So Sorry for not updating sooner but I had finals next week, so I had to prep for that. After next week is winter break so I should be able to finish the chapters of The Lightning Thief and start working on The Sea of Monsters
XVII. Has someone valium?
After being handed the book by her sister looked the Goddess of Harvest down at the next chapter title and blinked by what stood there seeing how she really did not understand it, mostly the last sentence.
"The next title is kind of confusing" she told the others before reading "We Shop For Water Beds?" she read, but before she had the chance to ask were the demigods of the future busy turning with unbelieving eyes to a perplexed looking Annabeth, they kind of forgot that she had till now not done this.
"World War III is one day away and you guys are looking at waterbeds?" asked a gapping Beckendorf.
"Even if it would be the newest style clothes, this is not exactly the time." Silena said with a shake of her head, and this coming from an Aphrodite girl meant much.
"I don't know what we are doing." Annabeth defended while turning to the legacies. "What are we doing?" she asked them.
"You had a not planned shopping trip, combined visitation." Mich said with a shrug, in a way was it true.
"Uh…sorry, but what are water beds?" asked a confused Bellerophon.
"Easy, just what the name suggests a bed on which there is a quadrant like large pillow filled with water." Luke explained, his dad told him that he had insisted to get such a bed for their home in New Greece, but their mom was kind of against the idea. Something along the lines of not risking that he floods the bedroom or something like that, though Luke got one and it was brilliant.
"Aha…" come it from those of the antique as Demeter turned back to the book.
It was Annabeth's idea.
As everyone turned their gazes back to her Annabeth looked desperately at the goddess holding the book.
"Lady Demeter, please." the goddess nodded and continued.
She loaded us into the back of a Vegas taxi as if we actually had money, and told the driver, "Los Angeles, please."
"That will be quite expensive." stated a gapping Malcolm as he did a quick counting in his head, well with your dad being a math professor and your mom the Goddess of Wisdom well one can get what his favourite subject is.
"That is an understatement." Lee said blinking.
"How did you manage that… well without making a run for it after your arrival that is." Travis asked in shock, that was the only option he saw seeing how neither of them had money on them.
"Card." was the only thing En said, as she had told Nathan her dad still had two of those, but rarely used them, they were like mementos of the past.
"Huh…how can those cards in the Lotus Casino help them?" Jay asked in confusion.
"You will hear." was the only reply he got which made everyone turn back to Demeter who after noticing the gazes hurried on reading before her eyes widened.
"I see what you meant." she said in a surprised tone and went on.
The cabbie chewed his cigar and sized us up. "That's three hundred miles. For that, you gotta pay up front."
"I really hope that those cards will work or they find another solution." Gwen said, this didn't look good.
"You accept casino debit cards?" Annabeth asked.
Everyone held their breaths to see if it really worked.
He shrugged. "Some of 'em. Same as credit cards. I gotta swipe 'em through first."
Annabeth handed him her green LotusCash card.
He looked at it skeptically.
"Swipe it," Annabeth invited.
He did.
His meter machine started rattling. The lights flashed. Finally an infinity symbol came up next to the dollar sign.
One could literally hear the sound of jaws hitting the floor or the cracking sound as the demigods whipped their heads around to stare at Enysswe.
"You have to be kidding us…" Chris said with wide eyes, his brothers could only nod their heads.
"That is not a joke, but as you heard obtaining them if you are not a divine being is dangerous." she said with a shrug while most of the kids turned to their parents who shifted uncomfortably on their thrones as they were assaulted by one of the world's most deadly powers… the sad-puppy look.
"Uh…well…erm…maybe if you well…king of ask our future selves…" Apollo said nervously while mentally cursing that he had four children here from which three were doing a brilliant job in making him uncomfortable.
"Ok." come it from the demigods as both Connor and Reyna wrote a reminding note while farther back both Chiron and Lupa had a hard time to restrain themselves to not laugh at the expressions the gods had on, the two of them needed to deal with that look enough so it was amusing seeing the parents facing it.
The cigar fell out of the driver's mouth. He looked back at us, his eyes wide.
"We certainly understand you pal." Connor said in a feint tone, all those things they could do with even one card.
"Where to in Los Angeles... uh, Your Highness?"
Annabeth blushed, but luckily were the others still stunned to comment much.
"The Santa Monica Pier." Annabeth sat up a little straighter. I could tell she liked the "Your Highness" thing.
"She certainly did." Luke said grinning as his bother blushed even deeper.
"Get us there fast, and you can keep the change."
Maybe she shouldn't have told him that. The cab's speedometer never dipped below ninety-five the whole way through the Mojave Desert.
"I don't know what a speedometer is, but I know that this is my kind of speed driving." Ares said grinning gleefully.
"Hope that cab had seatbelts and you put them on." Lee told Annabeth, if anything would have appeared the cab would not manage to stop in time and they could not risk injuries.
"I'm hoping the same." Annabeth replied while in the background looked her father about to be sick as he imagined one accident scenario after the other.
On the road, we had plenty of time to talk. I told Annabeth and Grover about my latest dream, but the details got sketchier the more I tried to remember them. The Lotus Casino seemed to have short-circuited my memory.
"It certainly does." En confirmed, this had been also the ground why it took so long for her dad to remember his past, beside the lingering effect of Lethe.
"Wonderful, that dream had valuable informations in it and he can't properly remember." Athena groaned and this time she could not even blame it on the Fist Brain's genes because of the facts regards the new form of the Lotus-eaters.
I couldn't recall what the invisible servant's voice had sounded like, though I was sure it was somebody I knew.
Cue more groans and small curses though Mitchell and Malcolm were not sure if they should feel at least slightly relieved that Annabeth will not be faced with the betrayal while sitting in a cab which goes on full speed or to be worried if this delay had some unfortunate consequences.
The servant had called the monster in the pit something other than "my lord" ... some special name or title...
A large group of birds flew up in panic from the woods on Olymphos and even the mortals below raised their heads in worry for they were sure that they had heard many screams haling from the heavens above, prompting them to rush to the temples and small altars to give sacrifices to the gods.
"The most valuable of all informations and because of that damned place he forgot." Artemis shook her head, she felt tempted to find that damned tree in their time and send a few arrows at it, but sadly it would re-form.
"Meaning you still don't know who the real enemy is." Reyna said when she noticed the gods tense and exchange confused glances with each other.
"What is wrong father?" Perseus asked after having returned to his seat from beside his younger brother.
"It is noting, but…the mortals in whole Greece seemed to have started making sacrifices to all of us." replied a perplexed Zeus, this had never before happened that every single of their followers would do this and almost at the same time.
"I think your reaction may have given the mortals the impression that you were angry with them." Nathan said as he shook his head, those poor mortals.
"This may be it." Amphitrite said while looking at her husband and son.
"Lady Demeter please continue." Sally spoke up after a few seconds, eventually the mortals will calm down.
"The Silent One?" Annabeth suggested. "The Rich One? Both of those are nicknames for Hades."
Hades huffed on his throne, but did not argue that those were the names people used for him if they wanted to be respectful.
"We also use most of the time a kind of different version of the second nickname for Lord Hades." Reyna spoke up which earned her the attention of said god.
"What version?" he asked in interest.
"That would be 'Dis Pater' which means 'The Rich Father'." Henry elaborated for his grandfather who nodded his head.
"We can't argue on that one." Hermes whispered to Apollo seeing how their uncle was the lord over the wealth hidden under the earth.
"Maybe ..." I said, though neither sounded quite right.
"Good." Persephone mumbled to herself, even if he could not remember there was still something there and he seemed to react to it.
"That throne room sounds like Hades's," Grover said. "That's the way it's usually described."
"You know, it is kind of funny how Lord Hades is the only one whom is in most descriptions associated with his throne room or at least his throne while neither of the other gods or only really rarely." Chris said, but flinched when there was a loud rumble of thunder.
