Wanna start with a shout out, to the tombat invictus discord who I recently discovered and thoroughly enjoy my time in, but more importantly to helios sol, the one true broski. You're a real one, no, The real one.
The march got significantly easier when Percy had decided to keep his new poncho.
He had to admit, it wasn't exactly fashionable. It made him look like some crazy, Greek mountain man pulled out of time from a viking ship and plopped down on the side of a mountain. It was also kinda heavy, weighing down his shoulders as he marched up the mountain.
But if there was one saving grace, it's that it was warm, and damn warm too.
He tugged it tighter across his chest as he brought the compass back up to his face to check which way he was going. Straight forward, which as Percy lifted his gaze made him let out another groan, because straight forward led him directly into another fucking cave.
He marched up to it, admittedly a bit eager to get out of the cold but also a bit eager to be done with this shitty quest, and from what he recalled from his dreams, the great hound was not sitting in some cave waiting for Percy to drive his blade into its heart. He powered into the cave, dusting off his knees as he took in the surroundings.
It was a cave. Yup. It was certainly a hole in the wall. A big, slightly damp, slightly smelly, slightly too cold hole in the wall. Percy sighed as he leaned against the wall, extinguishing maelstrom and collapsing it before he slipped it back into his pocket and hefted the compass with both hands, hoping to keep moving forward.
He was pretty pissed when he looked at it and the needle was lazily spinning in circles.
He scoffed, giving the thing a shake, "What the shit is this?"
The needle stopped, before it rotated, pointing right at him. He straightened up, admittedly a stupid reaction to a compass needle, but he didn't really have time to self criticize at the moment, nor did he have time for the compass to figure it's shit out.
"Why are you pointing at me?" He asked it. The compass needle span in a circle, before pointing at him again. He scowled at the thing, shaking his head.
"Look, I'm sorry... compass. But I don't follow."
The compass needle shifted from side to side, in a motion Percy could just tell was the stupid thing shaking it's non existent head, before it straightened back towards him and started... ticking.
It kept jutting out to the side, to its right. Making movements, sometimes snapping back towards him immediately, sometimes staying out for a second before snapping back towards him. It kept doing this, over and over as Percy watched it with a gormless look on his face, before his mind slowly started to piece something together, memories from years ago of code that Annabeth had taught him.
Morse code.
Oh you clever little compass.
He closed his eyes, bringing his hand up to his temple as he quickly went through his memories, trying to remember every bit of code he could. He opened them when he recalled all the letters and watched the compass.
._ _
W
._
A
..
I
-
T
Wait. Thats what it was saying, it was telling him to wait. He gave his head a shake, his mouth slightly open, as his face pulled into a scowl, and he held the thing up to his face.
"I should've tossed you, you know that?" He whispered to the device, before it snapped its lid closed, pinching his finger and making Percy drop it with a little cry. It fell on the floor and flipped back open, jutting him out another message.
...
...
.._
...
...
SHUSH
Percy sighed and slid down into a sitting position, kicking his legs out as he did. He pulled moskstraumen back out, opening the sword and laying the blade across his lap, softly drumming his fingers on the flat of the blade. He looked at the compass, his adhd brain getting the best of him.
"How much longer?" He asked, in a tone that sounded more annoyed than anything.
The compass flicked another code
...
--
--
.
SOON
Percy felt his jaw tighten a bit as he gripped maelstroms handle tight and risked a glance out of the cave. "And who might be joining us?"
The compass was still for a moment, before it flicked out another message. Percy secretly hoped it would say something he wanted to see, like FRIENDS, or QUEST, or ZOE, but no, the stupid thing was just as cryptic as before.
--
._ _
.
.
._.
OWNER
Percy gave his head a shake, gritting his teeth further as he mumbled out a "What's that supposed to mean."
His stream of complaints were interrupted when he saw someone walking up to the cave's entrance. He saw one figure, then another, strolling through the snow with the casual grace of a Sunday walk. The two figures stepped into the cave, shaking snow off their outfits as they did. Their leather and flannel outfits. Percy bit back a sigh, which stretched it's way into a smile as he rose to his feet, crossing over to the two twins who were busy shaking the snow out of each other's hair.
"Magni, Modi." He said, getting the twins attention who looked at him at the same time, "I'd be lying if I said I weren't happy to see you."
They finished dusting each other off, with Magni giving his head a shake as he did, before they turned to Percy with mirrored smiles, which quickly fell when they saw he was alone.
"Percy..." Magni said, in a concerned tone.
"Are your friends here?" Modi finished.
Percy let out a sigh, and gave his head a shake. The twins both crossed their arms.
"They didn't die, did they?" Magni asked. Before his eyes, along with his brothers, took on a look of sadness.
"Brokkr told us about Leo, we're sorry Percy." Modi added, clapping his hand on the demigods shoulder.
Percy shook his head, a glum look in his eye as he did. "They didn't. It's alright. Well, it's not, but..." He raised his gaze to the twins, before letting out a small smile, "Thanks."
The twins let out smiles as Percy stepped back a bit, resting his hands on his hips.
"How are you two not freezing right now?"
The twins faces took on looks of confusion as they looked down at their own outfits, then at each other's outfits, then back at their own outfits, then looked back at Percy, with all their movements being in perfect, creepy, twin sync.
"Percy, we're gods." Magni said, in a matter of fact tone.
