DISCLAIMER: All the characters except the OC's belong to Rick Riordan.
Chapter 20: I am unofficially appointed to fetch lost things.
Percy should've never let the wisdom's daughter coerce him into visiting the National Landmark. See how that turned out.
After his incredulous outburst at her dream, they settled into an awkward silence. Thankfully, the train pulled into the Amtrak station, announcing a three-hour layover before departing for Denver.
Annabeth wanted to see the Arch so badly that she didn't listen to reason. "Please, guys. This is my only chance to visit." He should've believed her on that. Architectural facts about the Arch spilled out of her mouth like a waterfall. It grated on his mind so much that Piper finally lost it.
"Stop, you architecture fangirl, let's go. If you spew one more fact about the construction detail, I might hurl something at you." she relented and the trio made their way to the Arch, a mile from the station. They threaded through the underground museum, looking at junk from the 1800s. It wasn't any more thrilling than a classroom lecture, but Annabeth was glued to construction photos and blueprints.
When he saw the tiny elevator taking tourists to the top of the Arch, he was unable to master his jumpy nerves. He should've suspected it when the tickets had cost them a fortune. The tour goes around the Arch—from bottom to top—in a small curvy elevator.
Percy hates confined spaces. It was in his nature to be wild and unrestrained. The sole reason for his average grade and lack of attendance had a lot to do with the way the classrooms in the schools.
They got shoehorned into the elevator car with a big fat lady and her dog, a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar. He thought it was a guide dog because none of the guards said a word about it. It took four minutes to travel up the curvature of the Arch; there wasn't much to do except make polite conversation.
The lady carrying the dog looked old-school—way old school— with a floppy denim hat with her bell-bottomed denim dress. She had beady eyes like an animal and coffee-stained pointy teeth. The dog shared the same features as the lady; intelligent and malicious.
At the top of the Arch, the observatory deck was another confined space with tiny windows on either side. Annabeth kept him occupied, talking about the structural support and how she'd make a glass deck for more vision. Percy felt a lot more fidgety, at six hundred feet in the air, and couldn't wait to get down. He wondered if Zeus had kept an eye on his mission.
As if lady misfortune had taken an oath to follow him forever, things went south as soon as Annabeth and Piper descended. You might ask what could happen in a four-minute ride. A lot.
A family of three huddled together with the park ranger, separating from the fat lady. She smiled at him condescendingly, her forked-tongue flickering between her teeth. Her dog jumped down and started yapping at him.
"Now, sonny," the fat lady sighed. "We have these nice people here. If you insist." she relented when the chihuahua bared his teeth
By now, Percy couldn't control his jumping nerves and blurted out the question at the top of his head. "Um, did you call that Chihuahua, your son?"
"Chimera, dear." lady old-school corrected. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake." the mist morphing her appearance slowly dissipated, revealing a snake-lady in green-scaled arms, and reptilian slit-pupils. The Chihuahua grew in size until it hit the rooftop. It's a hybrid between a lion and a goat. A blood-caked lion mane curtained two pairs of beady eyes on either side of a flat-bridged nose. Two pairs of goat horns jutted on its head. Its front legs were strong and muscular with claws while the hind legs were scaly with hoofs. A snake came out of its hindquarters; a diamondback rattlesnake.
The rhinestone collar still hung around its neck, the plate read: CHIMERA—RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS—IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS-EXT. 954.
Just what I need! Another one of Hades' minions out for my blood! Percy gulped.
Lady old-school made some choking noises that might've been laughter. "Be honored, Perseus Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my broods. For I am the Mother of monsters, the terrible Echidna!"
Percy stared at her. Even his momentary confusion regarding which god had sent her didn't faze him. He even forgot to draw his weapon. "Isn't that a kind of anteater?" he blurted out in confusion.
Echidna trembled and howled, her reptilian face turning from green to black in rage. "Curse you, son of Poseidon. I hate Australia, for naming that worthless thing after me. My son shall destroy you!"
The Chimera charged, gnashing its teeth. There was no time to brandish his weapon or dodge. He acted on instinct and dispersed into foggy mist, materializing away from them. He glanced at the mortals, shrunk behind the elevator car. He could use them as bait and escape his predicament, but watching a kid hide behind his trembling mother made him abandon the notion.
Percy pulled out his ballpoint pen and brandished his sword. "Hey, Chihuahua!" he waved his sword tauntingly and pulled out a couple of daggers discreetly. The hybrid turned faster than he would've thought possible with its massive frame. His daggers flew at its hide, but barely penetrated it before shattering.
Before he could regroup and attack, the Chimera opened its fearful, gaping maw, its smoky stench almost suffocating him, and shot a column of fire straight at him. He was prepared this time and drove through the explosion. The carpet burst into flames, opening a ragged hole in the Arch side, with steaming metal around the edges.
Great! We just blowtorched a National Landmark!
As the Chimera turned to him, he slashed with his sword. His attack landed on its mane, deflected by the dog collar. He created enough distance to regain his balance and attack. From the corner of his eye, he saw Echidna stare at the mortals with a contemplative look.
He quickly drew more daggers and aimed at Chimera's face to sidetrack it. He pitched one at Echidna to shift her attention onto him. She waved her hand dismissively at his attack. The dagger only managed to chip at her talon.