"WHAT!" Zeus yelled in indignation which made everyone outside wonder what his problem was now. "I'm the King of Gods so why is it that my brother is the only one described with a throne or even the whole throne room?" he demanded to know from the demigods so he missed the eye roll from both Hades and Enysswe.
"We are not sure, but people kind of prefer to portray you either ready to blast someone with a lightning bolt or having one of your affairs in whatever form you had taken at that time." Chiron elaborated while Zeus stared spluttering at his half-brother with both Hercules and Perseus looking embarrassed at the new knowledge while the divinities were trying to decide if they should join them in their reaction or to laugh like how Hades and Poseidon were doing before they were joined by Hera.
"I…then tell me how Poseidon is shown." Zeus said to get over his embarrassment, this also shut his brother up and made him look nervous.
"Granddad is kind of usually shown standing with his trident in his hand... ah, and it is kind of a liked theme to show his wedding to step-grandmother Amphitrite." Sally said at which Amphitrite blushed while Poseidon gave his little brother a smug smile.
"Demeter, continue with reading we are wasting our time here." Zeus finally said while most in the throne room tired to not show their amusement seeing how it had been him starting this little talk.
I shook my head. "Something's wrong. The throne room wasn't the main part of the dream. And that voice from the pit ... I don't know. It just didn't feel like a god's voice."
Hades allowed himself a small smile while Athena was again stunned how much Percy could note small things.
"Huh…one can feel a difference in the voices of divinities?" Pan asked in a confused tone, being a Nature God he had excellent hearing, but he could still not find differences.
"Actually there is a difference, but only few are able to note it, well if they are not primordials or in other words first generation gods and goddesses that is." Mich said with a shrug while the others nodded their heads carefully.
Annabeth's eyes widened.
"What?" I asked.
"Oh ... nothing. I was just—No, it has to be Hades. Maybe he sent this thief, this invisible person, to get the master bolt, and something went wrong—"
"Uncle, sister leave my daughter alone, she just wishes for the less worrisome option to be true." Athena spoke up when she saw both Hades and Persephone narrow their eyes at Annabeth who looked stunned at first, but gave her mother a thankful smile.
"I never knew that you would be for the usage of denial Athena." Persephone told her half-sister.
"I'm not, I just don't wish for the two of you to frighten my child." she answered back the truth and the only argument she could bring up without contradicting herself, though from the corner of her eyes she saw the smile on Annabeth's face shine more brighter which on the other hand made her feel a type of warmth in her chest.
"It seems that these books certainly have the power to make us more of a family." Hera heard her older sister's voice in her head which made her smile and look in her direction with a pleased nod, but there were still many things they needed to push out of the way, one of them the way how Hades get's seen, she hoped that these books would make Zeus see sense or at least give them courage to force him to see it.
"Like what?"
"I—I don't know," she said. "But if he stole Zeus's symbol of power from Olympus, and the gods were hunting him, I mean, a lot of things could go wrong. So this thief had to hide the bolt, or he lost it somehow. Anyway, he failed to bring it to Hades. That's what the voice said in your dream, right? The guy failed. That would explain what the Furies were searching for when they came after us on the bus. Maybe they thought we had retrieved the bolt."
"Ugh…I'm letting myself be lead by my anger towards Lord Hades am I right?" Annabeth asked with a painful sigh, her hesitations showed that she may have a clue, but she was stubbornly holding on to the fact that it was Hades.
"Yes, you kind of were and this will hold on for two more chapters after this." Sally told her mother; at least would En and Henry be completely clam after those two chapters.
I wasn't sure what was wrong with her. She looked pale.
Annabeth held her head, she should have just told him her other assumption, such things are dangerous in a battle and they will be facing a war.
"But if I'd already retrieved the bolt," I said, "why would I be traveling to the Underworld?"
"This is certainly a remarkable point, if he would already have it then he would not be on his way to Lord Hades." Odysseus pointed out while everyone looked thoughtful, there was something they were missing from the picture. The question is what?
One would thing that when you have something such powerful as Zeus's Master Bolt with you that you would notice it somehow. Chiron had given an apt description how it looked and it's powers so it would not be that hard to miss, but they had not heard about Percy having anything remotely similar to the Bolt. It just didn't make any sense.
"To threaten Hades," Grover suggested. "To bribe or blackmail him into getting your mom back."
"Firstly, no demigod can use the power of a god's weapon without the allowance of their owner." Hades stated before Persephone took over for her husband.
"Secondly bribing or blackmailing my husband is not possible for a soul, a fair exchange in the same value as the soul maybe even a test is possible, but not the above mentioned two options." she finished before sharing a smile with Hades while Apollo bit back a sigh, it was really not easy for him to watch his sister and the one he wanted interact with each other.
"Seems as if your grandparents are certainly much in tune." Misty whispered to both En and Henry while a bit further before them Will gave his father a sympathetic smile.
I whistled. "You have evil thoughts for a goat."
This made a few people snicker at the comment before Demeter continued, if for noting else then to stop the interaction between her precious daughter and her dreadful-brother or was he not? She really did not understand what she should think of Hades and she would not waste her time with frustrating herself with that.
"And they have till now not heard about Coach Hedge." Mich whispered to the ohters, now that was one violence loving satyr.
"Why, thank you."
There were a few more snickers from those who knew Grover.
"But the thing in the pit said it was waiting for two items," I said. "If the master bolt is one, what's the other?"
Persephone narrowed her eyes again, she had a hunch what it was and sneaked a look at the legacies for confirmation. When Enysswe noticed her gaze she gave a small nod at which the Queen of Dead bit back a furious sound and someone dared to do such a thing and think that they could get away with it.
Meanwhile looked the others worried while Athena and her children tried figuring out what the other item could be.
Grover shook his head, clearly mystified.
"He is not the only one." Jake stated while shaking his head, and they say that this was the easiest quest in some ways, he already dreaded the others if this one could be called easy or even remotely calm.
Annabeth was looking at me as if she knew my next question, and was silently willing me not to ask it.
"Nice try mom, but if dad has something bothering him in regards a quest or a suspicion he will ask." Luke told his mother who nodded her head carefully, she knew that the question needs to be addressed for their own safety, one needs to always look at all the possibilities to find the right solution for a problem. Why she was refusing to see sense was somewhat beyond her, it was just not logical how she acted.
"You have an idea what might be in that pit, don't you?" I asked her. "I mean, if it isn't Hades?"
"Something pretty bad which is coming our way." Beckendorf said missing how the legacies tried not to flinch while on the thrones and outside of he palace the gathered divinities looked more then nervous about the prospect of Kronos getting out of his prison and wanting revenge.
"Percy ... let's not talk about it. Because if it isn't Hades ... No. It has to be Hades."
"Sorry, but denial about a problem, no matter it being worse then you wish it to be, can bring many problems with it if not acted on them or at least taken into consideration as a possibility. It did bring problems with it that the decision was postponed and needed an almost disaster for even deciding to discuss it." Enysswe said bitterly while glaring at Zeus who returned her glare.
"I'm really starting to get annoyed by your accusations child." Zeus told her while both Apollo and Hades narrowed their eyes at him ready to move if needed, Apollo often wished to step up towards his father when he made large mistakes, but never dared openly opposing him, but this time around he certainly would if he dared to hurt his granddaughter.
"Well, that is your problem if a child seems to know more about the ancient divine laws then you, the so called King of Gods do." no one was sure if they should be impressed by that comeback or not, mostly after the air filled again with the smell of ozone and the room seemed to darken.
"I know the laws." Zeus bit out, he was really tempted to teach that brat a lesson, no matter what Lady Nyx and the Fates will do to him later on.
"The ones you made when establishing your Godly Regime as it is tradition, though you have on the way forgot all the others and brought suffering on your family for that grave error in judgement." Enysswe told him in a cold tone which made the gods feel uncomfortable; it also did not help them when they noticed that the other legacies looked just as lost and worried as them.
