Percy stumbled back to the train car.
He was sure that the passengers still awake must have been looking at him like he had two heads. His eyes were wild, shifting constantly side to side, scanning his environment - the windows were dark, the nighttime blocking the wild from his eyes. His breathing was heavy, like a runner's after they crossed the finish line of a marathon. The baby-like cries of the bird still rang in his ears, like a gong struck behind Percy's head.
Anaklusmos was clutched in his right hand, albeit in pen form. Percy was not prepared for this, not in the slightest.
Percy had thought going on this quest would be his ticket to recovering his memories. He had no proof of course, rather just a suspicion. But all he had learned was confusing mythologies, even more confusing gods and goddesses, and monsters that were exploiting his mental state. He didn't know what the hell that bird was, but he knew he wasn't strong enough to face it. Not strong enough to listen to it, let alone fight it should it come to that.
He was scared. Terrified, even. He had hoped and prayed that that damned tree and that hellish bird, those skeletons of life, would never show themselves again. He had hoped that it was the deliriousness of a near-death experience rearing its head.
Nope. It was here. And whatever or whoever it was, it was following him.
And the cries still reverberated in his head.
Just great.
He pulled open the door to his cabin, leaning heavily against the entryway. He must have looked like a madman, but the elderly couple in the front was fast asleep - he was thankful. They didn't seem like they'd last through a horror movie, let alone some real-life jumpscares.
Frank was still asleep, but Hazel had woken up, hair frizzy and arms stretched outwards, yawning. She was looking out the window, but as Percy roughly shoved the door aside, she turned, locking eyes with him.
"Percy? What happened? Are you ok?" Her eyebrows creased with worry as she stood, rushing to his side.
Percy stumbled down the aisle, gripping the headrests as he passed them for stability. He gasped for air as he felt Hazel's hands hold his shoulders stable, desperately searching for a place to catch his breath.
He found an empty seat, plopping into the somehow-too-uncomfortable seats, back fully up against the cushion. He gasped for air, hyperventilating into the chilly, air-conditioned atmosphere of the train car.
The cries of the bird blocked almost all other sounds, the environment held back in the background. He felt underwater, but far, far worse.
"Percy, open your mouth." Hazel's voice next to his ear cut through, sounding somewhat like a concerned mother. Percy obliged, and the taste of chocolate chip cookies in a liquid form slowly helped to ease the cries in his ears and the pounding in his head. The pain subsided.
His breathing slowed down, and his heart rate returned to normal. He took a deep breath, thanking whatever god oversaw mental stability. Percy swore he saw the moon flash outside the window.
"Percy… what happened?" Hazel was crouched next to him in the aisle, the small canister of nectar closed beside her. She was clearly worried - who wouldn't be?
"The bird was outside. With the tree. The bird, it was staring at me. I could hear it from inside the goddamn train."
"Percy… What bird?"
Percy glanced at Hazel, whose face was deadly serious. "The bird from the beach, it appeared after we all survived… you didn't see it, did you?"
She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Percy."
He didn't respond immediately. That goddamned bird only appeared to him, for some reason or another. Maybe as a byproduct of time travel? Were there some time gods that had cursed him for some reason or another? Maybe he had accidentally broken an unwritten rule somewhere?
Or maybe the Fates just had it out for him.
"I met Iris on the train," Percy said. "She was in the snack car."
Hazel stood. "Arcus, you mean?"
He shrugged. "I don't know, she introduced herself as Iris."
"Huh. Weird."
Percy shrugged. "She told me we needed to get off in Portland and find Phineas, said he'd give us some answers. Hopefully help with the 'we don't know where to go' situation we have."
She nodded. "I'll wake Frank. We're only fifteen minutes out - there was an announcement while you were recuperating." She stood, moving to a passed-out Frank, drool spilling over the corner of his mouth.
As she shook his shoulder, quietly trying to wake Frank in the most peaceful way possible, Percy spoke, voice barely above a whisper.
"Thank you, Hazel. Seriously."
Hazel shot him a smile.
"They did not know her - gods are hard for mortals to recognize."
Homer
It wasn't hard to find Phineas. They just had to follow the walking otters.