"So," he dodged another fire column. "just guessing, did someone give you the moniker 'terrible' based on your appearance, or did you settle it yourself?" he asked languidly.
As expected, his words drew her ire. "Son! Burn him to cinders!" she yowled. The Chimera lunged at him, maw wide open.
Percy was so caught up in defending against the Chimera, the nearby Echidna, and safeguarding the mortals that he momentarily forgot about the serpent tail in the smoke until it whipped behind and sank its fangs into his calf. His leg felt burning.
He tried to jab the snakehead but it skillfully evaded and wrapped around his ankle to pull him off balance. Riptide flew out of his hands, spinning out the nearby hole, and down toward the river. He instinctively pulled another dagger and jabbed at the snakehead. It threw him away.
Percy winced as pain flared up his leg. He managed to get to his feet, the action taking most of his will not to buckle, and observed his assailants. He had to take one of them before pulling the other away from the mortals but that needs an opportunity. The urgently required time was currently unavailable to him; he could feel a burning poison racing up to his heart.
He has another sword, far deadlier than Riptide, but getting near the fire-breathing Chimera on a poisoned leg seemed impossible. He could keep them occupied, but the continuous blowtorching turned the space into a pressure cooker with nowhere for Percy to play tag. He didn't want to test the theory of instant combustion. His eyes caught his backpack with their last spoil of war.
Perhaps it wouldn't work on monsters, but he was out of options. He scrambled to his bag, ready to pull out the statue specialist. The pair of mother-son cornered him to the hole. The Chimera growled, smoke curling around its mouth.
Echidna cackled in delight. "Maybe you should jump, little hero. Surely you are confident in your bloodline. Jump and retrieve your sword." she mocked.
"Oh, I'm more than confident. I'm worried about you." he wheezed and backed up to the hole.
"You have no faith in gods," Echidna told him. "I cannot blame you. The gods are faithless. Die, faithless one!" Echidna rasped.
The Chimera's mouth glowed red, heating another octane blast. Percy opened the bag and pulled out the head, face-first to the monsters, just as a flame column fired at his face. With the head in hand, he turned around and jumped.
"NO!" Echidna's howls echoing through the monument confirmed her son's fate.
There were a few times Percy had craved water so badly, but this one entered the top five. With his clothes on fire, and a deadly poison coursing through him, he plummeted to the glistening river below. Buildings and parks whizzed past his vision as he approached the murky river at breakneck speed. He sank straight through the mud and settled on the grimy riverbed.
The poison burning through his system faded faster, but it didn't wipe off his sour mood after a glance at his surroundings; garbage bags, plastic wastes, and beer bottles swirled around him. He was grateful for his ability to stay dry more so than ever due to the state of the river.
He poured all his grievances on Echidna, the terrible anteater. Because of the reptile mother monster, he was forced to dive into this sewer. He felt like dunking the anteater into the river for a taste. As he prepared to get back on the shore, something shiny caught his eye. His trusted weapon lay in the mud, its hilt sticking up. He waded through the mud and picked it up. His sword shrunk back and pocketed it. Just as he was about to swim away, he heard a call from the murky water.
Percy squinted his eyes and came face to face with a woman in the gloom. No, not exactly a woman, like a ghost in the current, she floated above the riverbed. Her long, dark hair floated around her. He couldn't make out her features in the murk.
"A naiad? In this river?" he thought. How could a river spirit let her source pollute to this level?
"No, child. I'm a messenger. It's his highness' will. Before you descend into the Underworld, you must go to the Santa Monica."
"What?" Percy had a lot of doubts. Though he had agreed with Chiron to go to the Underworld, this wasn't part of his plan.
"Please, Percy." she pleaded. "I cannot stay too long. This river is too foul for my presence."
"Okay, I understand. Santa Monica beach," he repeated. "Hold on," he remembered something and brushed his fingers with her. It was like a thin layer of dust had blown away for her into the murky water. The nereid's features became prominent: dark, billowing hair, neon green eyes, and a floating white dress.
"Thank you. And, Percy. do not trust the gifts..." her voice faded.
"Wait! What gifts?"
She made one more attempt to speak, but her figure was already disappearing. He was alone. Riverboats churned above him. A flash of sunset over the water surface turned everything the color of caramel.
Percy washed ashore amidst the blaring sirens, police cars, and ambulances weaving up the streets. Police and troops of firefighters surrounded Arch's entrance in crime scene tape and charged in. Reporters relayed the accident to their station, cameras clicked, and radios went static. The scene went by in a blur for Percy as he searched through the throngs of people for his companions.
"...investigation. The damage is very serious. We're trying to get to some of the survivors, to question them about eyewitness reports." he heard a news reporter. Survivors? He felt a surge of relief. Perhaps the mortals had made it out safely.
He ducked under police and reporters and went around them when the call from a familiar voice and a quick tackle reassured him of Piper. Annabeth stood behind her, trying to look angry, but her eyes betrayed the relief. She looked like she might cry any moment.
Before either of them spoke, the paramedics ducked under the tape and called them to make way; they rolled a woman on a stretcher. "..and then this huge dog, the fire-breathing Chihuahua—" her words caught in her throat when she saw him. "There he is.." she struggled and tried to point at him.
