. "God you girls are scary." He muttered.
Leo grabbed Percy by the arm, leading him away from the group. "Let's go kelp head. Sooner we're out of the creepy town the better."
Percy had changed his mind. This place was not at all cozy. As a matter of fact, the closer they got to the leaning buildings, the more he just wanted to leave.
"So what're we looking for?" Percy asked, keeping his eyes on the windows.
"A car, preferably a 1990s-2000s sedan." Leo replied, keeping his eyes peeled and his head on a swivel. Percy nodded, gripping his sword tightly and watching the rain drops bounce off the blade, before he spoke again.
"So, you and Calypso?" he started, watching Leo's body tense up slightly at her name, "How did that happen."
Leo let out a small smile, running his hand over his wedding ring. "It was during the giant war, when me, Jason, and Piper were fighting... someone. I don't even remember anymore, or care. Either way, I got blasted off the deck and ended up on her island."
"And she fell for you immediately?" Percy asked.
Leo laughed, turning back to his friend. "Percy, I know we joke about my irresistible sex appeal, but c'mon." He said, gesturing to himself.
Percy shrugged, "I think you've filled out nicely."
"Yeah sure, maybe now, but not all those years ago." Leo said with a sigh, "Truth be told she thought it was some cruel joke at the start."
Percy smiled, "Guess you proved her wrong, huh?"
Leo grinned at his friends comment. "Yeah, I sure did."
He was quiet for a moment, before he turned to Percy, his face a look so serious it almost scared Percy.
"Percy, I need to ask you a favour." He said, his eyes darkening, "Percy, if I... if I don't-"
"Stop." Percy said, shaking his head, "I don't want you to even entertain the idea. That's not gonna happen Leo."
Leo stopped, maki g Percy stop too. He stared into Percy's eyes, the serious look now flashing with something else. Fear.
"Percy." He said, his voice quiet, "I love her, more than I've ever loved anything or anyone else in my life. I need to say this. If I don't make it, I need you to take care of her, okay?" He stepped forward, putting his hand on his friends shoulder. "Please Perce, promise me this."
Percy took a shaky breath, very worried and concerned from what his friend was saying. He'd never, not even once in his life seen Leo like this. It scared him, and scared him bad. He put his own hand on Leo's shoulder, making him look him in the eye.
"I promise Leo..." He then leaned in close, "...promise that you'll go home to your family, alright?"
Leo let out a sad smile. "If you say so, Jackson." He turned back to the alley way, "Now let's find those fucking spark plugs and get out of the shithole."
Percy grinned, "Agreed."
Percy and Leo slunk through the buildings, eventually finding one that had Mechanic printed in bold letters on the steel wall over the door. They approached it, psyching themselves up as they did.
"You ready?" Leo asked Percy in a nervous tone.
"No." Percy admitted. Leo sighed and put his hammer in his tool belt, before he brought his hands up, placing them on either flat face of Percy's blade. He dragged his hands up the sword quickly, the blade sparking and igniting in flames as he did. Percy took a step back, observing his now flaming sword, the blade hissing slightly as the rain drops evaporated on impact with the flames.
"How about now?" Leo asked, pulling his hammer out and igniting it in the same way he'd done Percy's sword.
"A little." Percy admitted, "How did you do that?"
"Well, it normally only works if I'm holding it." Leo said, "But I kinda figured-slash-guessed that since it's base magical item is a lighter maybe it would hold the flame all on its own, or maybe even-"
"Leo." Percy said, cutting him off.
"What?" Leo asked him.
"We're gonna have to go in there." Percy said.
Leo took a shaky sigh, before muttering under his breath "Shut up Perce".
Percy opened the door, leading with the sword as he did. It illuminated the room, showing off lots of lovely, creepy things. A few old rusty cars, a partially collapsed crane, some skeletons, just lovely things. Percy and Leo made their way over to the cars and Leo pried open the hood, digging through the engine. Percy stood watch, taking in the sound of the rain hitting the old roof of the building, he gave Leo a slight glance as he worked, a certain thought nestling it's way into his mind.
"Leo?" He asked, making him turn towards him momentarily.
"Yeah?" He said. Percy took a deep breath.
"What's it like being a dad?"
Leo froze, his fist clenched around a chunk of the old engine. He gave Percy a very poignant look, his eyebrow cocked in the air.
"Percy." He said.
"Yeah Leo?" Percy replied, his eyes slightly glazed over in thought.
"You've been dating her for three days."
Those words seemed to snap Percy from his thoughts. He groaned and brought his hand up to his face, as Leo let out a smirk.
"I mean..." Leo continued, his smile growing, "You should at least marry her first, if we're going through things that fast."
Percy shook his head, hefting the sword again. "You're honestly starting to convince me." He said in a nervous tone.
Leo let out a laugh as he continued to dig through the engine. "This means one of two things, either one, that she showed you quite a time last night..."
He looked at Percy, who let out a shaky breath and rubbed the back of his neck, a blush forming across his now smiling face.
"If you want me to be honest..." He said, to which Leo held up his hand.
"I don't. But it's either that... or you really love her."
He concluded. Percy let out a sheepish smile.
"I think it might be both." He told Leo, who grinned.
"It was for me." He admitted, turning back to the car as his expression turned a little more serious. "To answer your question, it's hell sometimes."
"Really?" Percy asked. Leo shrugged.
"I mean diapers are never fun, and neither is the lack of sleep, or the crying, or the feeding, or for our little Esperanza all the burning, but..." He trailed off as he looked up at nothing, his lips spreading into a smile as his voice got serious, "I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."
