Chapter 13:
It was Annabeth's idea.
She loaded them into the back of a Vegas taxi, as if they had enough money to pay for it. Well, Markus might have some money, but not enough for a taxi. Annabeth told the driver, "Los Angeles, please."
The cabbie chewed his cigar and sized them up. "That's three hundred miles. For that, you gotta pay up front."
"You accept casino debit cards?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Some of 'em. Same as credit cards. I gotta swipe them first."
Annabeth handed him her green LotusCash card.
He looked at it skeptically.
"Swipe it," Annabeth insisted.
He did.
His meter machine started rattling. The lights flashed. Finally, an infinity symbol came up next to the dollar sign.
The cigar fell out of the driver's mouth. Markus's mouth hung open. Then he grinned. He was so going to exploit the shit out of his card.
The driver looked back at them, his eyes wide. "Where to Los Angeles… uh, your Highness?"
"The Santa Monica Pier." Annabeth sat a little straighter. They could tell she liked the 'Your Highness' thing. "Get us there fast, and you can keep the change."
Markus looked at her incredulously as she said that. The cab's speedometer never dipped below ninety-five the whole way through the Mojave Desert.
On the road, they had plenty time to talk. Percy told Annabeth and Grover about his latest dream, but the details got a bit sketchier the more he tried to remember. The Lotus Casino seemed to have short-circuited his memory. Both him and Markus couldn't recall what the invisible servant's voice had sounded like, but it was familiar somehow.
The servant had called the monster something other than 'my lord'… some special title or something…
"The Silent One?" Annabeth suggested. "The Rich One? Both of those are nicknames for Hades."
"Maybe…" Percy said, though neither sounded quite right.
"No, it wasn't one of those," Markus said, deep in thought. He was thinking about what the dream entailed. There was a pit, an evil voice, the glow stick being stolen. All the pieces were coming together.
"That throne room sounds like Hades's," Grover said. "That's the way it's usually described."
Percy shook his head. "Something's wrong. The throne room wasn't the main part of the dream. And that voice from the pit… I don't know. It just didn't feel like a god's voice."
Annabeth's eyes widened as well as Markus's, having figured it out.
"What?" Percy asked both of them.
"Oh, nothing," Annabeth answered. "I was just – No, it has to be Hades."
"Annie," Markus said, dread creeping in his voice. "It was –"
"No! It-it has to be Hades. You said the servant failed, right? So, the bolt is still out there. He must think we have it. It would explain the Furies coming after us." She tried to explain all this while paling rapidly.
"But if I'd already retrieved the bolt," Percy said, "why would I be travelling to the Underworld?"
"To threaten him?" Grover suggested. "To bribe or blackmail him into getting your mum back."
"… Damn, G-man, you have some evil thoughts for a goat," Markus said after a moment. He then reached out and hugged him. "My boy, I'm so proud of you! All those times we spent together, slowly corrupting you, has worked! I knew I'd corrupt you."
"Why, thank you," he chirped.
"But the thing in the pit said it was waiting for two items," Percy said with a knitted eyebrow. "If the master bolt is one, what's the other?"
"It would have to be something really important for Hades to send the Furies after us," Markus said. After thinking for a moment, he still couldn't piece anything together. Who would want to bring ruin to the gods by sending a servant to steal the bolt? The only enemy that he could think of was a Titan, but they were locked away, imprisoned. The only Titan that he could think of that could do all that was…
All of a sudden, his thoughts came to a halt as he realized the answer. The dread that was building up was because he was trying to deny the truth. But now that it was more clear, he now knew.
"Kronos," Markus whispered, and instantly all the people in the cab got a cold feeling. The feeling of dread he felt before increased. Markus had a feeling of talking about a boogeyman when he was five. That was the same feeling now.
"What did you say?" Percy asked.
"Kron –"
"Don't say the name!" Annabeth said sharply, startling everyone. "No, it can't be! It-it has to be Hades."
"Annabeth," Markus said, now serious. "It can't be Hades. He hails from the Underworld, not Tartarus, the pit. It has to be Kronos." And again, the cold experience came back again. To Markus, it felt like small knives scraping down his back. But he continued. "He's the only one who we can fully suspect that's behind all of this. We're going the wrong way."