Percy grabbed Annabeth and Piper away. "Come on!" He ducked under the police cars and ran down the street to the Amtrak station.
"What's—going—on"? Annabeth panted as she ran beside him, away from the Arch. "Was she talking about the Chihuahua on the elevator?"
"Not the Chihuahua," he said. "The Chimera. And Echidna."
"What?"
"Echidna," he recalled her appearance. "You know, reptile scales, forked tongue, and—"
"I know who Echidna is," she interrupted. "Daughter of Gaea and Tartarus. The mother of all monsters."
"err, okay." he conceded and gave a rundown back on the observatory deck. Piper bit her lips in frustration.
"Pipes, it's not your fault. That's a higher-tier monster with mind-boggling mist-manipulating ability. That's beyond our reach." he said diplomatically. Annabeth carefully looked away from him.
As Percy seemed to be the hot topic of all news channels around St. Louis, they all agreed to get back on board was the wisest choice of action. Despite all the excitement, they hadn't exceeded their three-hour stopover. They'd arrive in Denver the next afternoon, and not only do they need to stop by Santa Monica before the deadline, but Percy also needed to figure out for sure if they were heading in the right direction with his quest.
oOo
"Yes, viewers. An adolescent boy!" the reporter on the TV screen at the far end of the compartment talked about the St. Louis incident. "Channel Five has scrounged the surveillance footage on the observatory deck. Here's what we found." The image shifted to an adolescent boy running wild on the deck, setting things on fire.
"Hard to believe, people. But this is the truth. Is the boy a trouble-maker, a delinquent, or a terrorist? Luckily we have zero causalities in this incident—" Percy tuned out the rest of the report, a disturbed look on his face, mirroring Piper's.
"What's wrong?" Annabeth asked.
"All those news feeds, our parents might've watched them too. They'd get worried; we haven't told them about the theft and the quest. My dad might not have time to watch this, but Sally..." Piper paused and glanced at Percy, his face unreadable.
"Percy, I'm sorry. It was my fault we'd gone to the Arch. And now this...this is all because I didn't pay enough attention."
He smiled wanly and narrated his entire run-in with Echidna and then the talk with the Nereid.
"So it wasn't Hades but Zeus? I'd thought for sure it'd be Hades." Annabeth mused. Percy couldn't help but agree with her. Though he'd never hated Zeus after that one incident with Artemis, any semblance of respect for the lord of the sky was impossible for him. He'd initially thought Echidna was sent by Hades to capture him.
"That makes sense," she commented. "I thought Zeus' punishment on you had been long overdue after all those incidents." he didn't know if she was right, but he heard the doubt in her voice.
Looking at her face, full of questioning, Percy felt it was as good as any time he would get to tell her the truth. He exchanged a look with Piper.
"Annabeth, it wasn't Zeus that tried to kill me before. Sure, he wanted me dead and had sent Echidna after me. But the attempts before that, those weren't Zeus'." Sure, it looked like Zeus had rained bolts of lightning whenever he felt like it, but they were from the dark hand behind the scenes; the one who currently possesses the master Bolt and bypassed its safety to actively use it.
Similarly, Hades had sent a Fury, a Minotaur, and a Barghest after him. It looked like a reenactment of Thalia's final episode, but Hades had a solid cause to search for the thief. But someone had thwarted Hades' every step to get him.
The only thing Zeus voluntarily had done was to send Echidna to test his mettle. Only a fool like Zeus would test the waters with both feet.
Annabeth cocked her head in his direction and mused for a moment. "If that's the case, what does Hades want from you when he has the Bolt? Then again, If he doesn't have the bolt, why are we going to the Underworld then?" she looked thoughtful.
He raised a finger. "One. About why Hades is after me, it isn't my place to tell you."
He added another. "I don't know who currently has the master Bolt either," Annabeth grumbled, her lower lip jutted out in a sulky pout.
"About why we're going to the Underworld, I'm not sure either."
"Fine, you don't know anything, stupid Seaweed Brain!" she threw her hands in defeat and turned away from him.
"What I don't understand is how are there so many attacks on us?" Piper asked. "It's a little too good to be mere coincidences. I could strike Medusa out as one, but she knew our identities and about our quest too. This is all shady." Annabeth agreed and looked pensive.
That night, Percy hoped to get a useful dream, something that might answer a few questions he'd gotten so far. Instead, he ended up in a dark cavern on a cliff to a huge chasm; it could fit the entire Manhattan bay. Red clouds floated above the abyss and mist churned around him, obscuring his vision.
Some imaginary gray creatures made of smoke hovered around him, muttering incoherently. They tugged at his clothes but Percy felt compelled and arrived at the edge of the chasm. Somehow he knew it was a bottomless pit but he felt an enormous presence deep within. It was indistinct and vague, like it lacked a physical source, but encompassed almost the gaping pit with its presence.
"Percy Jackson," a disembodied voice echoed from the depths of the great chasm. "excellent. A fine choice, indeed. He will do." It sounded amused.
"And he suspects nothing?" the monstrous thing inside the darkness asked, but it sounded dubious. The cold and evil voice wasn't addressing him; the numbing power seemed directed somewhere else. He followed the evil voice to another jagged cliff.