"Enysswe, what do you mean?" Apollo asked his granddaughter who only gave him a sad smile, her tri-coloured eyes seemed to shift for a few seconds at Hermes.
"You will soon see grandfather, no law can be broken without punishment and all of our deeds carry consequences with them, no matter if mortal or divine." she told him before turning to her step-great-grandmother who after realizing that she was silently told to continue started reading, but the feeling of uneasiness stayed, just like the faint smell of ozone in the air.
"En?" Sally whispered to the other who only shook her head, indicating that she will not answer their questions till it is time.
Wasteland rolled by. We passed a sign that said CALI FORNIA STATE LINE, 12 MILES.
I got the feeling I was missing one simple, critical piece of information.
Everyone bit back a groan, that damned Casino had really done it.
It was like when I stared at a common word I should know, but I couldn't make sense of it because one or two letters were floating around. The more I thought about my quest, the more I was sure that confronting Hades wasn't the real answer.
"His instincts are well placed." Lupa said approvingly while even Athena needed to admit this, she could also see that they were all riled up against each other without either of them noticing that they were playing into Kronos's hands.
"Now if that Casino would not have messed with your heads you would be much better of." Clarisse growled, that place really messed up the quest and not only with taking away five day from it.
There was something else going on, something even more dangerous.
"Unfortunately." most mumbled, they will be really facing a second Titanomachia, just what one wants to hear.
The problem was: we were hurtling toward the Underworld at ninety-five miles an hour,
"Please let that cab have seat belts." Frederic mumbled to himself, that was not a speed he wanted to see by a cab in which his daughter is sitting!
betting that Hades had the Master Bolt.
Hades and his grandchildren huffed while Persephone hoped that they would soon arrive and clear things up regards her husband.
If we got there and found out we were wrong, we wouldn't have time to correct ourselves. The solstice deadline would pass and war would begin.
Everyone groaned, this was the last thing they wanted to hear, mostly that they did not know how they had managed to solve the problem seeing the other books and the legacies being present.
"The answer is in the Underworld," Annabeth assured me.
"In a way was the answer really there, though not what they fully assumed at that time, or well mom wanted to fully assume seeing how the problem is also imprisoned down there." Sally said while glancing over at En and Henry, they would be in two more chapters much calmer, well maybe not En if Zeus keeps up with getting into fights with her. The only ground their Zeus was not doing this may be probably because they rarely interact with each other.
"At least will the truth be soon revealed." Hera said sighing, but from the earlier argument she guessed that her husband would not want to take notice about their father till that incident which forces him to acknowledge it, she did not notice how Apollo narrowed his eyes at this father as he was starting to have a guess what all must have happened for him to at least put the issue out as a discussion.
"You saw spirits of the dead, Percy. There's only one place that could be. We're doing the right thing."
The legacies nodded their heads, they had done the right thing, but not in the way they would have expected it, but with that they had not only stopped a war, but also passed a test as they had found out.
She tried to boost our morale by suggesting clever strategies for getting into the Land of the Dead,
"You know that it is even without dying not that hard to do right?" Henry asked with a raised eyebrow.
"In a way is he right about that." come it from those past heroes who had been down there as well as outside from Psyche.
"Again…nice to know." Chris said while looking at his siblings, he would like to avoid that place for a while alive or not.
but my heart wasn't in it. There were just too many unknown factors. It was like cramming for a test without knowing the subject. And believe me, I'd done that enough times.
There were some nods from the demigods at this while the legacies tried not to smile, seems as if he even managed to figure out without knowing that he was being tested on his quest.
The cab sped west. Every gust of wind through Death Valley sounded like a spirit of the dead.
"You are only imagining it." Henry said while shaking his head.
"How do you know if they sound alike or not?" asked a curious Dakota, though this was kind of a morbid curiosity.
"Well, beside hearing enough dead souls, as mentioned we are not allied with the Egyptians who had decided to have demigods with mortals and two of the oldest ones are the children of the God of Desert and Storms so that is a given that we have spent time together." he elaborated.
"The two are twins and together with their cousin were the three often at camp seeing that they were born before their own camp in Memphis could be build and they learned form our parents." Sally explained grinning, it was fun to have the Egyptians around mostly that each of them beside their powers can take up the animal form of their parent or the form of their sacred animal like her uncle Frank could shape-shift. "Tori had mostly spent time with dad seeing how she had inherited more of the storm attribute while Xander the desert attribute and we once asked them to show us how a sandstorm could be in close up."
"It was neat to see one like that, we did not even feel it." Ace added in while the others nodded their heads in understanding.
"When exactly are we going to meet the Egyptians and their followers?" Malcolm asked from the legacies.
"It won't take to long, only a couple of years, but as already said we are not here because of our allies, but for you to change some wrongs before they escalate." Sally told her uncle before waving for Demeter who reluctantly continued.
Every time the brakes hissed on an eighteen-wheeler, it reminded me of Echidna's reptilian voice.
Cue glares at Zeus who avoided their gazes and just indicated for Demeter to continue.
At sunset, the taxi dropped us at the beach in Santa Monica. It looked exactly the way L.A. beaches do in the movies, only it smelled worse. At sunset, the taxi dropped us at the beach in Santa Monica. It looked exactly the way L.A. beaches do in the movies, only it smelled worse.
Both Enysswe and Henry nodded, they really did smell terrible.
There were carnival rides lining the Pier, palm trees lining the sidewalks, homeless guys sleeping in the sand dunes, and surfer dudes waiting for the perfect wave.
Grover, Annabeth, and I walked down to the edge of the surf.
"What now?" Annabeth asked.
The Pacific was turning gold in the setting sun. I thought about how long it had been since I'd stood on the beach at Montauk, on the opposite side of the country, looking out at a different sea.
Some gave sympathetic looks towards the book at this, one often remembers their last peaceful memory when they still thought to be normal.
How could there be a god who could control all that?
Poseidon smiled at his child's thoughts while his other demigod children nodded, at the start had it almost overwhelmed them to know about their real father so they did not see Demeter raise and eyebrow at the next sentence.
What did my science teacher used to say—two-thirds of the earth's surface was covered in water? How could I be the son of someone that powerful?
Poseidon's smile become even more pleased while Zeus was about to retort that the sky was much larger, but Hera covered his mouth before he had a chance to comment and start an argument when they were so close to know who the real thief was.
I stepped into the surf
"Percy?" Annabeth said. "What are you doing?"
I kept walking, up to my waist, then my chest.
She called after me, "You know how polluted that water is? There're all kinds of toxic—"
"Annabeth? You know that with you needing to finish a quest and his presence having been requested there could he not been busy regards water pollution." Katie pointed out while Poseidon, Amphitrite, Triton, Artemis, Pan and a good deal of nature gods and spirits mumbled annoyed threats regards polluters.
"I know." Annabeth replied sighing, her first quest and it is not going as smooth as she had imagined, it seemed that she really did not know enough to get through one without a good deal of mistakes and danger.
That's when my head went under.
"And this is a way to drone out your future-wife." Connor whispered to Travis, Chris and Trickster who had moved a bit closer to his siblings.
"Agreed." they whispered back.
I held my breath at first. It's difficult to intentionally inhale water.
Both Luke and Sally nodded in agreement, at the start they had also been scarred no matter that their dad and grandfather were there reassuring them that it would be fine, the demigod sons of the Sea God also nodded their heads.
"So it is like flying for me, the first time I was pretty scarred." Jay admitted.
"Don't tell me, it was the first time you teached me somewhat hard taking a step when your dad if floating before you while you are standing at the end of a pacifier and that was before Temptest decided to give me a friendly nudge." Nathan said, he had been for a whole month angry at the storm spirit.
"Temptest?" Jay asked in confusion.
"Sixth book." Nath replied to his dad.
Finally I couldn't stand it anymore. I gasped. Sure enough, I could breathe normally.
