Hey, here's the next chapter, sorry it takes me so long to update. I won't bother you guys with the usual explanation for my tardiness because you already know why updating is a little difficult for me. I want to thank those who give me kind reviews and criticism that actually helps me write my story. I like seeing your reviews, it makes me happy to know that so many people like my story. I'm not the best speller and I probably will get more names spelled wrong. I'm trying to fix some of the spelling errors, please be kind about it and if you see someone has already pointed out my error then I already know. I'll try to fix it when I have the time.
I've always had a bit of a hard time spelling. My greatest dread in High school was writing on the white board because I knew that I would probably spell something wrong.
Disclaimer, I don't own Percy Jackson all rights belong to Rick Riordan
Percy woke to someone stroking his hair, it felt nice and comforting. He could have stayed there forever. For a moment he felt as if everything he had experienced after his mom was murdered had been a weird dream. Though, at the thought of his mom, the teen let his eyes snap open. For a moment all he could see was blue and a bright light in the center of the sky. He couldn't remember feeling so weightless on land, and that's when he realized he was under water.
At first Percy gasped and writhed, his first instinct was to believe that he was drowning, but soon realized he was breathing perfectly alright under water. It shouldn't have been such a surprise to the teen. His father was the ruler of the sea after all. Being able to breathe under water was only natural. The person who was playing with his hair stopped.
"I see you've woken up, young prince." a familiar feminine voice began.
Percy looked up at the source. It was a woman, she was beautiful and for a brief moment she looked just like his mother. The teen wondered if he'd be forever plagued with reminders of his late mom. A grin lit her face as she brushed his hair away from his eyes. He couldn't help but feel safe with her watching over him. It was almost tempting for him to fall back to sleep and forget everything else.
His eyes began to flutter shut when a fish bumped into his face. He opened his eyes to find he was face to face with a rather surprised looking big mouthed bass. The fish gave a startled 'o' with its mouth, hovering next to him like an enthralled fan. The woman gave a merry laugh before shooing it away with a wave of her hand. Her olive tone skin seemed to sparkle in the dim light of the water.
"Oh, away with you." The woman continued to chuckle at the fish. It turned and swam away so fast that it had almost slapped Percy in the face with its tail. "Honestly, the little guppy has been hovering ever since you crashed into the water. You've got quite the little school of fans around here."
Percy pushed away from the woman and for the first time took in his surroundings. There was no denying that he was under water, the fish around him tried to make it seem like they weren't paying attention to him. They would bump into each other and give startled looks before they'd continue on their way. Once again Percy found the poor little fish amusing.
They were surrounded by seaweed and rocks that were resting at the bottom of the lake. Percy looked up and wondered how long he had been asleep. Hours? Days? Minutes? He hoped it was only a couple hours at most. The teen couldn't help but wonder if Grover and Annabeth were looking for him, or if there was a second snake that attacked them. If the later were the case, did his friends survive?
"How long have I been out?" Percy asked, using his voice felt odd when he was under water.
The woman gave a sympathetic sigh as she looked up to the surface. "I'm afraid that you've been asleep all night. The water healed your injuries, you are very lucky, young one."
Percy looked at the torn parts of his clothing and wondered if they'd be able to hold up for the rest of the quest. The four inch hole in the shoulder made him think otherwise. He had come close to death twice the day prior, by some miracle he hadn't been killed instantly. He remembered the giant water hand that had attacked the snake. It wasn't something that he had control over. Who had saved him?
"It wasn't luck, someone saved me."
"Yes." she nodded. "Your father loves you very much."
The teen felt his eyes bug out, "You mean he..."
"He intervened, Percy." She told him. "Don't take it lightly, he can get in a lot of trouble for doing so, you should thank him."
Percy looked around as if he'd suddenly see his dad peeking through the vegetation at the lake bottom. Poseidon was no where in sight. If he were completely honest, he wished his dad were there. The woman grabbed his chin and made him look at her. There was sympathy in her eyes. She seemed to know exactly how he felt.