The trio noticed them as they exited the train station, wandering around aimlessly, searching for any clues as to Phineas's location. It was raining, the cool rain of the Pacific Northwest tumbling down on their heads. Percy didn't need one, but he knew that Hazel was cursing herself for forgetting an umbrella.
As they walked across the Willamette River over a red bascule bridge, Frank had noticed the otter people on the shore below them. He had rounded Percy and Hazel up like he did when avoiding the boq, bringing them to the railing and pointing directly at them. His voice sounded fearful.
"Kushtaka. They're real too." He gaped.
The Kushtaka seemed relatively harmless physically, albeit a little off-putting. They stood upright like humans, walking around with human feet and human legs. But nearly everything above the waist looked identical to an otter, including the full otter head that was admittedly adorable. Their arms seemed like a combination of man and animal, with the gripping capabilities of a human but the aesthetic nature of a regular otter.
Percy could only tell their grip strength by the ease at which they held their spears. And swords. And shields. And put on their full body armor. And there were nearly twenty of them.
Maybe they were a little bit scary.
"What's their deal?" Hazel asked.
"My grandma told me stories about them," Frank said in a hushed tone. "She said they would imitate the voices of family members and lure children down to the river… the children would be killed and eaten." He scratched his head. "I had thought it was one of those stories parents tell their children to scare them away from doing something, you know? To keep me away from the water, or running off alone."
Percy looked back at the otter-men. He could see them putting armor on, as if they were about to go off on a quest themselves. One had a weird crown on his head, one that looked more like a bike helmet than any crown Percy had seen.
"They're from Chinook mythology too?" Percy was starting to lose track.
Frank shook his head. "Nah. Tlingit. My grandma taught me about as many as she could - maybe to prepare me." He paused. "I am confused, though. The Tlingit are north of Vancouver. Why are they in Portland?"
As Frank spoke, the leading Kushtaka chirped at the others, gesturing with his spear. The squadron of Kushtaka all seemed to hum at once, before charging off the riverbank, heading towards downtown Portland, marching like soldiers in an army.
Percy pulled Anaklusmos from his pocket. "Shall we?"
Frank set his mouth in a thin line. "Let's."
They charged after the Kushtaka, shoes slapping the pavement, puddles splashing. Percy figured now was as good a time as any to hone the tracking skills he started developing during the Dolos fight. As he ran, he concentrated on the rainwater, sensing as much of his surroundings as he could. He reached to each and every drop, the water becoming a sixth sense more reliable than the former five.
Soon enough, he had located a droplet on some otter hair. He gestured to his friends, pointing off to their left. "That way!"
The trio ran off once more, running into the dark. They needed Phineas, but child-eating otters also deserved to get put down.
They got both.
"Ah! Get away from me, you stinking assholes! Let me eat my burrito!"
Percy pulled up short as they approached a parking lot. On one side was a stretch of food trucks selling everything from enchiladas to boba tea. Tables were set up near the food trucks, while a smattering of cars were parked sporadically around the rest of the lot. The lot had a weird smell originating from it, like a warped, rotten petrichor.
On the far side of the lot stood the squadron of Kushtaka. The otter people were angry, that was clear. They stood in a circle, spears pointed inwards, where Phineas stood, an incensed look on his face. A flashing light above one of the food trucks helped illuminate the scene.
Phineas was an eyesore, to put it lightly. He was old and chubby, stringy hair complimenting the sagging skin underneath his milky white eyes. He had a bathrobe on, stained with ketchup and mustard - it looked like it had been taken from the disgusting dumpster behind the row of food trucks nearby. He indeed held a burrito in his right hand, raised to the sky, the contents already spilling out onto the wet pavement below.
Percy stepped forward. "Hey! Kushtacos! Fuck off!"
Both Phineas and the Kushtaka snapped their heads towards the demigods. The lead Kushtaka, bike-helmet-otter, chattered something to the rest of the otters. They turned, three holding Phineas while the rest advanced towards Percy.
Percy raised his hands, gut twisting as the raindrops suddenly hung still. He started to like using rain as a threat, for sure.