Percy smiled, as Leo plucked what he needed from the car and closed the hood. "So then-" he began, before a noise outside cut him off. Their eyes both snapped up to the door and they slinked over to it, peering out the door as they caught sight of... something.
Whatever it was, it was humanoid. Barely. It had on clothes, and old looking ones at that. It had an old red flannel and a pair of denim jeans with suspenders, along with a pair of leather boots on it's feet. That's about where the human qualities ended.
It's skin was grey, and worn out. It looked like someone had pulled all the skin off its body and replaced it with grey leather. It's eyes, that darted around it's surroundings, were piercing blue and seemed to glow in the light. It didn't have hair, and didn't seem bothered by it's surroundings as the rain dripped off it's face.
It snapped around, hissing and snarling as it did. It looked feral, like someone had woken it up with a pair of cymbals and it just never got over it. It stumbled as it moved, winging it's arms around as if attacking some invisible being.
"What the fuck is that? Some lumberjack zombie from hell?" Leo hissed as they peered through the door. Percy thought for a moment, letting his mind go back to the wikipedia-ing he'd done on Norse mythology. A certain memory popped up in his head.
"It s a draugr." He said, Leo shot him an incredulous look.
"What in the holy mother of Hera is a draugr."
"I dunno." Percy whispered, hefting his sword, "It's like an ice zombie thing, you ever seen game of thrones before?"
Leo's gaze snapped to him, a look of fear in his eyes, "Percy, do not fucking tell me there are white walkers on this mountain."
Percy grimaced, still looking at the creature. "I'm pretty sure Norse mythology is where white walkers came from." Leo groaned, but stopped as Percy got up to leave the building.
"What're you doing?" He hissed.
Percy turned to him, "Killing it. This is a perfect opportunity to test our weapons. There's only one."
Leo remained unconvinced as Percy left the shop and let out a sharp taxi cab whistle. The things eyes snapped to him and it reeled back, letting out a horrifying shriek.
Suddenly there wasn't just one. There was a lot more than one, there were dozens, crawling out of windows of buildings and wreckages of cars. Some were dressed like the first, in lumberjack outfits, others were dressed in more concerning clothes. Some had on hiking equipment, others had on electricians jumpsuits, there were even a few soldiers in there.
Percy wasted no time sprinting into the shop as he and Leo slammed the door, pressing their backs to it as Leo dropped the deadbolt, giving Percy a look as the creatures slammed their arms into the door.
"Just one, eh Perce?"
"Shut up Leo." Percy grumbled, watching as the creatures smashed their arms through the windows for the shop. Leo let out a frustrated growl, staring directly ahead of him as the creatures pounded on the door.
"I'm not going out like some Nights watch reject." He turned to Percy who turned to him.
"Back door on three?" Leo asked, Percy nodded.
"One, two, three."
In hindsight, they may have just done better walking out the front door.
The back door of the mechanics shop ripped open as Leo and Percy poured out, slamming it behind them and pushing a dumpster in front of the door. They turned around only to see two draugr charging them. A swipe from Percy's flaming sword and a swing from Leo's burning hammer shattered the two draugr into frost.
Percy grinned at his friend, "At least we know they die."
"Yeah, let's keep it that way." He said, giving his hammer a spin, "Them dying, us living."
Percy was about to reply when a noise cut him off. A noise that put fear into his mind and dropped the world out around him as he couldn't help but focus on one person. He heard gunshots, and all he could think was Zoe.
Leo grabbed his wrist, pulling him along, "C'mon, let's get going kelp head!"
They sprinted together through the alleys, dodging the odd draugr and either running them through or cracking them over the head with a hammer. To be honest, despite the danger and the death and the fact that they were fighting ice zombies, Percy was having the time of his life. Leo seemed to be enjoying himself too, muttering "You know nothing, Jon snow" to himself as he cracked draugr heads open.
They turned a corner, and ran into a bit more than they wanted to handle. There were at least ten of them there, and their heads snapped to the two of them the second they saw them. Percy hefted his sword again, but Leo pushed him out of the way, dropping his hammer and throwing his hands out, a plume of flame shooting from his appendages.
The draugrs screamed, flailing their bodies around as the fire consumed them. One by one they each burst into frost. Percy gave Leo an impressed look and Leo shot him a grin.
"I guess fire works too."
"Then boy am I glad you came on this quest." Percy said as Leo helped him up. The boy grinned, before the sound of gunfire brought his attention back to the gondola.
"C'mon." Leo said, "You can kiss my ass when we're safe."
Percy was a little scared, to be honest. Not that he didn't have faith in his group, but he was a little bit worried when he turned the corner back to the gondola. He felt his body tense up, worried he see someone hurt, or worse...
So needless to say, he was overjoyed to see the girls completely kicking draugr ass.
Zoe was moving like a predator, notching arrows, sometimes multiple at a time, and firing them at draugr landing headshot after headshot after headshot. Whenever one did get close, a swipe of her hunting knife turned them to frost without a second glance. Annabeth was just as impressive, driving her dagger into every one of them that got close. At one point the two of them had their backs pressed against one another, as they defended themselves. It was impressive, but not as impressive as Freya.
She was just... on it. Every trigger pull was a headshot, every reload was perfect, every killed draugr didn't get a second glance. She looked lethal, precise, and full of steely warrior-style confidence. It was kinda scary, if he was being honest, seeing his secretary cracking off headshots like it was going out of style.
He was pulled from his funk when a draugr that had snuck up on him exploded all over his back. Leo pulled up beside him, giving his hammer a spin as he did.
