We Sail towards a Suicide Mission
Percy's P.O.V.
Riding on Hannibal was probably the best thing I expected to be for the next few days. Going outside the protection of camp, dangerous. But going on a quest to free death itself, it was dangerous multiplied by infinity. Bobby dropped us near the camp's border. Of course, Terminus had to be there.
"Aha! Here comes Mr. Rule Flouter. Going for a quest, I see," he said, looking at all of us.
"Aren't you supposed to protect the borders of New Rome, Terminus?" Natalie asked.
"Oh, yes. But I'm the god of borders. I can be at any border I want. And I want to be here right now, and I am, as you can obviously see," he said, trying to flourish his non-existent hands.
"So what are you going to do? I surely don't hope you can zap us to Alameda and save us two hours of travel?" I asked him.
"Oh no. I just came here to check you and pat you all down. Now come along."
Grudgingly, I went near him. He examined me carefully, making expressions as though he was perfecting my clothes with his hands. Non-existent, of course.
"You look okay. Do you have anything to declare?"
"Yes," I said. "I declare this is stupid,"
"Hmph. Percy Jackson, son of Neptune, probatio, fifth cohort. Natalie Carter, daughter of Neptune, legionnaire, fifth cohort. Anything to -,"
"No, except a few deadly weapons, some supplies and an I-can-kill-you-right-now look, nothing."
"Fine. Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto, legionnaire, fifth cohort. Any thing or any precious metals to-,"
"No!"
"What a grumpy bunch of kids! Frank Zhang, son of Mars, Centurion, fifth cohort. Well done, Frank. You look perfect. Now, to reach Alameda, go down to the BART station and -,"
"We know the way, Terminus," Natalie said.
"Well, fine. Just watch out for Polybotes. Two children of Neptune, oh you are definitely in danger."
"Thanks, we needed the reminder," I said.
Terminus grumbled about us being a bunch of undisciplined kids, and zapped us near BART station. At least he zapped us somewhere close to the station. But I wasn't relieved.
Terminus had said a name; Political or something. And according to Reyna, we had two giants to worry about. And with my luck, this political guy would be the second one. Just thinking of my meeting with Reyna gave me goosebumps. She had even offered me the post of praetor and well, according to her, Praetors worked closely together. And I definitely didn't think Annabeth would like me working closely with anybody, and that would happen only if I could find her. No. I had to find her.
"Who did Terminus ask us to watch out for?"
"Poh-lib-oh-tees," Hazel spelled it out.
"And who might this person be? And what did he mean by 'children of Neptune'" I asked. She probably knew about this Polybotes guy.
"No idea," she sighed.
"I think I've heard about him. I just can't remember," Natalie said, whacking her palm against her temple, as if it might be useful for remembering.
We reached Alameda in about two hours. It started raining, and I felt a bit more comfortable. Probably that was due to the presence of water. Though Hazel and Frank didn't like it much. We reached the docks, and I had been expecting a grand ship. But it just had normal ships and a few small boats.
"Where is our transport?" Frank asked, squinting.
"All hail the mighty Roman Navy," Natalie said, pointing to a small boat at the end.
"No way," I said.
"Yes way," Natalie sighed.
"If this is our transport, then we will never make it to Alaska," Frank said.
"Well, Octavian only let the matter go because he knew this fact," Natalie said.
"But if we go in this thing, it looks like it could capsize any moment," I said. Only Hazel was the one who was silent. And she looked as though she was seeing the horror of her nightmares. I wondered if she had seasickness.
"No, you and I can keep it in one piece. Besides, I saw something on it last time I went on this. Just wanted to try it, come on," she said, hurrying towards the boat. The rain was slowing down now, and the weather was getting better.
Natalie stopped near the boat. At the corner was a small button.
"What if it's not what you think it might be?" I asked her.
"One way to find out," she said, and pressed the button. The boat expanded a bit; not too much, but at least an average boat now. A small cabin formed at the other end of the boat.