I walked down into the shoals. I shouldn't have been able to see through the murk, but somehow I could tell where everything was. I could sense the rolling texture of the bottom. I could make out sand-dollar colonies dotting the sandbars. I could even see the currents, warm and cold streams swirling together.
A good deal of the demigods looked more then stunned, those powers sounded really brilliant to have.
I felt something rub against my leg. I looked down and almost shot out of the water like a ballistic missile. Sliding along beside me was a five-foot-long mako shark.
"Erm…did it just say that the shark was rubbing against his leg?" asked a pale looking Pollux.
"Those are cute." Sally said happily while beside the legacies and the gods most of the others gave her weird looks.
But the thing wasn't attacking. It was nuzzling me. Heeling like a dog.
"Oookkeyyy… that is kind of weird, but at least is he not in danger." Michael said carefully as the others gathered their jaws up from the ground.
Tentatively, I touched its dorsal fin. It bucked a little, as if inviting me to hold tighter. I grabbed the fin with both hands. It took off, pulling me along.
"I think I prefer dolphins a bit more." Silena stated.
The shark carried me down into the darkness. It deposited me at the edge of the ocean proper, where the sand bank dropped off into a huge chasm. It was like standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon at midnight, not being able to see much, but knowing the void was right there. The shark carried me down into the darkness. It deposited me at the edge of the ocean proper, where the sand bank dropped off into a huge chasm. It was like standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon at midnight, not being able to see much, but knowing the void was right there.
"Yeah, my parents and Nath's dad could tell you pretty much about the Canyon, mostly how it feels crashing down in it." Mich said while everyone turned to him wide eyes, Jay even looked panicked.
"WHAT!" they all demanded.
"Sixth book." was his only reply as he watched his grandparents exchange nervous looks before his grandmother patted his grandfather on the hand.
The surface shimmered maybe a hundred and fifty feet above. I knew I should've been crushed by the pressure. Then again, I shouldn't have been able to breathe. I wondered if there was a limit to how deep I could go, if I could sink straight to the bottom of the Pacific.
"He could," Poseidon said while the demigods looked at him wide eyed.
Then I saw something glimmering in the darkness below, growing bigger and brighter as it rose toward me. A woman's voice, like my mother's, called: "Percy Jackson."
"Poseidon…" Zeus stared, but Enysswe interrupted him.
"You know that this is still by the rules, his presence was requested in the delivered message and seeing how his father was not allowed to personally attend he sent the same messenger in his steed, beside that, that message and this meeting were not only issued by Lord Poseidon, he had been ordered to do so." she finished while everyone looked confused, who had asked the god to send that message and arrange this meeting?
As she got closer, her shape became clearer. She had flowing black hair, a dress made of green silk. Light flickered around her, and her eyes were so distractingly beautiful I hardly noticed the stallion-sized sea horse she was riding.
She dismounted. The sea horse and the mako shark whisked off and started playing something that looked like tag.
"Somehow this sounds kind of adorable." Silena said while Gwen nodded her head in agreement.
The underwater lady smiled at me. "You've come far, Percy Jackson. Well done."
I wasn't quite sure what to do, so I bowed. "You're the woman who spoke to me in the Mississippi River."
"Yes, child. I am a Nereid, a spirit of the sea. It was not easy to appear so far upriver, but the naiads, my freshwater cousins, helped sustain my life force.
Outside both water spirit groups exchanged warm smiles with each other.
"That was really nice from them." Katie said with a little smile.
They honor Lord Poseidon, though they do not serve in his court."
"And ... you serve in Poseidon's court?"
She nodded. "It has been many years since a child of the Sea God has been born. We have watched you with great interest."
"Yes, due to first Zeus and then Poseidon breaking the oath they had made on the Styx." Hera said while rolling her eyes. "It is quiet ironic that your brother on whom you have forced it on is the one to actually stay by it." she told the two squiring gods while Jay looked somewhat uncomfortable.
"Demeter." both brothers called suddenly to the Agriculture Goddess who rolled her eyes at them, but still continued.
Suddenly I remembered faces in the waves off Montauk Beach when I was a little boy, reflections of smiling women. Like so many of the weird things in my life, I'd never given it much thought before.
Hearing this the other demigods decided to try later on remembering if they had also experienced some similar weird, but not dangerous encounters regards the element of their own parent.
"If my father is so interested in me," I said, "why isn't he here? Why doesn't he speak to me?"
"Your uncle." come it from the gods and goddesses.
A cold current rose out of the depths.
Poseidon knew that this was probably his hurt reaction that he could not come.
"Do not judge the Lord of the Sea too harshly," the Nereid told me. "He stands at the brink of an unwanted war. He has much to occupy his time. Besides, he is forbidden to help you directly. The gods may not show such favoritism."
The gods again glared at Zeus while the demigods bowed their heads.
"Even to their own children?"
"Especially to them.
The glares got even more heated as Zeus started squirming in his throne because it started becoming hard to ignore the looks his family was giving him.
The gods can work by indirect influence only. That is why I give you a warning, and a gift."
She held out her hand. Three white pearls flashed in her palm.
Athena, her children and Odysseus frowned, why were it only three pearls.
"This gift had been decided by those instructing this meeting as well as another message." Enysswe said, the Nereid had been forbidden to tell whom those in truth were who had foretold regards her uncle's future.
"I know you journey to Hades's realm," she said. "Few mortals have ever done this and survived: Orpheus, who had great music skill;
Orpheus smiled and gave a thenkful look to his fahter whom had been the one teaching him with his best skills.
Hercules, who had great strength; Hercules, who had great strength;
Hercules and Zeus exchanged a smile before the former composed himself when noting the dark looks he was getting from both Lady Artemis and the Dark Princess from behind his father.
Houdini, who could escape even the depths of Tartarus.
"Technically he had been never down there only dangerously close to fall in, but could get up." Misty said when seeing the horrified expression on her grandfather's face, well at last will he not need to worry for one of his kids. "Saddly that goes not for Lords Hades, Poseidon and Lady Athena." she thought while Luke, Sally and Enysswe did their best not to flinch.
"Good, none of you children should ever land in that hellhole." Hermes said in a relieved tone so he did not notice the legacies tensing.
Do you have these talents?"
"Urn ... no, ma'am."
"Ah, but you have something else, Percy. You have gifts you have only begun to know.
The legacies nodded their heads, one of those gifts was understanding.
The oracles have foretold a great and terrible future for you, should you survive to man hood.
"So wonderful to hear this news, and which oracles were this so that I can thank them?" Poseidon asked testily while En gave him a smile.
"In two chapters I will tell you." she informed the god who nodded while the demigods exchanged nervous glances, Percy had it really not easy while outside the others were again agreeing with Helios's earlier assumption.
Poseidon would not have you die before your time. Therefore take these, and when you are in need, smash a pearl at your feet."
"What will happen?"
"That," she said, "depends on the need. But remember: what belongs to the sea will always return to the sea."
"I don't get it." Travis said blinking.
"You will soon understand." Lance told his father.
"What about the warning?"
Her eyes flickered with green light. "Go with what your heart tells you, or you will lose all. Hades feeds on doubt and hopelessness. He will trick you if he can, make you mistrust your own judgment. Once you are in his realm, he will never willingly let you leave. Keep faith. Good luck, Percy Jackson."
"I really wonder whatever I had ever done against any of you for everyone having such a high and pleasing view about me?" Hades asked sarcastically as his wife and grandchildren let out soft growls, the older gods only squirmed in their seats, but this time Poseidon the most as he somehow remembered a faint melody in the back of his mind which he had not heard since having been small and living in their father's stomach.
She summoned her sea horse and rode toward the void.
"Wait!" I called. "At the river, you said not to trust the gifts. What gifts?"
"Good-bye, young hero," she called back, her voice fading into the depths. "You must listen to your heart." She became a speck of glowing green, and then she was gone.
"Sometimes, trusting your heart is the hardest task." Hestia spoke up softly while gazing over all those gathered in the throne room.