Annabeth shivered, probably feeling the same way the rest of the group felt. "You really shouldn't say his name like that, Markus. I'm serious."
Markus rolled his eyes. He could understand why she was so apprehensive about it. This was the Big Bad of Greek mythology they were talking about. Just thinking about made Markus almost piss his pants, though he'd never admit it. "Fine. The Crooked Asshole, then. Even so, you can't deny that I'm right."
"So, Kron – the Crooked One is the one behind all this?" Percy asked.
"I think so," Markus replied, frowning. If what they discovered was true, he was going to punch Chiron in the face, trainer of heroes or not!
Wasteland rolled by. They passed a sign that said CALIFORNIA STATE LINE, 12 MILES.
"The answer is in the Underworld," Annabeth assured them. "You two saw spirits of the dead, right? There's only one place that could have them. We're doing the right thing."
She tried to boost the morale by suggesting clever strategies for getting into the Land of the Dead, but the team wasn't really into it.
At sunset, the taxi dropped them at the beach in Santa Monica. The place smelled a bit foul. There were carnival rides lining the Pier, palm trees lining the sidewalks, homeless guys sleeping in sand dunes, and surfer dudes waiting for the perfect wave.
Grover, Annabeth, Markus and Percy walked down to the edge of the surf.
"What now?" Annabeth asked.
The Pacific was turning gold in the setting sun. Percy was reminded of Montauk as he stared at the sea opposite of the one he was so used to. How could there be a god who could control all that? What did his science teacher use to say – two-thirds of the earth's surface was covered in water? How could he be the son of someone that powerful?
He looked towards Markus, who nodded towards him. Together, they stepped into the surf.
"Percy?" Annabeth said. "Markus? What are you doing?"
Both boys kept walking, up to their waist, then their chest.
The blonde called after them. "You know how polluted that water is? There's all kinds of toxic –"
Percy and Markus were both underwater before she could finish.
Markus experienced the same feeling he always got when underwater: feeling like he was going to run out of air, only to feel fine afterwards. He looked towards his brother to see him floating also. He was about to say something to him when he saw something enter his line of vision: a five-foot-long mako shark.
Now usually, seeing a shark might scare people and cause them to run away. But with both boys being sons of Poseidon, that didn't apply to them. Plus, the shark seemed friendly and passive enough.
The shark bucked against Percy's leg and seemed to nudge its head in a particular direction, like it wanted them to follow, heeling like a dog. It looked as if it was awaiting a command.
Percy tentatively touched its dorsal fin. Seeing no harm befall him, he did the same thing. The shark bucked slightly, indicating for them to grab it and hold on. Nodding slowly, both boys grabbed the top of its fin. Immediately, it jettisoned them to the edge of the ocean proper, where the sand bank dropped off into a huge chasm.
Markus peered down and tried to see what the shark wanted them to see. He saw something shimmering from below. It got brighter and bigger as it came towards them. Percy suddenly gasped, leaving Markus confused as to why. When it eventually became more visible, it turned out to be a beautiful lady. However, what caught Markus's attention wasn't her, but rather what she rode. She was mounted on a stallion-sized sea horse. She dismounted off the sea horse and it swam off towards the mako shark to play with. Markus guessed they were playing underwater tag.
"You've come far, Percy Jackson, Markus Henderson," the lady said, her voice sounding rich and clear. Neither of the boys knew what to do, so they ended up bowing awkwardly to the lady.
"You're the woman who spoke to Percy in the lake?" Markus asked.
"Yes, young one. I am a Nereid, a spirit of the sea. I also serve in Lord Poseidon's court?" she explained calmly.
"So why isn't our dad here? Doesn't he want to see us?" Percy asked. Markus could hear bitterness in his tone. "Or is he too busy to see his sons?"
In that moment, a cold current rose from the depths of the huge chasm.
"Do not judge the Lord of the Sea too harshly," the Nereid frowned. "He has to prepare for war. Not only that, but gods are forbidden to help you directly."
"But the gods can still indirectly aid us, right?" Markus asked.
