(A/N: If you saw my announcement on Wattpad or Instagram, you'll know I'll be dropping the updates down on this story. I'll be alternating between posting this one week, and posting Two Sides the next week, or something along those lines. Thank you for understanding and enjoy this chapter! Sorry this is late and remember to stay healthy and safe!)
Reyna ordered everyone to return to their barracks after Ares- uh, Mars' arrival. She informed us, aka Percy, Frank, and I, that we must meet in the senate the next day to determine what will happen with this quest.
The next morning, we took off to New Rome, which was where the senate was located. We were guided by Hazel, who knew the place better than the rest of us.
Not long after, we arrived in New Rome, and I gotta say, it was amazing. The architecture was stunning, spiralling columns and pillars made of stone. Adults and small children bustling around, talking to each other from shops and houses. There were also some satyrs asking for money, but no one bothered to give any. As well, there were these weird, almost transparent creatures running around.
"What are those?" Percy inquired.
"Lares, they're kinda like guardians for Camp Jupiter, just watch out for them. They can't really hurt you, but you'll get vertigo if they run through you," Hazel warned.
I was about to step into New Rome when a statue- yes a statue- appeared in front of us. It had a head and chest, but nothing else.
"Halt! No weapons across the Pomeranian Line!" the statue exclaimed, "Julia! The tray!"
Nothing happened.
"Julia!"
A giggle came from being the statue, revealing a little girl with blonde hair in pigtails holding a tray.
"Hi Julia," Hazel greeted, dropping her sword on the large tray.
The statue looked at us pointedly. "Well?"
"You're a statue. You're talking," Percy pointed out as Frank dropped his into the tray.
"And you're not that bright either. I am Terminus, the god of boundaries, and you cannot enter the Pomeranian Line with weapons," he proclaimed.
"What if I have powers? Wouldn't that mean my body is a weapon? Does that mean I can't enter?" I questioned, crossing my arms.
"I mean your physical weapons!"
"I am physical."
"Guys, just drop your weapons onto the tray," Hazel insisted.
I reluctantly took off my rings and dropped it on the tray while Percy fished around in his pockets before placing his pen on the tray. We then walked through.
We continued walking through the streets, some lares giving us dirty looks and muttering things I couldn't hear as we passed by.
"Is it just me or do the lares don't like us?" I inquired to no one in particular.
"That's odd, they don't usually bother anyone," Hazel remarked, glancing at us before walking us into the Senate House.
The Senate House was this pretty big building with a domed roof. It had rows upon rows like college lecture halls and a podium in the front. Everything seemed to be made of white stone, and all the senators inside wore white togas and the camp shirt.
Reyna and Octavian stood in the front on the podium, addressing the senate and appearing to have just ended an argument as we entered.
"Ah, the three Probatios have finally arrived with Hazel," Octavian remarked.
Hazel led us to a couple of seats in the front row before we sat down and faced Reyna and Octavian.
"The quest has been issued by Mars Ultor, patron of Rome, Frank and the others must complete the quest," Reyna stated, her tone saying that decision was final.
Octavian grumbled something before motioning Frank forward. He took Frank's Probatio tablet before holding his hand above Frank's arm. His hand glowed faintly as an image of two spears crossed, a line, and the letters SPQR appeared on Frank's arm.
"You're now officially a legionnaire," Octavian stated with a sarcastic tone.
Frank nodded uncomfortably before sitting down beside Hazel on the end of the bench.
"So how would we travel to Alaska?" I inquired.
"Well, we have many aircrafts-" Reyna began.
"Um, no offence but I don't think I can go in the air, same goes for Arina I think," Percy stated.
"Why not?" She had this mildly irritated look from Percy interrupting her, but she quickly hid it.
"I don't know, gut feeling?" He shrugged in response.
"Isn't their a feud between Neptune and Jupiter or something? Like we can't enter his territory without getting blasted out of the sky?" I questioned.
I vaguely recall someone mentioning that before, but I didn't know where. For some reason, I feel like it came from a horse. Or maybe a man?
"Okay, then what are you safe to travel in?" Reyna questioned.
"Boat," Percy said.
"Shadows," I said at the same time instead.
Percy raised his eyebrow at me. "You're recovering from getting bit by a poisonous snake; I don't think shadow travelling is a safe idea-"
"Oh shut up, and it's venomous, Barnacle Boy." I flicked him on the forehead before leaning back in my seat.
"Ahem," Octavian cleared his throat, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at me.
"We only have one boat in our navy, Pax, you are permitted to use it," Reyna stated, "you three shall embark immediately."
"Uh, Reyna, can Hazel come as well? She does have seniority over us," Frank suggested.
Octavian looked ready to argue, but Reyna quickly dismissed him.
"There's gonna be someone waiting for us in Alaska no doubt," Hazel pointed out.
"Who would be guarding the god of death?" I inquired.
"Alcyoneus, he's from-" Hazel began before Octavian cut her off.
"How'd you know this?" he asked, his eyes still narrowed in suspicion.
"Alcyoneus is the bane of our father, Pluto. Who would be more fitting to watch the god of death than the bane of the Underworld?" Nico questioned.
He was sitting with his hands stuffed into his aviator jacket on the seats from across us, a solemn look on his face.
The meeting was adjourned after we came to an agreement on how the quest was going to work. I was then sent to the Pomeranian Line by the others to grab our weapons before meeting them down by the pier.
"I'm not going back into New Rome," I insisted to a disbelieving Terminus, "and can't you sense me bringing it back in?"