"C'mon Perce, you can eye-bang your girlfriend when we're not dead!"
Percy stuffed his retort and followed Leo, sprinting up to the girls while cleaving his blade through as many draugr as he could. He drove his blade through the heart of a draugr right as it was about to sneak up on Zoe, showering his girlfriend in frost. She spat some out, shooting him a look somewhere between a frown and a smile.
"Finally decided to join us, honey?" She asked him, he grinned as he decapitated another ice zombie.
"Me and Leo figured you shouldn't have all the fun... Darling." He replied. She let out a small smile as another draugr exploded in front of her. They both turned to Freya, who flip cocked her gun while flaring at the two of them.
"C'mon lovebirds, less chit chat more combat."
As she raised her gun and found her mark, nailing a quadruple headshot and bursting a four-pack of ice zombies into dust, dropping both Percy and Zoe's jaws to the floor. They picked them up off the floor and got back to killing draugrs.
Leo had already gotten busy, tearing the panel off the gondola and frantically plugging in the spark plugs. He took a break to crack another wanna be white walker over the head before he plugged in he last spark plug. The gondola whirred to life, before sputtering out. Leo growled and smacked it with his hand, making it come back to life.
"Okay people, we're in business! Let's move!"
They didn't need to be told twice. They piled onto the ride, first Zoe, then Freya, then Percy, then Leo. Annabeth stepped on just as the gondola had started to move, jamming her knife into a draugr before she turned to the group, a smile on her face. It fell when she stopped moving, and started moving backwards, right towards the open door. Percy didn't hesitate, he surged forward, grabbing her hand just as she got pulled off the edge and holding her dangling off the edge of the gondola. He saw what had snagged her, a draugr, clinging to her leg as it dangled in the rain over the massive crevice below.
"Freya?" Percy grunted rather frantically. His receptionist leaned out the window and put a bullet through the creatures eyes, bursting it to frost. Percy heaved, pulling Annabeth back into the gondola with a deep breath, before leaning back against the rides wall, taking more deep breaths. The rest of the group were the same, no one really talking and everyone just doubled over trying to catch their breaths. They were silent until Freya spoke up.
"That was incredible." She breathed, hefting her rifle, "You said you guys have been doing that since you were twelve?"
"More or less." Annabeth replied, before turning to Percy with a smile, "Thanks for the save."
Percy gave her an exhausted grin, "Don't mention it." He stood up, feeling his bones crack as he did, and moved towards the front of the gondola, noticing that a thick fog had moved in.
"Any idea where this leads?" He asked the group, also taking note of the rides... odd controls. Namely the fact that all the dials were labeled in ancient Nordic symbols.
"Well..." Leo said, examining the controls, "I don't speak lord of the rings, but I'm guessing that's a good indicator of out journeys length."
He pointed at a meter on the wall near the ceiling. It was a simple thing, a bar with a little logo of the gondola on it that was slowly moving from one end to the other. They all knew what it was the second they saw it, it was a progress bar.
A progress bar that was moving unbelievably, mind numbingly slowly.
Percy let out a slight groan, looking out the window to see... well, fog. They had started moving through the cloud line and he imagined that it was going to stay that way for a while. He turned back to the group, most of which had caught their breaths at this point, and focused on Leo.
"Any clue how long were gonna be on this thing for?"
Leo shrugged, "I mean, your guess is as good as mine, but considering how slowly that thing is moving..." He lightly tapped the progress bar with his hammer, "... I'd say we've got multiple hours."
Percy let out a breath and turned back to the group, "Well..." He said, watching as the rain poured over the windows of the ride, "... at least we've got a roof over our heads."
They got around 15 minutes in with the little progress bar making virtually no progress when they decided to set up a camp. Well, camp was a bit of a stretch. They set up sleeping bags and cracked open cans of beans.
Percy had taken some time to practice with Maelstrom. He pulled the lighter out, striking it, getting used to the motions. He'd spent nearly a decade mastering the art of uncapping a pen one handed, so he figured a few hours learning to strike a lighter might do him some good.
He was interrupted when Freya spoke up behind him.
"Cool sword."
He turned around to find her there, his rifle thrown over her shoulder and a can of chick peas in her hands.
"Well... cool gun." He replied, before cracking a smile, "And good shooting, by the way. I saw that quad kill you got back there."
Freya grinned, hefting the rifle off her shoulder. "Yeah, those cans in my backyard were better practice than I thought they'd be." She ran her hand over the rifle, giving him a raised eyebrow, "Still worried about me being here?"
"Are you kidding?" Percy asked, collapsing Maelstrom, "You're a natural. Man, what I wouldn't have given to have had your sharpshooter skills against Kronos." He shook his head with a smile, " I can see it now, he shows up on his stupid skeleton horse, expecting a bunch of swordsman, and BAM," He tapped himself on the forehead, "One right between the eyes."
She let out a laugh, which fell a bit when she met his eyes. "So... you're an actual hero, right? Like Theseus, or Achilles? We were talking about it before, and it seems like... well you've made your place in the history books."
Percy rubbed the back of his head, giving her a sad look, "Yeah, but... it's not all it's cracked up to be."
"Why's that?" Freya asked.
He sighed and leaned against the wall, his eyes thick with thought, his brow pressed into a tight line. He looked at her. "Did they tell you how Kronos rose?"
She shook her head, turning over to Annabeth, "It seemed like a touchy subject."