"Nothing, my lord." A young and indistinct voice rang behind him. It somehow unnerved Percy. "He's as ignorant as the rest and accepted the quest to barter with Hades."
"Poseidon took a risky gamble, giving the advantage to us. Proceed with the exchange." A cold laugher echoed the cavern.
"Yes, my lord. I shall make preparations for their capture." the servant promised.
"Soon.." the cold voice turned hungry. The indistinct creatures tugged at his clothes urgently, pulling him back. The scene changed to familiar woods at camp.
It was a cacophony of kids rustling around the forest, decked in blue and red helmets. There must've been a game of CTF going on, but the armored demigods were rigid. A tense atmosphere hung in the air between the teams as they faced with weapons drawn but Percy's eyes caught the two banners; one painted light sea-green with a silver trident behind a horse and the other was a rippling golden flag with a huge eagle and a lightning bolt.
Poseidon and Zeus.
Percy shook his head at their foolishness and made his way to the canoe lake. He wanted to see how Elaine has been at camp. Midway, the scene changed once again. Instead of the calm, rippling canoe lake, he arrived near the edge of a blue river under a night sky; the ribbons of dark, glittering liquid freezing his bones.
Another army similar to the ones in camp entered his vision at the edge of the river, but far more orderly and disciplined. This army consisted of skeletal soldiers, gargoyles, and other pale creatures. They amounted to thousands in numbers, decked in armors and dark blades. A single entity stood facing the lineup. He threw an indistinct object at one of the soldiers in the front.
"Get up," the burly figure said. "Get up and get going!" his nefarious voice echoed.
There was a jerk beneath him and Piper shook him urgently. He felt a tremor and was jolted awake as the train hurtled around a sharp bend.
"Perce," she called him. "Is that...an earthquake?" her eyes widened with terror. "We should get out of here." The compartment trembled and windows rattled slightly.
"All passengers are requested to step away from the doors until the train comes to an emergency halt." the intercom announced.
The passengers screamed and harnessed their emergency belts tightly. Everyone waited in trepidation; it was completely dark in the compartment save for the alarms, basking everyone in red. Perhaps they were currently in a tunnel. Suddenly the train jerked and slammed against the tunnel walls, grinding metal on concrete, throwing sparks a mile behind them. The passengers screamed in panic.
Somehow, the train found the exit and careened out of the tunnel. But the speed and wobbling made it derail immediately. The compartments went off-course and crashed into the nearby woods. Alarms blared, emergency sprinklers ran off, and the passengers—some fell unconscious—screamed. Percy picked up Annabeth and Piper and dashed to the exit. The doors didn't budge.
"They're jammed!" Annabeth remarked. Piper reached the emergency window and climbed out quickly. The rest of them followed her out.
Gold splashed above them, blending the sky into faint indigo and oranges hues, indicating early daybreak. The cacophony of screams and alarms was silenced by loud howls at the end of the tunnel. Percy imagined a group of mythical creatures, climbing up the derailed train on the other end of the tunnel. They must've crashed the train to corner them. But their estimated number far exceeded Percy's to finish them off quickly and escape unscathed in time.
"We need to move quickly. It was likely that we're the cause behind this accident—" Percy stopped when another emergency window slammed open, and a police officer stepped out, eyeing them suspiciously. If the accident had been shocking, then he must've thoroughly been befuddled by what he saw, because he snagged the intercom on his belt.
"Code B-I at the reserved compartment E! I repeat code Beta-Indigo at the—"
Percy and Piper pounced on him, slamming him unconscious to the ground. Percy disarmed him quickly, tossing away his intercom and unclipping his nightstick and police baton from his belt. The baton was the kind with a side grip—highly adaptable and easily maneuverable.
"Let's go!" Percy barely made a step before a group of six officers emerged out of other compartments. Looking between them and her unconscious coworker lying at his feet, a female officer stepped forward cautiously, one hand held outwards, the other trying to conceal a nightstick behind her leg.
"Son, you're gonna need to drop that weapon!" she warned. "Things are only gonna get worse for you if you don't!"
Annabeth nearly hyperventilated beside him. Percy and Piper stared down at the officers. A tense moment passed, and the howls grew louder. The officer's grips on their weapons tightened.
There was no going back for the demigods. Even if the police officer hadn't attacked them first, they had assaulted him beyond the point of self-defense and were already in trouble of blowtorching the Arch. If they were caught now, he doubted he'd ever step foot in the real world again. That wasn't even considering anything about the derailed train, the Solstice deadline, and the missing weapons.
Percy shifted into a comfortable stance, swallowing a lump and calming his heartbeat. He spun the baton in his left hand and his right hand flicked to the side, the nightstick extending to its full length. Annabeth gripped her Yankees cap tightly, ready to provide support to their escape. But...
BOOM!
The compartments stuck inside the tunnel blew away as sparks lit up a fire in the confined space, sending debris in all directions. The glass panels on the window shattered. The scene turned chaotic in no time. The officers exchanged a glance and darted back to the blast zone to check up on causalities. They prioritized the wounded civilians over potential inmates.
Annabeth slumped down, visibly relaxed. She nudged him. "Time to run!" The trio resolutely left the area and ran into the woods. The uneven forest area and slanted trees proved to be a lot harder to advance, but they were out of options. As long as they lose their supposed trailers, everything would be fine for the time being.