The Nereid smiled warmly at his answer. "Yes, that is why I am here. I am here to give you both a warning, and a gift." She held out her hand. Four white pearls flashed in her palm. "I know you journey to Hades's realm. Few mortals have ever done this and survived. The few who have survived had great talents. Hercules, who had great strength. Orpheus, who had skills so great he almost escaped the Underworld with his wife's soul. Houdini, who could escape Tartarus itself. Do you have any of these great talents?"
"Um… I can breathe underwater?" Markus answered innocently.
"Besides that."
"I can control water?"
Sighing, the woman handed over the four pearls, two to each boy. "You have gifts you two have only begun to know. But for now, take these, and when you are in need, smash a pearl at your feet."
"What will happen?" Percy asked.
"That depends on your need. But remember: what belongs to the sea will always return to the sea" she said.
While both boys were trying to figure out what the lines meant, the Nereid wasn't finished speaking yet. "Also, I give you this warning: go with what your heart tells you, or you will lose it all. Hades feeds on doubt and hopelessness. He will trick you if he can, make you mistrust your own judgement. Once you are in his realm, he will never willingly let you leave. Keep faith. Good luck, Percy Jackson, Markus Henderson." With those words given, she summoned her sea horse, and rode away.
Percy looked like he was expecting the Nereid to appear again, but Markus knew she wasn't. Markus nudged him. "We have to go. We need to meet the others." Percy sighed, then nodded.
Both boys swam to the surface to meet up with the group.
When they broke the surface and told the group what happened underwater, Annabeth grimaced. "No gift comes without a price."
"They were free," Percy told her. Markus shook his head. "Actually, I agree with her on that." He would know that.
"He's right," Annabeth said. "'There is no such thing as a free lunch.' That's an Ancient Greek saying that's translated pretty well into American. There will be a price. You wait."
"…Did you just say American? What, you speak American now, Annie?"
"Shut up, Markus!" Annabeth responded, her cheeks pink at the poor grammar.
XXX
As the group was about to head towards Los Angeles, they stopped at a convenience store because Markus insisted on stocking up on more water bottles, for extra ammo. The group said otherwise, but Markus told them that it was better to be prepared.
As he was reaching for the last water bottle that was on a top shelf, another hand took it instead. "Sorry, kid. Better luck next time," a voice said, which belonged to the person who took the water bottle.
Understandably pissed, Markus whirled towards the person who took his intended water bottle. It was a man who was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, along with sandals. He looked like he had a good tan near the beach, except that his skin looked a bit rough. From seeing his hand, Markus could tell that he had tiny scars and calluses, showing hands like a fisherman. He was also wearing a straw hat that covered his head. The man looked about thirty, and was wearing a pendant with a swirling dragon on it, which was a bit odd, but also cool. However, the thing that set Markus off was his eyes. While they looked like normal blue eyes, they had a large slit.
Markus figured that he was another monster of reptilian species, but something told him that wasn't it. Now that he looked closely, he could tell that his aura wasn't that of a monster, but something similar. Even though he was trying to conceal himself and act casual, Markus could tell that he was powerful.
The fact that he hadn't attacked yet gave him pause, but he tensed, preparing to fight. But the man, seeing this, waved him off. "Oh, calm down, boy. I'm not here to fight. If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't have even entered the store."
Markus bristled at that, but didn't do anything else. "Who are you?" Markus asked suspiciously. "I know you're a god. But I don't know which one."
The man, or god, let out a rumble in his chest that sounded like laughter. "Well, well, at least you're aware of your surroundings. You don't know how annoying it is to deal with clueless mortals. Especially your kind."
Markus was confused at the last part, but he was still guarded. "So, which god are you?" Markus asked, his hand creeping towards Wavebreaker. While he was probably outclassed, he still wasn't going to stay idle.
The god probably knew what he was doing, because he looked amused. "Oh, stay your hand, young demigod. I have no intention to cause you trouble, as I've told you. I might even help you. As for who I am, well…" Here, he strayed off, as if pausing for dramatic effect. "All I'll tell you is that I'm not Greek."
Markus's eyes widened. Not Greek? What did that even mean? If he wasn't Greek, then what was he? Roman, Egyptian, Aztec? What?!
Seeing his confused face, the god sighed. "Well, you're no fun at this. I guess I'll just tell you. We would be here forever if I leave you to guess who I am." Here, gave a dramatic bow. "I am Ryūjin, the Shinto dragon god of the sea."