He sighed. "Fine, Julia! The tray!"
Once more, Julia didn't answer.
"JULI- go behind me and grab her," Terminus ordered me.
I reluctantly peered behind him, finding the tray of weapons lying on the ground instead. "Uh, she isn't here."
"What! Uh- she is supposed to be helping me."
"Well, you're a god, aren't you? Can't you like telepathically find her or something?" I suggested, picking up my friends' weapons and my own.
I managed to get a bag from Hazel to hold all the weapons. Well, it ain't easy carrying a pen, a bow, arrows, and a gladius. It's good I can wear my rings in my opinion.
"JULIA!" Terminus yelled, flying up into the air.
Okay, he can fly. He's a bust that can fly- totally normal. Well, to be honest, that didn't faze me as much as I thought it would.
I looked over and saw two sets of eyes hiding behind a bush not too far from the line. One was higher up in the bushes by about a couple inches above the other one. The higher one had blue eyes while the lower one had brown ones.
I rolled my eyes, walking up to the bush casually.
"Hm, I'm bored, wouldn't it be a great idea to, I don't know, attack this bush?" I asked allowed before summoning a shadow ball.
A voice squealed from behind the bushes, Julia jumping out and giggling. "Don't shoot me! Shoot Dennis instead!" She then ran away, giggling.
Dennis... why does that sound so familiar? I felt an odd tingle course through my body, something that I vaguely recalled began emerging in the back of my mind.
Another kid clambered out of the bush- the same one from yesterday who helped Quilo with the ambrosia and nectar.
I stared at him while he brushed off some leaves, then, something clicked.
"Dennis?"
He looked up at me, his eyes widening. "No way... Arina? Wait- how-"
I felt an onslaught of memories hit me; all of them relating to my little brother. Taking him to school, feeding him, basically raising him up until he went missing one day seven years ago...
"Y-you're a demigod too?" he finally managed to say.
I quickly pulled him into a hug, unable to think of anything else to do. "W-what happened to you?" I pushed him away and looked him up and down.
He obviously grew, he was only like five inches shorter than me. He also lost most of his baby fat, but that last time I saw him, he was only five-years-old.
By now you're probably wondering how the Hades I remembered my brother but nothing else, right? Well, I honestly have no clue. Maybe it's like how Percy remembers the name 'Annabeth'? Like the memory of my brother is too strong to destroy?
"Uh... I was brought to camp?"
I whacked him on the head. "What happened at the fucking park," I rephrased.
"Okay, okay... um, I followed a wolf-"
"Why the fucking Hades did you follow a wolf? What did I tell you about following strangers?" I exclaimed.
"It was a wolf!"
"Still a living thing that could kidnap you- and it did."
"Okay, fine, I was five for gods' sake! Anyway, I was brought to the Wolf House and trained there before I made my way here," he explained quickly before showing me his forearm.
His forearm had six black lines for his years of service. Above that was the letters 'SPQR' and a chalice symbol.
"You're... you're a son of Dionysus?"
"Uh, Bacchus, but yeah."
Wait... why does that sound so familiar?
I turned, seeing Percy yell and wave at me from farther away with Reyna, Hazel, and Frank beside him.
"I have to go but, once I get back, we need to talk about this, alright?" I questioned before running towards the others, waving goodbye to him.
"Yeah!" he replied, worry in his eyes.
The others didn't question me, thank gods, so we continued on down to the pier after I gave the others their respective weapons.
Reyna took us down to the pier where the boat was. Actually, I should probably say tiny, little, wooden thing. That was it. That was the mighty Romans' navy; a godsdamn rowboat.
I pulled the tarp off of the boat, revealing a sad-looking wooden rowboat. When I mean sad, I'm serious, it had eyes painted on it that looked like it was crying. The name 'Pax' was also messily scrawled on the side.
"This is a joke, right?" Frank turned to Reyna, who stood on the dock.
"Romans fear travelling by sea, we prefer aerial and land attacks. However, travelling on land is risky with the monsters and Percy and Arina have expressed their high mortality rate when flying," she responded.
"Anything else we should know?" I crossed my arms, looking at the boat.
"On your way to Alaska, stop by Seattle and go to the Amazon's headquarters. Request to speak to my sister, Hylla. She may be able to help us in the coming battle," she advised before turning and walking away, her cape fanning out behind her.
According to Percy, he informed her the other day about how there would be an attack on the camp. We would definitely need reinforcements if we can't free Thanatos in time, and I'm assuming that's why we would need to contact her sister.
"Well, at least it's floating," I pointed out optimistically after she left.
"Barely," Percy remarked, clambering in first.
Frank and Hazel followed after before I slipped in, literally. I almost tipped the boat if it weren't for Percy grabbing me and steadying the water.
"I'm fine," I said, moving to sit in the middle of the boat because there weren't any more seats.
Percy sat at the back of the rowboat while Hazel and Frank sat beside each other in the front.
"Um, quick question, where are the oars?" I inquired, looking around.
Hazel and Frank both looked under their seats and shrugged.
"It's fine, I got this." Percy waved his hand and we were pushed forward by a small wave.
We sat uncomfortably in silence as Percy propelled us, the only sound being the water crashing against the bow and an occasional animal that greeted Percy and screamed in horror at me.
"Ugh, why do they hate me?" I groaned, leaning against the side of the boat, making it rock gently.
"Uh, Arina, you should be careful," Frank warned.
"They don't hate you, they're just terrified of you. I think it's funny they're scared of you, anyway," Percy remarked.
