Chapter 5
Percy POV
To be honest although my dad had claimed me I kind of hated staying in the Poseidon cabin. The night after capture the flag I went there with Annabeth, Grover, and Malcolm to check it out and to bring my stuff in. I didn't have much but still it was nice to have my friends there with me. The cabin was mostly empty with just a few beds and a desk in it. "Not much to this place." Grover said as we walked in.
I set my stuff on the bed and sat down "Dude check it out you got your own bathroom." Malcolm said, the bathroom was nothing amazing but I was still happy to have it nonetheless.
The last thing we looked at was the desk, and by we looked at I mean Annabeth did "Hey Percy there's a note here for you".
"What does it say" I asked.
"Check the drawers?" Annabeth said.
"What is this?" Annabeth said opening the top drawer.
I hopped over to see what she was talking about "Hey my designs." I said pulling the papers out of the drawer.
"Designs?" Malcolm asked.
"Yeah I kind of design boats in my spare time." I said.
"Really?" Malcolm asked, I nodded "can I see?".
"Sure" I said.
"These are amazing." Annabeth said looking over Malcolm's shoulder.
"Thanks" I said.
"Whoa, what is that" Grover said as he went over to the desk.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"Can't you guys smell that?" Grover asked as he went through the drawers before producing a plate of steaming hot blue cookies.
"Jackpot!" I shouted grabbing a cookie.
"What are those?" Malcolm said, we all turned and looked at him "I mean their cookies what's so special about them".
"They're my Moms blue cookies" I said "thanks Dad".
Now here I was 5 days later stuck in the Poseidon cabin, okay so stuck might not be the right word for it. Ever since I was claimed everyone has kind of been keeping a distance, I mean aside from Malcolm, Annabeth, Luke, and Grover it's like I have some disease. So I hang out in my cabin after my activity's or the five of us go do something.
I heard a knock at the door so I went to see who it was "Hey Percy" Malcolm said as I opened the door.
"Hey man" I replied "what's going on, I thought we were going to meet up at 6:00".
"We were but Chiron wants to see you now" Malcolm said, I nodded and headed off to the big house.
"Chiron?" I said walking into the big house.
"In here Percy" Chiron called from down the hall. When I got there he asked me to take a seat "Percy there's something I need to talk to you about something" he said.
"Is it that I'm a son of Poseidon" I asked, he nodded "is there some crime against being his son".
"No there's nothing wrong with it, it's just at the moment your father and Zeus are having a particularly bad argument. At the most recent council meeting his master bolt was stolen his symbol of power. He accused your father of taking it, on account of the fact that he could have more made. Also there's the pact that the big three made 70 years ago." He said.
"What pact?" I asked.
"Just after World War II the big three swore never to have any more demigod children and the fact that you exist is in direct violation of that and has only succeeded in enraging Zeus even more, he's already moved to have you killed."
"So what did you call me in here to say, that I'm as good as dead" I shouted.
"No I'm not" Chiron said tiredly "I called you here to discuss your options, Zeus thinks you took his master bolt under your fathers orders. Now we could try to reason with Zeus but I have a feeling that won't work".
"Fine then I'll go find it myself, Zeus has no right to accuse me or my father." I shouted.
Chiron nodded like he expected as much "If that's what you want to do then you'll be allowed to go on a quest to find the bolt, you can ask the Oracle for help and you can bring two companions of your choice to help you, also your father wanted you to have this." He said handing me a pen "it's called Riptide"
Hades POV
"Hello Brother." I said to Poseidon, who was furious at the moment.
"Don't hello me Hades!" he shouted "You attacked my son!".
"I never attacked your son" I said calmly "I may have scared him a bit but he was never actually harmed, I never broke our agreement".
"Then would you mind explaining why you had a fury stashed at my sons school."
He said trying to be a little calmer. "Why you ask? Well there are a few reasons, first there's the most obvious fact that you had a mortal child despite the oath you and Zeus forced me into. Our very existence rides on him, also there's this little fact." I said summoning a piece of paper.
"What's that" he asked.
"This little thing is what I use to record mortals lives, it's made the day they're born and used to gauge where they should go when they die, this particular one represents your son's life. Now for the most part there's nothing really remarkable about him, in fact he seems like a normal boy but there's one thing I can't understand." I said leaning forward "I have him registered as being born on August 18 at 6:00 AM, but for some reason he was not able to die till 6:30 AM. It's like he wasn't even mortal for a full half hour, care to explain why".
I thought I saw a hint of fear flash over my brothers face but he covered it up quickly "I don't know why it say's that." he said flatly before flashing out.
I sighed and leaned back in my throne "Is everything ok uncle?" Persephone asked and she walked in with Alecto.
"I'm on thin ice with my brother but other than that I'm great" I said. "Are you sure you had to scare Perseus?" I asked Alecto.
"I saw no other option sire" Alecto said.
I nodded "Very well you may return to your duties." I said.
Percy POV
Ok so right now I'm riding on a very over crowded bus with Grover and Annabeth. The night Chiron told me about that Zeus was planning to kill me I talked to the Oracle and let me just say this, it was beyond creepy. The attic was damp, musty, and dark, then there's the mummy spewing green smoke.
It took everything I had not to run but I managed to stammer out my question of how to find my Uncle's bolt and I got this in return.
You shall go west, and face the god who has turned,
You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned,
You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend,
And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.
When I came out Grover tackled me with a hug and informed me that not everyone makes it out with their sanity. The camps chief of security Argus gave us a ride back to Manhattan where we got on the bus we were currently riding. Grover was passed out in his seat and Annabeth was reading an architecture book in ancient Greek which I couldn't do because reading in the car made me car sick.
