Chapter 17
Annabeth's P.O.V.
If Annabeth wouldn't probably have been scared out of her mind, she would've burst from the anger. A part of her suspected that the Octavian kid had something to do with this. Of course, Leo wouldn't do something like that. Of all the things Annabeth could claim about her, she was sure she was a very good judge of character. She had known Leo for the last six months. Surely, he was a bit annoying, sarcastic (which sometimes reminded her of Percy) but he definitely wasn't that stupid or evil to have fired on New Rome for no good reason.
She'd been talking with Reyna, when suddenly the blast had sounded. She'd lost Reyna somewhere while coming down to the Forum. Percy had been in there the last time she had seen him. She reached the forum, just to see Percy and the others to come out when the building collapsed. Annabeth had seen the building closely and knew it had been lousily repaired. But then again, when she considered it was just yesterday that the Forum had been destroyed, she was still amazed that it was intact. But here it was, now in ruins. She rushed forward and hugged Percy.
"Oh my gods! I thought -,"
"Don't get excited. I won't be dying so easily," Percy said. Annabeth wondered how he could still be sarcastic, considering their situation.
Jason and Piper appeared. Romans were closing in, some preparing to fire on the Argo II.
"You people - alright?" he panted.
"Cut the discussion. Did that ship just fire on New Rome?" Natalie asked, ber face reflecting obvious anger.
"Look," Percy turned to her. "We can discuss this later. We need to get out of here."
He ducked to avoid a stone slamming into his head. "Even if we have to fight our way back."
Annabeth nodded. "Hurry! To the ship!"
Percy grabbed Annabeth's hand and she pulled out her dagger with another. A part of Annabeth's brain thought that it felt good, going into a battle with Percy's hand in hers. They squeezed past Romans, careful just to knock people out, not maim or harm. She didn't know where the others were. She could just see Piper and Jason rushing behind them on her right. She could feel Natalie's presence behind her. Annabeth had been around Percy long enough to know the aura of the sea. As for Hazel and Frank, she didn't know.
Annabeth knocked one legionnaire down, not turning to see who he was. Percy led in front, so she didn't have much people to handle. Suddenly she heard a roar. She risked turning behind. A dragon soared up in the sky. But the dragon appeared just on the place where, if he'd been running exactly how Annabeth had calculated -
"Is that Frank?" Annabeth asked.
"Yeah. He has some special talents."
"Understatement," she muttered. A guy who could turn into a dragon? Well, Annabeth was glad he was one of the eight. They'd be needing some people like that.
They reached the ladder. Octavian had just descended, a mad glint in his eyes. He pulled out a knife.
"I knew," he said, his voice seething with hatred. "I knew you scum are not to be trusted!"
"Yeah?" Percy asked. "Were enjoying there, weren't you? Twiddling with dials and weapons and seeing if you can burn us?"
"Don't accuse me of attacking New Rome, Jackson!" Octavian yelled.
"Oh shut up," Natalie rushed from behind and knocked the hilt of her sword into his head. He was out cold on the ground. Annabeth wondered how she suddenly had a sword. She hadn't seen her with one. "Go on, climb up!"
Annabeth went first, followed by Percy. It reminded her of Polyphemus' island. That time when she had just slipped, but her shoe ahd found Percy's face. As they pulled Jason above him, Annabeth looked down. The Romans were preparing to fire on their ship. Annabeth cursed. She rushed towards the control room, followed by the others. Annabeth banged open the gate and burst inside.
The room was ice cold, something that Annabeth had never felt there before. Leo stood over the controls to the ballista, his back facing them.
"Leo!" Annabeth went to him and turned him. His eyes were golden. It eerily reminded her of Luke as Kronos. Leo was not himself. Natalie got to him.
She pinned Leo against the wall, her sword tip near Leo's neck.
"Why did you fire on New Rome?" she growled.
Leo's eyes were suddenly back to normal. He looked at Natalie, aghast. Even she was surprised. She lowered her sword.
"Look, lady," Leo said. "I really appreciate the fact that you might be good with your sword. But that does not mean you can point that thing at me!"
The ship suddenly lurched. All of them were thrown off their feet. A thump sounded, followed by footsteps. Frank appeared, his forehead beaded with sweat.
"What are you guys waiting for! Get us out of here!" he said breathlessly.