"...and Norse gods, at that." Modi added, crossing his arms as a slight smile spread over Percy's lips.
"This? Out here?" Magni said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder, "This is beach weather for us."
Modi looked at him, nodding, "Yeah, im pretty sure we were born outside."
Magni nodded, "In Norway."
Modi turned back to Percy, who's smile had grown, "In the middle of Winter."
Percy let out a laugh, he couldn't help themselves, as the twins lips curled into satisfied smiles of their own.
Percy let out a breath as he shook his head, before straightening himself.
"Any chance you guys saw my group on the way up?"
The twins both shook their heads.
"No. But we did see a group of girls." Magni said, shivering slightly as he did.
"Scary girls." Modi added, before he turned to his brother with eyes slightly narrowed as magni did the same, "Scary like your lover, Percy..."
"Those were probably the hunters." Percy said, as he grabbed the compass off the ground, "Im guessing this is where their path crossed with ours."
The twins both opened their mouths into o shapes and nodded their heads as Percy approached them with the compass.
"It told me to wait for you guys." He said, handing it over to the twins. They nodded, rather nonchalantly considering Percy had just told them the tool had told him to wait. Magni pulled it from his hands and flipped it open.
"Do we still need it?" Percy asked, to which Magni shook his head.
"No." He replied, turning back to the cave entrance.
"But they will." Modi added, as he watched his brother set the compass down in the middle of the entrance while gently patting the thing.
The brothers both turned to Percy, Magni walking up so the two were shoulder to shoulder. They clapped their hands, rubbed them together, and put their hands on their hips, all in that creepy perfect sync they constantly did everything in.
"Alright." Magni began.
"Ready to go?" Modi quickly added.
"Because this is it." Magni continued.
"No turning back now." Modi said.
Percy, who'd been snapping his gaze back and forth between the two as they alternated statements, gave his head a shake before he steeled his gaze and nodded.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
The twins both smiled.
"Good." Magni said, before giving a tentative look over his shoulder, "... let's just hope our sister is, too."
Percy took note of what he said, "When Thor brought Freya to us, he said there had to be one of his children on this quest." Percy crossed his arms, "Why?"
Magni looked at his twin, a sad, silent conversation passing between the two, before Modi turned to Percy and Magni let his gaze fall to the floor.
"You'll see."
Percy was admittedly a little disappointed at their non-answer, but didn't have time to pry as Magni's head snapped up.
"You have them, right?" He asked, turning to his brother.
"Have what?" Modi asked, to which his brother sighed.
"You know what." Magni said, as he made a swinging motion with his hands. Modi's eyes opened wider as he made an o shape with his mouth again.
"I'll go grab them." Modi said, as he waltzed back outside into he snow. He held his hands out as he did, lifting them up into the sky. The sky rumbled with thunder and Magni stepped in front of Percy to block his view.
Not a second too late as a massive bolt of lightning crashed into Modi.
Percy lifted his hands up, unnecessarily so as Magni's lanky body admittedly did a damn good job blocking the flash. The light subsided as Modi walked back in, holding two of the most incredible weapons Percy had ever seen.
The left hand held something that Percy could loosely describe as a sword and more accurately describe as a silver surfboard, sharpened into a blade. The thing was massive, at least as tall as the twins, with a foot wide, straight, sharply tapered blade that had celtic knots engraved up the blade. The grip was gigantic, probably big enough for everyone there to hold it at once, with a massive pommel and had a hilt that was big enough to be a weapon all it's own.
The weapon in the right hand was somehow even more impressive than the left. It was a spear, in the most basic terms, but from how the thing looked Percy almost felt wrong not referring to it as The Spear. It had a massive handle, an ornately ergonomic length of oak wrapped in aged leather that ran up to the blade. The blade itself was terrifying, a massive chunk of silver flattened into a jagged length with a weight sitting at the base of the blade, most likely to add a little oomf to the swings. It looked like something that could take out a truck, and everyone inside, with a single blow.
Modi stepped forward, handing the sword to Magni who's face pulled into a frown.
"I thought I got Gungnir this time."
Modi shook his head, "No, you get Skofnung, remember?"
Magni shook his head, "No, I'm pretty sure grandpa said I would get Gungnir."
Modi sighed, "Yes, grandpa also said he liked our music, Magni..." The God leaned in to his brother, "... and what happened when we quoted Iron Maiden to him?"
Magni was silent for a moment, then let out a sigh, dropping his head as he took the sword from his brother.
"Jackass..." Magni said, before turning to Percy, "Ready to go?"
Percy let out a quiet laugh, still intimidated by the slabs of metal the twins hefted like they were nothing, before rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Yeah. I'm not sure where we're going, but yeah."
Magni and Modi both lifted their hands, pointing behind him. Percy turned and looked into the cave. The deep, dark, creepy cave, before he let out a sigh.
"I was really hoping it wouldn't be a cave..." He grumbled, as Magni put a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry." The God said, "For better or worse..." His eyes took on a serious look as he stared into the darkness, his brother having an equally serious look as he finished Magni's sentence.
"This will be the last cave you see on this mountain."
The trip got significantly less shitty when Zoe was reunited with the hunt.
It wasn't just the fact that she'd secretly felt a little pang of heartbreak when Artemis had told her the hunt would be taking their own path, and them reuniting with the group had practically made Zoe grin ear to ear.
No, it was because they were very good at tracking Percy.