Just as they created enough distance for a short break, they heard a loud rumbling sound, like that of falling trees, in the distance. The ground trembled slightly and faint beast roars echoed from the rumbling sounds.
"No time. the further we get, the better." he tugged at their shirts. The trio dragged themselves into dense thickets and held their breath. A few moments passed with no sign of their pursuers. Even after an hour, there were no traces of any monsters chasing after them.
"Where exactly are we now?" Percy looked around. Towering trees surrounded them, staring intently. The air was muggy and dry and the ground was littered with thick shrubbery and fallen leaves. Under such circumstances, it was impossible to guess where a venomous pest or wild beast may be lurking. A long chain of mountains ran to their right, looming over them as tidal waves.
Piper shook her head. Annabeth fished out a pocket compass to get a read on their position. "We crossed the Colorado Springs a while ago. I'd estimate we're a few miles to Denver that way." She pointed in the direction that ran along with the mountains.
The few miles that she spoke of never came to pass. The three of them walked until nightfall, taking breaks often to avoid territorial wild beasts. The girls gave out first and it was unilaterally decided to camp for the night. They hiked on until they found a clearing in the woods and decided to sleep in shifts after a good meal.
They were out of supplies; well, everything. The only thing they managed to get from the train were their weapons, a card, a busted compass, and a package of spices; he'd casually slipped them into his pocket before leaving Medusa's warehouse.
"Annabeth, find some dried sticks for making a fire. Search within a hundred meters." she nodded mutely and went to search. He turned to Piper and beckoned her to get closer.
"What do you think? Am I right to suspect Annabeth for being Luke's spy and getting us in all kinds of troubles?" he asked. It was no coincidence that monsters always seemed to be on their trail like someone had informed them ahead. All the encounters and ambushes were solid evidence for his suspicion.
Piper gave him a disapproved stare. "No," she resolutely shook her head. "First, if Annabeth had been the spy at camp, I'd have known it by now." she raised a finger. "Two, She has always been genuine in her resolve to help us."
"Then how do you explain the ambushes? I could agree my scent brought a few, but that many? Come on," he threw his hands up in exasperation. "That's too much of a coincidence."
"There's something at play here. I don't know what it is yet, but Annabeth is above suspicion. Give the girl a chance." she countered. "I believe it's time to teach it to her." he nodded.
She went hunting for their dinner while Percy found some fruits and berries. He dug up a small pit to lit up a fire with the dried twigs and set up a stand in a standard way. Piper quickly brought two wild hares gracefully, found a place sheltered from the wind, peeled their skin, and brushed them clean.
He strung them up with branches, placed them on the fire, and slowly rotated them. He then pulled out the spices and skillfully sprinkled them on the meat. An intoxicating smell wafted over, and the girls nearly drooled in anticipation.
He then picked a few berries from the stash and crushed them. Piper took the crushed paste and sprinkled it around the clearing. If Annabeth found this doubting, she didn't question him until Piper came back, her eyes focused on the meat in front of her.
"What did you do now?"
"You see this smell," Piper smirked at her deliberate wording. "This would draw all the wild animals in our surroundings. A mixture of a few leaves with berries would give off an unpleasant odor. It keeps them away for the night."
"Is this novel to you?" He asked Annabeth when she stared at them, dumbstruck. "Piper had trained with the Hunters of Artemis in the past. She's good with this sort of stuff. You can call her...a hunter fangirl."
"Hey!" they both laughed at her protest.
"No, it's like reminiscing. I've done all this before, but not this thoroughly. The running, camping in the wild, making do with whatever's available. At least for short time, anyway." he wanted to ask more, but Annabeth seemed lost in sad memories.
Once they finished their meal, they sat around the fire in comfortable silence, pondering over the events.
"Hey," he called her abruptly. "You know about the gods' symbols of power?"
"Yeah?"
"Doesn't Hades have a hat like yours?"
Annabeth glanced around nervously and glared at him half-heartedly. "Throw me under the bus, would you? What do you mean 'just like mine'? That's his symbol of power, the Helm of Darkness. It's a lot more powerful than mine. I saw it next to his seat during the Solstice meeting."
"He was there?" he asked. "But Grover told me Hades wasn't invited on Olympus, like ever?"
"The Solstice meeting—the darkest day of the year—is the only time he's allowed to visit the council. If what I've heard is true, the Helm allows him to become darkness." she glanced around the darkness, like half-expecting Hades to suddenly spring out of the bushes.
"He can melt into shadows or pass through walls. He can't be touched, seen, or heard." At that, Piper threw an amusing glance at him. Well, the Helm of Darkness' functionality was awfully similar to his mist dispersion technique. Can't fault her for finding it amusing. "And he can radiate fear so intense that it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?"
He nearly stumbled at her rhetoric. Do all the rational creatures fear the darkness? But Percy has never been afraid of the dark. All his life had been hidden behind the dark alleys, facing the worst nightmares, that darkness has become a comrade to him.
"Alright. I'm taking the third watch." with that Piper stretched languidly and curled up on the ground. Percy climbed up the lowest bough of a tree and stared at the night sky.