With his introduction given, Markus's mouth was hanging open. Shinto? What did that even mean? Also, he was another god of the sea?
"W-what?" Markus stammered, confused as hell.
Ryūjin now sighed tiredly. "I knew it was too hopeful for a Greek to recognize me. Still, I'd hope for you to at least know this." Here he shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, well. I guess I'll have to explain to you, then."
It suddenly occurred to Markus that there was no sound around them. Peering over his shoulder, he saw no other customers or shopkeepers around.
"Oh, don't bother," Ryūjin waved his hand casually. "I warded all those pesky mortals away from here. So no one could listen in on our conversation."
Now Markus was even more wary. Why this god didn't want people, even mortals, listening in on their conversation was worrying, but he had other issues to deal with.
"As I was saying," Ryūjin continued. "I am a Shinto god, a deity that hails from Japanese roots. I am the dragon god of the sea."
Here Markus was intrigued. He didn't know that other gods even existed. But, then again, it was kind of self-centred to believe that the Greek pantheon was the only existing pantheon out there. So it made sense, at least.
"So… you're a, uh, Shinto version of Poseidon, then?" Markus asked, curious. After a moment, he realized that what he said was wrong thing to say, as the air felt heavy and tense. Markus could feel Ryūjin's annoyance before he could see it. His reptilian eyes glowed dangerously.
Markus gulped. Now he knew he fucked up. Badly.
The god growled, a deep growl that set the hairs on Markus standing up. He shivered, in fear or in cold, he didn't know, but he was now cautious and a bit fearful. Ryūjin's presence wasn't like Ares's, or Dionysus's, or even Hecate's. They all paled in comparison to the dragon god. His aura felt older and more powerful. More dangerous.
"Don't ever compare me with that pathetic sea god of yours," he snarled. His dragon pendant glowed, humming with blue power. "I will forgive you for your little slip up, since you have not encountered my kind before, but remember that, boy." Here Markus nodded quickly. While he didn't scare easily, right now was an acceptable time to be scared shitless.
Ryūjin now sighed, and the dangerous atmosphere subsided. "That miserable reject of a sea god doesn't deserve to be compared to me. He is tied to this place, the United States. He doesn't even visit his own homeland. Whereas I reside in Japan, in my palace underwater, Ryūgū-jō. That is why I'm considered to be more powerful. But enough about me." Here Ryūjin looked directly towards Markus, his eyes fixed on him. "I'd never imagine that the sea brat's son would visit here. I'm just here for the beach. But you interest me, Markus Henderson. Your journey isn't a steady one, from what I can see. You share one aspect of the sea that I can respect: the unpredictability of the sea. Just like the how the sea changes tides, so too does your future."
"You've seen my future?" Markus asked, a bit irritated. He shared Luke's sentiment of hating prophecies, of never receiving straight answers about his own future.
Ryūjin grinned, showing his unnaturally large fangs. "Only glimpses. I don't really like dealing with the future myself. Nor am I interested in it also. I like to take things at its own pace."
"So what can you tell me from the glimpses you've seen?" Markus asked eagerly, wanting to know more on what his future was about.
The god just grinned mischievously. "Ah, ah, ah. Now that would be telling. All I'm willing to say is that you're going to bring a great change. To your own pantheon and others." Here he took off his dragon pendant and handed it to him. "Here, kid. A little token from lil' old me. It allows you to contact me, so we can have little chats if you want. Don't lose it."
"Thank you," Markus said, thankful for the gift, and putting it into his bag. Getting a gift from a god seemed to be a pretty big thing, discounting what Ares gave the group. "I'll hold onto it."
"Oh, I know you will," Ryūjin said. Then he leaned in. "Also, I hope you'll keep this 'secret' meeting just between us. Wouldn't want any Greek gods to bother us, now would we?" He said it casually, but Markus could sense the underlying threat.
"Don't worry I won't tell anyone," Markus promised.
Ryūjin nodded, then smiled. "Well, on that happy note, good luck!" And with that, the god disappeared. No flash, no gust of wind. Just blink, and he was gone.
Immediately, the sound from the store came back, along with the crowds of customers. It was like nothing had happened.