Phoebe, bless her heart, had admittedly been a little frustrated with the idea of tracking a boy, or as she had started calling him The Boy, but once she picked up his tracks she didn't hesitate to lead the group. Most of everyone kept up pace with the hunters, keeping close to their lead as phoebe marched them through the snow. Most of everyone.
Leif didn't.
He hung back, to an almost laughable degree, with a look on his face that Zoe could make out very clearly despite the snowfall: clear, obvious discomfort. Maybe even a bit of fear. She hung back, letting g the group get ahead of her as she joined him at the back, noticing how he stiffened up when she did.
"What's the matter?" She asked, in a voice she tried (half heartedly) to make as gentle as possible.
"Well..." He replied, taking a deep breath as he gestured to the hunters, "...them."
She looked at the hunters, most of whom were 14-18 year old girls, then back at Leif, who could easily pass for a Henry Cavill lookalike.
"You're scared of them?" She asked him incredulously. He nodded quickly, and she let out a small laugh.
"You shouldn't be. They don't bite. Much." She said, knowing that what she said was very much so a lie. But still, Leif was nice, and had given up a lot to join them. Well, join Annabeth to be fair. But still...
He was a good man, and she didn't like the idea of him being uncomfortable.
She felt her jaw tighten and her eyes narrow as she realized what she'd just thought to herself. Man, old Zoe was really gone, wasn't she? She was gone, obliterated from existence, and the person to blame for it... was somewhere ahead of them, unknowingly preparing himself for the biggest punch Zoe could throw. She let out a small sigh, before she turned back to Leif, who'd gone back to stiffly walking through the snow.
"Why do you think they're scary?" She asked him. He took a breath, letting his eyes dip a bit as he did.
"Because they're an immortal group of women. That combination of words, for many years of my life, would've been the scariest sentence I could've heard." He took another breath, "That, and I fear what they'll think when they learn of the heralds, and how I was one of them."
Zoe turned back forward, taking in his words as she marched. The more he'd spoken, the more he'd explained himself, the more his fear had seemed a bit more rational. She let out a breath through her nose, before she turned to him with a smile.
"Yknow, I used to be a hunter." She said with a smile, "Im not that scary, am I?"
Leif turned to her with wide eyes, "Are you kidding? You're the scariest."
She turned to him, with a look that was a mix of confusion and bewilderment. He held up his hands in defense, but she just let out a dry chuckle.
"Why on earth would I... "She said, gesturing to herself, "...be the scariest. Lydia is like, 6'3 for Gods sakes."
Leif gave his head a shake with his eyes closed, before he looked at her with a knowing look, one that she knew was going to precede something heavy, and it did.
"Because he fell for you."
Zoe's face tightened, into a look that reflected a lot. Confusion, longing, sadness, frustration, all of which swirled in her eyes while they tugged at her face.
"What does that have anything to do with anything?"
Leif let out a breath, a shaky sound that sounded like it wanted to be a laugh, but couldn't form properly, so sputtered out of him as it died.
"Baldr... he wanted him..." Leif said, turning to look at Zoe, "... he wanted him bad, and he only wants potential heralds that badly when he knows they've strayed far from love and all it's..." He snuck a glance at Annabeth that Zoe noticed, "... complications."
Leif turned his head to her, facing her front and center as his blue eyes pierced into her. "When we saw him, his arms wrapped around you..." Leif let out a chuckle, "... imagine watching someone for five years and never getting the chance to have them all your own."
Leifs expression tightened, before he glanced at Zoe, who's eyes were writhe with thought as she thought about what he'd said. She could imagine that, because she had watched him for five years, and, if they didn't find him, she'd barely have had the chance to have him all her own. She looked up at Leif, her eyes strong again, as strong as she could make them.
"We're gonna find him." She said, enough certainty in her voice to convince anyone of anything. "We're gonna find him and, I swear, I'm handcuffing him to me when we do."
Leif let out a laugh at her statement, before clapping a hand on her shoulder. "Yes, I don't think it's even an option not to."
Zoe shook her head, her eyes still firm, "It isn't." She said, in a dry, intimidating tone.
Leif swallowed slightly before turning back forward, with Zoe letting out a sly grin as she turned to the man.
"Still scared?" She asked him.
"Like you wouldn't belive..." He replied with a small smile. She laughed at his response and enjoyed the moment they were sharing. Truth be told, Leif wasn't so bad. She'd had her reservations about him early on, sure, but the longer she spent talking to the man, the more it made sense why he'd been so eager to leave the heralds.
She'd be lying if she said she didn't feel a slight shiver run down her spine at the thought of them. She'd also be lying if she didn't admit that made her a massive hypocrite.
It was just so... bizarre for her. The whole interaction she'd had with the heralds, and their leader. It was just so surreal, like someone had plucked her mind from her body and dropped it into some alternate universe where she was at the other end of the hunters' vitriol. It worried her when she thought about how she knew the hunters had treated men, sometimes unjustly, throughout the years.
It worried her even more when she considered Baldr most likely was still alive, and possibly on the way up the mountain after them.
She made sure to pick up her pace as they scaled the mountain.
Percy was done with complaining about caves.
Maybe he'd just convinced himself that 3 in a row had to be some kind of a good sign. After all, 3 was a lucky number to the greeks. 3 fates, the big 3, their quests usually had 3 participants, that idea was at least... comforting as he and his two companions marched through the cavern. Either that or it was that the idea of Zoe and her group finding him sounded more and more possible the longer he thought about it.