Even Leo seemed to understand. He edged past Natalie to the helm.
"What about Hazel?" Percy asked.
"She's on Arion. She'll follow us," Frank said between breaths.
The ship lurched again. But it started moving. Annabeth got up. She went straight to the deck. A column of smoke was rising from the rubble of the Forum. Romans were now miniature dots, but Annabeth could feel their rage even in the air.
Leo appeared. "The ship's been damaged. We need to get it repaired. Would anyone tell me why we're going back? And where's Octavian?"
"Wait a minute," Percy growled. "Will you tell us why you fired on New Rome in the first place?"
Leo looked aghast. "What? Look, Mr. Jackson, I did not fire on anything, alright? Don't you remember we came here to settle things, not heat them up?"
Annabeth turned to face Leo. "Actually, you did fire on New Rome, Leo?"
"Annabeth," Jason said. "You know Leo wouldn't-,"
"Yeah, he did not," Natalie said. "Something else did. His eyes were all golden and his face was like a maniac's. And all of a sudden he just...changed."
Annabeth could see guilt in Leo's face. He could see his face down. For once, he was not twiddling with anything. He just stood there, his head bent down.
"Does that mean this whole thing is ruined because of me?" he muttered.
"It was not your fault Leo," Piper consoled him.
"If it wasn't his fault, then whose? Surely, if someone had possessed Leo, it could mean they could do the same to us?" Percy said.
Leo looked so uncomfortable, Annabeth felt sorry for the guy. She could feel what Leo might be thinking. She decided it was better to let him do something that would take his mind off things.
"Leo, why don't you check the damage and get it repaired?" she asked.
Leo nodded gratefully to her, then went away. Coach Hedge appeared.
"Why'd the satellite signal go off, cupcakes? And why are we going away? Did we sort things out without any violence?" he asked disappointedly.
Annabeth explained everything to him. He just nodded and went back. Annabeth had been expecting him to say something, but apparently, he was disappointed he'd missed the fun of blowing things up.
"Guys!" Leo yelled, coming towards them. "We need to stop at Great Salt Lake, Utah. There are some things we might need for repairing the ship. It's been heavily damaged," he said glumly.
"Alright," Annabeth said. "Let's freshen up, get the things and then talk about what to do."
They divided the work to get the things. While Hazel(who had followed them all the way to Utah on Arion) and Leo agreed to go and get the celestial bronze, Percy, Annabeth, Frank and Natalie were tasked with getting tar and lime, and a few other things Leo had told them. Frank turned into a dragon and dropped them at the edge of the city. He turned back into a human so easily it was like watching the dragon melt into him. They decided that Frank and Percy would go for tar while she and Natalie looked for limes and split up.
They got directions to the local market from a shopkeeper. While moving on the streets, Annabeth decided she'd better talk and get friendly with Natalie.
"Sorry, you know," she said. "About us firing at your camp."
Natalie shrugged. "It's alright. I saw Leo's eyes, after all. He did not do it knowingly."
"And thank you for being with Percy. I know he can be a bit hard to manage."
She chuckled. "Yeah, that's the reason I was excited to meet you. Anyone who can manage Percy, well you definitely have my respect. But well, he's usually dumb, but he's the one who's saved our skins half the times."
Annabeth laughed. Maybe all Romans were not bad. They walked for a few more minutes.
"So Percy told me you lived in Frisco?"
"Yeah, well, I do... sometimes."
"Sometimes?"
"I'm not exactly on great-family terms with my dad and stepmom," she told her. "But I do stay there for some time. Most of the time, I'm at camp. What about you?"
Annabeth wanted more to know about her. Surely, if they were supposed to defeat Gaea together, then she should be familiar with everyone.
"I used to live in Portland. But one day, when I was six, suddenly, there was a wolf attack. My mum died protecting us, and my stepdad died a few years later due to an illness. I had a brother, but he died on a quest. So, I'm pretty much all by myself now. It's just me and my friends."
Annabeth felt bad for her. She had lost everyone in her family.
"I'm sorry."
"No, it's alright. It took a bit of time to move on, but I've still got my friends."
"I had this friend, too, you know. He died fighting against Kronos," Annabeth told her.
"Yeah, I know. Luke. Percy told me," she said. Annabeth wondered if she knew everything about her too. But she also knew that if Percy had told her everything, she could trust her blindfolded.