"Well, I accept your gratitude," she said, gesturing is in. I hopped in the boat, followed by Frank, and then Hazel, who looked, if possible, more green now. Natalie followed.
"How does this thing move?" Frank asked.
"I think I can control it," I said. Natalie nodded. As soon as I boarded the boat, I had a feeling. I thought that I could move it with my mind.
"Yes, being a child of Neptune. So let's order it to take us to Alaska," Natalie said. I focused on controlling the boat, and ordering it to take us to Alaska. The boat lurched forward.
"Let's settle down, then," Frank said, going into the cabin.
It wasn't much big. Just with two beds and a small cupboard. We kept our backpacks in the cupboard and I went out.
"I never imagined that my life would make me do this," Natalie said.
"Let's not lose hope, we might be able to return back successfully," I said. Though I was reassuring her, I silently agreed. I had known that my way was dangerous ever since Lupa started to train me, but I never imagined that one day I'd have to go on a quest like this. Waking up alone, with no knowledge if what you are doing, that feeling was so annoying. As we sat on the boat and crossed the Golden Gate bridge, I felt like I'd been here. A feeling that I'd been here, and Annabeth had been with me.
Last night's dream came rushing back to me. She had said to stay where I was. To stay at camp. But I couldn't. Everyone at the camp had given me a place. Frank and Hazel and Natalie had already become so close to me, that not trying to save them and camp had felt so wrong. And besides, Natalie was my family, she had accepted me as her brother. She fought with me at the War Games. Fighting beside her, I felt like I could win every battle. Perhaps that was the effect of us being siblings. But she had fought with me, rejoiced with me when we won and assured me that everything would be fine. She even accepted to go on a quest like this with me, besides whatever happened when she went on a quest with her brother. I looked at the cities and at the people passing by on the roads, hoping to see Annabeth. I knew it was silly, but this place felt like her.
"You looking for someone?" Natalie asked.
"No. But it feels like I've been here before. With Annabeth," I said.
"On your way to camp, maybe. Before you lost your memory," Hazel suggested.
"No, it was different. But this place is familiar. That mountain over there, I think I've been there," I said, pointing to a mountain looming behind the city.
"That's Mount Tamalpais, but Mount Othrys for us. Old base of the titans. We fought there in the second Titan war. I was there, and Jason. He himself fought Krios. Hand to hand combat. I fought Atlas," she said, as a matter of factly.
"You did what now?" Hazel asked, her eyes wide.
"Oh, according to what I heard, Atlas wasn't supposed to fight, but he tricked someone into taking the weight of the sky and joined it. I fought him and pushed him so the burden of the sky came on him again. But then there was another swarm of monsters. I got back just in time to see Jason defeat Krios. That's how we made him praetor," she explained.
"You never told us any of it. Nor did anyone else. How come you fought Atlas and nobody talks about it?" Frank asked.
"Well, now you know how much silver tongue Octavian has got," she said.
"But that's so cool. I mean, fighting a titan," he said.
"Yeah, good job. I can imagine," I said. Hazel was looking more green than ever.
"You alright?" I asked her.
"Yeah. I'm just a bit seasick," she said.
We sat in silence for a while. Hazel seemed to be thinking something. Suddenly, her expression changed and she collapsed.
"Hazel!" Natalie exclaimed. She put a hand on her head. We tried to wake her up, but she didn't respond.
"What happened to her?" Frank asked.
"She's fine," Natalie said, puzzled. "Side effects of seasickness, probably. Let's let her rest for a while."
We carried her and tucked her in one of the beds.
"Hey Frank, get some rest," she said gesturing to the bed on either side. "I and Percy will keep watch. We'll wake you up if something happens. We can rotate shifts so that we all are well rested."
"Yeah, get some sleep, Frank," I said. Frank nodded. We came outside and sat down.