"Y'know, if you weren' the son of a sea god and driving the boat, I would push you out of this," I replied coolly.
"Damn, harsh much?" He turned back to the water, smirking.
I turned back forward and caught Frank and Hazel glance at each other before looking at me.
"Uh, so how long have you known Percy?" Frank asked awkwardly.
"Um... I guess since April? Maybe we've met before or something?" I guessed with a shrug.
"So you don't remember anything at all before?" Hazel inquired.
"Basically," Percy answered.
"Well, if you guys were on your own for this long you guys must be pretty powerful," Frank stated with a sigh.
"I don't think I was on my own, but I don't remember exactly," I responded, "it also could be just damn luck."
"Being a half-blood ain't easy, that's for sure," Percy said.
Frank looked uneasy, nodding in agreement and stuffing his hands into his pockets.
Unfortunately, Hazel passed out then, causing the rest of us to freak out.
"Is she alright?" I inquired while Frank helped her up.
She had just fallen to the base of the boat, thank gods. She was breathing from what I could tell and definitely wasn't in any life-threatening danger.
"Is this normal for her?" Percy questioned.
"Um... I don't know," Frank answered.
Hazel groaned, her eyes fluttering open and looking around at us just as Frank helped her into a sitting position.
"What was that?" I asked her.
"Um... I blacked out again, didn't I?"
"What do you mean, again?" Percy inquired.
"Um... it's a long story," she stated.
"Well, we are travelling up to the Pacific Northwest, aren't we? We have time for a story, I'm sure," I said.
Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, our boat hit the shoreline.
The shore went from gravel-like sand to knee-high grass. There was some rustling in the field, either from the wind or some animal. There were also some rocks lining here and there as well.
Something unsettled me about the grass. I knew it was probably paranoia or my eyes playing tricks on me, but I could've sworn I saw something move in the grass.
"Is there a monster?" Percy questioned.
"Not... not that I can tell, but not all monsters reside in the Underworld," I pointed out, summoning my blades and stepping onto the shore uneasily.
"Uh, should we be stopping? What if this is a trap?" Frank asked.
"It's not gonna hurt to investi-" I stopped halfway through when I caught the scent. I smelled a strong monster scent, a disgusting one to boot.
Naturally, I went straight into the grass without the others.
I used my powers over the shadows to feel around me for any monsters, but nothing came up. I kept on doing it as the grass grew higher and higher until it almost went over my head.
"Arina! What the Hades with running off?"
I spun around, knocking whoever behind me onto the ground and kneeling on them with my blades at their neck.
Turns out, it was just Percy.
"Oh, sorry." I got off of him before offering him my hand. I easily pulled him up after, glancing around for the others or any monsters.
"Um, ow, and you still haven't answered my question."
"I smelled something."
"Uh, what?"
"A monster, duh."
He rolled his eyes before the grass to our left started to shake. He uncapped his pen and held out his sword, eyeing the grass.
A weird creature popped out, somewhat green and looking like an ugly baby. It had odd specks all over its body and a sinister look on its face, looking poised to kill us.
"Ah! Demigods," it spat, its voice high and annoying.
"What the Hades are you?" I questioned before two more popped beside it.
"We are karpoi! Grain spirits!" the one on the left exclaimed.
"Gaea will take over and kill you!" the one on the right squealed.
"Wait, what?"
"Our mistress wants you though."
Something grabbed me by the ankle and slammed me face-first into the ground before pulling me backwards.
I dropped my blades as I tried to grab something to hold onto, but the more I struggled the faster the thing pulled.
I was thrown into the air, my back hitting something hard followed by my head. My vision blurred as I heard whispering around me.
"Ah... the perfect champion for my army," someone said, their voice cracking and sounding oddly distant.
I blinked a couple of times, refocusing on a group of karpoi tying me up and a figure in the dirt. Their face melted into the ground- maybe it was the ground. Something about it looked familiar. As well, I could feel some all-powerful energy coming off of them, maybe even stronger than a god.
"Who... who are you?" I managed to say, trying to wiggle free from the ropes of grass the karpoi tied my up in, "what army?"
"Hm... you were quite a valuable asset according to my son before his untimely death," the voice remarked.
"Asset? Who was your son?"
Was I working for someone before I came to camp? Gods, I hate having no memories.
"Enough talk, karpoi, finish tying her up before handing her off to Ma Gasket," the voice ordered.
The face shifted back into dirt as the karpoi picked me up.
"Hey! Let me go you stupid weeds!" I tried breaking free from the binds, but they were surprisingly strong for grass.
"Never!" one by my shoulder exclaimed.
"If I could kill you right now- I would," I spat in its face, resulting in me getting whacked in the face by grass.
I looked around, trying to figure out if I could use my powers to get out of the ropes.
I could shadow travel, but I don't know where to go. Maybe the boat? Is it dark enough for me to pop out of there? Where else would be a safe place for me to go? I bit my lip, thinking.
Next thing I know, I'm flung into the air again. I landed on my back, hitting my head again on some dirt.
"Arina! Are you okay?" Hazel asked, appearing above me and helping me up into a sitting position.
My whole body was bound, legs, arms, chest, the only thing that was free was my head. She easily sliced through the ropes, much to my surprise.
"Y-yeah, where were you guys?" I questioned.
I wiggled free from the ropes, rubbing my wrist, which turned red from the bounds.
"Hazel got kidnapped by some karpoi too," Frank elaborated.
"They tied you up?"
"No, I used some schist to stop them from grabbing me," she answered.
"What?"