He gave her a sad nod. "It was this guy, this son of Hermes, his name was Luke. He'd become... well, he hated the gods. He hated them for ignoring him, for casting him aside. For treating him like nothing. When he was young, he'd been sent on a quest, to get a golden apple from the garden of the Hesperides." He said, Freya's eyes widened.
"What, like Hercules did?" She asked him, he let out a soft smile.
"Yeah, exactly. He went, got the apple, as well as a scar on his face," Percy said, tracing his finger along his cheek, "But he got the apple, came back to the camp, and then..."
Freya gave him a look, "Then... what?"
"Then nothing." Percy replied in a glum tone, "Nothing at all. The gods didn't care, they didn't pay him any more mind, they ignored him. I'm guessing every time he looked at that scar, it just reminded him how they'd treated him." Percy took a deep breath, "He helped raise Kronos. Took him years, and he gave everything. Even let Kronos take over his body." Percy grit his jaw, "In the end, though. He sacrificed himself, stabbing himself to kill Kronos."
Freya listened in silence, watching as Percy's face tightened and loosened, as if the memories hurt him to recall. She took a step forward, slinging her rifle back over her shoulder. "So why does that make you not enjoy being a hero?"
He took a deep breath and looked at her. "I've seen so much, Freya. Too much. I've seen people die before I was even able to drive. I've seen... too much." He said, clenching his fist in front of him. "And Luke did too. That's why he did what he did. He hated the gods, for ignoring him, for ignoring all of us. There were a lot of us who didn't want the life or the quests that were forced upon us."
He turned to her, his eyes wrought with emotion. She took a breath, hesitant with her words. "Were you like that?" She asked, in a fort voice.
He sighed, his fingers lightly drumming along the wal behind him. He looked at her, his eyes a tinged with a tenderness that she hadn't seen since the quest had began.
"If you'd asked me that a week ago, the answer would've been yes." He said, clenching and unclenching his fist. "I gave up a lot for the gods, and sure, they tried their best to pay it back, but..." He let out a dry chuckle, and stared at the ground, "I can't tell you what I'd give to have been a normal kid."
Freya was silent for a moment, watching as Percy essentially pulled his heart out it put it on the table for her. It explained... well, lot about the deputy. The years of avoiding people, of staying away from parties, of him being quietly content with just being a deputy of a small town in Alaska. She still had a question on her mind though, that itched it's way into words.
"What changed your mind? On quests, and gods, and all of it?"
He eyes snapped up to her, filled with thought yet again, before they slowly drifted over her shoulder. Freya followed his gaze, seeing who he was looking at.
Zoe, busy tightening off the string of her bow. She'd ditched her jacket and was just wearing her shirt now, a tight silver long sleeve that was... very flattering, to say the least. She turned back to Percy, who was still looking at his girlfriend.
"Ragnarok meant the end of Hammer falls." He said, his voice a low droning noise, "And she can't leave Hammer falls."
Freya took in his words, feeling her heart melt at them. She never really considered just how... romantic, Percy could be. He'd never dated, save for a few times, and really kept mostly to himself. For a while Freya thought he was aromantic or something, and that he'd probably just live out the rest of his days alone in his cabin. She looked at him, taking a step forward.
"You really love her, don't you?"
He smiled to himself while he watched his girlfriend tighten her bowstring, her brow furrowing as she reached over and took tools from Leo's belt. He nodded, before his expression turned to a sadder one.
"I watched her die."
Freya's gaze snapped up, a confused look on her face. "What?"
He turned to her, "When I was 14. We went on a quest together, me and her. It was to mount Othrys, against Atlas, the sky holding guy. She didn't make it..." He took a deep breath, "Her death, back then, it had really gotten to me. I'd never really seen anyone die like that before." He ran his hand over his tattoo. "The memory... well let's just say it hasn't gotten any easier to deal with."
Freya stepped forward, placing her hand in Percy's shoulder. "I don't think you've got anything to worry about. She's very... accurate with her bow." Freya said, recalling how Zoe had kept up with her and her rifle rather easily. "She can definitely take care of herself."
Percy shook his head, "You can be the best Archer in the world." He said, his eyes turning to Freya with a dark look in them, "Doesn't make a difference when the titan of the sky caves in your chest cavity."
Freya swallowed at his words, and he let out a sigh. "Sorry..." He said, running his hand over the back of his neck, "Old memories tend to bring out the old Percy." He gave her a smile, "Why don't you get some rest. I'll keep watch, just in case."
Freya nodded, returning to the group. She plopped down next to Annabeth, who'd been using this time to study an old map she'd pulled out from somewhere. Freya pulled out her compass, sliding it over to her. Annabeth smiled at the gesture.
"Thanks." She said, "Trying to see if I can plan things out a bit better."
Freya nodded, her eyes drifting over as she watched Zoe stand up and make her way over to Percy.
Percy could practically feel her walk over. Her smell, her aura, he'd gotten really used to all of it, so it was pretty easy to tell that she was approaching him when she did.
"Get your bow fixed?" He asked, as he stared out the window of the gondola.
"More or less." She replied, standing next to him. "Still worried about having me here?"
"Not as much." He replied, finding her hand and giving it a squeeze, "Freya made quite the effort convincing me of your lethality."
"I think you're already aware, Percy Jackson..." She said, putting her head on his shoulder, "...I'm plenty lethal when I want to be."
He smiled, letting go of her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulder. "I think we should paint my house." He said suddenly, she shot a glance up at him.
"Why's that?" She asked, her brow slightly furrowed, "I think your house is lovely."
"It is." He said, pursing his lips and nodding, "But it's way too... I dunno, Percy coloured. I'd rather it was Percy and Zoe coloured." He said, giving her a look.