Or maybe it's that he was too distracted by the twins to focus on anything else.
They were... fascinating to watch, even more so listen to, as they droned on and on about absurd topics (mostly musical ones) and strapped Armour over their metal head outfits. Armour that they simply materialized into their hands, before being slapped over the leather and flannel they wore. Percy walked between them, hefting Moskstraumen's flaming blade as he illuminated the path in front of them. Not that there was much to see, besides the errant spider web or pile of rocks.
"So, Percy." Magni said, pulling a helmet over his head, one that had two ram horns curling down towards his face, "Why on earth did you leave your group?"
"Aye, I was about to ask myself." Modi added, hopping on one foot as he pulled a shin guard tight to his jeans.
Percy let out a breath, clenching his jaw as he did. "I didn't want any of them to die." He said, before his eyes took on a sad look, "Any more of them to die." He corrected. "So... I just left."
Magni made a mm mm mm sound as he shook his head, "You know they're probably tracking you right now, right?"
Percy sighed, "Yeah."
"And they have your lover, who was one of Artemis' followers, who surely knows how to track, right?" Modi added in a matter of fact tone.
Percy let his gaze fall a bit, "... they've also got a herald of Baldr with them."
The twins gaze both snapped to Percy, before he corrected himself, "... an ex herald of Baldr." The twins both nodded slowly.
"If that's the case..." Magni began, shooting a look at his brother.
"Then they were always going to find you." Modi concluded.
Percy let a breath out of his nose, admittedly a little peeved that these twins were doing such a good job dismantling his stupid plan. He looked forward, gaze steeled again as he did.
"It didn't matter to me." He said his voice firm, "I'd rather I finish this alone and die than see any more of their blood spilled."
The twins gave each other a look, before turning back to him.
"You know you can't finish this alone, right?" Magni asked.
"Aye, and if you'd died, hammer falls would've been destroyed either way." Modi added.
Percy let out a breath, and dropped his gaze, "Yeah, it wasn't exactly my best plan..." He said, before looking back up to the path, "...but I was also banking on you guys being here too, as back up."
Modi let out a groan, "Oh, well thanks for involving us in your suicide mission!" He said, to which Magni let out a sigh in agreement. Percy looked back and forth between the two, a bit unimpressed by their attitude.
"What? Don't think you guys can take on a dog?" He asked them, to which they both glared at him.
"Yeah." Magni said, "You're damn right we can't."
"Only a mortal child of Thor can fell the great beast." Modi added, to which Percy let out a sigh.
"Mortal child of Thor..." He grumbled to himself, realizing having the twins here wouldn't have changed the outcome of his little suicide mission, "Thanks for leaving out that little detail, Mr T..."
The twins both let out sighs of their own, "Let's hope we can hold him off until our sister arrives..." Magni began.
"Because if we can't?" Modi added.
"We're as good as dead." Magni concluded.
Percy swallowed slightly, risking a glance over his shoulder, silently hoping he'd spot his group right on their heels. They weren't, but they were coming, and that was enough for Percy to steel his gaze and continue ahead. He picked up his pace a bit, as the twins did the same, taking note of how the caves layout had started to change.
The cave itself had widened, significantly so, and the roof had begun to raise, higher and higher up as it disappeared from Percy's gaze. Percy felt his nerves raise a little as the walls also spread out on either side and, quite suddenly, they were walking through a massive, empty cavern, with nothing in sight and only maelstroms flame softly illuminating the space around them.
The twins were close, having finished strapping on their armour and were hefting their massive weapons. Percy took note of their body language, the way they seemed taught, and tense, and ready for something.
He also took note of the tinge of fear he saw in both their eyes.
"Is there something in here?" Percy whispered, his soft tone softly echoing in the cave.
Magni nodded as his eyes scanned the darkness surrounding them, "He is here."
Percy let out a breath, steeling his gaze as he held the sword a little higher.
"Is he... dangerous?" He asked the twins, to which they both shook their heads.
"Not yet..." Modi answered, "...but if we fail..."
"He'll be the end of us all." Magni concluded.
Percy let a breath out of his nose as he cocked his head towards Modi.
"You guys really are too esoteric sometimes, you know that?"
The twins didn't answer, they didn't say anything, they just stared ahead, so Percy followed their gaze, and was admittedly a little excited by what he saw.
Sunlight, a glint of it in the distance.
Percy couldn't help the smile that spread across his mouth, picking up his pace as he marched toward the light. As he got closer he could make out more details from the light source, like how it was coming from a Crack in the wall. A Crack that stretched up farther than the light could show.
Percy picked up his pace a bit more, jogging towards the light as he burst through the Crack, pretty immediately doubling over and taking a few deep breaths at the relief of being out of the cave.
Imagine his disappointment when he looked up and found himself in another one.
Percy groaned, leaning hisnhead back as he turned over his shoulder to watch the twins come through the same Crack. He turned back forward and took in his surroundings a bit.
This new cavern was... well, if anything, an upgrade to the last. It was massive, with its size being very clear from the light poured in overhead from the equally massive hole in the roof. The floor and ceiling of the cavern were covered in stalactites and stalag, which dripped quiet drips into the cavern. That wasn't what really got Percy's attention, though. What he was focused on was the pool of water.