"Schist, the stone," Percy stated.
I nodded, pushing myself into a standing position and stretching, my joints popping and cracking as I did so.
"So Hazel and I were nearly kidnapped by something," I summarized.
"Gaea, to be exact," Percy said.
"Isn't she the primordial of the earth?" Frank inquired.
"Mother of the first generation Titans, Elder Cyclopes, and the Hekatonkheires," I added.
Wait, how'd I know that?
Hazel and Frank gave me an odd look.
"Uh... so what now?" I asked, trying to divert attention away from me.
"The karpoi mentioned someone was here to pick Hazel and you up, so I say we should find them and see what else they're up to," Percy suggested, looking at Frank.
"Uh, sure," he agreed.
"One question: where do we go?"
Percy was about to say something when we heard yelling and pounding noises.
I peered over the wall of grass and saw three cyclopes trying to enter a shop. However, there was some sort of rainbow-coloured force field blocking it that burned them.
"Ah! Forget this! We must continue on!" the tallest of them exclaimed.
"I want Ding-Dong!" one of them whined, his voice more masculine than the first.
Something flew out from the force field, a small package, hitting the cyclops in the face.
He looked at it, making a face of disgust. "This is healthy!"
Several more creatures appeared. Monsters that were our height, but there was this one creature that was ginormous.
He- I think it was a he- was a least thirty feet tall and somewhat resembled a human being. Well, except for the fact he had green hair with basilisks hanging in it, scaly legs, and blue skin. The way the other monsters looked at him showed he was obviously the leader, either by choice or force.
"We don't have time to deal with minor gods, we must continue on to Camp Jupiter," the giant blue guy said before turning and marching the army away.
However, before he left, three of the basilisks jumped off his hair and stood around the shop, sniffing the air and hissing.
"Wait, there are gods, or at least a god in there, right? Maybe we could stop in there," Hazel offered.
"Yeah, but what about the basilisks?" I questioned, looking down and seeing my rings had returned.
"We could sneak around them," Frank suggested.
"Or you could use your powers," Percy pointed out.
"Ugh, fine," I grumbled before crouching down and creeping towards the monsters.
Go away, I ordered mentally.
Who said that? the one on the left questioned, looking around and hissing.
The snake-like creatures had pale, yellow eyes and a green body. They had these white spikes around their neck as well that flared out a bit when they opened their mouths too. They hissed smoke, so it's safe to assume they also breathe fire as well.
Gaea has ordered me to tell you to leave... I replied.
We serve Polybotes and only Polybotes. We do not speak to Gaea! the one on the right declared, spitting out fire to my left, nearly scorching me.
"Guys! Run!" I yelled shadow travelling to the front of the store and pushing the door open.
A glance behind me told me my friends were trying to follow, managing to dodge the monster with Hazel's help. She somehow summoned some rocks and hit the creatures with it before running into the store.
"Need anything?"
"Ah!" Frank jumped, running into a Neptune fountain.
We all turned to the new person- or well nymph, but still.
She had hair that was made of literal clouds and a yellow shirt with the phrase 'ROFL' on it. Her eyes were quite unique though. They kept on shifting from black, to grey, to white like a storm. She seemed fairly muscular as well, so no doubt she could put up a fright.
"Oh, sorry about that, I'm Fleecy, a nebulae," the nymph introduced, clapping her hands and making the wrecked fountain disappear.
"You're a cloud nymph," Percy stated, seeming shocked and oddly frazzled.
"Ooh, I like this one. Most people don't know what cloud nymphs are," the nymph said.
"Percy, are you okay? You don't look so good," I pointed out.
Hazel and I grabbed his arms just in time as he stumbled backwards, almost falling.
Another person entered the room. She had olive-coloured skin, black hair, and brown eyes. She wore a tie-dye t-shirt and seemed quite laid-back, but I could tell she was hiding something.
"Ah, Fleecy, we have customers now?" the lady said.
"Well, two amnesiacs and two other guys who are... somewhat fine from what I could tell," I corrected her.
"Ah, Arina, nice to formally meet you," she said, smiling at me.
Okay, that unsettled me.
"Um... do I know you?"
"Well, most demigods do. I'm-"
"Y-you're Arcus," Hazel gasped.
"You're Iris?" I questioned.
"Hm... well that's my Greek name."
"Wait, can you help me send an Iris-Message then?" I inquired.
She looked confused for a second before nodding. "Iris-Messages are more of a Greek thing, but I can help you with that. Fleecy, bring Arina, Percy, and Hazel to the back, I'll like to have a word in private with Frank."
Fleecy nodded, motioning for us to follow her.
As we walked further into the store, I started looking around and noticed the place was filled with tons of healthy and hippie stuff. Organic, low-fat foods, wind chimes, glass prisms, the works. It seemed like the perfect place for a nature obsessed satyr.
"You guys can sit Percy over there, I'm gonna be right back with the medicine," Fleecy said before slipping out of the back door.
We moved Percy over to a couch quickly.
"You think this is safe?" I asked Hazel.
"Well, she's a goddess, isn't she?"
"Not all gods and goddesses are fateful towards the Olympians though." I tensed when I said that. I could feel a memory trying to wiggle free in the back of my mind, something related to that, but it didn't succeed.
Fleecy came back and gave Percy this drink in a small glass bottle, also handing me one.
"Um... I'm fine." I held the bottom apprehensively.
"Well, Iris told me to give it to you too anyway. It was requested by someone else," she answered.
Yeah, like that made me feel any better.
"Who?"