She blushed and looked forward, her eyes floating downward with a slight glint as a small sme drew across her lips. "You really want me to move in, huh?"
He gave her shoulders a squeeze, "Yeah. I really do."
She looked back up at him. "You know, we don't have to rush things if you don't want to. I mean, I'd love to live with you, and I really do want to, but..." She nervously, ran her hand over her arm, "...It's only been a few days, Percy..."
He nodded, rotating his free hands wrist. "Yeah, it has." He said, before turning to her with a smile so genuine it made her face heat up, "And these have been the best days of my life."
She pressed herself against him, pressing her hand against his chest and feeling his heart beat against her palm.
"One request." She said, closing her eyes.
He smiled, "Name it."
She looked up at him, "We need to get rid of that door mat."
He groaned, and she let out a smile, "Not the doormat. Please, Zoe, it ties the whole house together."
She shook her head, her smile growing, "You're unbelievable."
He let out a slight chuckle, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Only for you."
They stood there for a moment, Percy's arm wrapped around her as she leaned into him. The gondola continued it's steady trajectory, rising through the clouds as it made it's way toward what was hopefully the peak.
Zoe noticed something, her keen eyes picking it out of the layer of fog as she had been gazing out the window. She stiffened in Percy's arms and he shook himself out of the contact-with-Zoe induced daze he was in.
"What is it?" He asked her. She pointed out the window, her eyes focused on the outdoors.
"That."
He turned to where she was pointing and felt his jaw drop a little bit. The cables of the gondola had begun to glow. Not too brightly, but they were glowing an almost... rainbow pattern. They shimmered in the fog, sparking ever so slightly in the light of the day. Percy let go of Zoe's shoulders and moved toward the glass, peering out.
"I'm guessing that means we're going in the right direction." He said under his breath.
He turned back to the group, who had come to join him in staring at the wires. Freya gave him a glance, a slight smile drawing across her lips.
"What's got you smiling?" He asked her, as her smile grew.
"Nothing..." She began, wiping the condensation off the window so she could get a better view of the sight, "I just... I never thought I'd get to see it, is all."
Percy gave her a smile, before he stepped away from the window, and dug through his backpack. Annabeth turned to him, giving him a look. "I can't imagine anything in that bag is more impressive than this, Percy."
Zoe let out a groan, turning to her with a grimace, "I know what he's getting."
She words had barely left her mouth before Percy turned from his bag, a smile on his face as he held a Polaroid camera and a tripod. Annabeth shot him a cocked eyebrow with an unimpressed huff. He gave her a slightly offended look.
"What? Can you blame me? Imagine the photo albums we could've had at the big house if we'd packed one all those years." He said, as he set up the camera, unlatching the legs of the tripod and set up the camera, placing it so it was facing them and the window showing the rainbow cables. He walked backwards, motioning for everyone to get close. There was a collective sigh before everyone grouped up. Percy held the trigger switch in his hand.
"Alright everyone, on three let's say..." He trailed off, before looking at Leo. Leo looked back at him and shrugged.
"Tacos."
Percy let out a deep sigh, and faced the camera as everyone around him tried not to laugh.
"Tacos on three. One, two, three..."
They all said it with big smiles on their faces as the camera took their photo.
They didn't stop there either. After the corniness of Percy's choice of supplies wore off they took a few more pictures. There was one of Freya and Annabeth with their arms around each other's shoulders, one where the two of them held Leo up in front of them while he did his best attempt at the Burt Reynolds playgirl cover pose, they even took one where Zoe and Freya traded gun for bow and stood back to back.
Those were nice, but they weren't Percy's favourite. No, Percy's favourite came when everyone was busy laughing over the pictures they'd taken and Zoe snuck back over to him, hands behind her back.
"Hey." She said, he smiled at her.
"Hey yourself." He replied, "Did you pick a photo to keep?"
She shook her head, "No, but..." She pulled her hands forward, showing that she was holding the trigger switch, "We're about to make me one."
He let out a smile as she pulled him back in front of the camera. She pressed herself into his side, leaning into his chest as he wrapped his arm around her. She gave him a look as she hefted the switch.
"On three?" She asked him, he clicked his tongue.
"Well yes, but, what should we say?" He answered, she looked down sheepishly.
"How about..." She looked back up at him, a slight glint in her eye "... I love you."
He smiled, feeling his heartbeat raise a little. He pulled her tight to his chest, letting her put her head on his shoulder. She held the switch as they both smiled at the camera.
"Three, two, one." She said, as she pressed the switch.
The camera flashed, and they both said it, gently whispering it to each other as the camera captured the moment. They moved to the camera, admittedly a little rushed as it printed out the photo. Percy picked it up, smiling as he did.
"Wow." He said, in a hushed tone, as he pulled her close to him, "I don't think I've ever looked that bad in a picture." He said, she gave him a look.
"You're joking." She asked him, he shook his head with mock-seriousness on his face.
"I mean, it's kinda hard to look good when you're standing next to the prettiest girl on the planet." He said, as her cheeks flushed with a tinge of crimson. "There's only so much I can-"
He stopped talking when she kissed him. She pulled him close, bringing her hands up to his cheeks as she did, with those same cheeks heating up the second she laid her hands on them. She pulled away, giving him a soft gentle look, before she furrowed her brow.
"You've been holding out on me, Jackson." She said, drumming her fingers on his chest as she tried to hide her smile with pouted lips. "All these years I could've been sharing these little moments with you and you were letting me climb trees and swim across lakes."