It was massive. The cavern itself was already gigantic, stretching out at least the length of a football field in both directions and equalling that in height, but the pool was almost equally as big. It was a soft blue water, clear as the sky and as beautiful as the sea. It was also deep, unbelievably so, the clearness of it's waves making it very evident that this pool went down.
Percy watched the water for a moment as he took in its beauty, smiling softly at the sight before he turned back to the twins with a firm look on his face.
They were both still, extremely so. Their weapons were clenched tight and their jaws were firm and they did not look like they wanted to take another step towards the water. Percy felt his eyebrows tug in confusion.
"Guys?" He said, turning back to the pool, "It's just water."
"No, Percy." Magni said, in a tone not unlike Thor's in its seriousness.
"It's not." Modi concluded.
Percy gave them a look before he turned back to the water, looking at it more closely and noticing things. He noticed how the hole in the roof was as large as the pool, he noticed how there were chunks of rock at the edge of the pool, as if something had broken them from the roof long ago, he noticed how the water that sat in front of him had waves gently lapping towards him, despite there being no reason for it to be moving.
He noticed that he could... feel something. Something alive down there.
He turned back to the twins, who had taken a tentative step forward.
"What is this place?" Percy asked, taking a step back as the twins took another toward the pool.
"It is where he landed." Magni said through a sternly clenched jaw.
"Where he fell when our father threw him from the sea." Modi added, in a deep tone.
Percy stepped back again, lifting his sword as he did.
"Who are you two talking about?" He hissed in a pressing tone.
Magni took a hand off his sword, pointing it into the waves as he stared into the pool.
"Him."
Percy turned back to the pool, following Magni's finger, and that's when he saw it.
Eyes. Glowing orange eyes.
They were... massive. No, that word didn't describe them well enough. They were gigantic, all encompassing, humongous. They sat below the surface of the water, a good fifty feet down, but were still big enough to send a chill down Percy's spine. What send a shiver down it too was the fact that they were staring right at him.
A few seconds passed. Seconds that felt like hours as Percy stared into the massive orbs that sat beneath the lake, before the water started to shift. It swelled, inflating near the center and sending more waves towards Percy's feet. The water broke, as the owner of those glowing orbs breached the surface and, gods above... Percy was done with this quest right then and there.
It was a sea serpent, but much like how he'd described its eyes using a description so mundane would be as insulting as in was inaccurate. Much like the spear Modi clenched tight in his fists, this thing was The Sea Serpent.
It was big. Really big. Gigantic.
It's body was powerful, covered in thick scales, shimmering with iridescent colors as water dripped and poured from between the cracks in it's massive hide. It's head was equally as big, nearly taking up the size of half the room as it breathed deep, slow breaths. It's face was... gods the thing had a face...
Percy shook the shock from his head as he took in the details of it. It's face was humanoid, barely. With those massive glowing orbs sitting back in deep, sunken eye sockets. Its nose was reptilian, two vertical slits on the front of its face that opened and closed with every breath it took. It's mouth drew across its face like an open wound, lips pulling up to the things ears as it slightly bore its massive, rotten teeth. The thing had a beard too, if you could even call it that, though it more closely resembled lengths of seaweed mixed with strands of rope than any kind of facial hair.
It took in a deep breath, staring at Percy as it did. Percy wouldn't lie, not even for a second. He was terrified. Too terrified to think, too terrified to talk, too terrified to sift through his Alexandria's library of Wikipedia pages he'd burned into his mind to even figure out what this thing was. He took a step back, not sure what his next move was but strongly considering running back out of the cave, before a pair of hands plopped on his shoulders, one on each side. He turned back to look at the twins.
Their eyes were glowing, a bright blue light emanating from their irises. Magni turned to Percy, that glowing blue gaze piercing into his as he did.
"If we leave, we die." He said, not a drop of humor in his tone.
Percy took a shaky breath as he turned back to the mighty beast, who was still staring at him with those massive orange eyes. The creature blinked, a movement that Percy was a little disgusted to admit he could hear, before it opened its mouth.
It spoke, if you could call it that.
The noise it made wasn't words so much as just unfiltered sound. A low, grumbling groan that reverberated from the beasts maw as it shook the water that surrounded it. The sound surrounded Percy, making his teeth chatter and his balance waver and, admittedly, his nose curl as he smelled... whatever this thing had been eating on its breath.
The noise continued, changing ever so slightly in tone as it echoed out of the creature. A second went by before Percy felt it. The Sea, it's influence, its power. He felt it sink into him, floating over his ears as it settled into his mind in the form of a familiar sound.
A voice. A deep, cacophony of low tones that sounded like a hundred bass strings wound together and plucked while hooked up to a wall of amps.
You... are Perseus...
The voice boomed in his mind, echoing slightly as it filled every ounce of his consciousness. Percy grit his teeth, trying in desperation to look like he wasn't about to piss himself.
"I... I am." He got out, in a voice that really felt like a whisper next to this things nuclear bomb of speech. The creature stood for a moment, staring at him as it took a deep breath, letting out words again which, once again, sunk into his mind.
You... are no child... of Thor...
Percy took a breath, "No. I'm not."
The beast let out a noise, a staggered, throaty reverberation that Percy recognized as laughter, before it focused its gaze back on him, narrowing it's eyes slightly as it did.
You will die... if Thor's mortal spawn... is not present..
The serpent drew back it's lips, curling them over its teeth as it did.
Do you accept this...
Percy turned back, back to the twins, who met his gaze. He felt his lips tighten, along with his brow, as his response etched itself into his mind. He turned back to the great beast.