I wanted to follow her down into the darkness. I wanted to see the court of Poseidon.
"Now he sees it pretty often." Sally said while hiding the sadness in her voice, the first time her dad had been at his father's court in person had been marked by death and destruction.
But I looked up at the sunset darkening on the surface. My friends were waiting. We had so little time...
I kicked upward toward the shore.
Hestia nodded her head approvingly at the young hero's actions.
When I reached the beach, my clothes dried instantly.
"I still find that ability great, imagine an all out water pistol and balloon fight and we would be dry in seconds." Connor told his siblings whom nodded their heads wistfully while Perseus was again glaring at Theseus who gave him an innocent smile, which by the way does not work for the children of Poseidon.
I told Grover and Annabeth what had happened, and showed them the pearls.
Annabeth grimaced. "No gift comes without a price."
"They were free."
"I didn't mean it like that." Annabeth said while shaking her head before turning to the legacies.
"You will know soon." was the only reply she got from Luke.
"No." She shook her head. "'There is no such thing as a free lunch.' That's an ancient Greek saying that translated pretty well into American. There will be a price. You wait." "No." She shook her head. "'There is no such thing as a free lunch.' That's an ancient Greek saying that translated pretty well into American. There will be a price. You wait."
Everyone nodded their heads while Reyna added the saying to her list, it could certainly be applied into their current time and place.
On that happy thought, we turned our backs on the sea. On that happy thought, we turned our backs on the sea.
"Way to dampen the mood Annabeth." Connor told the girl who shook her head, that had been not her intention.
With some spare change from Ares's backpack, we took the bus into West Hollywood. I showed the driver the Underworld address slip I'd taken from Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, but he'd never heard of DOA Recording Studios.
"It would be disastrous if mortals could find it, all those ghost hunters would literally swarm us." Enysswe said, that would be the last thing they would need.
"Ghost hunters?" Bellerophon asked blinking.
"Mortals who want to find ghosts and probe that they exist, they even kind of managed to get shades on pictures and a few sound recordings on places where some type of tragedy happened and some souls still linger because we could not get to them sooner." Henry explained at which Hades nodded his head, those mortals would be really bothersome to deal with if it are the ghost for which they would come, so no scarring away would work.
"Mortals will certainly change in the future." Jason said, he knew not many mortals who would freely go to a place filled with the souls of the deceased.
"You remind me of somebody I saw on TV," he told me. "You a child actor or something?"
"Good that they are in Hollywood." Mitchell said with a relieved sigh the others agreed with him on this, it would be easy to say 'yes' and everyone believing it.
"Uh ... I'm a stunt double ... for a lot of child actors."
"Oh! That explains it."
"But how will they find the entrance?" asked Perseus in a thoughtful tone.
"It will come up at the end of this chapter." Misty informed him.
We thanked him and got off quickly at the next stop.
We wandered for miles on foot, looking for DOA. Nobody seemed to know where it was. It didn't appear in the phone book.
"Why would it stand in there?" Henry asked in confusion while the demigods facepalmed.
"Why am I not thinking." Annabeth groaned, it should be obvious that they would not find it in a phone book if it was the entrance of the Underworld.
Twice, we ducked into alleys to avoid cop cars.
"And there will be also that." Castor pointed out, this quest started becoming hectic and time was running out fast.
I froze in front of an appliance-store window because a television was playing an interview with somebody who looked very familiar—my stepdad, Smelly Gabe.
Cue growls, glares and threats against that thing which called itself human.
He was talking to Barbara Walters—I mean, as if he were some kind of huge celebrity. She was interviewing him in our apartment, in the middle of a poker game,
"What! He is being interviewed regards his stupid lies that Percy had done something to his mother and all that while he is playing poker?" Katie snapped as she and the other females looked ready to hurt someone.
"That…can't people see that this is not how a worried husband should look, leave alone blame their stepson." Silena agreed, she could not believe that vile man.
"I may have often said bad things about men, but that I don't even know what does not even deserve to be called a man." Artemis hissed.
and there was a young blond lady sitting next to him, patting his hand.
"I'm really tempted to hurt him, when will he land by my brother again?" Poseidon asked in a tight tone.
"Fore last chapter of this book." Luke growled which made his grandfather nod in satisfaction that it will happen soon.
A fake tear glistened on his cheek. He was saying, "Honest, Ms. Walters, if it wasn't for Sugar here, my grief counsellor, I'd be a wreck.
"Grief counsellor, as if I would say the term 'lover' would be more accurate." Mitchell spat while Hera mumbled something about cheating bastards.
"And another place where all that money went." Amphitrite said distastefully, that man had been really asking for her brother-in-law's direct attention.
My stepson took everything I cared about. My wife ... my Camaro ... I—I'm sorry. I have trouble talking about it."
"Did he just dare to put his wife in the same category as his chariot?" Perseus asked with narrowed eyes while both Frederic and Sue also looked appealed.
"I'm really glad for whatever brings him to your realm brother, maybe you can even except small visit from me if that is no trouble for you." Poseidon told Hades who gave him a dark grin.
"I don't mind a little visit, would you like a small tour?" he asked.
"With pleasure, I may even have my Trident with me in case I get tired and wish to lean on something familiar." Poseidon said in a thoughtful tone while the others looked pleased with the implications between the two brothers.
"There you have it, America." Barbara Walters turned to the camera. "A man torn apart.
"I have better suggestions then that." Artemis growled, that embodiment was the last scum.
"I'm open for suggestions." Hades told his niece who gave him a beaming smile, she had some nice ideas for punishment.
"Seems as if Gabe's punishment will be even better then it already is." Henry whispered to his cousin who grinned in agreement.
An adolescent boy with serious issues.
"Of course he has serious issues, he is a freaking demigod!" yelled a furious Clarisse while everyone else gave voice to their agreement.
"Anyone who is constantly attacked by monsters, goes on quest and is faced with mythology being fully real is bound to have them." Frank snapped, he could already see his grandmother restraining herself if she saw this, to not go to new York and to give that person a piece of her mind.
"I would like to see her facing a griffon." Reyna growled with a furious look on her face.
"I would more suggest something larger, but that would also do." Orion mumbled, his little brother could not do anything regards the troubles, he was not born as a mortal.
"And people say that ignorance is bliss." Michael said with a disgusted look on his face.
And it went on like this for the upcoming five minutes till things calmed down enough so that Demeter could continue.
Let me show you, again, the last known photo of this troubled young fugitive, taken a week ago in Denver."
"Wonderful." Annabeth mumbled under her breath.
The screen cut to a grainy shot of me, Annabeth, and Grover standing outside the Colorado diner, talking to Ares.
"Wonderful, Ares does not exactly look all to convincing in the innocent department." Athena groaned as her brother gave her a strange look regards why he would want to appear innocent so they missed the annoyed look Ace had on his face while the other legacies looked amused.
"Who are the other children in this photo?" Barbara Walters asked dramatically.
Frederic flinched, wonderful now he could only hope that he will not be having the television on when this gets shown or he will have a heart attack. The last thing a father whose daughter had run away from home with seven wants to see is years later a photo on TV and implication that she become a fugitive.
"Who is the man with them?
"In Percy's case his cousin, in Annabeth's her uncle and in the last case a Greek God." Hermes supplied with a grin to lift the mood, but it did not have the desired effect.
Is Percy Jackson a delinquent,
"No."
a terrorist,
"Definitely not."
or perhaps the brainwashed victim of a frightening new cult?
"Anymore such idiotic ideas?" come it from the demigods and some of the antique even thought they did not know what a 'terrorist' was.
When we come back, we chat with a leading child psychologist. Stay tuned, America."
"Most of those are not worth much, except if they happen to be a satyr or demigod looking for others and some are even actually monsters on the hunt." Lupa said distastefully while the others looked still annoyed.
"What is a psychologist anyway?" Orion asked in confusion.