"Go ahead and sleep," he told her. "I'll wake you if there's trouble." though she nodded, Annabeth didn't sleep right away and Percy felt disinclined to insist. He stared at the night sky and thought about the day. Something or someone had been helping the monsters trace them across the country. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Annabeth, who was busy staring at the crackling fire intently.
He too wanted to believe that their freak coincidences have nothing to do with her, but one can't be too careful about them. As insurance, he decided to teach her the concealing technique.
"Annabeth?" she glanced at him. "There's something I need you to do, something I'm willing to teach. A technique, to be precise. But this was the same thing that dragged me into this quest. The same thing that made the gods suspect me for the theft. Can you keep this a secret?"
"The last thing I am is a snitch." she sat straighter and solemnly declared at his proclamation. They stared at each other, one sitting on the ground and the other perched on a tree.
"The aura we release in the mortal world is what brings the monsters to our doorstep, you know this." she nodded. "Every being in this world has a small amount of aura, but in most cases, it simply leaks away. The aura in our cases, which—you may know—is also known as divine force, from our immortal parent's domain."
"Aura is a type of energy that dwells in all life forms which makes it very effective against other humans. If you attack a helpless person with malice, you can kill using aura alone," he said. Annabeth reeled back in shock.
"What! How can that be!" she exclaimed. In response, Percy slowly raised his hands, palm facing her, and released his aura. A tangible and invisible layer spread, enveloping her. The gentle breeze suddenly howled, throwing the nocturnal animals into a panic. Everything in the forest turned eerily quiet, trembling with a mortal fear of the unknown. Annabeth's face cramped, and her amazement turned into distress.
Percy calmly observed her, waiting for her to assess the feeling. His aura didn't have any malice towards her, so it was still bearable.
"It's like pressure," she gritted her teeth. "And feels less creepy than the monsters." He retraced everything once the words left her. He was genuinely impressed. Her senses are amazing, perhaps it's a product of the environment in which she was raised but her innate gifts are also a factor to consider.
"Excellent," he gave an honest evaluation. "The technique I spoke of involves shutting off the flow of aura. It is quite effective for concealing your presence and recovering from fatigue."
Annabeth nodded, nothing verbal accompanied her gesture. He guessed she was still reeling from the shock. Despite her outward indifference, something sparked deep within her gray eyes.
"There are means to awaken this ability, but only two. Either slowly and carefully or by force. We don't have enough time for me to guide you slowly. So it seems force is our only option."
"Take off your shirt and face away from me."
"W-what?" she spluttered. When he glanced down at her, she bit down her bottom lip, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
Percy jumped down and Annabeth turned away from him. She slipped off her t-shirt and stood with her black tank top. He raised his arm and placed his palm against her back, a few inches away from her body.
"This method is a drastic one. I'll attempt to shock you into awakening. I'll rouse your sleeping body with a jolt making you control your aura easily. How much time it takes to fully control depends on your ability."
"Sleeping?" she whispered dubiously.
"Yes, the reason I said sleeping is that few of your aura nodes are closed, effectively preventing a circulation in your body. By transmitting my aura, I'm hoping to jolt those nodes in position." he once again released his aura, but more forcefully and harshly.
Annabeth moaned, struggling under pressure. Percy felt uncomfortable with her prolonged, inarticulate sounds of suffering. It felt like he was physically abusing and taking advantage of her. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and focused on the task.
Once he was done, he appraised her like a masterpiece. Annabeth's body was covered in a faint layer of fog, slowly leaving her. "Now, every aura node in your body has been opened."
"It feels like steam rising out of a tea kettle." Annabeth raised her arms to get a good look. She could see the aura because the nodes in her eyes are opened too.
"What you see is your aura. If it continued to escape, you'll quickly become tired. Expend all your aura, and you'll collapse from extreme fatigue." he warned. "Listen carefully, you must contain this aura within your body."
Annabeth turned, her face flaming hot. "Close your eyes. Use any stance that helps you focus. Visualize the aura flowing through your body as if it were blood. From the top of your head to your right shoulder, to your right hand, to your right leg. Then to your left side."
"Now visualize the flow little by little as it gradually slows down and swirls around you." he guided her. Within no time, there was a faint layer of mist on her body, like a sheen of sweat from training in the arena.
This is incredible. She didn't even need me to tell her the natural stance would be the most effective. She has mastered the technique after a few simple directions. This is magnificent and terrifying.
"Tell me how do you feel?"
"I—I feel like I'm surrounded by viscous liquid. Like I'm wearing weightless clothes," she answered absentmindedly.
"Good, continue holding onto those images. Once you assimilate them, you'll be able to do it in your sleep." He then guided her to retract the aura back into her body and circulate it in a system to conceal her presence. In the silent night sky, accompanied by crackling flames, two of them spent their time together; one taught, one listened. It was picturesque.
oOo
They broke their camp early the next morning and trudged along the forest. Piper shared her dream about campers back at camp taking sides on the Zeus-Poseidon stand-off. It started shaping like the Trojan war. Only a few remained neutral and refused to participate in the struggle.
"Stupid fighting," Piper complained. "Even my cabin's getting into it."
"Who's supporting who?" Annabeth asked weakly.