Suddenly, something hard hit Annabeth on the back of her head. She fell down in pain, her surroundings swimming around her. Her head felt like it was being burned in lava. Finally, she succumbed to the pain and her vision went black.
Annabeth woke up to grunting. Her head felt like it had been whacked hard, which, she thought, it had. Her vision cleared, and she saw Natalie beside her, trying to break open of her bonds. She looked down. Her hands were tied to the armrests of a wooden chair. Annabeth looked around. It looked like some kind of old farmhouse. Annabeth shuddered. She remembered what Piper had told her about their warehouse incident on their quest. Natalie looked at her desperately. Annabeth looked at her watch. It had been around about twenty minutes since she had been hit. But who would do that?
As to answer her question, someone came into view. It was a giant. He was about thirty feet, but he looked very dangerous. Okay great. Now, while other people in warehouses get three stupid cyclops, Annabeth and Natalie get a full-sized giant. She curses her luck
"Annabeth Chase," he said, looking at her with a strange glint. "Daughter of Athena."
He said Athena maliciously. Annabeth wondered if he had a grudge against her.
"Why have you brought us here and what do you want?" Natalie growled, still trying her best to break her bonds.
The giant laughed evilly. "Natalie Carter. And they told me you were intelligent. What do you suspect? A giant, a son of Gaea, your very enemy, would bring you like this to sip tea?"
"Who are you?" Annabeth asked.
"I am Anterius, Chase," he said.
"Wait - you're Anterius Chase? Are you somehow related to my father?" Annabeth asked.
"I said Chase to address you, girl!" he growled. "As for what I want with you two," he turned to Natalie. "Aren't you both some fine young ladies? Mother Gaea promised me I can make you two my wives if I capture you both for her."
"Wait what?" Natalie asked, as though she hadn't heard what he said properly. "Marry us? How gross is that! We're underage!"
The giant laughed, speaking in his malicious voice. "You think that matters to me! Just some time, until Mother Gaea rises, and then you will be mine! Annabeth Chase, your mother killed me! What a wonderful revenge it will be, to marrying her own daughter!"
Okay, Annabeth felt like throwing up. The giant was crazy, and as Natalie had pointed, Annabeth was underage. Besides, she loved Percy, and the guy would die of heartbreak if she even talks about marrying someone else in front of him, much less actually do it. Besides, Annabeth thought she would rather die than marry a giant. The whole thing reminded her of their time at Polyphemus' island, when he had wanted to marry Clarrise.
A huge bang sounded from outside. The giant turned and walked away, muttering furiously.
"Okay, " Natalie faced her. "That giant is crazy and out of his mind, and I definitely don't have any plans for a marriage right now. So how do we get outta here?"
Annabeth struggled against her chair. "I don't know. Can't you summon your sword or anything?"
"Nah, it's not working with these bonds on my hands!" she said angrily, still struggling.
Annabeth heard a squeak beside her. Something was moving. It was a squirrel. She immediately wished that they had Grover around, or that she knew how to speak squirrel. She could simply have asked her to help them. But apparently, the squirrel didn't need telling. It jumped on top of Annabeth's left hand, and started cutting her bonds. Within a minute, she was free, and she immediately took out ger dagger and immediately cut Natalie's bonds.
"Thanks," she said, shaking hands.
"I think the real thanks should be for this -,"
Annabeth froze. Standing exactly where the squirrel was now a lady. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties. She was definitely a goddess. The regal beauty of her face, her aura, amd the fact that she'd just turned into a human from a squirrel, well, that was good enough for Annabeth. She wore flowing purple robes, which reminded her of Rome. She was a Roman goddess. Annabeth could tell that by looking at her poised and disciplined posture. But the strange thing? Her index finger was raised up to her mouth, like the silence sign.
Natalie bent on her knees. "Lady Angerona."
Annabeth remembered reading somewhere about her. As much as she could remember, Angerona relieved people from their sorrows, so she guessed that she would not harm them. Annabeth followed Natalie's example and bent down.
"Rise, demigods," the goddess said.
"Thank you for saving us," Natalie said.
The goddess's face remained passive. "Do not thank me now, Natalie Carter, for I have not yet saved you. The giant would be returning in a few moments, and therefore, you need to make a decision."