Fleecy shrugged. "She won't tell me."
"Um, I'm gonna go check on Frank, I'll be right back," Hazel stated before slipping out of the room.
Fleecy nodded, following her out of the room and leaving Percy and I alone.
"Uh, well, guess we're gonna drink this then?" Percy questioned uneasily.
"Well, what's the worst that could happen? It makes use grow another limb?" I joked.
"Yes," he replied in a serious tone.
"Well, then we have another limb to fight with. If we lose one of ours, we still have four, right?"
"That is the worse logic I ever heard."
"Shut up and just drink the medicine, Barnacle Boy."
He shrugged, uncapping the bottle and downing the liquid, making a weird face after.
I twisted the cap off of mine, staring into the crimson liquid. I tipped the drink into my mouth, swallowing while wincing from the bitter taste.
"Why can't medicine taste, I don't know, good? Like chocolate chip cookies."
"Or Piña colada."
"Isn't that alcohol?"
"Your point?"
He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Never mind."
"Heh, so you're feeling better I guess?"
"Yeah... I don't know what happened though. Seeing those cyclopes... it reminded me of something but..." He ran his hand through his hair, thinking.
I turned away from him, trying not to blush.
He's cute, totally, but he might have a girlfriend. I don't want to get in between them... right? Gods, I hate having amnesia. What if his girlfriend is like my sister or something? That'll be awful if I made a move on him, right? Oh gods, what if we were like siblings or something? Like our mother got Poseidon and Hades to have a child with her. That'll be worse, definitely worse.
Wait, Percy and I are probably the same age so it wouldn't be possible for us to be siblings, right? Well, it still doesn't mean I can make a move on him, right?
"Uh, you alright?" he inquired, making me jump because I was so deep in thought.
"Uh, yeah, totally, just uh, thinking," I replied nervously.
"Right..." He looked like he knew I was hiding something, but he didn't press further. "Didn't you say we need to make an Iris-Message? Who did you have in mind?"
"Reyna, she needs to know about the approaching army," I stated.
"They already know the camp's gonna be attacked."
"Yeah, but she doesn't know what's attacking, right? Like that big, blue guy seems kinda important. Those basilisks say they served Polybotes or whatever," I pointed out.
"Yeah, maybe she knows who he is," Percy agreed.
We walked out of the room together, seeing Frank and Hazel walk back inside. They were both looking awkward and blushing slightly, so I could tell something happened between them. As well, I could smell something like death.
"Why were you guys outside?" Percy questioned.
"Frank killed the basilisks!" Hazel exclaimed, grinning.
"Well, I uh, didn't, Gray did," Frank corrected.
I blinked. "Who's Gray?"
"My dad gave me this spear last night. He told me to strike it into the ground if I ever need help, or before I learned 'the family gift'. He says I can only use it three times though. Gray's the skeleton that comes out of the ground," Frank explained.
"Well, that explains the smell," I remarked, crossing my arms.
Frank looked mildly offended, which made Percy and I laugh.
"She can smell death, don't worry dude, you don't stink," Percy reassured.
Frank nodded, turning slightly red.
"Um, where's Fleecy? She said she'll-" I began.
"Here!" Fleecy appeared behind the counter of the shop, making Frank, Hazel, and I jump while Percy remained eerily relaxed.
"Fleecy, can you help us make an Iris-Message?" I inquired.
"Sure, come with me," she replied, walking towards a fountain. She snapped her fingers and a rainbow appeared above it. "Just say, 'O Fleecy, do me a solid. Show' and then say their name." She held out a small pile of coins for us.
"Do you mind if I try calling someone else first?" Percy asked me.
"Yeah, go ahead," I replied, picking up the drachmas and looking at them.
Percy threw a coin into the rainbow before saying, "O Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me... Annabeth?" He looked uneasy when he said this.
The rainbow shimmered, fuzzing in and out before disappearing.
"Huh, how odd," Fleecy remarked.
"He can't message her?" I questioned.
"Well, it's kinda like you're trying to call someone without their number, or maybe someone's blocking the connection," Fleecy explained.
"Maybe it was the person who wiped our memories," I suggested.
"Uh, well, let's just call Reyna," Percy stated, moving aside for me.
"O Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me Reyna, Camp Jupiter," I said.
The rainbow shimmered before showing Reyna sitting in a bathtub. Instinctively, I covered Percy's eyes while Frank turned away, blushing, and Hazel just looked at the ground.
Reyna glanced over. Once she saw us, she grabbed her towel and covered her chest, looking shocked to see us.
"Uh, sorry Reyna, should we call you back when you're... um... not in the bath?" I questioned awkwardly, struggling to cover Percy's eyes still because of how short I was.
I am physically short, and so are my arms.
She sighed, looking down into the bubbles of the water. "Make it quick."
"Um, an army is marching towards Camp Jupiter as we speak with several northern cyclopes," Hazel began.
"They're being led by someone called Polybotes," I added.
She raised her eyebrows. "Hm... I'll inform the senate as soon as possible. If it is truly the Polybotes I know, we need the reinforcements of the Amazons."
"Who's Polybotes?" Percy asked.
"He is one of Gaea's children, he's a Giant and the bane of Neptune. He can only be killed with the combined force of a god and demigod," she stated.
"Okay, well, that's great to know," I said sarcastically, "we're gonna go to Seattle as soon as possible."
"Good, well, if you don't mind, I'll like to return to my bath in private."
I nodded, swiping through the rainbow and removing my hand from Percy's face.