"In short it is a person who evaluates, diagnoses, treats, and studies behaviour and mental processes, some of them provide in a way mental health care and counselling like after someone is part of witnesses a great tragedy and help them get over it or at least deal with it or do this for research in the case of mental problems like MPD which means that a person basically develops a number of separated personalities which can differ from the person even in age and gender. In some peoples option is it a less dangerous form of schizophrenia." Lee explained, but then Misty spoke up as she looked slightly pityingly at the gods.
"You guys will kind of experience the later seeing that when you guys switched places with the Flame as you heard the Romans gave you new names and there were also some changes in your personality and for a long time you had some trouble with switching between your sided and different demeanour." she explained to the pale gods. "Well those whose powers are kind of universal had it easier with the changes in them while others did often a whole turn, but you will see it from book six till ten." she finished explaining and now even the demigods looked worried, well the Romans knew now why the gods acted different then they were told, but it also worried them that they will be having due to their ancestors in a way split personalities.
"Uh…so nice to know, Demeter…" Poseidon told his sister who nodded her head reluctantly.
"C'mon," Grover told me. He hauled me away before I could punch a hole in the appliance-store window.
"That would be good to avoid cuts like that from glass." Lee said approvingly, the cleaning of such wounds takes time and patience which they did not have, leave alone something to disinfect and bind it.
It got dark, and hungry-looking characters started coming out on the streets to play. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm a New Yorker. I don't scare easy. But L.A. had a totally different feel from New York. It got dark, and hungry-looking characters started coming out on the streets to play. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm a New Yorker. I don't scare easy. But L.A. had a totally different feel from New York.
"Each place has their own nature." Odysseus pointed out, he had been on his journey home on many places and they had each a different feeling to them, even the cities.
Back home, everything seemed close. It didn't matter how big the city was, you could get anywhere without getting lost. The street pattern and the subway made sense. There was a system to how things worked. A kid could be safe as long as he wasn't stupid.
"That applies to most if they are familiar with the are they are in." Athena pointed out.
L.A. wasn't like that. It was spread out, chaotic, hard to move around.
"Only if you are not used to it." Enysswe and Henry said at the same time.
It reminded me of Ares.
"Huh?" said god asked in confusion while Demeter smirked, that rally sounded like her nephew in some ways.
It wasn't enough for L.A. to be big; it had to prove it was big by being loud and strange and difficult to navigate, too.
"Excuse me?" Ares asked dumbfaulted while his siblings broke out laughing at this while most of the demigods bit at their tongues to stop themselves from joining in.
I didn't know how we were ever going to find the entrance to the Underworld by tomorrow, the summer solstice.
"That is really a problem." Malcolm mumbled to himself, but at least they will have the answer soon asto how they did it.
We walked past gangbangers, bums, and street hawkers, who looked at us like they were trying to figure if we were worth the trouble of mugging.
As we hurried passed the entrance of an alley, a voice from the darkness said, "Hey, you."
Like an idiot, I stopped.
"Usually that is not a good idea, but I have a guess who those are, the usual all bark, but no bite type of people they appear in large number because they try to be threatening." Henry replied, he had once been faced with En with such kids coming from rich families and being bored, it was pathetic really, En only knocked one out who flirted with her and the rest scrambled away in a matter of seconds.
Before I knew it, we were surrounded. A gang of kids had circled us. Six of them in all—white kids with expensive clothes and mean faces. Like the kids at Yancy Academy: rich brats playing at being bad boys.
"Yup, and like most get one knocked out and the rest will all make a run for it seeing that if they make it into press for something bad their money supply will get cancelled for a while." Mitchell said in agreement to Henry's earlier statement so he did not notice the annoyed look passing over Malcolm's face, he hated rich bullies who thought themselves better then others, the Ares cabin had at least a right to be like that due to their inherited nature unlike them.
"And what is the excuse of their parents for failing to raise their kids? Seeing how they are not gods who are bound and restrained by divine law to be there for them." Hera asked distastefully.
"Carrier." was the reply.
"They should all be force-feed more cereal." Demeter mumbled to herself before continuing in a louder voice.
Instinctively, I uncapped Riptide.
"Saddly it will only pass through them." Katie said scowling.
When the sword appeared out of nowhere, the kids backed off, but their leader was either really stupid or really brave,
"It is usually the former in such cases, those who actually have brains at their usage do other type of schemes." Sally said.
because he kept coming at me with a switchblade.
I made the mistake of swinging.
The kid yelped. But he must've been one hundred per cent mortal, because the blade passed harmlessly right through his chest. He looked down. "What the ..."
"I don't approve of that move, but seeing what all had happened on the way there are his instinctive reactions understandable, beside that now he has a type of distraction he can use." Chiron said while the others nodded their heads, now they could get away.
I figured I had about three seconds before his shock turned to anger. "Run!" I screamed at Annabeth and Grover.
There were several nods of approval.
We pushed two kids out of the way and raced down the street, not knowing where we were going. We turned a sharp corner.
"There!" Annabeth shouted.
"And here come the waterbeds." Lance whispered to Ace who nodded his head in agreement.
Only one store on the block looked open, its windows glaring with neon.
"Why do I have the strange feeling that it will be a dumb idea to go in there?" Annabeth asked, great there is a chance for another trouble she had dragged them into.
"Because is was mom." Sally said sighing, her poor uncle Theseus will be freaking out when he hears about her dad not also meeting with uncle Crusty.
The sign above the door said something like
Here Demeter stopped and looked over at her nephew. "Hermes, would you please?" she asked the god who stood up from his throne, and much to Pan's dismay continued to have a tight hold around him, and walked over to his aunt.
"It reads "CRSTUY'S WATRE BDE ALPACE."" he said before returning to his throne with his embarrassed and annoying looking son who hoped that there won't be much more such parts when he will get carried around like a baby goat by this currently overprotective father. Really, he was acting as if he would have disappeared from the face of the earth or something.
"Crusty's Water Bed Palace?" Grover translated.
It didn't sound like a place I'd ever go except in an emergency, but this definitely qualified.
"I don't know, monsters tend to outweight the danger mortals pose." Trickster said slightly nervously.
"I just hope that it will be not a major monster they meet this time." Triton said while his niece and nephew bit at their tongues that their dad kind of meet up with family in there.
We burst through the doors, ran behind a water bed, and ducked. A split second later, the gang kids ran past outside.
"I think we lost them," Grover panted.
A voice behind us boomed, "Lost who?"
We all jumped.
Everyone looked nervous, this was too soon.
Standing behind us was a guy who looked like a raptor in a leisure suit.
"Uh…nice comparison…" Felix said nervously, that was already a bad start for the description to follow.
He was at least seven feet tall, with absolutely no hair. He had gray, leathery skin, thick-lidded eyes, and a cold, reptilian smile. He moved toward us slowly, but I got the feeling he could move fast if he needed to.
Theseus, Poseidon and Triton suddenly tensed in their seats, somehow that description sounded eerily familiar to them.
"Ok, that is a creepy description." Dakota said while Gwen shivered, she would have screamed if a person like that would have stood behind her.
His suit might've come from the Lotus Casino. It belonged back in the seventies, big-time.
This made everyone even more suspicious.
The shirt was silk paisley, unbuttoned halfway down his hairless chest. The lapels on his velvet jacket were as wide as landing strips. The silver chains around his neck—I couldn't even count them.
"I'm Crusty," he said, with a tartar-yellow smile.
I resisted the urge to say, Yes, you are.
"Ugh…" come it from Aphrodite and her children who looked disgusted, but some of the others were also not all to far behind to show the same reaction as them while Theseus had the unwelcome feeling that he had seen such teeth before.
"Sorry to barge in," I told him. "We were just, um, browsing."
"You mean hiding from those no-good kids," he grumbled. "They hang around every night. I get a lot of people in here, thanks to them.
There were many scowls at this, those brats were the ground why people ended up in a monster's lair.
"Someone should push them inside there." Clarisse growled, it was distasteful to throw people in front of a monster mostly if they happen to be mortals who have no power to defend themselves or to even notice the danger.