Suddenly the bus came to a screeching halt "What in blazes is that?" the bus driver screamed.
"I smell cyclops' " Grover said having been woken up by the sudden stop.
"Back exit now!" Annabeth said jumping out of her seat.
Me and Grover charged after her and launched out the back of the bus "What about the people on the bus?" I shouted.
"The cyclops' are after us, if we leave they'll leave them alone." Annabeth said pulling me towards the tree line.
We ran for hours with the sound of cyclops' bellowing in the distance, finally we stopped at the edge of an old dirt road "I think we lost them." Grover said in between breaths.
The smell of burgers and fries wafted through the air and my stomach grumbled. To our left was an old run down gardening store, the kind you go to for supply's and little gnomes to put in your garden. Slowly we made our way to the front door and knocked, in a few seconds an older lady or at least I think she was an older lady. I couldn't see her face because it was covered by a veil, she took one look at us and said "Oh you poor dears come on in here out of the cold".
Me and Annabeth gratefully accepted "Guy's something is off." Grover whispered cautiously stepping in the doorway.
"So what are you doing all the way out here?" she asked
"Oh and you can call me aunty Em by the way".
"I'm Percy" I said trying to be polite.
"We got separated from our circus caravan" Annabeth said.
"Is that so well how about you have some food and we can see about contacting them." Em said, her voice was soothing and the smell of the food was intoxicating. Just standing there in that room made me want to lay down and take a rest after all Em was just a friendly old woman, what harm could she really do.
In the back of my mind I noted that she locked the door behind us, but it seemed so unimportant at the time. Em led us to the back room and gave all three of us food, she also started to talk to us but I didn't really listen all that much. I basically inhaled my food which tasted great but seriously Em was starting to freak me out. First off she kept commenting on how beautiful Annabeth's hair was and the second which nearly caused me to choke was when she mentioned that she used to date my dad.
The three of us froze, for a full second all I could hear was a slight hissing 'Medusa' I thought. Annabeth who was the closest to her tried to dash away but Medusa grabbed her by the hair "You're not leaving yet daughter of Athena." she said. As fast as I could I pulled my sword and slashed at her arm which succeeded in getting her to let go of Annabeth.
Medusa went to pull back her veil so I shoved Grover behind some statues who I guess were her past victims, and tackled Annabeth who was staring straight at Medusa's face. "Don't look at her eyes or she'll turn you to stone" I shouted. Me and Annabeth scrambled behind some statues "got a mirror?" I asked, Annabeth shook her head.
"Come out, come out wherever you are children." Medusa said in a taunting voice. With a start I realized she was on the other side of the statue that I was hiding behind so I knocked it over trapping her under it. I closed my eyes and stepped forward sword ready, I could feel Medusa's eyes on me. "don't you just want to take peek hero, I'm defenseless what harm could it do…" she said almost getting me to back down, before her voice turned to anger "What! Her! He chose her over me, he chose that…".
With Medusa about to insult my mother I was able to break out of her control and hack off her head silencing her. I heard her head role away and her body dissolve "You can open your eyes now." Grover said "I got the head".
With Medusa dead we decided to stay in her little store because Grover thought it would help cover up our scent. "Am I the only one who found her reaction to Percy strange?" Annabeth asked.
"Nope" I replied "It's like she knew my mom but I don't know when they would have met".
"Is she a demigod?" Annabeth asked, I shook my head. "You sure?" she pressed.
"Pretty sure." I said.
"I can vouch for that." Grover said.
"How?" I asked.
"If your mom was a demigod I should have been able to smell her scent too but I wasn't." he said.
Annabeth nodded her head in acceptance "Ok moving on what are your thoughts on the prophecy, You shall go west, and face the god who has turned, You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned, You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend, And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end." I asked.
"Well the first line is kind of obvious" Annabeth said "Hades is the only god who is exclusively based in the west and he is known as one of the shiftiest gods, the rest is still kind of up in the air." I wasn't sure if Annabeth was right on her assumption of Hades being behind this whole thing but I couldn't find a problem with her reasoning so I just went to sleep.
Athena POV
It was late and I knew I should rest but I just couldn't bring myself to look away, Percy and Annabeth had only been out on their quest for a single day and I was already so proud. Seeing them kill Medusa and my fiancé's ex, I have to admit, put me into a really good mood. However the fact that it was my kids who had to fight her both terrified me and made it all the more satisfying. Next to me Poseidon rolled over on our bed "Dear you need to get some rest." he said, it sounded kind of funny due to the fact that we were in his underwater palace.
"I know but I just worry." I said.
He moved so he was sitting next to me and wrapped his arms around me "I know but remember he's got my strength and your brains, he'll be fine I know it." I sighed and laid down on the bed, I was worried for our kids but with my love's arms around me I felt calm, it didn't make sense but I had decided long ago that some of the greatest things in existence just don't.
"I love you." I whispered.
"I love you too" he whispered back.
Percy POV the next day
"Come on guy's!" Annabeth said basically dragging us behind her. We had just gotten of the train in Louisiana and she had already decided that we would but using our hour break between trains to see the St. Louis arch. To be honest it did look kind of cool from the outside but I only agreed to this because my mom was a fan of architecture so I thought it would be cool if I took a picture by it just so I could say I've been. As we rode on the elevator to the top this old lady's chiwawa kept barking and it was starting to get on my nerves…..to be continued.