"Your father wishes he could have been here himself, but it might have drawn too much attention from his brothers." She told Percy. "That is why I am here. He wanted me to watch over you and give you a message when you woke."
"A message?" Percy asked. "Hasn't he heard of a cell phone?"
The woman laughed and gave a shake of her head. Obviously she knew something that Percy didn't. He didn't mind her giggling, she seemed to find his innocence cute and she wasn't making fun of him for it.
"Listen, young one; as cute as your antics are, we have more important things to address. Your quest, for instance." She told him. "You need to find, Ares, am I correct?"
Percy didn't know how everyone knew so much about the quest. Maybe they were spying on him somehow. If Poseidon had come to his rescue just in time, it was obvious that at least the sea god was. The idea of being watched by others didn't sit well with him. What was he? A television show? Some character in a story? He tried not to dwell to long on those thoughts. An existential crisis was not important at the moment.
"So what about my quest?" Percy questioned, he'd admit, a bit rudely. "Do you know where to find him?"
"Not I." she shook her head. "You must find the old man of the sea."
Poseidon? That couldn't be right, if his father knew the answer, why didn't he just send Ares location with his messenger. Percy really didn't retain much Greek and Latin mythology in his lessons with Mr. Bru-Chiron when he was twelve. Trying to recall the information two years after the fact was nearly impossible. As far as Percy could remember, his mind only brought up the impromptu sword demonstrations in class and the occasional argument with Nancy Bobofit. He doubted those things had anything to do with whoever the old man of the sea was.
"His name is Nereus. He knows everything." The nymph told him as she pressed her toes into the sand. It was such a human action for an immortal being. On a whim Percy did the same. Though his shoes made it a bit less enjoyable. "You must go west, you'll find him in California. He prefers to be...well...as invisible as he can be. Last I heard he was posing as a homeless man."
Percy felt his head start to ache. There had to be more homeless shelters in California than he, Grover, and Annabeth could search for before they got caught. They had just barely escaped the Minotaur, and he almost didn't survive the giant snake. Cali would be another demon in its self. With a huff Percy looked to the surface. He really needed to get back to his friends.
The nymph grabbed his arm, "Have faith, young one. In your father and in yourself. You were born with the blood of a god rushing through you. You're fate has been marked by greatness."
He bit his lip to keep himself from asking what made him so great. Yeah his father was Poseidon, god of the seas, and bla, bla, bla. But he couldn't even go a school year without getting expelled. Most kids his age go to one school district their whole lives. And generally they aren't a disappointment- a drop out waiting to happen. If his mother knew he thought like that, Percy knew she would move Heaven and Earth to change his mind.
But mommy's not here to make the bad thoughts go away. A voice taunted in the back of his mind. It was so sudden that Percy almost forgot how to breathe. He could feel a heavy negative energy try to latch onto him, but the water's current seemed to pick up and carry the energy away. When he looked to the nymph, she looked worried and seemed to be growing exhausted.
"You must go now, young one." She told him, her form began to flicker. "If you ever need, remember that you're father is always watching out for you. Now you must go."
Percy reached out, almost as if he were trying to stop her from disappearing. She smiled at his concern and gave him a gentle pat on the face before she disappeared from sight. He wasn't sure what happened, but he knew it must have something to do with the water. He could sense that she was of the sea. The fresh water must not have been good for her. Had she really come so far inland just to help him?
With a shake of his head Percy kicked off from the bottom of the lake and pushed himself to the surface. The water seemed to become denser around him. He could feel pressure at his feet, almost like it was helping him up. Again he couldn't help but wonder if it was his doing or his father's. The tugging sensation in his gut told him he was the one controlling the water this time. Percy broke the surface a little too fast and he was pushed out of the water like a jumping trout.
When he landed back in the water, Percy could see still had to swim to the shore. But he was going to try and conserve energy by doing it the old fashion way. As he swam, he had to avoid kicking an unfortunate fish in the head. They all wanted to follow him, be near him. He could even feel some of them swimming in and out of his shirt. It was weird and they were scaly, but they seemed to be having fun.