The breeze whipped past my hair. I wondered how Natalie was feeling. She seemed to be fine, but we were all pressed from inside. I stared at the water. Even being near it made me feel good. At least as good as I could be during the current situation. I wondered if Neptune was watching me. Would he help us? Natalie and I were his children. Or was he probably just hanging out with his friends? I tried to feel angry, but I just couldn't. It was like I'd met my dad. The breeze felt like his hug. I felt as though he had really hugged me once, like he was with me.
"Are you all right? You've been looking very bad ever since we left the camp borders," Natalie said.
"Are my expressions that much readable?"
"You're thinking about dad, isn't it?"
"You seriously just look at me and tell what I'm thinking. But yeah, I was thinking about him. But he doesn't probably think about me, or you," I said to her.
"No, Percy. It's not like that. The gods don't usually meet their kids. There is a border between us and them. And they maintain it. And Neptune's not like that," she said.
"Have you ever met him?" I asked.
"Twice. On the day when my brother died, and on the day I fought Atlas. We didn't talk much really. It was very awkward. But he's fine. Better than others. Sometimes, I've felt his presence, like he's there. But then I've been on my own," she said.
"But can't he at least come and guide us. Give us a clue about what's going on," I asked.
"We have inherited many powers from him Percy. We survived many dangerous things because of those powers. I agree that he's not like what mortal fathers are. He's not what he should be like as a dad. He meets us rarely, talks to us rarely. But he cares. Jupiter, he never met Jason. Mercury, even though he comes more frequently than any other god, he doesn't meet his children. He just gives the message and disappears. Neptune, he doesn't come grandly. Romans never appreciated the sea, they feared it. He visited me at night, when no one was watching. But he's there, in the water, inside us, with us. You can feel him in there. Gods are not allowed to interfere in our quests. But all the powers we inherited from him, they help us. You've probably met him too, before you lost your memory. But when you meet him again, or regain your lost memory, you'll understand," she explained it all.
"How can you be so calm and - and tranquil?" I asked. She wasn't desperate, or angry or blaming anyone else. She was accepting what life had for her.
"Dunno," she snorted softly. "But don't worry. We're all together in this. Whatever happens," she said.
"Thanks. I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't found you all," I said. She smiled. Talking with her about the things we went through, I really felt better.
"So why did Reyna call you?" she asked. I had been praying to avoid that question ever since we started our journey.
"Nothing much. Just-,"
"She asked you to become the Praetor, didn't she?" she asked.
"How do you know?" I asked, staring at her.
"We discussed it, the day you arrived," she said, looking at the horizon.
"So you are involved in this?" I inquired.
"Yeah. Judging by the looks of it, you rejected," she said. "Why? Becoming a praetor is a great honour."
"Same as you. I don't do leadership."
"But - okay fine, it's your decision. You would've done it after thinking. I just hope you're right."
I completely agreed with her on that part. We sat there, talking. The sun setting on the horizon was one of the most beautiful things I'd seen. I just wished Annabeth were here. We could've watched the beautiful scenery together. Our boat rocked slowly in the water as we arrived at a completely new landscape. Seeing the ground, I remembered Gaea, and the dream. I had to succeed in this mission. Failing would mean Gaea winning. It would mean the destruction of humanity. After some time, Frank came out.
"Had a nice nap?" I asked.
"Yeah. But Hazel isn't awake yet. You really think she's okay?" he asked. Natalie went inside and we followed. She put her hand on Hazel's forehead.
"She doesn't seem to have any problem. Why don't we stop for a while? Maybe not being in the boat would wake her up," she suggested.
We stopped at a shore and laid Hazel outside, in a field of grass, at a distance from the boat.
"Hazel! Wake up!" Frank said, shaking her.
Hazel slowly opened her eyes. I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Are you okay?" Natalie asked.
"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine. Probably just the seasickness."
Her voice was different, as though she had been in a nightmare. Hazel looked up at the stars in the sky.
"I've been out for that long?"
"It's good that you're alright. That's what that matters," Natalie said
"Do you want some water?"
"Yeah. It'll help I think," Hazel said.
