Chapter 9:
They were doing pretty good for the night.
They camped out in the woods, a hundred yards from the main road, in a marshy clearing that local kids have obviously been using for parties. The ground was littered with flattened soda cans and fast-food wrappers.
Markus was able to help everyone else set up properly, figuring it was the least he could do. He also tried cleaning some of the rubbish, with no clear success.
The group made some bags out of some of Aunty Em's clothes. Markus cleaned his aviator jacket with some water and left it to dry, hopefully ridding it of the stench of Medusa. They didn't light a fire, not wanting to attract more attention to themselves.
They decided to sleep in shifts. Percy volunteered to go first.
Annabeth curled into a bag and was snoring as soon as her head hit the ground.
Grover fluttered with his flying shoes to the lowest bough of a tree, put his back on the trunk, and stared into the night sky.
Markus was lying on the ground, eyes open and also watching the sky, seeing the almost-covered stars above.
"Go ahead and sleep," Percy said to both of them. "I'll wake you if there's trouble."
Markus shrugged listlessly on the ground. "No thanks. I'm used to this type of environment. No big deal."
Grover nodded, but still didn't close his eyes. "It makes me sad, guys."
"What does? The fact that you signed up for this stupid quest?"
"Preach it, brother," Markus muttered.
"No. This makes me sad." He pointed to the trash Markus cleaned up. "And the sky. You can't even see the stars. They've polluted the sky. This is a terrible time to be a satyr."
"Oh, yeah. I guess you'd be an environmentalist."
Markus rolled his eyes, sitting up. "Wow, real sensitive there, dumbass."
Grover glared at Percy, seemingly agreeing with Markus. "Only a human wouldn't be. Your species is clogging up the world so fast… ah, never mind. It's useless to lecture a human. At this rate, I'll never find Pan."
"Pam? Like the cooking spray?"
"…You're an idiot, Percy." Markus said after a moment. Even he knew who Pan was, and how much it meant to Grover. He started to wonder if hanging out with Percy would affect his IQ.
"Pan! P-A-N. The great god Pan! What you do think I want a searcher's license for?"
A strange breeze rustled through the clearing, temporarily overpowering the stink of trash and muck. It brought the smell of berries and wildflowers and clean rainwater, things that might've once been in these woods.
Suddenly Percy was nostalgic for something he'd never known.
"Tell me about the search," he said.
Grover looked at Percy cautiously, as if he were afraid the boy was just making fun. Then he turned to Markus, having the same look. He just nodded understandably, not going to judge him.
"The God of Wild Places disappeared two thousand years ago," he told them. "A sailor off the coast of Ephesos heard a mysterious crying out from the shore, 'Tell them that the great god Pan has died!' When humans heard the news, they believed it. They've been pillaging Pan's kingdom ever since. But for the satyrs, Pan was our lord and master. He protected us and the wild places of the earth. We refuse to believe that he died. In every generation, the bravest satyrs pledge their lives to finding Pan. They search the earth, exploring all the wildest places, hoping to find where he's hidden, and wake him from his sleep."
"Wait… so, what happens if you don't find Pan?" Markus asked, intrigued.
"You die like my father and Uncle Ferdinand, the satyr you saw before." Grover said solemnly. "They knew the risks. Hopefully, I'll be the one to find him. The first in two thousand years." They fell silent after that. Then Percy asked, "And you really think so? That you'll be the first satyr in two thousand years to find Pan?"
"I have to believe that, Percy. It's the only thing that gives us hope. The only thing that keeps us going."
"And you'll find him." Markus said to him, glaring at Percy briefly. Did he want to kill the guy's dream or something? He could understand being sceptical about it, but there's no reason to doubt him. While Markus wasn't much of an optimist, having hope wasn't a bad thing. "If you believe that you'll find him, truly believe, then you will."
Grover nodded gratefully to him. "Thanks, Markus."
There was silence for a while, then Percy asked a question. "So, how are we going to get to the Underworld? What chance do we have against a god?"
"I don't know. But while you were ahead of us, Annabeth said-"
"Oh, I forgot. Annabeth will have a plan all figured out for us." Percy rolled his eyes.
"Don't be so hard on her, Percy. She's had a rough life, but she's a good person. After all, she forgave me…" Here, Grover's voice faltered.
"What do you mean?" Percy asked. "Forgave you for what?"
Markus thought about it for a while, then thought back to what Chiron told him, about Grover's last assignment five years ago. Annabeth was at camp for five years. This lead to him coming to a conclusion. "Thalia." Markus said at last. "That was your last assignment, taking care of Thalia. And I guess Annabeth is a part of it too."
Grover's head was down, looking depressed. Markus hated making him feel like that. "I… I don't want to talk about it." He seemed so sad, like he was going to cry. Then he sobered up a little. "But as I was saying, Annabeth and I agreed there's something strange going on with this quest. Something isn't as it seems."
"Well, duh-me and Markus are getting blamed for stealing a thunderbolt that Hades took."
"Markus and I," Markus corrected cheekily.
"Oh, shut up." Percy scowled.