"The prince is really nice." he heard a voice giggle. "I wish he would play with us longer."
It had taken a while, but Percy finally accepted that he could hear the fish talk. As crazy as he would have thought it a month ago, he knew it was just another addition to the list of powers he had. Not the most impressive gift, but maybe it could be useful. One day. Suddenly the fish all vanished, fleeing with tiny terrified screams. He wondered what had scared them off until something grabbed onto his shoe.
"Ahh!" Percy yelped as he got a mouth full of lake water.
Whatever had his shoe gave a cow like bellow as it tried to pull him back to the center of the lake. Percy squirmed and tried to wriggle his way out of his shoe. He didn't want to become a meal to whatever had him. When Percy looked at his captor, he was very confused. He thought he saw a cow's face staring back at him, but his thrashing had stirred up the bubbles so he couldn't be sure of what he was seeing.
It didn't matter what it was, Percy had to get away. Percy tried his best to order the water to help him. He felt as if a pair of arms were wrapped around his own and the force pulled him backwards. He was practically a human speed boat at the rate he was going. It didn't take long before Percy made it to the shore. And a little bit beyond. The wave stopped suddenly and sent him tumbling back to the field like a rag doll.
"Thanks a lot." Percy called out to the water, though he doubted sarcasm would offend it much.
The teen groaned painfully as he got to his feet, it didn't take him long to realize that he had lost his shoe to whatever had grabbed him. It sucked, but it was better the shoe than his life. Percy waddled awkwardly through the field in search of Annabeth and Grover. They had to be somewhere close by. Unless they were eaten by a monster. The son of Poseidon tried not to be so pessimistic.
"Annabeth! Grover!" His voice seemed to echo through the air. He looked left and right, but they seemed to have vanished.
Maybe they thought he was dead and they gave up on the quest. Percy's stomach turned to lead at the idea. He knew he needed them, he couldn't navigate to California on his own let alone find Nereus. The teen looked around frantically for the two of them, he prayed that he was just missing them. They had to be somewhere.
He ran in the direction of the road. Or at least that's where he was hoping he was heading. Annabeth would probably get out of the tall grass to avoid a second snake ambush. Yeah. They had to be by the road.
"Look there he is!" A voice called.
Percy looked left and right, but he couldn't seem to find the source of the voice. Until he looked up. There was a flock of three of the biggest eagles he had ever seen hovering above him. Their feathers seemed to shine gold in the sunlight. Mounted on the largest in front was Jason. He had a kind of smug look come to his face as he brought the bird down for a landing. The other's followed suit.
"Seems you're alive." Jason's smile changed to be a bit more gentle. "I'm glad to see that, Percy."
Not too long ago, Jason hardly wanted anything to do with him, but now he suddenly cared. Why? Percy could tell that Jason was actually sincere about what he said. But the rope coiled at his hip told Percy that this wasn't a simple family reunion. When the son of Jupiter took a step forward the son of Poseidon took a step back.
"What do you want?" Percy demanded.
"To get you back to Olympus before my father manages to kill you." Jason told him, though his hand reaching for the rope spoke loud and clear. The blond would use force if he had to. Percy refused to be hogtied and hauled back to Olympus like sack of potatoes. And he refused to give up on his quest. "Believe it or not, we're family. I don't want my dad to destroy you."
The other two demigods were still mounted on their eagles, nether seemed to eager to get off and help Jason. Clearly, none of them thought Percy was a threat or even a match for Jason. When Jason took another step towards him, Percy drew his sword. He was thankful that it would always miraculously reappear in his pocket. The son of Jupiter had to jump back to avoid getting sliced by the weapon.
"Oh." An almost gleeful grin came to Jason's face. He pulled a coin from his pocket and flipped it in the air. "I was hoping you would do that. Let me show you what actual training can do."