"Our supplies are on the boat. Come on, Percy. Let's get them and stay here for a while. We have ample time to get to Alaska at the rate we are moving," Natalie said.
"Yeah, let's go."
As we headed towards the boat, I turned to Natalie.
"Why did you ask me to come with you? I know you did it for a reason," I raised an eyebrow.
"Gods, you are dense. Don't you think that they need some time together? In case Hazel was Annabeth and you were in Frank's place, wouldn't you have wanted to stay with her alone for a while? They both like each other, they are just too shy to say it. Frank, he's a bit hesitant, but Hazel. She seems a bit different to me. I mean, not that I doubt her or something, but, she is not very used to modern things. Sometimes, she acts as though she was from a different time. From the past," she said, getting lost in her own thoughts.
"Yeah, I've noticed," I said.
We reached the boat and went inside the cabin. We took our backpacks and went back towards the field. But when we arrived it was empty.
"Where are they?" Natalie asked, squinting around.
"Dunno. Hey Frank! Hazel?"
"They're not here. But how can they just disappear like -,"
"I'm here!" Frank cutted in, running towards us from a patch of trees on our left.
"Thank the gods you're alright. You had us worried. Where's Hazel?" Natalie asked.
"Dunno, I thought you'd have found her! We were just talking and suddenly the grass carried us away, and I don't know where Hazel is!" Frank said.
"Let's search around. See if we can find her," Natalie said, worried.
"And what if we don't?" Frank said.
"Not helping," I said.
We searched in the direction Frank came from, but no sign of Hazel. I was about to lose just as I heard something.
"Guys! You hear that?" I said.
"It's Hazel. Let's go!" Frank said, running. We followed him as fast as we could. The grass was feeling like sharp needles. But we managed to find Hazel. Weird, was a loose word for the sight we saw. Hazel was standing on a piece of rock, and beside her were gathered many plant like-
"Karpoi. Grain spirits. But they're not usually like this," Frank said.
Hazel was shouting in a very high tone.
"Hey!" I said, whipping out a lighter from my backpack. "Step back, leave her. Or I'll burn this entire field."
I rushed in, followed by Frank and Natalie. Frank started firing arrows and Natalie slashed whatever she could with her golden sword.
"Now! Or you'll all burn!" I shouted.
Probably I was looking like a madman, or the karpoi were really scared because they all immediately burst into grains and disappeared.
"Too cowardly to be considered monsters," Natalie muttered.
"Hazel! Are you okay?" I asked.
She nodded.
"What is this?" Frank asked.
"Schist."
"Sorry?"
"This piece of metal is called schist," she said.
None of us asked anything about the rock, because if the name was schist, I didn't wish to know more about it.
"What happened?" I asked.
"The grain spirits kidnapped me. So I summoned this rock to get away from them."
"And shouted," said Natalie.
"And shouted," Hazel agreed.
"Are you guys seeing that? What's that light?" Frank asked.
Indeed, there was light. In the valley below us, a glow was coming from the bottom. Many murmurs and strange noises were there too, as though a large group of people speaking different languages were chatting and marching together.
"Let's see what it is. Come, near that big rock." We stealthily hid behind a big rock near the edge.
Everything happening down was visible, and it wasn't exactly the sight I wanted to see. Hundreds, no thousands. Thousands of monsters were marching below us. Some of them, I didn't even know what they were called. Just looking at them made me feel sick. But they weren't the main attraction. The main, and the most horrible thing was a tall figure leading them. He had snaky reptilian feet, and his hair was a mess. It looked like they had snakes in them. He was holding a trident, similar to Neptune's, but it looked like he was holding it to show that he was as powerful as Neptune, not an admirer.
"That's it," whispered Natalie, a hint of fear in her voice. "That's Polybotes, the giant born to oppose Neptune."
Immediately, my stomach twisted. If this giant was Neptune's arch enemy, then he would find it fun to smash his children's heads, which meant he would be very happy to smash us.