"They're coming, my friends. I just have to hold the beast off until they do."
The serpent stared at him, softly breathing as it did, before its lips curled, slowly drawing back into a smile that somehow both comforted and petrified Percy. It breathed out another series of groans.
I would hope... for your sake...
Then, there was silence. Not a word, not a breath, nothing. Nothing but the soft sounds of Percy and his groups breaths as the great beast stood still.
Percy felt Modi's grip tighten on his shoulder again. He looked back to see the God staring at him, eyes drawn into a soft look as he met Percy's eyes. Modi gave him a sharp nod, before turning back to the beast, who had started to lean closer to them.
"Word of advice, Percy..." Modi began, placing the spear over his shoulder as he did.
"Hold your breath." Magni concluded.
Percy looked at the two, a look of confusion on his face, before his ears perked up and he turned back forward.
The serpent was above them, and it's mouth was open, and Percy didn't really have a second to process that before it came forward, mouth wide, and scooped them into its jowls.
Another fucking cave.
That's really all Zoe could think, all the thoughts she could muster up as her and the group approached the third cavern. It wasn't even necessarily a negative reaction, to be honest. The frigid cold that the mountain kept throwing in their face wasn't getting any easier to bear, so when the group spotted the cave, they didn't hesitate to pick up the pace.
They stopped dead in their tracks though when phoebe spotted it, sitting in the entrance, right there dead center at the mouth of the cavern. The compass.
Zoe wanted to laugh. Laugh and cheer and cry all at the same time. The compass being there meant they were on the right track. Back to Percy.
She surged forward, past phoebe as she approached the mouth of the cave and scooped the compass into her hands. She held it up, watching the needle skitter in her touch, before pointing behind her. She turned around, following the needle to see that it was pointing at Freya.
She let out a breath, slightly in disappointment that she wouldn't be fully responsible for finding the idiot, before tossing the thing back to the daughter of Thor.
Freya caught the compass with a smile and held it, following the needle as it pointed away from them and up the mountain, towards the peak.
The peak that looked awfully close from where they were.
Freya turned back to the group, "It wants us to keep going up the mountain."
A couple of the hunters shifted uncomfortably at the idea of trekking through the cold, while Leif leaned down by the cave, running his hand over the floor.
"They went this way." He said, making most of the heads turn.
The ex herald stood up, turning to the group as he did with a slightly uncomfortable shift in his stance when he noticed the eyes on him, "They went this way." He repeated, as he turned to the cave, "Im sure of it."
Zoe moved towards him, standing next to him as she peered into the cave. Her bow was over her shoulder, but she still clenched it tight, letting her eyes wander across the darkness. She debated for a moment storming right in, waltzing into that cave until she ran into him and them grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and pulling him back out. But she stuffed the idea as she turned back to Freya.
"It wants us to go that way?" She asked the daughter of Thor as she pointed to the peak. Freya nodded, eyeing the compass again.
"One hundred percent."
Zoe was silent for a moment, turning back to the cave as thoughts shifted in her mind. She turned back to the group, back to Annabeth in particular, who had a similar look of concentration on her face.
"He left the compass for a reason." Zoe said, speaking to the group, but directing it to Annabeth, who met her gaze immediately.
"He didn't need it anymore..." The daughter of Athena replied, "...But he knew we would."
"He must've met someone here, someone who could show him the way." Zoe replied, before the answer nestled it's way into her mind. It must've done the same for Annabeth, because she met her gaze immediately.
"The twins." She said.
Zoe gave her a nod, and took another glance in the cave, before turning back to Freya. She considered again just marching into that cave, but she knew better than that. They had the compass, it would show them the way, and it would lead them to Percy.
She turned back to the group, giving them a firm look, before glancing back up the mountain.
The peak was close. Close enough that they'd be up there fast. She turned back to the group, giving them a confident smile.
"Let's get up this fucking mountain."
The smell was all that existed for a minute.
There were other things, other factors that stimulated Percy's senses as he was scooped into the serpents maw. The touch, a distinctly slippery feeling that ran over his hands as he tightly gripped one of the beasts massive teeth. The sound, which gurgled up from the beasts stomach, rumbling out a sound that was not unlike the voice it used to speak. Hell, Magni and Modi both glowed slightly in the beasts jaws, so he could even take in some visuals as they moved up and out of the cave (namely some skeletons jammed between the beasts teeth dressed in Norse armor).
But the smell, dear lord above, it nearly brought Percy to tears.
The foul stench, the rotten smell of what was most likely thousands of years without a brushing, really made him eager to get out of this things mouth. This thing that, now that he was no longer scared stupid, he could remember the name of.
"Jörmungandr..." Percy said, turning to the twins, "This is the Jörmungandr, isn't it?"
Magni nodded, and Percy continued.
"I thought it was prophecized to kill Thor, why's it helping us?"
Magni gripped the beasts tooth tight as it moved them upwards.
"Aye, but prophecies are fickle things, Perseus." The God replied.
"Ragnarok must occur for the great serpent to battle our father." Modi added, as he swayed with the beasts motions.
"And Ragnarok will either begin, or be prevented, by our hand." Magni added in a stern tone. "So for now?"
"He'll help us to our destination." Modi concluded.
Percy nodded as he felt the great beast lower, and land on the ground. There was a moment of silence, before the serpent's jaws opened and the light of the day poured in.