Say, you want to look at a water bed?"
Orpheus noted the strange look on Theseus's face and braced himself for the breaking ribs and new bruises.
I was about to say No, thanks, when he put a huge paw on my shoulder and steered me deeper into the showroom.
"Not good." Octavian said when a sudden yelp and a sound like a wounded cat made everyone turn in the direction of the couch holding the heroes of old where Theseus had launched himself again at Orpheus.
"Great, it is something he had meet." Lee said while giving a sympathetic look to his older brother.
There was every kind of water bed you could imagine: different kinds of wood, different patterns of sheets; queen-size, king-size, emperor-of-the-universe-size.
Zeus really didn't like how some of his family turned in his direction regards the mentioning of the last bed.
"This is my most popular model." Crusty spread his hands proudly over a bed covered with black satin sheets, with built-in Lava Lamps on the headboard. The mattress vibrated, so it looked like oil-flavored Jell-O.
"Million-hand massage," Crusty told us. "Go on, try it out. Shoot, take a nap. I don't care. No business today, any-way.
"Um," I said, "I don't think ..."
"Million-hand massage!" Grover cried, and dove in. "Oh, you guys! This is cool."
"Grover!" the Greek demigods yelled in exasperation while Chiron shook his head in dismay.
"Hmm," Crusty said, stroking his leathery chin. "Almost, almost."
Everyone looked confused when Triton suddenly let out a groan while at the same time a whimper come from Theseus.
"It is him." he said while looking over at his nephew and niece.
"Yup, that is uncle Crusty." Sally said with a small smile, at least was this uncle just like two others still busy reforming themselves.
"Erm…why are you calling that monster if…" here Chris was interrupted by Poseidon groaning who had also put together who that was.
"Just wonderful, that are already two times he did that." he groaned while Orpheus was contemplating how to get Theseus's hands on the couch because he didn't fency the idea to have ten holes made into his arms by the others. He was also forming a plan asto how to get revenge on Bellerophon and Orion for pushing the other on him in the first place, well his brothers and nephew will certainly help out in the case of the later person.
"Almost what?" I asked.
He looked at Annabeth. "Do me a favor and try this one over here, honey. Might fit."
"She will not." growled Athena and Malcolm while Frederic paled he was starting to have a guess who that was and he did not like the fact that his daughter was also there.
Annabeth said, "But what—"
He patted her reassuringly on the shoulder and led her over to the Safari Deluxe model with teakwood lions carved into the frame and a leopard-patterned comforter.
"Even if that sounds cool something is not right with it." Castor said with a frown on his face.
When Annabeth didn't want to lie down, Crusty pushed her.
"Hey!" she protested.
Both mother and son looked ready to hurt someone, preferably someone with the name Crusty.
Crusty snapped his fingers. "Ergo!"
Orpheus flinched when unbelievingly Theseus's hold around him tightened even more, yes he will be taking revenge for needing to deal with the emotionally stressed blackhead.
Ropes sprang from the sides of the bed, lashing around Annabeth, holding her to the mattress.
Grover tried to get up, but ropes sprang from his black-satin bed, too, and lashed him down.
Everyone looked to be in a mix of worry and anger at this, they were slowly all getting who that was.
"These books certainly give us a punch of reality, literally." Apollo whispered to Hermes before looking over worriedly to a mumbling Poseidon, he was not sure what the god was saying, but he caught the word 'grounding', 'five millennia', 'cave' and 'kraken' being spoken.
"N-not c-c-cool!" he yelled, his voice vibrating from the million-hand massage. "N-not c-cool a-at all!"
"Agreed."
The giant looked at Annabeth, then turned toward me and grinned. "Almost, darn it."
I tried to step away, but his hand shot out and clamped around the back of my neck. "Whoa, kid. Don't worry. We'll find you one in a sec."
Poseidon's mumbles become more frantic, though this time was he also kind of curing his lack of self-control at which Amphitrite could only roll her eyes, this realization kind of come a few decades too late.
"Let my friends go."
"Oh, sure I will. But I got to make them fit, first."
Theseus let out a new strange sound and Orpheus was sure that any second he would draw blood when he noticed his niece standing in front of him, her eyes golden. With a small nod of acceptance he watched her place her hand on Theseus's arm which soon relaxed as its owner fell into slumber.
"Thank you, but will you be alright?" Orpheus asked the girl, he did note that she looked a bit pale, but she was smiling at him reassuringly.
"Yes, this was not as bad as getting Aphrodite to sleep." she said and was about to go back to her group when Orpheus spoke up.
"I was told that you need the closeness of one of your relatives with either my father's or Lord Hades's property if you tire yourself out to get better faster." he told her while pushing Theseus back to his seat. "So you can stay here for a bit till you are much better, I don't mind." he offered to her, in truth he would not mind getting to know his rather different niece better so he was glad when she accepted and sat down in his lap while he wrapped his arms around her.
"What do you mean?"
"Something you don't want to be part of." Apollo said before glancing over to Orpheus and smiling at the scene, at least he had a shared granddaughter with the Dark God if it was not possible to have more.
"All the beds are exactly six feet, see? Your friends are too short. Got to make them fit."
"NO YOU DON'T" come the angered screams while Theseus shifted and whimpered in his sleep.
Annabeth and Grover kept struggling.
"Who would not?" Katie asked worriedly.
"Can't stand imperfect measurements," Crusty muttered.
"We don't care about your OCD problem!" yelled the Apollo kids beside Orpheus.
"Erm…OCD?" asked a slightly perplexed Jason.
"It is a shortening of obsessive–compulsive disorder, it is kind of a mental problem by which intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry; by repetitive behaviours aimed at reducing the associated anxiety; or by a combination of such obsessions and compulsions. There are many such observations like excessive washing or cleaning; repeated checking; extreme hoarding; aversion to particular numbers or obsession with them like in his case and some other type of things." Lee explained.
"That certainly sounds like him." Perseus said while looking at Orpheus's younger brother.
"Demeter, you can continue now." Hera told her sister.
"Ergo!"
A new set of ropes leaped out from the top and bottom of the beds, wrapping around Grover and Annabeth's ankles, then around their armpits. The ropes started tightening, pulling my friends from both ends.
"Don't worry, dad has this under control." Sally called as she saw her grandmother pale while by the smaller couch looked both Frederic and his sons panicked at Annabeth who tried to not show how worried she was.
"Don't worry," Crusty told me, "These are stretching jobs. Maybe three extra inches on their spines. They might even live. Now why don't we find a bed you like, huh?"
"You two have such a charming uncle." Jay told the Jackson siblings.
"One of a good deal of them." they answered back.
"Not that you can talk much with that jerk as a sibling." Orpheus heard Enysswe mumble under her breath and he was sure that she was glancing at Hercules who tensed for a few seconds.
"Percy!" Grover yelled.
My mind was racing. I knew I couldn't take on this giant water-bed salesman alone. He would snap my neck before I ever got my sword out.
"Please hurry up with that plan." Malcolm pleaded while Mitchell grabbed his hand again to try reassuring him.
"Your real name's not Crusty, is it?" I asked.
"Legally, it's Procrustes," he admitted.
Theseus let out a new whimpering sound at this while digging his fingers into the back of the couch, but not giving any indication that he would wake up anytime soon.
"The Stretcher," I said. I remembered the story: the giant who'd tried to kill Theseus with excess hospitality on his way to Athens.
Cue sound of ripping fabric, again.
"Yeah," the salesman said. "But who can pronounce Procrustes? Bad for business. Now 'Crusty,' anybody can say that."
"Well he is kind of right…"
"Hermes!"
"Sorry aunt Trite."
"You're right. It's got a good ring to it."
There were some raised eyebrows at this.
His eyes lit up. "You think so?"
"Oh, absolutely," I said. "And the workmanship on these beds? Fabulous!"