He rubbed the back of his head, raising and lowering his eyebrows. "Well, it's a bit hard to say no to you when I'm secretly in love with you..." He said, as her brow furrowed further. He took a breath, and let out a small smile, which she could help but let melt the fake anger right off her face.
"How about this..." He said, holding up the picture, "Let make this the first of many cute pictures we take together."
She ran her hand along his cheek as a smile spread across her face. "Agreed." She said, before looking at the picture, "Oh, and uh, you can keep that one." She said, as he raised his eyebrows at her.
"Why's that?" He asked, looking at the photo with a hurt expression, "Am I really that ugly in it?"
She shook her head with a barely stuffed laugh. "No, because if I have it," She said, running her hand down his chest, "... I'm gonna be too distracted looking at it to put arrows in bad guys."
Percy gave her a smile, before tucking the photo in his pocket, it feeling like his body heated up from it being there.
At a certain point on their gondola ride they'd decided that a roof over their head was as good a reason as any to actually get some sleep. Leo had somehow found a way to hang a hammock from the ceiling and was lounging in it with his legs kicked up on against the window. Zoe and Annabeth had... well a little surprisingly decided to sleep right next to each other, propping their sleeping bags up against a wall as Zoe rested her head on Annabeth's shoulder. Percy couldn't help but smile at the sight as Freya plopped down next to him. He let out a sigh.
"I believe I made it clear that I'm on first watch, Deputy." Freya said, as she laid Percy's rifle across her legs.
Percy turned to her, giving her a cocked eyebrow.
"Y'know, you're way too eager for this stuff, especially for your first time." He leaned over to her, looking around as he did, "You can tell me if you've secretly been on a quest before."
Freya laughed through her nose, drumming her fingers on the stock of the rifle as she did.
"Nope. First time, I swear. You can even ask Erik when we get back." She said, her eyes taking on a slight worry when she mentioned her husband.
Percy sighed and leaned back into the wall. "How did the big man respond to this."
She was silent for a moment, before she replied in a quiet voice. "He tried to tell me he was okay with it, that he was happy for me. But I could tell, from the look in his eyes, he..." She closed her eyes, turning away as she did, "...He's done this before. A quest, I mean." She said.
Percy nodded, looking up at the progress bar on the gondola which was just about 3/4 of the way doen at this point.
"Erik Redd." He said, making her turn to him as he turned to her, "Erik the Red?"
She let out a soft smile, turning back forward. "That obvious, huh?" She asked, Percy shrugged.
"I'm guessing he's the very same one?" He asked, before Freya shook her head.
"He is, it's reincarnation." She said, swirling her thumb in circles on the stock of the rifle. "He's... well, it's complicated. But given Zoe's current status in town, I'm sure you know all about complications."
Percy let out a grim nod, turning back to look at his girlfriend who, at some point, had shifted and was now laying her head across Annabeth's lap. He smiled at the sight and Freya took notice, letting out a short sigh.
"You're hopeless, you know that deputy?" She asked him with a smile. He clicked his tongue and looked back at her with a wiggle of the eyebrows.
"Maybe I am." He said, cracking his shoulders, "Then again, you try pretending to not be in love with someone for years."
"I did." She replied, and Percy turned to his friend in shock.
"What? You mean... with Erik?" He asked her, she turned to him and nodded.
"Erik is, was, still is, well..." She held her hand over her head, "...intimidating. Not just from the giantness of him, but just... everyone knew he was the reincarnation of Erik the red, that's why his parents named him that." She clenched and unclenched her hands nervously, "Meanwhile I'm just..."
"...A daughter of the god of thunder?" Percy offered, but she shook her head.
"I'm just me." She said, a sour look on her face, "I'm just simple, boring Freya." She turned to Percy, a slight smile on her face. "I was completely in love with him. I think the day he actually asked me out I nearly fainted." she said, with a slight laugh.
Percy nodded, listening to her words as a string of ideas started to stitch themselves together in his mind. He felt his brow furrow as a realization hit him like a 2x4 to the stomach.
"You're doing this for him, aren't you?" He asked her.
Freya blushed and looked down. "I've read the things my husband has done, Percy. All his achievements in his prior life." She turned to him, a glum look in her eye, "I kinda wanted to feel like, I dunno... I was enough for him." She admitted.
Percy shook his head, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Freya, you're more than enough for him. These quests, these adventures we go on, I don't do them so people will think better of me, and not going on one wouldn't have made you a worse person."
Freya nodded as he finished speaking, before she turned toward him, a look in her eye that said Thank you without her needing to say it. She cleared her throat and hefted her rifle, giving him a cocky look.
"That's not the only reason I came." She said. He shot up an eyebrow.
"Oh really?" He asked her. She grinned, and drummed her fingers on the gun.
"Yeah. Pops is apparently supposed to get eaten by that big dog." She said, lifting her gun and aiming it at the wall, "...and I plan on putting a bullet right between it's eyes."
Percy swallowed slightly, still intimidated by his receptionists newfound lethality. He was about to say something when suddenly the gondola stopped, lurching as it did. His friends snapped awake, rolling out of their collective sleeping quarters and hefting their weapons as they did. Percy motioned for them to stop as he reached for the door handle. The windows had frosted over completely, cutting off view from the outside world. It was almost as if...
He popped open the door, and was met with a freezing wind and falling snow. He shivered and closed the door, turning back to the group.
"I think we're here." He said, "I think this is Asgard."