"I wouldn't have looked, just saying," Percy stated.
"Yeah, well, that would've been nice to know before."
"Geez, I'm not that type of guy!"
"You walked in on me taking a shower!"
"I didn't see anything!"
"You saw my tattoo!"
"Uh, hate to interrupt this but, we should get going to Seattle," Frank pointed out.
"Fine," I sighed, crossing my arms.
Earlier, maybe around mid-May, I was just minding my own business, taking a shower in a nearby waterfall because well, there's no centralized water units in the woods where we were training. Don't worry, Percy had purified the water beforehand.
Anyway, I was just minding my own business when Percy walked by, not knowing I was in the waterfall. I don't think he saw my whole body because I was mainly hiding underneath the waterfall just in case anyone else came by like in that old myth about Artemis and the hunter.
Long story short, the hunter was killed by his hunting dogs after Artemis turned him into a deer for seeing her naked. Serves him right though, like, do you have a death wish? Why would any sane man look at a goddess bathe? Especially one that loathes men.
Anyhow, back to my story, once we saw each other, he ran while I shot shadows at him. He did, however, see my tattoo.
I have a tattoo, don't ask me where I got it cause I don't know, on my left shoulder. It resembled Hades and Nemesis' planetary symbols, but I don't know why.
"Wait, before you go, I recommend you go to Portland first," Iris advised, appearing in the room, "if you want to get your answers, Frank, seek out Phineas. However, do not harm my sisters."
"Who are your sisters?" Percy inquired.
"The harpies," she replied before handing him a tie-dye bag, "here are some provisions for the journey. Good luck, heroes."
We said our thanks before slipping out, walking through the field before stepping into our boat, which was surprisingly still there.
Percy eventually fell asleep, so he got a whale to push us the rest of the way to Portland on the condition he didn't feed it macrobiotic beef jerky.
As we sat in the boat, I tried to get to know Hazel and Frank better.
"Have you met Pluto before? Like before you came to camp?" Hazel asked me.
"Um... maybe? Like, having no memories of my past does leave some blanks," I stated.
"That reminds me, does Dennis know you?" Frank inquired, "we saw you guys talking so..."
I sighed, leaning back against the side of the boat. "Uh... yeah... turns out, he's my brother."
"What?" they both exclaimed in unison.
"I didn't realize until I saw him and actually thought about how we knew each other, well, if that makes any sense."
"According to Quilo, he came to camp like six years ago. Lots of people were surprised he made it to camp though, he just kept on wanting to go back home. Eventually, he got a recommendation letter from Diana though and was accepted into the Fourth," Hazel explained.
Why would Artemis give a recommendation letter for my brother? Like, he's a male, and I don't think we had any connection with her, do we?
"Oh... cool..." I nodded, absentmindedly playing with the hem of my t-shirt. "What were you referring to when you said your 'family gift' or whatever?"
"Um..." Frank rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Lord Mar- uh, I mean my dad said I had a special family gift. He gave me the spear though because I haven't learned what it is though..."
"You have any idea what it could be?" Hazel inquired.
"Nope, unless lactose-intolerant counts," he joked, making her laugh.
Yep, they definitely like each other. Hm... how can I get one of them to admit it?
"Well, you guys mind keeping watch? I want to get some sleep."
"Um, sure, go ahead," Frank stated.
I winked at Hazel and mouthed 'do it' before resting my head on the side of the boat and shutting my eyes.
(Dreams)
I appeared in a camp similar to Camp Jupiter, but all the campers seemed more laid-back and less militaristic. Well, except for these kids near a cabin with a boar head at the front.
"Leo, stop setting stuff on fire, we need to head to the counsellors meeting," a girl with choppy, brown hair said, putting her hands on her hips and looking at another guy.
The girl was somewhat average height. She had kaleidoscope-coloured eyes and slightly darker skin, most likely being Native American. She had an orange t-shirt like lots of other kids at the camp but didn't seem to have a leather necklace like the others.
Wait... those necklaces look like mine! I realized.
The other guy, Leo, I presumed, looked Latino and likely up to something with the mischievous glint in his eyes. He had a tool belt around his waist on the outside of some oily overalls. He had curly black hair and dark brown eyes as well.
Oh my gods, he's kinda hot, I didn't know if it was possible to blush or not in- well, where ever I was- but if I could, I probably will. Like, he was really cute.
"Don't worry Beauty Queen, we're not gonna be late," he reassured her.
"Annabeth might kill us," 'Beauty Queen' pointed out.
"Yeah maybe we should get there quicker," he replied, racing her towards a big building up ahead.
It was about two or three storeys tall and had a wrap-around porch. It was coloured sky blue and had several demigods entering it, chatting.
"Hey Pipes," a blond guy greeted, coming up to the girl and kissing the girl on the forehead.
"Hey Jason, did the meeting start yet?" she questioned.
"Nope, but Annabeth's getting... worried. She's kinda worried about Percy forgetting her and dating a new girl," the blond, Jason, stated.
Jason was a half a foot taller than the girl. He had blond hair, sky blue eyes, and a faint scar on his lower lip. He also had markings on his arm, but I couldn't tell what they were as he wrapped his arm around the girl.
"Are you excited to get back home?" 'Pipes' questioned.
"Yeah... but I feel like Camp Half-Blood is kinda like my home now too," Jason said, walking into a room.
The room had about fifteen people, one of them being a centaur. As well, there was this ping pong in the middle that had some cans of cheese whiz and other random snacks. Around the table were twenty seats in total, only four being vacant.