Percy stepped out, admittedly a little excited to be free from the monsters jaws as he rather excitedly rushed into the snow along with the twins. He turned back to the great beast, watching as it shut its mouth and slunk back into the hole in the earth. Percy let out a breath, before taking a deep breath of the air surrounding them.
It smelled bitter.
He turned back forward, steeling himself as he felt a bit of dread creep into his mind. This was it. He was here, after everything he'd gone through and everything he'd lost, he was finally here. He tightened his grip on Moskstraumen, holding the blade in front of him as he illuminated it once again. Magni took note of the blade, offering Percy a gentle smile.
"Moskstraumen?" The God asked. Percy nodded, as the God eyed the blade.
"I don't recall it doing that before." Modi said as he eyes up the flaming blade.
"Little modification, compliments of Leo." Percy replied, his tone darkening a bit as he said the name, which the twins didn't fail to notice.
"We'll avenge him, Percy." Magni said, in a sympathetic tone.
"Aye, we swear it." Modi added, a smile spreading across his lips.
Percy smiled, as he hefted his blade, taking a moment to appreciate it. "Yknow, I bet Astrid would love to see this."
Modi's smile didn't waver, but the look in his eyes did, tinging with a hint of sadness.
"She gave up a lot when she was here." He said, looking over at his brother.
"Too much, as I recall." Magni added.
Modi gave his brother a sad look, a memory flashing in his eyes if only for a moment, before his gaze firmed and he looked back at Percy.
"Let's make sure the same doesn't happen to you."
Percy smiled back at the twin, "Agreed."
He turned back forward, sword in hand, poncho across his shoulders, and, for the first time in a while, confidence in his heart.
"Alright..." He said, stretching his neck with a crack, "Let's go kill that bloody dog."
Zoe's choice to not go through the cave was seeming worse and worse by the second.
On one hand, they were making good time, great time even as they marched up the mountains sharp incline towards the plateau than sat atop it. On the other hand, she was very accurate with her wording: sharp incline.
The hunters, along with whoever else had a bow, took the opportunity to pull a pair of arrows out of their quivers and use them almost like ice picks, stopping them into the ground as they marched up the incline.
Those who didn't have quivers got tossed arrows, and welcomed them with kind smiles. Artemis took note of how Zoe made ensure to avoid one arrow in her quiver, their eyes meeting and a silent conversation passing between the two, before Artemis gave her a curt nod, which Zoe returned.
They scaled up the mountain, driving arrows into the snow and ice as they climbed, slowly working their way up. Freya, who'd had experience with ice climbing before, hung back to keep an eye on Nico, who admittedly wasn't having a good time. The son of death grumbled as he moved, slipping slightly with every step he took. Then again, wasn't exactly easy scaling a mountain when you're in a pair of Chuck Taylor's.
"We're almost there." Freya offered to Nico, who let out a sigh and forced his face into a softer expression.
"Thanks, but..." He glanced up the mountain towards the plateau, "...that doesn't exactly fill me with confidence."
Freya grimaced as she too glanced up the mountain. The plateau was close. Minutes away close. Close enough that everything was suddenly getting very, very real. She felt her stomach tighten and her palms start to sweat in her gloves.
"This is it, isn't it?" She asked him in a quiet tone, "This is... it."
"Yeah, it is." He quietly replied, in a tone that was neither scared nor confident, simply a blunt reflection of the facts that lay before them.
Freya swallowed audibly and nico looked at her, letting his lips pull into a smile that even he wasn't sure was real or not.
"Don't worry..." He said, as they hiked, "I've been in This is it situations since I was a kid."
Freya let out a small laugh and tried to steel her nerves, "Really?"
"Oh yeah," He replied with a nod, "They're not that bad."
She shot him a look and he shrugged.
"Okay, they're sometimes that bad..." He replied, turning back forward with a grimace, "...sometimes worse."
Freya turned back forward with a grimace all her own. Nico noticed and continued.
"But I don't think this ones gon a be that bad." He said as Freya looked over at him.
"Why's that?" She asked, her tone genuine and curious.
He let out a soft smile, "Because we've never had a girl with a gun before."
She let out a laugh, a genuine hearty laugh, and he smiled at her reaction. They continued up the mountain, slight smiles on their faces before Freya spoke up again.
"Nico?" She said, making the boy turn to her.
"Yeah?" He replied. She straightened her mouth, thinking about what she was going to say, before she turned to him with a firm look in her eye.
"I... I hope you get to tell Will you love him."
Nico was silent for a moment, his eyes having clouded over slightly with thought as he climbed up the mountain. He felt a tug at the pit of his stomach, and while usually in times like these that feeling would be terror, it wasn't this time. It was confidence.
He turned back to the daughter of Thor, a smile across his lips.
"I hope you see your family again, too."
Freya's brow furrowed, a look passing through her eye as she gave the son of death a nod and turned back forward. She remembered how it had been when dear old dad had shown up on her doorstep, explaining the quest. She remembered packing up the night before as Erik watched her do so. She remembered giving her son and daughter both kisses on their cheeks and telling them she loved them before they went to bed. She remembered Erik, right before she was going to leave, holding her hand and making her turn to him.
She remembered the tears in his eyes that he was trying so, so hard to hide as he pulled her into a hug and told her he loved her.