He could see a couple Kushtaka loosen their grips on their spears. He smirked, and focused. The water froze, the drops becoming sharp ice pellets, assembled in mid-air like a thousand bullets. The streetlight behind him helped illuminate the projectiles.
He flexed his fingers, the ice shooting out at the Kushtaka. Seven fell to the initial onslaught, collapsing to the ground. He could see their resolve weaken, and they prepared a charge.
The son of Poseidon raised his hands once more, sending a sharp glare to the remaining Kushtaka as a new batch of pellets formed. His glare held the fury of the seas, and the sea creatures could tell. Another round of chittering led to the mass retreat of Kushtaka, slinking back to the Willamette.
As the Kushtaka beat a hasty retreat, Percy realized something startling. They hadn't disappeared. There was no golden dust.
They laid there, like a dead body does normally. Percy could see a small orb exit each of the fallen's mouths, shooting into the sky. But the bodies just… laid there. Like a human. Dead.
Just like your friends.
Percy shook his head. He hated intrusive thoughts, and the more he thought about it… he couldn't dwell on it.
Phineas waved his arms around, trying to find something to hold to. Hazel rushed forwards, guiding Phineas to a picnic table. Frank and Percy sat down opposite him, careful to avoid the shining ruby that had popped up from Hazel's sprint.
"Ha! Thank you, demigods. I'm not a fan of those twice-damned otters. Can barely get a midnight snack anymore."
"Kushtaka," Frank corrected.
Phineas waved his arms. "Well, I know that! I'm not going to give them the satisfaction though, thank you very much!" He chuckled, before sitting back down, chewing on his burrito. He let loose a belch that caused all three of them to wrinkle their noses.
Percy took the lead, breaking the awkward silence in the darkness of the lot. "Phineas, we were told to come get some answers from you."
Phineas swallowed, milky eyes staring straight at Percy. "Ah, that old bird Iris, meddling again, eh?"
"How do you know?" Percy cocked an eyebrow.
He chuckled. "I know all, demigod. I see it all, despite my condition. I know you."
"Oh, would you spare us the holier-than-thou talk? It's popping up too much, I swear."
Phineas let out a belly laugh, but it sounded just a bit sinister.
He pointed at Hazel, who sat on his left. "You, Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto, smell of earth and gold. Frank Zhang," he pivoted to the demigod, "you smell of blood, son of Mars. But there's more there, an old blood, I believe. Talk to your grandmother when you can." Frank nodded despite himself, although his face was a bit shocked. "And you, Perseus Jackson, you intrigue me. I smell the salt and the brine, of course, son of Neptune as you may be. But there's more there… ah. Haha, ok. Fun!"
"What do you mean?"
Phineas waved him off. "Ah, not now. But I know more than that, demigods. That is certain."
He pointed at Hazel. "You're supposed to be dead."
Hazel's face went pale. "You're lying!" But Phineas had moved on.
"Your life depends on a piece of firewood," he said, pointing at Frank. Percy could see Frank instinctively cover a pocket on his sweatshirt. He wondered what that meant.
"And you," Phineas was pointing at him, "wow. You really have no idea how complicated you are! You don't even know the curse of your blade yet, or your own actions last year! Oh, that's delicious. The secrets of the past will haunt you, Percy Jackson."
Percy reached towards Anaklusmos. He could tell Phineas was getting on his friends' nerves, not to mention his own.
Hazel spoke. "Shouldn't you be dead?"
The old seer laughed. "Shouldn't you? Alcyoneus will probably kill you anyways." Hazel's eyes widened as the name was mentioned
Frank spoke up, drawing the seer's attention away from the visibly pissed off Hazel. "Ok, Phineas," he spat his name like it was poison, "we get it. We need help, though."
Phineas leant back, leaning against the back of the seat. "Well, I'm not going to just… give you the information. Come on, demigods. I'm not an ATM."
The son of Poseidon leant over the table, punching his hand down. "Phineas, I don't give two shits what you want. We need to figure out where in Alaska we need to go to free Death. Tell us, for the sake of Olympus."
Phineas was silent, looking oddly off into the distance, eyes not focused on anything. But after a moment, he snorted. "Ah, Perseus Jackson. It truly is… humorous to hear those words from your mouth. 'For the sake of Olympus.'" He chuckled, but this time sounded like he had choked on spit. "When you get your memory back, you'll realize how funny that is. Truly. Hera did a real number on you."