The fifteen people ranged from all different sizes and looks. There were these two guys that looked like twins and seemed definitely like trouble. Then there was this bigger girl who had a permanent sneer on her face.
The one that stood out the most to me was this nervous-looking blonde at the head of the table beside the centaur. She had blonde, curly hair tied up into a ponytail and a leather necklace, but hers had the most beads out of everyone in the room. She had a pencil stuck behind her ear and was fidgeting with a dagger as the others entered.
"Annabeth, now that everyone is here, you can start the meeting," the centaur said.
"Huh?" Annabeth, the anxious-looking blonde, looked taken off-guard but nodded. "Right, um, the Argo II is getting closed to completion thanks to Leo and the camp's help. We'll likely be able to sail by the 24th and get there by the 25th at the latest, right?" She turned to Leo.
"Yep, just need to punch in the coordinates and the baby's gonna get us there in hours," Leo stated.
"Annabeth, have you chosen a responsible chaperone?" the centaur asked her.
"I don't think there's a need to, the prophecy said we just needed eight half-bloods," Annabeth said.
"And it's not like we're gonna do anything, y'know-" Leo began with a smirk.
"Yes, Leo, we're aware," Annabeth cut him off with an eye roll.
"I quite trust you, but I would feel more assured if there was a satyr that came along with you," the centaur said.
"What about Grover?" Annabeth inquired, her eyes lighting up.
"Um... I fear Grover might be a tad bit too young."
"He's like thirty," one of the twin-looking guys stated.
"Yes, and that's far too young in satyr years. I propose Gleeson Hedge."
Leo, who was eating some cheese whiz, burst out laughing, and choked on the cheese. A few slaps to the back from Jason got him to stop gagging, but he was still laughing.
"No offence, Chiron, but how is Coach Hedge responsible?" Leo questioned with his eyebrow raised.
"He can be... extreme, but he can keep anything 'funny' happening between any of you guys," the centaur, Chiron, stated.
"Nothing's gonna happen," Annabeth insisted.
"Well," Leo began.
"Shut up!" Annabeth snapped.
The room went into an awkward silence afterwards.
"Um... how about we go over what we're gonna say to them, right? You can't just barge in on Roman territory, Terminus might shoot us down," Jason stated.
"Yes, a plan for an introduction. Hopefully, Arina and Percy are making a good impression on them," Chiron agreed.
"It's Arina," one of the twin guys said.
"And Percy," the other finished.
"Well, then we might be trouble. Either they make a good impression, blow up the camp, or everyone's utterly terrified of them," the first guy stated.
"Scared of Prissy? There's nothing scary about him," the girl with the sneer remarked, cleaning a spear.
"He took down Kronos," Annabeth stated proudly.
"You're just saying that because you're his girlfriend," one of the twin guys stated.
She looked saddened at this comment, quickly adjourning the meeting and leaving.
"Idiot!" The guy's twin slapped him upside the head.
My view followed the girl to the beach. She sat down on the sand, hugging her knees and looking out into the sea with a sad expression.
"Hey, Annabeth, are you okay?" 'Pipes' inquired, appearing behind her and sitting down beside her.
"What if... what if Percy met someone else. What if he started dating another girl? What if-"
"Stop worrying about the 'what if's. I didn't forget about Jason, and we're still together, aren't we?"
"But, you got amnesia together, Percy got amnesia along with Arina. What if- what if they got together?"
"Annabeth, from what you told me about Percy, and from what I remember about Arina, they both don't seem like the kind of people who would do that to you."
"I guess so..."
"Let's just focus on getting to Camp Jupiter, then we can worry about that later, alright? I'm sure they're fine."
(Dreams over)
I woke up, rubbing my sore neck and back. I blinked a couple of times, my vision focussing on a nearing port.
"W-where... where are we?" I asked, rubbing my neck.
"Portland," Hazel stated, looking out ahead into the city.
"Whatever Iris gave you must've knocked you guys out, it's been like a day," Frank remarked.
"Wait... you guys were awake the whole time?" I questioned as Percy started waking up too.
"So, what's the plan?" Frank inquired, ignoring my question.
We all got off the boat, Percy tying it off to the pier. From there, we started walking inland more.
Portland was a fairly large city, but it wasn't as filled with skyscrapers as other big cities. There were several parks and people milling around, but none of them paid much attention to four teenagers covered in dirt and junk.
"Well, you're the quest leader, aren't you?" I replied.
"Uh... right... Arcus said to find Phineas, but where can we find him?"
The answer to his question came when we entered a park.
In the park was a man in a robe waving a weedwhacker and a flock of harpies. He managed to hit a couple and appeared to be protecting a table filled with food.
"Great, he's insane," I remarked sarcastically.
"What makes you say that?" Hazel questioned.
"He's waving a weedwhacker at harpies, that's why."
We walked up to him uneasily.
I glanced behind me and saw Percy and Frank talk intently about something, but I couldn't hear what they were saying over the weedwhacker and the screeching bird ladies.
"Hey!" Hazel yelled.
The guy stopped waving the machine around, looking over in our direction. "Who said that?" He poked the whacker in our direction threateningly.
"Is he blind or something?" I questioned.
"I am a seer, so of course I'm blind!" the man exclaimed.
"So you're Phineas?" Frank inquired, stepping forward.
"Yes, son of Neptune, great seer, blah, blah, blah, what do you want?" he snapped.
"We want information," Hazel stated.
"Hm... well that's gonna cost you."
"Cost us what?" I inquired carefully.