The coin came back down, mid fall it transformed into a golden sword. It was just like Riptide. It didn't take long before Jason began his attack. On instinct Percy parried the attack and countered with his own slash. His blade grazed Jason's shoulder, but the blond hardly flinched.
Jason gave an angry growl and dove for a second attack, apparently the blonde's shoulder wasn't the only thing hurt by Percy's hit. Oddly, while Percy was sure he was going to fail miserably at the more experienced demigod's hands, something strange seemed to come over him. As if he were reaching into long forgotten swordsmanship skills. Had he been a sword fighter in a past life? No, Percy decided, this is all luck.
It was unusual considering luck always seemed to fail him.
True to form, it did.
Jason was a lot more gifted than Percy realized. The blond lifted his sword into the air and the clouds above seemed to conform to his will. They became dark and foreboding. the wind grew fierce, the tell tale signs of a thunder storm. And when there was thunder. Percy felt the hair on his arms start to rise. He just barely jumped out of the way before a lightning bolt struck the ground where he had once been standing.
"Are you sure you don't want me dead?" Percy's voice cracked loudly. A small fire formed where the bolt had landed. Jason smothered it with his boot and dismissed his sword.
The blond smiled triumphantly, "It would only have stunned you. I promise. Now, stop arguing and get on the eagle, Jackson."
Percy looked at Jason's eagle. It gave a 'caw' as if agreeing with Jason. The son of Poseidon didn't know if it'd be a smart idea for him to take to the skies, though if he were riding with Jason, he doubted Zeus would shoot his own son out of the sky. Jason reached down to help Percy to his feet. That's when the chaos ensued.
Somehow, without either boy noticing, Annabeth had snuck up behind Jason. She held her knife to his throat. "Don't move a muscle."
"Traitor!" The other two demigods hopped off of their eagles and unsheathed their weapons.
Grover took that opportunity to play the worst flute solo ever and startled their eagles away. It was amazing he could be so stealthy on two hoofed feet. Both demigods looked dumbfounded as Annabeth turned to them, she used Jason as a human shield. Percy didn't need to see her face to know that she had formed a brilliant scheme. She tightened her grasp on Jason and pressed the knife closer to his throat.
"I'm nothing of the sort." She insisted. "I just have my priorities straight. Now, the four of us are leaving. Percy, help Grover on the eagle."
Jason snarled, "You know my father will shoot your boyfriend out of the sky before you can say 'owl pellet'. I'm just trying to get you all home in one piece."
"That's why you're going to be coming with us, Grace."
Percy watched as Annabeth pulled the son of Jupiter to the eagle. She looked at Percy and nodded towards the bird. Hesitantly, the son of Poseidon clamored onto the eagle. He was surprised how soft the bird's feathers were. It seemed to sense its master was in danger so it didn't protest. Percy wondered how Annabeth was going to get Jason up there. She simply knocked the blond out and lifted him to Percy. The son of Poseidon hauled the blond boy onto the eagle.
Without Jason in the way, the other demigods seemed to snap into action. They charged the trio and their now unwitting captive.
"Go!" Annabeth ordered as she clung onto the animal's side. Grover whispered something and the bird took off. The daughter of Athena tried her best to pull herself up, but she couldn't seem to lift her own weight. Percy reached down and grabbed her hand before she could fall. It took some effort but he managed to bring her aboard. Once she was safe she simply clung to Percy for dear life. He could feel her tremoring. "Well that wasn't so bad, was it Grover?"
"You're lucky that Jason brought the dumber of the Roman demigods." The goat boy bleated. He was holding the reins for the eagle tightly. "I'm just glad, Percy is alive."
Annabeth relaxed slightly, her head pressed gently against Percy's back.
"Me too." She said it so softly, the son of Poseidon almost hadn't heard.
FINALLY! I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this out there for you guys. I've just been extremely busy since my last update. A lot of things changed for me throughout winter, both school and work has consumed a lot of my free time. Thank you all for being so patient and understanding.