Percy reeled back. What?
What had Hera done?
"What do you mean Hera?" Hazel leant forward, staring at Phineas. Frank hadn't reacted, though.
Phineas smirked. "Oh, no." He shook his hands, as if mocking someone upstairs.
Frank exhaled slowly, shaking his head. "I don't believe it."
"What is it, Frank?"
"Think about it, Haze," Frank began. "If Chinook and Tlingit creatures are real, who's to say the Greeks aren't?"
Hazel gasped. "You aren't serious?"
Percy unsheathed Anaklusmos abruptly, the xiphos extending across the table, point held under the chin of Phineas. Hazel and Frank stopped their conversation, while Phineas's smirk disappeared.
"Tell me, Phineas," Percy spat. "And answer my questions, you son of a bitch. Where do we have to go? What did Hera do? Who is Aika's dad?" He hadn't even meant to ask the third question, and yet there it was.
The seer didn't move. "Perseus Jackson… I will not tell you everything. And I don't fear death - as you said yourself, Death is chained!" He slowly pushed the blade aside, resting it on his shoulder instead. "But I will tell you where to go. Hubbard Glacier. The daughter of Pluto will know where that is."
Percy cocked his head, withdrawing Anaklusmos. "Why the change of heart?"
Phineas smiled. "Because, Perseus… once you get your memory back, I have a feeling our goals might be aligned after all."
"Goals?" Percy asked.
"Why, the downfall of Olympus, demigod. Hasn't Gaea told you?"
Percy stood up, stepping away from the table, Anaklusmos raised. Hazel and Frank joined him. "I would never join Gaea."
Phineas's milky eyes simply stared, the creamy white off-putting. "Maybe not, demigod. But if by some miracle you defeat her army and win, well, I like to put my eggs in different baskets. I know much, but the actions of primordials are… obscured."
"You doubt Gaea?" Hazel asked.
He shrugged. "I simply consider all the possibilit - '' He cut himself off with a gasp.
Frank raised his bow. "Phineas?"
Phineas ignored Frank, instead looking down at the dirt beneath him, betrayal evident on his face. "You can't do this! You, no! I'm too valuable!"
His head jerked up once more, and the three stumbled back. His milky eyes had turned golden, but he was clearly in pain. His mouth was open, a near-silent scream creaking from his mouth. The last remnants of his hair turned to sand.
"Gaea! No!"
His body crumpled, and disappeared into the earth, golden sand pouring from him like a waterfall until there was no trace of him. Percy stared, slack-jawed. The ground rumbled slightly.
Thank you, Perseus. A traitor is always an unpleasant surprise. My appreciation is… of considerable size.
"Fuck off, Gaea." He flipped off the ground.
Good luck, hero.
Percy turned to Hazel and Frank, who both had looks of shock and confusion evident on their faces. He started to talk, before shaking his head, sighing.
"I'm so confused… let's just get back to the station."
The two wordlessly nodded, leaving behind a newly deserted parking lot, and the quest continued north.
They were able to switch trains at the station, buying tickets for the fastest and earliest trip in the morning, only a three hour ride or so. Even though it was the middle of the night, Percy was wide awake. He had noticed it earlier, after he had recovered from that goddamned bird. Whatever chicken it was that Iris fed him, he had been able to power through, like he was hopped up on a four pack of RedBull.
So he sat through the night, watching over Frank and Hazel as they slept on the benches in the station. They had wanted to hash out everything that had happened, but Percy could tell they were exhausted and just too confused. The hours flew by, far faster than what Percy had felt was possible, but he doubted it. He might have been too stoked up on adrenaline, honestly.
He had shaken Hazel and Frank awake before the train departed, and the three boarded at the crack of dawn. They had the car to themselves, something Percy was incredibly glad about. He sat there, pondering everything Phineas had said or hinted at, and Percy found himself increasingly confused.
Percy didn't know why Phineas assumed they would be on the same side. Percy knew he had fought Ares at some point - the memory flashes he had gotten during his Mars encounter were hints enough. But that couldn't have been enough to push the Gods against him, right? Or himself against the Gods?