"Ares and Apollo are backing Poseidon, more or less. Since Aphrodite rose from the sea, we're on Poseidon's side too. Athena and Hermes are on Zeus' side." Annabeth slumped even more with the confirmation.
They trudged along for another hour until Annabeth panicked a little. She shook her compass, whose pointer rotated non-stop.
"What happened?"
"I think we're getting too much magnetic fluctuation." she managed.
"Okay, what does that mean?" Piper asked.
"It means we're lost," Percy answered her.
"How do we find North without a compass? Denver should be north to Colorado, right?" she mused.
"Spiders," Percy reminded. Annabeth visibly shuddered behind him. "Spiders build their webs facing south." he searched around the grove till he found a tree with a small spider web hanging on its branches. "Then that is north." he pointed in the opposite direction.
"Hold on," Annabeth said. "Spi..spiders don't always build their web in the south, especially not in the open." she protested.
"But we don't have any leads either. It's our best bet so far." she agreed to his reason and they trekked in the direction.
After two long hours, they got down from a beat-up old pick-up truck. The driver was one of those teenage punks, with spiky hair, a leather jacket, and low-hanging jeans. Percy yelled thanks over the blare of Mobb Deep's rapping and gestured towards the stereo, trying to signal him to turn it down.
Punk-boy fiddled with the dial so that the bass beat became ear-splitting rather than earth-shattering. He then leaned out of the window. "I say, babe," he sneered at Piper and lowered his Ray-bans. His eyes traveled up and down her body, taking in her disheveled appearance. "You sure we can't work out some...arrangements."
"No, Eddie," Piper said in a sickly sweet tone. "We're fine. Now, get going!" she ordered, neglecting his suggestion. The punk boy, Eddie, looked a little dazed and dangled his arm out of the window and tried to place it on Annabeth's shoulder.
"Run along, kiddo." he slurred to Percy. He then leered and tried to tug at Annabeth. "Don't you want some attention, babe?" She flinched at that.
What Percy did then was probably stupid. Okay, it was definitely stupid. If he'd even thought for a second, he probably wouldn't have done it; Piper had everything under control. But he was frustrated, dirty, and tired. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in three days and it was getting on his nerves. He was not in the mood to deal with a jerk, entitled pedophile.
"Eddie..," Piper warned, her voice a notch higher than usual. But Percy had already acted. He wrenched Eddie's arm from Annabeth and held his wrist in a death grip. The punk boy yelped in surprise, his mind registering the pain. Before he could yank it back, Percy shoved the arm and flung it straight at the car stereo system. The blaring stereo went silent after a final rap.
Punk-boy stared at his bloodied hand dumbstruck, grimacing in pain. He then screamed like a little girl and drove past them with a deafening squeal of tires.
"My mom's makeup kit, Percy!" Piper cried.
"What! He got on my nerves." he defended, which shouldn't have been the proper thing to do with Piper. She got that crazy glint in her eyes.
"He got under your skin that much, huh?" she grinned cheekily. "Because he was totally checking Annabeth out..."
He refused to answer, clearly guessing the bait laid in her question for him to take. They trudged along the road into the city.
"I say," Annabeth interjected, clearly trying to get over the incident. "Should we take it a stroke of luck to hitch a ride after an hour in the heat on a deserted road or down one's luck to meet a jerkish degenerate on the way?"
"It's both." Piper acclaimed. "It's our luck to get a ride but Percy's bad luck brought along a pervert with it." they both laughed at his protest.
They stopped by a convenience store for a quick clean-up before finding something to eat and discussing their plan. After a quick clean-up with paper wipes and brushing his teeth, Percy waited for the girls while strolling the store to get emergency supplies. They're out of clothes, godly med supplies, and food.
Thirty minutes later, they sat at a booth in a nearby diner, waiting to place their orders. All around them, families were eating burgers and drinking sodas. Finally, the waitress, a girl of fourteen years old, came over to their booth. She glanced at the girls, before settling her eyes on him. "What can I get for you?" she asked merrily.
An enormous and annoyingly loud rumble shook the whole building; A flame-patterned Harley pulled up at the entrance. The rider was a beefy guy with a red muscle shirt and black leather duster. He wore red wraparound shades, with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He stomped into the diner, his black jeans accentuating his muscular physique, drawing the entire restaurant's attention.
He dismissively waved his hands at the hypnotic customers and made a beeline to their booth. A dry, hot wind blew through the place. Up close, Percy saw the guy had a wickedly handsome face—cruel and brutal—with black crew-cut hair and scarred cheeks. He had the most infuriating smirk, like the bullies in his school, who have convinced themselves to be at the top of the world.
He slid into their booth, which was too small for him, and crowded Annabeth against the window. The waitress blinked at him. The biker leered at her. "It's on me. Go get the best you got." She stiffened and spun around, and deftly marched back to the kitchen.
The biker looked at Percy. He couldn't see his eyes behind the shades, but his emotions churned within his stomach. The guy made him remember every bully in his life: Gabe, Donald, Zeus... Anger, resentment, and bitterness churned inside him.
"So you're old Seaweed's kid, huh?" he gave him a wicked grin.
Percy should've been doubtful, or surprised, for an immortal being—he's yet to identify the guy—to visit him amid a quest. But all he felt was annoyance and resentment. "What's it to you?" he growled.