"He is taking that army to Camp Jupiter? I don't want to know our odds, then," Frank whispered.
The army was huge, indeed. Compared to Camp Jupiter's resources, they were much more powerful. There were so many types of monsters. Earthborn, Centaurs, Cyclopes - wait, Centaurs and Cyclopes?
Images flashed in my mind. A friendly looking man with the body of a white stallion, smiling at me. A cyclops wearing an orange t-shirt just like mine. The letters on his t-shirt were blurry, but he looked familiar. Like I'd known him. The contents of my stomach churned.
"This doesn't feel right. Centaurs and Cyclopes - they're supposed to be friendly, aren't they?" I asked, clutching my stomach.
"No. They are supposed to be vicious. That's what we learned in the monster classes back at camp," Hazel said, studying the movement of the army and the giant.
"Are you alright? You look green," Natalie aksed, frowning at me, worry etched on her face.
"I -,"
Before I could complete my sentence, the giant stopped. I felt like throwing up right now, but refrained. Flashes were sliding in my mind, but I couldn't decipher their meaning.
"Neptune," Polybotes said, sniffing the air. "Smells like Neptune."
My stomach refused to house it's contents any longer, but I was holding back. My friends' expressions were shocked. We weren't moving an inch. If Polybotes found us, then we were doomed. We couldn't take him, a giant down, let alone his army of monsters. We needed the help of a god to defeat him, and godly help was exactly the thing we didn't have. Getting it right now was almost as impossible as dancing with Thanatos in Pluto's throne room.
"Of course. He's the god of the sea. And the sea's right over there," said an ugly looking lady cyclops.
"No...this is different," Polybotes said.
"Oh well then, all of my babies have been hungry, but you go and smash the water with your trident. I want revenge fast. I will destroy those fools. Jason, Piper and Leo, I'm coming," she shouted.
"Jason," Hazel whispered. "But who are the other ones?"
"Dunno," Natalie said. "But it means Jason is alive and fine."
"-Fine, let's move," Polybotes said.
"We won't move anywhere. All of us are hungry, Polybotes," the ugly cyclops lady shouted.
"Now, now Ma Gasket, behave yourself. You will get to eat enough demigods once we reach the camp. You will get what the Earth Mother has promised," the giant grumbled.
"Look, there's a store there. We want food, Polybotes. Or else go alone and do what you want," Ma Gasket yelled firmly.
"Then go, and feed yourselves," the giant grunted, clearly not pleased.
The Cyclopes moved towards the store, which, for some reason, was in shades of violent rainbow colours. As they neared the store, lights flashed out and burned a few monsters.
"What sorcery is this?" Ma Gasket wailed. Polybotes who had been standing and watching, now took some interest in the matter. I realised I was shaking. My head started paining. Like a distant memory was tugging at the back of my mind violently.
"Goddess! Whoever you are, come and kneel before me. Surrender yourself, and your fate might not be as bad as the Olympians," he yelled.
Monsters threw their weapons, but they all burned in the light. And if that wasn't enough, a ding dong from the store landed at Polybotes' feet.
"You dare insult me with a ding dong!" he shouted. But perhaps Polybotes thought that the goddess wasn't worth his time.
"I'm leaving you now, but remember, when the Earth Mother rules, my revenge will be taken," he shouted, and ran a hand through his beard. He waved his hand towards the shop, and three snakes landed on the grass, hissing and spewing fire. Polybotes and the army marched away, and we waited till they were out of sight. I was shaking more and more violently. My head was swimming.
"Percy! Percy, are you okay?" Natalie asked, slapping my face gently. I shook my head.
"C'mon, let's go to that store. Get some help. If there's a goddess in there, she might help us," Frank said.
Natalie slung my arm over her shoulder and helped me get up and walk. She was dragging me along, warning Frank to watch out for the basilisks. I felt so helpless, getting my sorry feet dragged along, but my head was spinning very badly. My stomach was not at all good. We somehow made it to the door, and knocked, waiting to meet a goddess with ding dongs.