They spent a good 5 minutes rustling through Percy and Zoe's bags handing out snow gear before they actually set out in the cold. To be fair, the two of them had done an excellent job packing. There were plenty of coats and toques and gloves for everyone, with Percy notably slipping a pair of black leather gloves over his hands and twisting a scarf around his neck. He turned back to Zoe, who'd matched his look with a scarf of her own, having given Percy his had back and pulled a toque of her own over her head. Percy smiled as he took the hat and placed it back on his head.
"Not a fan of the cowboy hat anymore?" He asked her. She shook her head.
"Not in that freezing cold, thank you very much."
Percy let out a slight chuckle as he took a deep breath. "It smells like you." He noted. She rolled her eyes.
"Perfect. We can trade back when it smells like you, and vice versa when it smells like me and just go back and forth until we die of gushyness." She said with a dry tone.
He shook his head with a grin, before his face went serious and he turned to the group.
"Ready?" he asked, to which he got a thumbs up from an unchanged Leo, who had a ball of fire floating on his palm.
"Born ready, Perce." The son of Hephaestus replied. Percy nodded, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
Gods above it was cold. Cold and windy, and snowy. The flakes fell from the sky like it was nobody's business, covering everything in a thick layer of powder. The line trees that surrounded their path leaned heavily from the sheer amount of snow on their branches and bowed heavily under the weight. Percy trudged forward, trying to carve a path from the gondola to the tree line where the wind was less brutal and the snowfall less smothering. He got to the trees and motioned for the group to come over, which they did, following the path he'd made through the snow. Percy grabbed Leo by the shoulder when he approached him, opening Maelstrom as he did.
"How do I set it on fire?" He asked Leo as his teeth chattered. The boy sighed.
"Just flick right there." He said, pointing at a part of the hilt that closely resembled a striker. Percy did and the sword immediately was set ablaze. Percy smiled as the heat from the blade warmed him up. Must've done the same for the rest of the group because they crowded around him as Freya clutched the compass in her frigid gloves hands.
"That way." she said, pointing towards a rock wall. "That's where we go."
The group continued, waling as best they could through the wind. They got to the wall of stone, the overhang providing some cover from the snow, as they followed Freya's lead. They rounded a corner and, evidently, found what they were looking for.
A cave shaft, and a deep one at that.
It looked ancient, ancient and long abandoned with cobwebs lining the entrance. The mouth of the cavern seemed to almost breathe as they approached, drawing them in and pushing them out with whistling gusts of wind. They took a peek at Freya's compass, with the needle pointing directly at the entrance. Percy let out a sigh, and turned to the group.
"Alright, here's what's gonna happen, me and Leo are gonna check this out, then-"
"Why do I gotta go in the creepy ass cave?" Leo asked, tossing his hands in the air, "I already went in the mechanics shop from hell with you!"
Percy shook his head and let out a groan, "Because you're the only other guy with fire, and we need fire to see." He replied, with Leo huffing at his assessment.
"Fine." Leo grumbled, "Bit if I see some horrible demon your ass is getting shoved as a distraction."
Percy let out a slight smile as he turned to the cave, hefting his flaming blade as Leo brought out his hammer and ignited it as well. Percy turned back ad locked eyes with Zoe, who had a worried look in her eye. He gave her a gentle smile.
"I'll be right back."
"You'd better be." She replied, before he went into the cave.
It was dark, dark and dry. The cave felt like he and Leo we're marching through a gate to Hades with how empty it was of any moisture. They went in, twenty feet, forty feet, sixty feet, before Leo started to get cold feet.
"Alright Perce, we've scoped it out, think it's safe enough for the girl with the gun can come in now?" He asked in a hesitant voice. Percy turned to him, winging the sword around as he did.
"Yeah, I guess so, let's just-" He was cut off when he heard it. A very unfamiliar, yet familiar noise. One that made his heart drop. One that was right above his head. He looked up to see his flaming blade very close to what he'd originally thought was cobwebs, but wasn't. it was a fuse
A dynamite fuse.
He'd barely gotten that thought across before an explosion rattled the cave, shaking both Leo and Percy to their knees. Percy was up immediately, running, no, sprinting to the entrance of the cave, praying to every god he could think of that what he'd thought happened, hadn't.
It had. Because of course it had.
The entrance was cut off completely. A pile of boulders far too big for either of them to move sat in their way. Percy could hear the girls calling out from the other side, but he couldn't focus on their cries, only the information that had buried itself right into his mind the second he'd realized what had happened.
He was in here and Zoe was out there, and they were completely cut off by a wall of rocks.
Leo had done his best to keep his cool, he'd really given a valiant effort to keep himself from freaking out, to keep as calm and composed as he possibly could have in this admittedly fire situation.
He lasted just about 4 seconds.
"Oh for the love of it all!" He cried, driving his hammer into the largest boulder on the pile, "Just once, for fucking once can shit not go sideways on us? I mean for fuck sakes, dynamite? What kind of godly god forsaken mountain has dynamite in-"
He was cut off when Percy smacked him upside the head. He shook his head, rubbing his hand over the back of his head.
"Thanks..." he mumbled, turning away from the like of rocks with a sigh. He took note of the dark, creepy passage that laid in front of them. Percy meanwhile had pressed himself up to the pile, looking for any cracks.
"Zoe? Zoe can you hear me?" He shouted into the rocks.
"Yeah." He got back, bringing a breath of relief from his mouth, "Are you guys okay?"
"Yeah, we're good." He yelled back, turning to wards the cave. "I'm guessing you guys can't get through?"
"No... but Percy, the compass..." She began, but he closed his eyes, drawing a deep breath as he could predict what she was gonna say.