She gritted her teeth and pushed forward, with more ferocity than she had before, until a hand came down in front of her. She reached for it, grabbing it tight as Zoe pulled her up onto the plateau. They were here, finally. She pulled out the compass, holding it in her hands as she studied the needle. It was pointing straight forward.
She looked up at the group, taking note of their confident looks as they unscathed their blades and drew their bows. She smiled, shifting the compass to one hand as she grabbed her rifle and held it in the other.
"Alright." She said, shooting a look at Zoe who's bow already had an arrow notched, "Let's go get your boyfriend."
It was just like he'd dreamt.
The snow the wind, the cold. Everything. It was as if someone had plucked the images from Percy's head and painted them over reality as he marched through the snow towards the very center of the mountains peak. Percy took solace in the fact that his dream wasn't completely coming to fruition, considering that he had the twins by his side, but still.
If it were anything like his dream, then he knew how this was going to go.
He marched through the snow, the twins in close pursuit as he made his was through she storm. He was determined, and certain, and confident, despite the lack of any mortal children of Thor by his side...
For now, at least.
He bit back a shiver as a gust of wind practically blew through his clothing. He felt some comfort return when the twins came up next to him, with Magni sifting through something in his hands as he did.
"So Percy?" The God asked, holding up two objects that Percy now recognized as cd cases, "The Trooper by Iron Maiden, or Ride the Lightning by Metallica?"
Percy shot the God a look, a gormless expression of both shock and confusion and annoyance that preceeded a heavy sigh.
"Are you seriously asking me to pick the soundtrack to our potential deaths?"
"Damn right we are." Modi answered, hefting a silver cd player that looked... Norse, to say the least. "Only makes sense the hero picks the song."
Percy sighed before taking g another look at the cds, trying to remember what the songs were about and what they sounded like, amazed that he actually cared what music they were going to die to.
"If I remember correctly..." Percy said, turning to Magni, "... the trooper is about a soldier losing, right?"
Magni nodded with a squint, "Yes... I suppose so."
"And, come one guys, Ride the lightning..." Percy continued with a smile before pointing back and forth between the brothers, "... kinda fitting considering your dad, eh?"
Modi also nodded, as he popped the cd player open with a smile, turning to his brother, "I think we've found the third twin, Magni."
His brother smiled as he pocketed the Iron Maiden cd and tossed him the Metallica one. Modi popped in the cd, but didn't play it.
"I'll wait for the going to get good, first." He told Percy.
Percy grimaced slightly at the gods words, "You think it's gonna get good?"
The God opened his mouth to answer, before turning back ahead and narrowing his gaze.
"I think we're about to find out."
Percy followed his gaze, looking ahead, and there it was.
There. It. Was.
The beast. The wolf. The great hound. It sat, slightly turned away from them as it stared into the sky, it's crimson and black eyes unmoving as it bore upwards.
Upwards at the moon.
The moon hung in the distance, much like in Percy's dream looking awfully close, too close for comfort. It hung in the sky, a gentle white glow as the hound cart its gaze upon it. Percy risked a glance over his shoulder back towards where they'd come from, hoping he'd see Artemis or the hunters or, hell, who was he kidding. Hoping he'd see Zoe.
He didn't, so he turned back, only to be met with the beasts eyes boring into his.
Those crimson and black eyes, just like in his dream, just like he knew he'd eventually meet. The wolf sneered, it's lips curling over its teeth as it did. Then, just like in his dream, the wolf spoke. A voice, that matched the tone and delivery exactly as he'd heard it before, invaded his mind.
I take it you're the being sent to kill me?
Percy hefted his sword, blade already ignited in flame as he made a definitive decision to reply, to not allow any more of his vision to transpire.
"You're goddamm rightI am."
The wolf stood up, snow falling from its body as it rose to full height and, by the gods, it was just like he'd seen. Massive shoulders, Grey fur, snapped chains settled on its shoulders. The beast sneered at him further, a low growl rumbling from its maw as Magni and Modi hefted their own weapons next to Percy.
I have no time for meddling of lesser beings, The beast snarled, plumes of white breath blowing from its nostrils as it did, so he will deal with you.
That's when Percy saw it, up on the monsters shoulders. Saw him.
The man with the horns.
The figured dropped down onto the ground, landing with grave as he did. The snow whipped around him, sheltering his face from view as he slowly approached the group. Percy hefted his sword as Magni and Modi did the same, waiting for this man to step into view.
He did, and Percy felt his stomach drop because the second rhe man stepped forward, the second his face got within view he recognized him in an instant.
It was him. It couldn't be, it shouldn't be.
"You..." Percy said in shock, the words falling from his mouth as he spoke.
The man smiled, lips curling over his teeth as he did.
"Surprised?"
Here we go.
This is it, we're nearing the end now, and God damn am I ever excited. I won't spoil anything, I never do. You can take one look at me leaving Zoe out of my characters list and know that, but I'll leave you with this.
I've left a hint ;)
On another note I'd like to do some more shout outs
Fuck names, you probably won't see this and I don't mind that. Your first comment and a look at your profile made it evident you'd probably hate my story, which is justified and I hold no ill will. So when I read your second and you said my story was very good, it made me smile knowing I was able to surpass your bias a bit.
Random randomness, glad you enjoyed the fluff. More on the way, but no spoilers ;)
Xeldx I'm glad you like my story, as for your theories... let's just say I can neither confirm nor deny them, but they have been noted.
Hellraiders, not to worry, more on the way :)