Thinking on what happened, Markus bought the rest of his water bottles and met up with the group. They didn't question on why he took longer than necessary. Maybe the meeting with the dragon god didn't take as long as he thought. He put that at the back of his mind at the moment.
With the rest of their money, they took the bus into West Hollywood. Percy showed the driver the Underworld address slip he'd taken from Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, but the guy never heard of DOA Recording Studios.
"You remind me of somebody I saw on TV," he told Percy. "You a child actor or something?"
And immediately after he said that, Markus used the Mist to convince the man that they were stunt doubles of a new action film coming out. The guy asked for autographs as they got off at the next stop.
They wandered for miles on foot, looking for DOA. Nobody seemed to know where it was. It didn't appear in the phone book either.
Twice, they had to duck into alleys to avoid cop cars.
Percy saw his stepdad on the television, fake crying about how Percy was some terrorist in training and how he wanted his car back. They also had a grainy picture of them and Ares outside that diner in Denver. Grover had to pull him away before he tried to punch the TV and window in anger. Markus reassured him that his stepfather would pay. Percy seemed happy about that.
It got dark, and hungry-looking characters started coming out on the street to play. Markus told the group which people to properly avoid. He wasn't used to the streets of L.A., which seemed bigger than New York.
They walked past gangbangers, bums, and street hawkers, who looked at them like they were trying to figure if the group was worth the trouble of mugging.
As the questers hurried passed the entrance of an alley, a voice from the darkness said, "Hey, you."
And like a dumbass, Percy stopped.
Before they knew it, the group was surrounded. A gang of kids had circled them. Six of them in all – white kids with expensive clothes and mean faces.
They reminded Markus of bratty kids who thought they were all big shots.
Instinctively, Percy uncapped Riptide.
Markus could've facepalmed at his action.
When the sword appeared out of nowhere, the kids backed off, but their leader was either really stupid or really brave, because he kept coming at Percy with a switchblade.
Then Percy made the mistake of swinging.
The kid yelped. Well, he was 100% mortal, because the blade passed harmlessly right through his chest.
He looked down. "What the –"
Percy figured they had three seconds before his shock turned to anger. "Run!" he screamed at the others as Markus provided them with a distraction. He tackled one boy to the ground and tripped another.
Following after the group, Markus caught up with them. They didn't know where they were going, and sharply turned a corner.
"There!" Annabeth shouted.
There were two stores on the block open, their windows blaring neon. One had a sign above the door saying something like CRSTUY'S WATRE BDE ALPACE.
The other store didn't have a sign, and looked a bit run down.
"Crusty's Water Bed Palace?" Grover translated the sign of the first store.
"Split up!" Markus yelled out. "They won't be able to follow us!"
With that, Markus drifted away from the group, making a split-second decision and ran into the nameless store.
When he looked back, he saw that the others didn't follow him. "Great," Markus muttered. With that, he decided to look around the store, which looked like a book store to him, and meet up with the others later.
There were several rows of books, from thin children books, to thick and heavy ancient ones. It didn't look like a library, though. More like a small shopping centre with books.
When Markus looked up, he saw a tiny sign dangling from the ceiling. When he saw it, it looked like PIRTACK'S KOBO STROE. From looking around, Markus guessed it said PATRICK'S BOOK STORE.
It suddenly occurred to him that the place might not be abandoned. His suspicions were right when a voice from behind said, "How may I help you?"
Markus almost jumped three feet off the ground, his heart lurching in his chest.
It was a woman who spoke. She was roughly in her late forties, with blonde hair, blue eyes, straight teeth and wore a dark green dress.
Thinking quickly, Markus responded, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I was just –"
"You were hiding from those no-good hooligans, weren't you?" she said, her face twisting in displeasure. "They always come here, disturbing the peace of some shops. They're nuisances, they are. But enough about them, would you like to purchase a book?"
"I'd like to see what's on sale, actually," Markus said, his hand trained on the keychain that held Wavebreaker. He didn't trust this woman one bit, despite her calm appearance. But Markus thought that this could be the perfect opportunity to study more on his magic. Despite the high chance of him finding no such thing here, he was still curious. He was sure the others could wait for him a little while.
"Oh, and what would you like to see?" the woman asked.
"Do you have books on occult research?" Markus asked. "It's for school research?"