"Well, you see, when I was alive, I was cursed by the gods to whenever I wanted to have a meal, a harpy will snatch it away from me. Now, that Gaea had restored me, the harpies are cursed to only eat food from my table, but I have a weedwhacker!"
"Yes, beautiful story, what do you want?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"There's one particularly meddlesome harpy. She's hiding up at the Multnomah County Library in a nest. I want you to bring her to me, and in exchange, I will answer your question," he elaborated.
I looked at the others, who nodded in agreement.
"We accept your request," Percy stated.
"Okay, now go away!" He began waving the weedwhacker at the harpies again.
We walked away, heading towards a large building a fair bit away that looked like a library.
"Wait, so what are we asking that guy?" I inquired, "are we asking about Frank's gift, the Giants, or something else?"
"Well, my gift doesn't really matter right now. Maybe it's better if I figure it out on my own," Frank admitted.
"You sure?" Percy questioned.
"Yeah, maybe we should ask about the approaching army?" Frank suggested instead.
"Wait, who was that person you mentioned at the meeting, Hazel?" I asked.
"Who?" she replied, confused.
"Alconey or whatever."
She paled again, looking up at the roof. "Maybe..."
"What can we ask about him? Like his location or weakness?" Frank questioned.
"He's in Alaska," Percy stated.
"Alaska's the biggest state in America," I stated, "we'll be like fifty when we finish searching the place."
"Okay, so we're gonna ask him where Alcyoneus is and how to defeat him?" Percy clarified.
"Yeah, guess so-" I was interrupted by a pile of books falling down behind a statue and a squawking noise.
We ran over to the statue to find a red-haired harpy look around at the books anxiously, mumbling random stuff.
"Books calm Ella, "A room without books is like a body without a soul", Marcus Tullius Cicero, 43-106 BCE," she muttered to herself, flipping over books.
"Hey, are you okay?" Hazel inquired softly, slowly creeping towards the harpy.
"CAW!" the harpy squawked, jumping away from Hazel and hiding her head under her wing.
"We're not gonna hurt you," Percy reassured, creeping forward calmly.
"Gah! Phineas hurt Ella! Phineas wants to hurt Ella!" she exclaimed, turning away from us and revealing a nasty gash on her back.
"Hey, just calm down, I can take care of that," Hazel said, motioning for Percy to pass her his man bag. She opened the bag and took out a flask, dumping some of the golden liquid onto the wound.
The wound started to seal itself back, not even leaving a scar.
"Ella, that's your name, right?" I questioned, bending down so I was at her eye level.
She nodded her head.
"We're not gonna turn you into Phineas, okay? We're gonna get you freed from him," I told her.
Someone tugged me from behind. They turned me around so I was facing them.
"Um... not that I'm against freeing her or anything, but what about the quest? We need to get to Alaska still," Frank pointed out.
Percy's eyes lit up. "I have an idea, but you guys have to trust me."
The rest of us looked at each other.
"We've come this far," I began.
"And we're gonna continue this together," Frank finished.
Percy nodded, grinning.
We then took Ella with us to the park where Phineas was waiting, sipping a glass of some concoction.
"Aha! You brought me the dastardly harpy!" he exclaimed, grinning. He reached out blindly to snatch her but I quickly slapped his hand away.
"We have an offer," Percy stated.
"Hm, what sort of offer?"
Percy held up two glass vials with red liquid inside. "Gorgon poison, one can heal any injury, like your eyesight or my amnesia, while the other kills you."
"You wanna wager your life?" Phineas raised his eyebrow.
"If I choose the right vial, you tell us where we can find Alcyoneus and how to beat him, if you win, I die and you get your eyesight back," Percy said.
"What's the catch then?"
"You have to swear on the River Styx whatever you tell us is the truth," I stated.
He rubbed his chin, taking in the offer. "How'd I know you don't know which vial is the healing one?"
"I'll let you choose."
Phineas grinned. "Well, it seems like you have a death wish, but I agree." He beckoned Percy to join him at a picnic table before sitting down across from him.
Phineas pulled out a piece of paper and wrote something on it before stuffing it in his robe. "I swear on the River Styx this paper tells you where Alcyoneus is and his weakness."
Thunder rumbled in the distance to confirm the oath.
Percy placed the vials in the centre of the table and let Phineas choose which one he wanted.
"Is this a good idea?" Frank whispered.
"How should I know? Percy's crazy enough to do this so," I replied.
Phineas rolled the vials underneath his hand, grinning and picking up one. Percy grabbed the other vial. They both tipped the liquid back into their mouth, draining the vials.
Percy grabbed his stomach, falling off the bench in pain while Phineas stood up victorious.
Hazel and Frank surged forward to Percy while I stood back, feeling death coming but not to Percy.
"Wrong choice, Phineas," I stated with a smirk.
He gasped, holding up his hand as he started to disintegrate. He tried to grab the piece of paper and rip it up before he completely dusted, but it was too late.
All that remained of the blind seer were stinky robes, slippers, and a piece of paper.
"How'd you know you chose the right vial?" Hazel asked as she helped Percy up.
"If Phineas regained his sight, he wouldn't need Gaea anymore," Percy said.
"And she has bigger plans for Percy, so she couldn't let him die," I said, tensing.
(Also, HAPPY PRIDE MONTH EVERYONE! If you're against pride month or against anything related to the Lgtqb+ community please get the fuck off of my story and account.
I've also decided to cut half of the content in this chapter out because I wanted to get this out to you guys as soon as possible. Like I said before, super sorry about the delay)