Phineas had to have been messing with him, right? Biding his time. Percy wondered if Phineas really did have an escape plan, or if everything he said was a mind game intended for Percy.
He had considered the idea that the Hubbard Glacier concept was fake. Hazel had drawn a sketch of Alaska, and marked the glacier with a star. For a giant who was invulnerable in his homeland, as Hazel had told them while walking to the station, why would he set up so close to the border? But why give them such an obvious red herring, if Phineas knew they would know - Percy assumed Phineas actually was telling the truth.
Weird.
What else? Hera did something, that much was obvious. From what Percy could gather, Hera played some kind of role in the loss of his memory. That shook him, if he was honest with himself. He hadn't thought his history before his memory loss was truly that important. But if Hera had deemed it fit to remove his memories, and possibly engineer this whole debacle…
Who was he?
He remembered Octavian's words in his initial conversation with the lunatic:
You would tear the world down for your friends. Your memory is preventing you from doing so, for your heart is full of vengeance. We must thank the Gods for their decision. They are the Wise for a reason. Praise to Jupiter, praise to Juno!
Octavian had practically told him to his face, but Percy didn't connect the dots. At all. What else had he missed?
Wait.
The Heracleia.
Percy reached to his neighboring seat to grab his bag, ripping its zipper open. He dug his hand around, throwing aside a couple sweatshirts and underwear before his fingers closed around the manuscript. Bringing the pages to his lap, Percy started flipping through the pages, searching for any mentions of his, Aika's, or Zoë's name.
The chapters blurred together. Lernean Hydra… Erymanthian Boar… Mares of Diomedes…
Percy paused, going back to read the section about the Mares. It was written in Ancient Greek, thankfully - he didn't think he'd be able to get through a paragraph in English, let alone the whole entry.
…Diomedes ruled Tirida with an iron fist. Any naysayers or rivals were fed immediately to his Mares, the terrors of Thrace. Diomedes commanded the Mares, who followed his every order, eating whomever Diomedes decided to sacrifice, or murder.
When Heracles arrived, searching for the Mares, he was overcome with anger at seeing how Tirida had been treated by Diomedes. He rescued the city from the terrors of the Mares, guiding the monsters onto his ship, before going back to battle Diomedes. But what he didn't know was that Diomedes had sent men after Heracles's companion, Abderos. They murdered the boy in Diomedes's name.
After a long battle, Heracles finally brought down the mad king, feeding him to his own monsters. He freed the city from Diomedes's authoritarian dictatorship, and the city continues to thrive to this day, thanks to Heracles's actions. Afterwards…"
Percy shut the book. What a load of son-of-Zeus propaganda. Didn't even mention Heracles lost one of the Mares. He knew the real story, as unbelievable as it was.
Hazel tapped his shoulder from diagonally behind him, across the aisle. "What are you reading?"
He shook his head. "Just some terrible story about Heracles. Octavian was reading it during the War Games, and I forgot I had thrown it in my bag. Trying to get any clues I can, you know?"
Hazel nodded. "I get that."
Frank leaned into the aisle. "Anything?"
Percy shook his head. "Nothing useful at all."
"Damn."
After a beat, Frank spoke. "Percy… where are we supposed to find the Amazons? Seattle is a huge city."
Percy tapped his head. "That's a good call, Frank." He dug into his backpack once more, reaching for a small pocket on the side, resurfacing with the silver ring Reyna had given him. He put it on his ring finger, before raising his hand next to his face, smiling.
"At the Amazon headquarters!"
Two stares greeted him. One confused, one deadpan.
"You're kidding." Frank said dryly.
Percy shrugged. "Ask Reyna."
"Huh. How about that."
"What's that?" Hazel asked.
Percy raised an eyebrow. "Amazon? The massive shipping corporation? You've never heard of it?"
Hazel shook her head, her eyes closing tight.
"You ok, Hazel?" Percy questioned.
She nodded. "Sorry, I'm just… on edge. Had a weird dream in the station."
Percy stiffened up, sitting straight as a rod, eyes alert. "Tell me."