"It changed, didn't it?" He asked.
"Yeah, how did you know?" She asked through the rocks.
He took a step back, and placed his hand on Leo's shoulder, pulling him back over. "Because we needed to split up." He yelled back, giving Leo a look. "I think it's just you and me, hothead."
Leo shook his head. "What I wouldn't give for hazel and her cave powers right now..." He said. Percy straightened his lips into a firm line, turning back to the pile.
"Zoe, were gonna try to find our way through, and see if there's any other quest-stuff down here." He shouted through the rocks, "Well meet you on the other side, okay?"
"Okay." The reply came, in a voice that hurt Percy because he knew was breaking, "Just, Percy..." She said.
He pressed himself to the rocks, "Yeah Zoe?"
She was silent for a second, he heard her take a breath, "... promise me I'll see you again."
He smiled in the dark, lightly resting his head against the rocks. "I promise."
"You'd better." She said, her voice confident again, "We'll see you on the other side."
He turned away from the rocks, patting his arm on Leo's shoulder as he stared at the dimly illuminated cave while Leo held up his flaming hammer.
"Well buddy..." Percy said, turning to his old friend, "...shall we?"
Leo sighed and scowled at Percy. "You're a real jackass sometimes, Jackson."
Percy grinned, "Yeah. Now let's get through this fucking cave."
Percy did not like getting through the fucking cave. He did not enjoy it one but as a matter of fact. He hefted his sword, once again illuminated by flame, as Leo walked beside him, flaming hammer in his grasp. They walked and walked, over the smooth surface of the cave, until they ran into something that made them both freeze.
A pickaxe, and a new looking one, at that.
They looked at each other, a silent conversation passing between their eyes as they did. They both knew what it meant. There were people down here.
They took collective deep breaths as they continued on their trek, making their way through the cave until they got to their next hint of society in the tunnel. Well, hint was rather underselling when you're describing a massive stone doorway.
It raised above them, far higher than their source of light could show. It rose up and up, made from polished smooth stones with Nordic runes and calligraphy engraved into them. They looked old, ancient even, and stood wide as can be. Percy looked past them, gazing in through the doorway, trying to make any sense of what he saw through the darkness as he continued through the gates. Leo followed close behind, grumbling to himself, "Oh sure, let's go through the terrifying arches..."
They entered, taking in their surroundings. They were in a round room, surrounded by hallway entrances all around them. Percy put his hand on his hips, and turned to Leo.
"Any ideas?" He asked. Leo shrugged.
"Go back the way we came?" He offered, but Percy's attention was grabbed when he heard it. Something soft, something gentle in the distance.
A groan.
He looked at Leo, who gave him a look that said I heard it too.
They took off, sprinting down the corridor that the groans came from. They weaved around corners, taking slight note of how the deeper they went, the more sophisticated the caves got. Almost like whoever lived here wanted to live as deep as possible. They rounded a corner and found themselves at a prison of sorts, a series of bars fitted to gaps in the walls making up cells. They searches through them, following the groans as they did, until they found the cell they were looking for.
It was in the back, and the figure was chained to the wall by his neck and hands. Percy grabbed the bars, giving them a shake and gritting his teeth when they wouldn't budge.
"Leo?" He asked, his friend shot him a smile, pulling a crowbar out of his tool belt and jamming it under the door. He stepped on the tool and the door lifted off it's hinges, falling to the floor as Leo and Percy surged in to the figure. Percy held up his blade, trying to get a good look at the figure. He had black hair, long and thick that fell over his eyes. He groaned as they approached him, mumbling something as they did.
Percy swung Maelstrom, slicing the chains free as he did, before catching the young man in his arms. The figure mumbled something as he fell, and Percy held the man up.
"Are you alright? What are you trying to say?" He said, unable to see properly in the dark. Leo held up his hammer, illuminating the young man in an instant.
Percy froze. His jaw tightened. He felt a very dark feeling pool in his gut as he realized there was a strong chance that it was his fault this man was here. The man's onyx eyes gazed up at Percy, barely peeking out from his thick black hair that clung to the sweat on his brow. He had a t shirt on, with a barely identifiable logo of a skull on it, and the jacket he was wearing, though stained and disheveled, was an immediately recognizable leather bomber.
It was Nico. Nico DiAngelo. He looked up at Percy, a smile drawing across his grime covered lips.
"I said." he replied, straightening himself up as he did, "Nice jacket, Perce."
Well? Whaddaya think?
I've been looking forward to this chapter for a while, not just because of Nico (though that is a reason) but because of the location. I've got... plans for this. and you may or may not predict, but that I hope you enjoy nonetheless.
On another note, sorry about the less frequent uploads. To peel back the curtain a bit I've mostly just been cracking these chapter out straight off the dome, just entering a flow state and writing like it's nobody's business, but I've realized now my plans for where this story is going are a bit more complicated than I'd originally thought and I'm still trying to figure out exactly when certain things will happen and in what order. I've put a lot of Chekhov's guns on the table and I don't expect to leave without firing some shots.
I've still got my ending, and certain key moments and figures, but updates may slow down a bit as I really an things out. You also may see some chapters edited a bit. Not charging plot points, but just cleaning up dialogue/adding new interactions so it's a bit nicer on the second read. That is if you guys ever do give this a second read.
Which I'd be pretty honoured/flattered if you did.
Either way, expect another mammoth chapter for my next update. I'm genuinely predicting anywhere from 10 to 15 thousand words depending on how I decide to write it. Either way, I hope you all enjoy it. See you all soon.
-Bronzeandsteel