"What is he…ah, I get it now." Malcolm said relaxing.
"What do you mean?" Pollux asked curiously.
"I see, he is tricking him with faking interest in his work." Athena said, this was a really good idea the Sea Spawn had there.
He grinned hugely, but his fingers didn't loosen on my neck. "I tell my customers that. Every time. Nobody bothers to look at the workmanship.
"Well, being tied to a bed and slowly ripped in half makes it kind of hard to concentrate on the workmanship." Harmes pointed out with a shake of his head, at least had Percy a really nice idea, tirckery is the second best thing beside briebery in his books.
"Hermes, you are still not helping." Ampitrite told her nephew who gave her an apologetic smile.
How many built-in Lava Lamp headboards have you seen?"
"Dad had made once one, it is pretty neat." Mich spoke up while the others looked at him before turning back to the book.
"Not too many."
"That's right!"
"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "What are you doing?"
"And my niece just proved my point." Hermes said while Annabeth did not know if she should blush or groan.
"Don't mind her," I told Procrustes. "She's impossible."
Annabeth raised her eyebrow, because she was not sure if that comment was an act or he was referring to the way she had acted with him during most of the duration of this book, she hoped for the former.
The giant laughed. "All my customers are. Never six feet exactly. So inconsiderate. And then they complain about the fitting."
"Oh yes, those inconsiderate costumers." Reyna said sarcastically.
"What do you do if they're longer than six feet?"
"Ugh…" come it from those who knew exactly what he does.
"Oh, that happens all the time. It's a simple fix."
He let go of my neck, but before I could react, he reached behind a nearby sales desk and brought out a huge double-bladed brass axe.
"It is good for a quick and clean cut." come it from Ares, Clarisse and Ace which made the god look pleased at his daughter and grandson while the others paled.
"Lee, can you later on check Chris for head injuries?" Travis whispered to Lee.
"I will gladly do it." Michael volunteered while his older brother raised an eyebrow at his strange behaviour since they were informed about whom each legacy belongs to.
He said, "I just center the subject as best I can and lop off whatever hangs over on either end."
"Ah," I said, swallowing hard. "Sensible."
"Certainly." Dionysus mumbled under his breath and it looked like he was not the only one.
"I'm so glad to come across an intelligent customer!"
"Good, he is biting on the plan." Athena said, but she would be happier if it would be finished soon.
The ropes were really stretching my friends now. Annabeth was turning pale. Grover made gurgling sounds, like a strangled goose.
Everyone winched at this.
"At least you only got the ropes and not the axe." Connor said weakly.
"That is only a small pro regards our situation." Annabeth said, they will be certainly avoiding this experience and start right away with the plan Percy is currently presenting.
"So, Crusty ..." I said, trying to keep my voice light. I glanced at the sales tag on the valentine-shaped Honeymoon Special. "Does this one really have dynamic stabilizers to stop wave motion?"
"Absolutely. Try it out."
Everyone tensed.
"Yeah, maybe I will. But would it work even for a big guy like you? No waves at all?"
"Guaranteed."
"No way."
"Way."
"Show me."
"Really good." Odysseus said approvingly.
He sat down eagerly on the bed, patted the mattress. "No waves. See?"
I snapped my fingers. "Ergo."
Everyone leaned forth in their seats to hear if it had worked.
Ropes lashed around Crusty and flattened him against the mattress.
There was a round of cheers at this, Percy had done it.
"Outwitted for a second time by one of his younger brothers." Perseus said smiling as Theseus shifted in his seat with a small smile on his lips.
"Hey!" he yelled.
"Center him just right," I said.
The ropes readjusted themselves at my command. Crusty's whole head stuck out the top. His feet stuck out the bottom.
"No!" he said. "Wait! This is just a demo."
A round of laughs erupted from those in and outside of the palace.
"I would more call this a payback." Octavian said grinning which made everyone laugh even more.
"Nice one Octavian." Dakota told the blonde who did his best not to blush.
I uncapped Riptide. "A few simple adjustments ..."
Cue more laughter.
I had no qualms about what I was about to do. If Crusty were human, I couldn't hurt him anyway. If he was a monster, he deserved to turn into dust for a while.
There were several nods of agrement at this.
"You drive a hard bargain," he told me. "I'll give you thirty percent off on selected floor models.'"
"Won't work." Annabeth said, glad that she will be out of that mess.
"I think I'll start with the top." I raised my sword.
"No money down! No interest for six months!"
I swung the sword. Crusty stopped making offers.
"Good, and now get Annabeth and Grover." Katie said while said daughter of Athena nodded her head in agreement to that statement.
I cut the ropes on the other beds. Annabeth and Grover got to their feet, groaning and wincing and cursing me a lot.
Everyone looked confused at Annabeth seeing that Grover was not with them.
"What is the problem?" Jake asked in confusion.
"You look taller," I said.
"Very funny," Annabeth said. "Be faster next time."
"You know that this was the fastest way Percy could help you, right?" Lee asked the blushing girl who cursed her own stubbornness.
I looked at the bulletin board behind Crusty's sales desk. There was an advertisement for Hermes Delivery Service, and another for the All-New Compendium of L.A. Area Monsters—"The only Monstrous Yellow Pages you'll ever need!"
"Erm…that is nice to know that there is such a thing and now we know how you will find the DOA studios." Frank said blinking, first Tartaros had an extension number, the Underworld a building address and now monsters their own Yellow Pages.
Under that, a bright orange flier for DOA Recording Studios, offering commissions for heroes' souls. "We are always looking for new talent!" DOA's address was right underneath with a map.
At this looked everyone blinking over to Hades and Persephone before turning to either Henry or Enysswe when seeing the pair shake their heads in confusion.
"That had at that time been uncle William's idea." Enysswe said while some still looked a bit confused so she elaborated for them. "William Shakespeare, a son of Apollo who had been an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He was also often called England's national poet and by the title the "Bard of Avon". Beside some collaborations he did with others had he made thirty-eight plays one of them the love drama Romeo and Juliet had been mentioned by the love tunnel ride, one hundred fifty four sonnets and two long narrative poems beside some few verses. Most of his plays have been translated into any major language and are rather preferred by people in modern times. He is currently one of the Underworld Judges seeing how thanks to the increasing workload had Minos, Aiacos and Rhadamanthys a hard time getting tings settled regards who goes where and so grandfather decided to allow a few souls who fit a certain criteria to become also Judges to help those three." Enysswe explained not mentioning that her uncle Lee and Silena had a few months ago also accepted to become Judges of the Dead while Apollo felt again happy to hear this, at least seem his children to put some type of positive impression on his uncle.
"Wow, did not know that you could be picked for that." Travis said.
"It is not an easy job to do believe me." En told him while Hades nodded his head in agreement at least will he find a way to make things easier on the Judges.
"Come on," I told my friends.
"Give us a minute," Grover complained. "We were almost stretched to death.'"
"Then you're ready for the Underworld," I said. "It's only a block from here."
"That is nice to know, at least will they not need to continue searching blindly." Pan said while Persephone took the book form her mother.
"Seeing that they will be soon arriving in our kingdom is it fitting that I'm the one reading this." she said as she ignored the dark look her mother was giving to her father while Hades smiled at her. Apollo on the other hand wanted to sigh so he did not notice Aphrodite raise an eyebrow, she had again felt that spark by the thrones, but still had no clue from whom it come from and at whom it was directed at.
"So, what is the next title sis?" Hermes asked his half-sister who flipped the book to the right chapter.
"The next chapter is called "Annabeth Does Obedience School,"." she read while the others looked confused.
"Isn't obedience school something on which people bring their dogs to get them trained to follow commands like 'sit', 'stay' and such?" asked a slightly confused looking Felix.
"Yes it is." Annabeth answered back while Persephone smiled.
"So you will be meeting Cerberus this chapter." she said happily while most of the others paled and did not exactly share her enthusiasm about the trio meeting a huge three-headed dog.
To be continued…