"There was an army. Marching on Camp." Her voice quivered. "There was a giant leading it, but not Alcyoneus, I don't think. This one had dragon scales on his legs and green-blue armor. And he had those basilisks that Frank fought in his hair. Polybo-something or other."
Percy nodded. "So Reyna was right. No wonder they started the fortifications before we left."
Frank shuddered. "How strong an army are we talking about here?"
Hazel slumped back. "It had to have been at least, I don't know, 10,000? It was massive. Cyclopes, Earthborn, Centaurs, you name it. Camp isn't ready for that."
"Reyna was smart. She knew a direct attack was a possibility, so she sent us to get them some allies. That's why we need to stop at the Amazons," Percy said.
"Do you think that's why my father gave us the Feast of Fortuna deadline?" Frank asked, although he acted like he was shooting blind. "Maybe he knows how close the army is."
"You're probably right," Percy grumbled. "Thanks, Mars, for warning the camp about it if you knew it was coming."
He waited to hear any thunder, but none came. Percy grinned. Maybe the Gods weren't paying close attention.
"Hey, Perce?" Frank inquired.
"What's up, Frank?"
"How can you be so calm? I feel like you barely worry, even though you have pretty much no memory. I'm just fighting to stay not scared, let alone… calm."
Percy exhaled. "I… I don't know, man. I feel like I've done a hundred quests like these, which I obviously don't remember. But I can't fail, I know I can't." He shrugged. "Because I know if I do, it'll only hurt the people that I care about. I can't let that slide."
Frank seemed confused still, so Percy elaborated. "I know that sounds like more responsibility, but it isn't. I, I care about you guys. So I have to stay strong for you guys, to be a leader. If I'm losing my shit, then I'm failing you, and I won't let that happen. So I have to be strong."
"So are you actually scared?" Frank asked, a bit more emboldened.
"I'm not scared," Percy answered. "Because I know that if I was scared, I wouldn't have come. But you matter more to me than that. You vouched for me, you accepted me. I won't let my debt go unpaid." He put his fingers together. "Ignore that. It's not just a debt thing. It's a loyalty thing. I'm loyal to my friends, and so I'm going to help you out. If it means I keep my cool, then I'll keep my cool."
Their conversation was interrupted by the crackling intercom, announcing their impending arrival to the Seattle train station. Percy stuffed the Heracleia back in his bag, throwing the backpack over his shoulder. "Let's get going, gang!"
Hazel snorted, while Frank suppressed a laugh.
As Hazel filed out, Percy put his hand on Frank's shoulder. "Trust me, man. Everything's going to work out in the end. I'll see to it."
He nodded. "Thanks, Perce."
"Commitment is what transforms a promise into a reality."
Abraham Lincoln
The internet was right about Jeff Bezos. Amazon really was evil.
As soon as they had asked to talk to Hylla, the secretary had taken Percy at swordpoint, before a dozen women in black outfits had rushed up the stairs. They had taken Percy and Frank in shackles, marching them through an underground warehouse that seemed physically impossible to be as large as it was - it would've given an airport a run for its money. Hazel walked with the secretary in front of them.
As they had walked to the throne room, Percy could see every imaginable good you could buy. Racks of stuffed animals sat next to cases of bullets. Pop tarts sat atop porch swings. A real chariot could be seen behind a rack of inflatable giraffes. Cases of energy drinks were stacked all the way to the ceiling, as high as a football stadium. There were also hundreds of men in orange jumpsuits, all being watched over by the Amazons. They seemed closer to slaves than workers, Percy thought.
He was awed a bit. But for every turn of his head, he had received a punch to his gut. Percy didn't appreciate that part.
They had walked into the throne room, and he had heard Hazel inhale. There was a horse, honey coat with a beautiful black mane, caged on the side of the room. The horse had stared right at Hazel, and Hazel had stared right back unblinkingly, frozen for a moment. But the secretary urged them along.
They stood before Queen Hylla now, a woman who was shockingly similar to Reyna. She had both the long black hair and the piercing obsidian eyes that Percy had associated the Praetor with. She had no crown, but she did have some fancy-looking belt around her waist. She dressed in all-black, standing in front of a makeshift throne of books and metal. It didn't look particularly comfortable to sit in, so Percy understood the impetus to stand.