"What decision?" Annabeth asked. She hoped it wouldn't be anything related to marrying Anterius.
The goddess stared at them with the same expressionless face. "I shall help you defeat the giant, but I will need a payback for it. If you agree, I shall provide my assistance in slaying Anterius. If not, then it is my job to relieve people of pain and sorrow, and I have already done whatever I could for you. You shall have to face Anterius yourself. Decide, for the giant will be here in moments."
It was then Annabeth realised that the pain in her head was gone. She was feeling completely normal. Natalie looked at her, her expression conveying the message.
"We agree."
"Aaaarrrrgghhh!" No sooner had Annabeth agreed, the giant had barged in. He lunged at them, but they both dove sideways. Natalie was suddenly holding her sword. Annabeth held her dagger.
"At my count," Annabeth said. "One. Two. Three!"
They both attacked him at the same time. When he tried to hit one, the other got their chance. Finally, as Annabeth plunged her dagger into his stomach, Angerona, who had been standing there the whole time, waved her hand. A shard of metal came out of nowhere and passed straight through Anterius' heart. He collapsed, his body turning into dusk.
"Thank you, Lady Angerona," Annabeth panted.
The goddess faced both of them. She was slightly smiling now.
"What service do we owe you, lady?" Natalie asked between breaths.
"First sit," she said.
Annabeth and Natalie both sat down on the chairs they had been sitting on. The presence of the goddess somehow relieved Annabeth of her exhaustion.
"I have helped you today, for I need a work to be done. I relieve people from their pain. But there is something that has been…. disturbing me."
Annabeth waited. The goddess continued.
"The nature spirits of Utah are being haunted by a dangerous beast. The Odontotyrannus has been unleashed in Utah. The one I am talking about is the same one Alexander fought on his conquest in India. The beast is destined to be killed by mortal heroes only. No god, or goddess can kill it. It has been harming the nature spirits. Lots and lots have died, and yet, I cannot do anything to relieve them of their pain."
"So you need us to kill it?" Annabeth asked.
"Yes. I have been waiting for a hero to stumble here. And the fates have sent the eight most powerful demigods in existence here, two of whom are sitting in front of me. I do not usually ask mortals to help, or get in danger because of me. But this is your destiny."
"But where do we find the beast?" Natalie asked.
"I shall teleport you there. But remember, the Odontotyrannus does not think. It is one of the most aggressive beasts known to us. You will need to defeat it not just with your strength, but with your brains."
That Annabeth could deal with. She of course had brains, being a daughter of Athena.
"Good luck," Angerona said, waving her hand.
Annabeth felt the world lurch around her. She felt as though someone was pulling her backwards. The world finally stopped spinning. Annabeth looked around.
"Whoa!" Natalie said.
They were in a canyon. But the place was surrounded by huge rocks. There were crevices in the ground. They were surrounded by two huge stone cliffs, blocking the sunlight.
"Where is the beast?" Annabeth asked.
Natalie grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her behind a rock.
"Shh! Listen," she whispered, pointing her finger to nowhere in particular. Annabeth couldn't hear anything at first. Then she heard it. The sound of hooves. She could hear something sniffing. Something grunted. Annabeth peered over the edge of the rock. She could see the legs of an animal. A huge animal. Almost the size of an elephant. She slowly looked up.
The Odontotyrannus seemed to have smelled someone nearby. Annabeth and Natalie probably smelled like Grilled cheese sandwiches to it. It was huge, black in colour. It had the head of a horse, three horns protruding from it's head. The beast was coming towards them. In a few moments, it would be just over them. Claustrophobia hit Annabeth. They were trapped in a canyon, with a huge beast that was already aware of their presence.
"Let's confuse it," Annabeth said. "We'll just go in front of it. It will charge. We'll dive sideways and try to attack it."
"I hate this job," Natalie said. "Let's do it."
They dived out of the rock to face the Odontotyrannus. It glared at them, shocked by the sudden appearance of two grilled cheese sandwiches, by which, Annabeth meant the two of them.
"Hey! Odonto - you know what? I'm gonna call you Odd. I can't spell your whole name a hundred times!" Natalie yelled.