"That's not what I mean." Grover said. "The Fur-the Kindly Ones were sort of holding back. Like Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy… why did she wait so long to try to kill you? Then on the bus, they just weren't as aggressive as they could've been."
"They seemed plenty aggressive to me." Percy commented.
Grover shook his head. "They were shrieking at us: 'Where is it? Where?'"
"Asking about both of us," Percy said.
"Maybe… but Annabeth and I, we both got the feeling that they weren't asking about a person. They said, 'Where is it? They seemed to be asking about an object?"
"That doesn't make sense."
"I agree. What's the point of Hades having the bolt if he's asking about it?" Markus asked.
"I know. But if we've misunderstood something about this quest, and we only have nine days to find the master bolt…" Grover said, looking at the boys, hoping for an answer.
After a beat of silence, Percy sighed. "Guys, I haven't been straight with you. I really don't care about the lightning bolt. I am going to the Underworld so I can get my mum back."
Markus nodded. "We already know. I support you for that. All I care about is hoping not to get smote by someone who can't even look after their own toy properly. The same applies to you for me."
Grover also nodded. "I know. Are you sure that's the only reason you're going? Both of you?" Here he looked at both boys.
"I'm not doing it to help my father. He doesn't care about me. I don't care about him."
Ditto," Markus agreed, scowling. "I don't need him. I've survived twelve years without his help. If I live that long, I'll survive twelve years without him."
Grover gazed down from his tree branch. "Look, guys, I'm not as smart as Annabeth. I'm not as brave as you. I'm not as strong as you, Markus. But I'm pretty good at reading emotions. You both are glad that you're dad is alive. You feel good that he's claimed you, and part of you wants to make him proud. The feelings aren't as strong in Markus, but it's still there. That's why you mailed Medusa's head to Olympus. You wanted him to notice what you and Markus had done."
Markus was silent, then he glared at Grover. "Look, Grover. I haven't known you as long as Percy has. I think you're a good person. And I'm not doubting your ability. But let me tell you something." Here his glare increased in severity, and Grover flinched. "Don't ever presume to know me. You don't know me well enough, so don't act like you do just because you have emotion sensing powers. My dad could drop off from the face of the planet, and I wouldn't bat an eyelash." Was his cold reply.
The conversation ended at that. Neither of the other boys said anything else.
Then Grover looked at the night sky, like he was thinking about something. "How about I take first watch, huh? You get some sleep."
"But…" Percy tried to argue but Grover just started playing his reed pipe. It was a Mozart melody, nice and sweet. He grumbled a bit and made his way to where the blankets were, next to Annabeth.
As Markus was about to go to bed, he turned to Grover. "I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean to snap at you. I was just… angry."
Grover just shook his head. "It's okay. I know you were angry, so it's no bother."
After nodding gratefully at him, Markus made to go to bed, near the others. As he was about to sleep, he noticed Annabeth's condition. She was shivering. He didn't know if it was because of the cold, or some nightmares.
Wanting to help her, he got his aviator jacket (dried up and clear of monster gunk) and spread it over her, covering her. He didn't know if it was going to work or not, but he noticed that she stopped shivering and snuggled into the jacket more.
Content, Markus fell onto his blanket and promptly drifted off to sleep.
As he slept, he dreamt that he was standing in a dark cavern, overlooking a gaping pit.
Great, Markus thought. More dreams.
Grey mist figures churned all around him, whispering rags of smoke that he knew somehow were the spirits of the dead.
They tugged at his clothes, trying to pull him back, but a force kept dragging him to the edge of the pit.
When Markus looked down, the pit yawned so wide and was so completely black, that he knew it was bottomless. Remembering his myths right, he assumed that this was the pit Tartarus.
He had a feeling that something was trying to rise from the pit, something vast and sinister. It made him get the supposed chill down his spine.
The little hero, an amused voice echoed far down in the darkness. Too weak, too young, but perhaps you will do.
Markus bristled, not sharing the voice's sentiment of amusement. He tried to put a brave face on, but he could feel it cracking.
The voice felt ancient, cold and heavy. It wrapped around him like sheets of ice.
They have misled you, boy, the voice said. Barter with me. I will give you what you want.
Markus didn't know where he got the courage from, but he immediately found himself replying, "Sorry, I was told to never converse with strangers or paedophiles. I hope you understand."
Cold laughter echoed from the chasm. It sounded like a stereotypical evil-villain kind of laughter. How cliché.
Markus just shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, creeper. I'm not interested in any monologue you have. I don't want to join you, so don't bother asking. Try again next time, with a better performance, mind you."
As the boy meant to turn away from the pit, the voice grew hungrier. Help me rise, boy. Bring me the bolt. Strike a blow against the treacherous gods!
He just shook his head. "Nope. Nada. Zero. Net. Nein. As many times as I say it, no. Bye-bye!"
I can revive your mother.
That line stopped him cold. He faltered, then berated himself for dwelling on that.
The voice laughed, as if it had a hold over him.
Markus started running, but he felt like he was standing still, locked in place. He realised that the thing in the pit wasn't trying to pull him in. It was using him to pull itself out.
Good, it murmured. Good.
Wake! The dead whispered. Wake!