Those obsidian eyes were boring into him right now, with a rage Percy didn't understand at all.
She spoke, her voice tinted with a Puerto Rican accent. "You."
Percy pointed at his chest. "Me?"
Hylla marched towards him, anger on her face, pulling up just a foot from him. She unsheathed a silver dagger, pointing it into his chest. "You. You bastard." She snarled. "You ruined my life, and you think you can just walk in here? You think I'd let you leave?!"
"Queen Hylla," Hazel tried intervening, "he doesn't…"
Percy raised his bound hands, trying to back up before he was held by multiple guards. "I don't even know who you are?"
Hylla stepped back, laughing mockingly. "Circe's Island? The Sea of Monsters? Blackbeard? You took my life away. You and that blonde, Anna or whatever."
"The pirate?" Frank interjected. He received another punch to the gut, and he keeled over in obvious pain.
Percy shook his head, baffled. "I don't remember. I don't remember anything more than a week ago or so."
Hylla blinked, lowering her dagger. "You expect me to believe that you have amnesia? Seriously?"
"The only way I know the name Annabeth is from a picture someone left me."
Hazel interjected once more, trying to diffuse the tension in the air. "He's being serious. He arrived at Camp completely blank. Reyna's dogs confirmed it."
The Queen's head snapped to Hazel. "Reyna? You know her?"
Percy pointed to his ring finger, the silver band shining in the light from the windows above. Hylla stepped back, baffled. "How…"
The son of Poseidon spoke up. "Your sister asked us to visit you. They need help at Camp Jupiter - Gaea is sending an army and they aren't strong enough to repel it alone."
Before Hylla could respond, an older voice piped up from behind them, sounding like nails on a chalkboard. "The Romans! Hah! As if the proud Amazons would help such monsters! They killed far too many of us back in the day for that."
Hylla glared over Percy's shoulder. "Otrera, you are not queen. You are my subordinate."
Otrera walked in front of Percy, bowing deep in front of Hylla, albeit mockingly so. "Ah, my queen. As you wish. But that does not take away the fact that you are speaking to a man." She spat the word out. "We Amazons deserve a Queen! Not some sniveling King Jupiter who treats women and cows the same. Gaea brought me back for a reason, to return to the old ways!"
Hylla spat at the ground. "The old ways brought us to ruin. As long as I am Queen, facts and logic will persist over tradition and irrational nonsense. I will not rule on this subject before I speak to her alone." She pointed to Hazel.
Otrera smirked, and Percy could suddenly see both the wariness and weariness behind Hylla's eyes. Dealing with this bitch can't have been easy on her. "You won't be Queen much longer, Hylla. You should kill these fools immediately."
The old woman marched off, multiple Amazons marching behind her. Hylla stared after her, disgust evident on her face. Percy couldn't help but feel bad.
Hazel stepped forward tentatively, hands still in the air. "What did she mean?"
The queen sighed. "It is Otrera's right to challenge me for the title of Queen, just as it is for all Amazons. Duels to the death. We fight at midnight."
The daughter of Pluto creased her eyebrows. "So you just have to win one fight?"
Hylla snorted. "No, unfortunately. I can't get rid of her. Gaea will just revive her, even if I kill her. And there's no limit to the amount of challenges someone can issue, so I have to fight her every night. I've lasted one so far, and it was tough." She turned her back, showing a long cut down her shoulder. "She's experienced."
"That's why we need your help," Hazel explained. "Mars sent us on a quest to unchain Thanatos. We have to free him before Gaea's army gets to Camp Jupiter by the Feast of Fortuna, or else it will be a slaughter. But even if we free him, we're undermanned. We need the Amazons to help us."
The queen clasped her hands behind her back, and began to pace. "If Otrera takes control, the Amazons will fight on Gaea's side. You know this. And that would be a true bloodbath."
Hazel nodded.
She continued. "So I need to last as Queen until the Feast. That's seven nights. Seven challenges. Seven duels to the death."
The Amazon stepped forward, grabbing Percy's hand. She took the ring off Percy's finger, twirling it in her hand, inspecting it. "If Reyna gave you this… she trusts you. I must respect that trust, no matter how much I don't want to."