Odd whinnied in anger. It charged towards them, and they both ducked sideways. It would have gone all the way straight, but finally, a few metres from them, it stopped and turned. Annabeth realized Angerona had been right about the beast. It acted in anger. It was reckless. They could use it's recklessness against it. Annabeth barely had time to think, before she had to dive behind a rock once again. The monster might be a thick headed animal, but it definitely was fast.
"So what's next?" Natalie yelled from the other side. "Do we have to keep doing this until it passes out or something?"
"Try to get on it the next time," Annabeth suggested.
"What?"
But they had no time. This time the monster decided to go sideways. It started towards exactly where Annabeth was. She had to dive towards Natalie to avoid getting trampled on. The monster turned.
"Quick! Here!"
They got inside a small cave-like structure on the rock. The monster stopped. It paced the area. Annabeth tried to get her breath back. Odd backed up, then charged at them. It's horns hit the rock, and the entire cliff shook. Rocks rained down the valley into the canyon.
"If we stay here," Natalie said between bated breaths. "It will do the same thing again until the whole structure falls on us and we die."
Annabeth nodded. "The next time it starts backing up, we're gonna jump on it. I don't think playing defensive would work. It's time for something aggressive."
"Yeah. Just - give me a sec," she said, gripping her left hand. Annabeth noticed the wound on her hand. It must have been hurting a lot, she thought. The way her hand was bandaged, Annabeth was sure she had a very serious injury. She also wondered why being around Angerona hadn't healed it. Annabeth's pain had immediately disappeared by only her presence.
Odd hit them again. This time, as it started backing for another hit, both of them were ready. It's head was already bent down as it had been trying to hit them. With its horns as support, they jumped upon it. Odd started grunting and jumping like crazy. But too late, both of them started attacking. It's hide was very thick. They attacked again and again. Finally, Annabeth's dagger plunged. She jumped off the back of the monster as it began to turn into dust. Natalie came from the other side. They stared until Odd dust settled on the ground. It's three horns were still there.
"Very good," a voice said behind them.
Angerona stood there, a faint smile on her face.
"Thank you, my lady," Natalie said.
"You have done me a great service. You have relieved many spirits of their pain, and earned my goodwill. Soon, you both are going to face terrible pain. You have to be prepared for that. Remember, you have my blessings. I will try to dull your pain as much as I can, to help you in your journey."
Annabeth didn't like that more pain part, but Angerona was among the few goddess who were actually like goddesses. Annabeth respected her. "Um, thank you, lady."
"We need to get back to our ship, lady Angerona. If you could help us…,"
"I will. But before you go, take these three horns with you. They are righteously earned. Destroying this particular beast was a feat only few in this world can do. The horn of an Odontotyrannus has healing properties. Dip it in the water, and it will turn into an essence and dissolve. Drink the water, and your injuries shall be healed."
Angerona said the last bit pointing to Natalie's hand. Annabeth understood. Natalie's injury had not healed due to the magic in Polybotes' trident. But now they knew how to get that nice and good. AShe also felt a bit relieved. Now they had something good to heal. Because demigods tend to get hurt a lot. They could use one to heal Natalie's hand, and they still had two to spare for worse injuries.
"Thank you, lady."
The goddess smiled. "It was a pleasure meeting you both. Good luck."
Angerona waved her hand. Annabeth felt the familiar lurch. She was back again, at the same place she had hit her head. Natalie was behind her, strands of hair loose from her braid. Annabeth noticed something that hadn't been there before. Just in front of them were two bags full of limes. Natalie laughed. Annabeth cracked up too. They both picked up the bags, and headed back towards the Argo II.
They met Percy and Frank near the place they had split up, on the edge of the city. By the time they had gotten there, Annabeth and Natalie were walking arm in arms, laughing and talking. Percy and Frank both looked as though they had faced monsters too.
"What's up with you guys?" Annabeth asked them.
"Oh nothing much. Just saw a bunch of cyclops," Percy muttered. "You both look like you've known each other for ages like this, all with the arm-in-arms thing."
"What did you meet?" Frank asked. "You two look like you've been fighting an elephant."
"Oh yeah," Annabeth said as she looked at Natalie grinning. "We did meet something."
"Something odd," Natalie agreed, smiling back with emphasis on the word odd.
They started laughing again. Percy and Frank stared at them, then at each other, like, Girls and their weird behaviour.
"Let's go," Natalie said. "We need to get to the ship, and get a glass of water."