"As a matter of fact dear, I do. But not many people are interested in such a thing, so they're in the back."
"It's fine."
"Well right this way," she said, waving her hand for him to follow.
Markus did, his hand still on Wavebreaker in figurine form.
Both of them walked towards a large pile of books that were shoved to one side, sprawled everywhere.
"I didn't get the chance to arrange all of them," the woman explained about the messy state. If you need help finding any book, I'm just a call away." With that, she walked away.
Thankfully, there was a leather chair and table nearby. Markus looked at all the books on occult research and found stuff like witchcraft and sorcery. But they looked like forged copies. He dug deeper into the pile and pulled books on spell-crafting and, surprisingly, rune magic.
Curious about the last one, he brought it out, the book weighing roughly ten pounds, with a large number of pages.
Markus opened the cover and turned to the first page. On it was a sort of introduction on runes.
Runes
Runes are considered to be an ancient language. They are considered to be the secret language of the universe. They have been first discovered by sorcerers in 150 AD. There are many variations: Grecian, Norse, Egyptian, Japanese, and so on. There have been sightings of runes in places like Sweden, Germany and Denmark. Many sorcerers and witches have used the ancient language for many things: sealing, teleportation, offence and defence. Runes have many different uses. While they are a set language, runes can be used in different ways. They are always changing, always shifting into different forms for people to use.
Not many who study the arcane arts know much about runes. Very few even master the art. The only known masters are the famous ones seen in the past, the likes of Merlin, Le Fay, and many others. While many beings and magical creatures are capable of using runes, understanding the top requires deep study and skill.
Markus was stunned at the knowledge he had received. To know that Merlin and Le Fay actually existed was shocking. Which also meant that King Arthur was real too.
But he was more interested in the study of runes. Turning the page, he continued reading.
Different types of runes have different applications. Norse runes are mostly known to be destructive and used for offence. Japanese runes, or kanjis, are used for defence and mysterious means. They all have different ways of being used and understood.
Then there was a list of runes for different categories. For each native rune, there was an image used. As well as language that Markus didn't understand. But he was still giddy with the knowledge that he now had. This could further improve his magical studies. Not to mention the power behind each rune if cast properly.
He closed the book and grabbed a couple more books on magic. He stood up and went the front desk. Markus was about to ring the bell on the desk, but the woman had already appeared.
"Uh, I was wondering if I could purchase these books?" Markus asked.
"Of coursssse dear," she said with a hiss.
Markus could almost sigh at the obvious display of a monster.
The old lady had now started to transform into her true appearance. Maybe some sort of snake lady, given her growing scales and now visible fangs.
Markus didn't give her any time to transform. He leaped forward, slicing into the monster with Wavebreaker fully out. The blade sliced through her clean, causing her to wail and explode into gold dust.
Markus huffed. He was really to hate snakes and snake monsters right now.
Taking his books and putting them into his bag, he dashed out of the book store, quickly going into the water bed store, and saw the others waiting. Percy looked fine, but Annabeth and Grover were wincing and stretching. They suddenly looked a little taller now, for some reason. Surrounding them were dozens of water beds, all of different sizes.
"Hey guys," Markus called out, getting their attention. "What happened?"
Percy gave a brief explanation on what happened, while Markus informed them on what happened with him.
After they were done, Markus said, "So Annie and Grover got some bondage treatment from Procrustes the Stretcher?"
After he said that, both Grover and Annabeth turned red, while Percy struggled not to laugh at that. "I hate you," Annabeth said, face cherry red. "So much."
"Aw, love you too," Markus teased.
Come on, guys," Percy said. "The Underworld is only a block away." He waved his hands in the direction ahead.
"Yippee," Markus muttered with false cheerfulness.
Greetings to you all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. So, there's a cameo for Ryūjin, Shinto god of the sea in this chapter. I told you guys I was introducing other pantheons into the story. More pantheons will appear later on, as promised.
Also, I hope you like my introduction of magic, specifically runes. I admit, it's not perfect but hopefully you liked it. There'll be more explanations and shows of magic later on in the fic. I'll also bring more stuff from Dr. Strange and Harry Potter, which I haven't forgotten.
If you want more displays of magic from different sources, let me know.
Read and review!