She raised the ring to her mouth, giving it a soft kiss, before closing her hands around it. She closed her eyes.
Hylla nodded to herself. "I will not avoid divine intervention. If Mars deemed the quest to start, I will not interfere. But I will have to keep you here until the early morning - my fellow warriors will not let you leave easily. Best to wait until most of them are asleep."
Percy looked back at Hylla. "You'll help us?"
Hylla fixed him with a glare, although it was softer than her previous looks. "If I can survive and maintain control, I will come to the Romans' aid. If. I can't guarantee anything."
He breathed out. "Thank you."
Frank raised his hand, not talking until Hylla nodded to him. "If we aren't leaving until the morning… Does that mean we've got to depend on you winning tonight?"
Hylla nodded, a grim smile on her face.
"Kenzie will take you to the holding cells… if I put you anywhere else, it'll only give Otrera more ammunition against me. Hazel will join you shortly."
Percy sighed, but put his hands out. "Do what you have to do."
She nodded, gesturing to Kenzie to guide Percy and Frank away. "I hope to see you in the morning, boy."
Percy shot a grim look over his shoulder. "Good luck, my queen."
Hylla nodded. "For all of our sake."
"If you tell the truth
you don't have to remember anything."
Mark Twain
The dreamworld was aflame once more.
Percy knelt, sword in his hand, tears leaving tracks through the dust and blood settled on his cheeks. His clothes were ruined, while his sword hung limp from his fingers. His eyes were dead.
The world seemed at war with itself - the golden city, alight in red and green flickers of flame, had been ruined. Statues had crumbled. Columns had fallen. Bodies were strewn about, golden puddles dotting the city streets like the last dredges of a mustard bottle. The city had become a battleground, consumed by hate - nothing more.
Below, a battle raged, the powers of this city on full display. Lightning bolts cracked down from the surrounding clouds, close enough for Percy to see them form. Streaks of light tore through the air, the sun and the moon and the essence of war itself slashing through the night sky. The bellowing of a massive creature could be heard far, far below.
He had seen this before.
This was a dream he's had before.
Percy wept in front of him. He had no marks on his body, nor injuries of any kind - he wondered where all the ichor had come from. Both red and golden.
But as he watched, Percy seemed to pull himself together. His eyes came alive. The tears came slower, and the breaths grew steadier. And as a soldier readies for battle, Percy steeled his face and steadied his sword. The broken man reunited his parts, all in the name of one goal.
Vengeance.
A look of hate washed over Percy's eyes, a deadly hate. A hate of both blind rage and total concentration, of danger and conviction.
Percy stood, Anaklusmos in front of him, dripping lifeblood to the cracked marble below. The soldier looked towards the doors of the throne room at the top of the Mountain, now sliced in two. He whispered something unintelligible to the dreamer's ears, thrusting a three-fingered, claw-like gesture with his hands out from his chest. Wiping his tears from his face, he turned towards the side of the city.
A fence stood, in between two shopfronts made of marble and olive wood. A fence that separated the walkway of Olympus from the long, long dive that would be the fall to New York City. Percy dropped into a running position, Anaklusmos at the ready, pain and anger and suffering all too evident in his expression. He looked down, closing his eyes.
"Forgive me, guys. But I know what I have to do."
And with that one, singular sentence, Percy ran forwards, doing something none had dared to ever do, mortal or immortal, throughout all of history.
He dove off Olympus.
A/N: Another chapter down as we near the midpoint of this Arc! Thank you to everyone interested in this story - there are more of you day by day, and I couldn't be more thankful. I'd like to give some shoutouts to those who have left comments on the past two chapters, including HughJasz, skotos07, digestaratrik, thelordoptimus, and DireRavenIII, as well as multiple anonymous guests! Your comments mean more to me than I think you'd imagine.
There was one comment here asking about a ship. I'm not going to spoil anything, of course, but I can tell you… nothing. I'm not letting you know that yet.
With that, I once more encourage you to keep reading, follow, favorite, comment, do whatever you want. But it means a lot to me when you do so. Have a blessed weekend y'all! Go listen to Kendrick, that's what I'm doing.