Annabeth's eyes flashed him a warning. "Percy, this is—" she tried the perfunctory introductions.
The biker raised his hand to interrupt her. "S'okay," he said, "I don't mind a lil' attitude. Long as you remember who's the boss. You know who I am, cuz?"
Percy gave him a long, hard stare. He slowly realized why the guy looked familiar. He had the same vicious sneer as some of the kids at camp, the ones from cabin Five.
"You're Clarisse's dad," he said. "Ares, god of War."
Ares grinned and took off his shades. There was only fire, empty sockets glowing with miniature nuclear explosions where his eyes should've been. "That's right, punk. I heard you were in town. I got a little proposition for you."
The waitress came back with heaping trays of food—cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes—but Percy wasn't hungry anymore. The more he looked at Ares, the more he wanted to punch the guy's face, or rip his head off.
Ares dropped a few golden drachmas. The waitress nervously looked at the coins. "But, these aren't..." she protested.
Ares pulled out a huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails. "Problem, sweetheart?" he sneered.
She swallowed and left with the gold.
Piper bristled a little beside Percy. "You can't do that. You can't simply threaten mortals with a knife." she cried. "We can pay for ourselves." she looked at Annabeth uncertainly.
"Are you kidding? I love this country. Best place since Sparta. Don't you carry a weapon, lass? You should. It's a dangerous world out there." Ares turned to him. "Which brings me to my proposition. I need you to do me a favor."
"Let's hear it," Percy said uncertainly. They were only six days to the deadline. He doesn't need interventions.
"Nothing much. I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little...date with my girlfriend." Ares grinned at the squirming Piper. "I left it behind when we were interrupted. I want you to fetch it for me."
"Why don't fetch it for yourself?" Piper said hotly.
Ares grinned at her wickedly. "Why don't I turn your lil' boyfriend into prairie dog and run him over with my Harley? 'Cause I don't feel like it. A god is allowing you to prove yourself. This one sure wants to." he gestured at the blank Annabeth.
"What'll be, cuz?" his eyes bore into Percy's. "Will you prove yourself to be a coward?" he leaned forward. "Or maybe you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your old man can protect you."
Percy chewed on a French fry and listened. He wanted to punch Ares in the face but knew better than not to. He'd already doubted the gods keeping an eye on his quest. If he slipped up somewhere, that's all the reason they'd need to find trouble with him. But that didn't stop him from flinging the half-eaten fry at Ares. Since the war god's domain caused his agitation, he'd have to take some flack for it.
Percy sneered sardonically. "You can act tough and show off for all you want, Ares. I was not the guy who ran to my old man crying over a mortal wound. Remember Diomedes? I wonder who was the one that ran for his dear wittle life." he mocked in a baby tone.
The fire in Ares' eyes grew hotter. He swatted the fry aside. The air around them turned dry and hot, cranking up Percy's emotions even more. The vision in Ares' eyes grew vivid—smoke, blood, broken weapons, and corpses on the battlefield. "You shall pay for that, punk. You can't escape now."
"B-but we already have a quest to find the master Bolt," Annabeth protested weakly. "Please, Lord Ares," he waved his hand offhandedly to shut her up.
"I know everything there's to know about your quest, punk. When the item was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and me, naturally. What chances do you have when even I couldn't sniff a weapon that powerful..." he licked his lips with a hungry gleam in his eyes.
"Nevertheless, I'm trying to give you a benefit of the doubt. Your old man and I go way back. After all, I'm the one who told him about my suspicion about old Corpse Breath."
"You told him Hades stole the Bolt? And he believed it?"
Ares bared his teeth, but there was no bite behind it. "Sure thing. The oldest trick in the book: nick something, frame someone. BOOM! We have a war. I recognized it immediately. Of course, Fish Breath disregarded it but the council agreed. In a way, you got to thank me for your little quest."
"Thanks," Percy spat the word, still thinking about something. A nagging suspicion grew in his mind.
"Just do my lil' job, and I'll help you in return. I'll arrange a quick ride west for you."
"And why do you want to help us? What gives?" Piper pointed out. "We're doing fine on our own."
"Hey, I'm a generous guy," Percy chortled at that. "You're lost here, kid. No money, no wheels, no clue what you're up against. Your salty old man told me to help you out here."
Percy narrowed his eyes. "Poseidon said that? He wouldn't."
Ares grinned. "That got your attention. Your old man's on Olympus, getting chewed out by Old Thunder pants for his missing weapon." He stood up like the discussion was over. "The water park is a mile west on Delancy. You can't miss the Tunnel of Love ride. I'll meet you back here when you're done." After that, he simply disappeared. Everything returned normal.
"There's something fishy about Ares seeking us out." Piper looked unsettled.
Percy stared out of the window. The motorcycle had disappeared too. Now that Ares was gone, all anger had drained from him. He realized Ares must love to mess with people's emotions, to cloud your ability to think before answering. After replaying the entire conversation in his mind, a lot of things didn't make any sense.
First, it was the Flashy Toothpick, then came the Fancy Helmet. Now it was the Crazy Surfboard.
When did he sign up to fetch all the missing godly items?
xXx
A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Should Percy tell Annabeth about the missing Helm, amidst all his suspicions? Tell me about it.