Someone was shaking him.
His eyes opened, and it was daylight.
"Well," Annabeth said. "The zombies live."
"Funny, Annie." Markus responded, looking over to Percy. He seemed to have the same expression as him: confused and worried.
They had the same dream, they could feel it.
Percy asked Annabeth, "How long were we out?"
"Long enough for me to cook breakfast," Annabeth said, tossing them each a bag of nacho-flavoured corn chips from Aunty Em's snack bar.
"Yum," Markus muttered, briefly forgetting about his current dilemma.
"And Grover went exploring. Look, he found a friend."
Both boys looked to Grover, who sat cross-legged on a blanket with something fuzzy in his lap, a dirty, unnaturally pink stuffed animal.
No, it wasn't a stuffed animal. It was a pink poodle.
Markus already pitied the thing. "Oh, you poor thing," he said to the dog. "Who could do such a cruel thing to you?" he got up and petted the animal behind the ear.
The poodle leaned into his touch, but yapped at Percy suspiciously. Grover said, "No, he isn't."
The boy blinked. "Are you… talking to that thing?"
The poodle growled.
"This thing," Grover warned, "is our ticket west. Be nice to him."
"You can talk to animals?"
"I think that was really obvious, Percy," Markus said.
Grover ignored the question, however. "Percy and Markus, meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Percy and Markus."
"Hi," Markus said to the dog.
Percy stared at Annabeth, figuring she'd crack at the joke they were playing on him, but she looked deadly serious.
"I'm not saying hello to a pink poodle," he said. "Forget it."
"Percy," Annabeth said. "I said hello to the poodle. Markus said hello to the poodle. You say hello to the poodle."
The poodle growled.
Percy said hello to the poodle.
Markus snorted. "Pussy whipped." He commented, amused. He even made the whipping motion, getting Percy to glare at him.
Grover explained that he'd come across Gladiola in the woods and they'd struck a conversation. The poodle had run away from a rich local family, who'd posted a $200 reward for his return. Gladiola didn't really want to go back to his family, but he'd do it if it meant helping Grover.
"How does Gladiola know about the reward?" Percy asked.
"He read the signs," Grover said. "Duh."
"Of course," Percy said. "Silly me."
"So we turn in Gladiola," Annabeth explained in her best strategy voice, "we get money, and we buy tickets to Los Angeles. Simple."
"Wise Girl, I think we've learned by now that nothing is ever simple," Markus said, exasperated.
She flushed, as if suddenly remembering that.
Percy thought about his dream – the whispering voices of the dead, the thing in the chasm, and his mother's face, shimmering as it dissolved into gold. All that might be waiting for them in the west.
"Not another bus," he said warily.
"No," Annabeth agreed.
She pointed downhill, towards train tracks that they hadn't seen last night in the dark. "There's an Amtrak station half a mile that away. According to Gladiola, the westbound train leaves at noon."
The group nodded and set forth.
As Annabeth and Grover moved ahead, Markus fell back with Percy.
"You heard it too, right?" Percy asked, voice shaking from the memory of the dream.
Markus nodded his eyes grim. "Percy, don't listen to that thing, okay?" he said sternly, his instincts screaming at him to turn and run far, far away from that thing. He hated to feel helpless like that.
"It had my mum," he told him, his hands clenched.
"It said it can bring mine back to life," he told him solemnly. Percy looked at him, astonished. "I'm telling you, Percy. Don't listen to that thing, no matter what. Got that?" Percy nodded his head in agreement to that.
"I'm not really looking forward to finding out what's in the west," Percy said.
Markus nodded in agreement. "Me too."
As the group set out, Markus reached up to Annabeth. "Hey," he said. "Can I have my jacket back?"
She suddenly blushed, remembering she was still wearing it. It looked good on her, Markus noted.
She removed it, and then handed it to him. She pursed her lips while doing so. "What?" Markus asked, while taking his jacket and putting it on him.
"…Last night, I… I had a nightmare about something," Annabeth mumbled. Something they both could agree on. "When I woke up… and saw your jacket covering me, I… I knew it was you that put it there. So, thank you."
Markus shrugged. "No problem. Don't think too much on it, Annie. Just worried, I guess."
Annabeth blushed, and then rolled her eyes. "Idiot."
"Love you too, Wise Girl."
She glowered, and then smiled. She was so confusing at times. "Well, anyway, thanks for that."
"No problem." He said. Then he added, "You look good in it, by the way."
He didn't understand why he said that part. Apparently, Annabeth had the same thought, though her face was starting to look like a tomato.
Then Markus pointed in the direction the others were going. "Come on. Let's go."
Annabeth followed, smiling a bit along the way. Markus had no idea why.
Hello to you all! Kronium345 here, busting out a new chapter! …It kind of feels redundant to this every time I post a new chapter, but what the hell! So anyway, the story continues, which is good. Also, in most of the upcoming fights, Markus will have other opponents to fight, so as to not battle every monster or opponent there. It won't be for all fights, but for some.
Just to let you know that! Again, a big shout out to all those who reviewed, favourited, or followed this story. Thanks so much!
Bye!