A few snickers.
Artemis paled.
"Ladon." She breathed
"We will never make it," Zoë said…"What happens if we miss it?"
"You'll have to wait till next evening and the council would be over by then." Artemis said
Poseidon and Zeus started getting really worried.
Dionysus and Hermes sat up.
"Tomorrow is winter solstice…I thought, but I didn't say that.
"That's there too." Demeter frowned
Percy wanted to glare at Demeter but Nico beat him to it.
"Annabeth is our frowned, to us she does matter you know." Nico snapped
Demeter's eyes widened.
"We need a car," Thalia said…help us get him to Olympus."
"That's a good idea." Dionysus nodded
"But he was following me," I said…very well with his goat hooves.
"That's really brave of you." Hermes said to the satyr
"Thank you." Grover smiled
"I'm the only one who can talk to him," Grover said…safe passage through the seas."
"Shit." Percy swore
Everybody looked at him.
"Sorry dad, you know after the Hoover dam incident, I never realized that every time I prayed to you, you did answer." Percy smiled and hugged his dad
"Anytime son." Poseidon smiled.
I didn't understand how they could possibly…. I'd seen plenty evidence of that.
"Yeah far too much for my liking." Poseidon grumbled
I tried to concentrate on the waves…I realized something.
"No way." Triton breathed
Poseidon was extremely proud, smug and yet worried at the same time. What if his son ran into the skeletons again? He won't be bulletproof.
"Percy," Grover said…never even mentioned how she'd helped him
"When you put it that way its' even worse." Thalia growled
Hercules, a hero I'd admired all my life.
"My son wouldn't do that." Zeus scoffed
"Yeah, your pride is more important to you than somebody else' life, that just show what kind of a person you are." Percy snarled
The demigods and Artemis glared fiercely at Zeus.
Thalia and Jason were doing the same too.
They shifted from their dad's side and went and sat with Nico and Percy.
Zeus winced at that.
"If I'm going to survive," I said…it seemed to dissolve into sunlight on the water.
Everybody was quiet.
Poseidon was looking very smug but nobody could deny that it was his right to look proud. His son was a hero.
"You just gave away the lion skin coat because of your friend." Persephone managed
"Gods, why do you keep asking me what I would do for my friends and family and what I did for them? What I did before, if I had to do it again for them I would." Percy sighed exasperatedly
Nico snickered.
Hades raised an eyebrow at Percy. Percy was in a hug from his father at the point but he still said "Don't look at me that way Uncle Hades."
Everybody chuckled.
"I'm feeling so proud right now." Poseidon grinned
"Wow Seaweed Brain." Annabeth grinned
Percy grinned at her and his dad.
Chiron's eyes were twinkling with pride as well but he continued.
The sea breeze picked up…Oh, let's just start."
Everybody laughed.
"Yeah Grover, that's exactly how Long Island is, it's long and it's an island." Leo chuckled
Grover blushed but grinned.
"Mooo!"… Like breathing.
Everybody laughed harder.
"Well it won't really be protecting them if I wouldn't allow them to breathe." Poseidon chuckled
Percy grinned sheepishly.
"Well, that is one problem addressed," Zoë said…Professor Chase. Annabeth's dad."
Annabeth and Athena smiled.
"He should help out." Athena nodded
After hearing Annabeth gripe…step back on the front porch
Everybody laughed.
"He's a fairly good looking guy but the goggles do make him look a little weird." Annabeth chuckled
"Hello," he said in a friendly voice…"I need three more Sopwith Camels."
Leo and Beckendorf's mouths dropped open.
"Three…more?" Leo asked in shock
"He already has a plane?" Beckendorf asked
"Yes." Annabeth grinned
There was the sound of two jaws hitting the ground. Yeah they belonged to Beckendorf and Leo.
"Right," I said…Has something happened?"
Annabeth was touched by the concern.
None of us answered…"You'd better come in," he said.
"He stays busy and he works really hard so he kind of gets dressed in a hurry." Annabeth chuckled fondly.
It didn't look like a house…"Okay, Dad!"
Everybody snickered.
"That reminds me of Fred and George and Molly Weasley." Leo laughed
"Eh, but the Fred and George of our camp are definitely those two." Percy said, gesturing to the Stolls who grinned and fist-bumped.
"Honey?" a woman called…"You forgot to ask them their names?"
Everybody chuckled.
We introduced ourselves a little uneasily…mention of her stepdaughter
"What exactly did you expect?" Annabeth asked, while laughing
"I sort of expected her to suddenly turn into a monster and yell at us, you know something like 'How dare you.'" Percy grinned sheepishly
Everybody burst out laughing.
But she just pursed her lips and looked concerned…I've heard a lot about you."
"Ooh you talk about him a lot eh?" Nico teased
Annabeth blushed.
"You aren't less. Will this, Will that." Hades snorted
Everybody laughed.
Nico and Will blushed.
"Good. One." Percy choked out.
"You just got wrecked Nico." Leo chuckled
Nico turned redder.
Upstairs, we walked into Dr. Chase's study…they were in the middle of a dogfight.
"Hmm that sounds pretty cool maybe it was the Third Battle of Ypres. Do you know the nation of the soldiers?" Leo asked
"One was German I think." Percy said
"Yeah, then it might be the Third Battle of Ypres, but I'm not sure." Leo said
Percy grinned, he knew Leo was right.
Dr. Chase smiled. "Yes. The Third Battle of Ypres.
Leo whooped.
"I got it right!"
"Good job brother." Beckendorf grinned
Hephaestus grinned at his son.
Annabeth gave Leo a smile.
I'm writing a paper…he knocked down little German soldiers.
"Is he…playing with toy soldiers?" Chris asked in astonishment
"It's helps out." Annabeth shrugged
"Oh, right," I said…. The battle was a complete waste."
"Dad is going to be so shocked and amazed." Annabeth said
"He was." Percy grinned
"Dr. Chase seems pretty cool." Leo said
"Oh he gets cooler." Percy smirked
"She's a Hunter, sir," Thalia said…We must hurry."
Annabeth smiled sadly.
"Sir, we need transportation to Mount Tamalpais…He let me restore the Sopwith Camel—"
"That. Is. Sooo. Cool." Leo drooled
"Maybe you could meet him some day, I'm sure he would like to discuss it all with you." Annabeth suggested
"I'd love that, I'll tell Calypso that I'll be gone for some time after the reading." Leo grinned
"Sir," Thalia said…I promise not to destroy your car."
Percy snorted.
"Yeah it wasn't you." Thalia laughed
"Hey, it wasn't my fault." Zoe shrugged
Mrs. Chase knit her eyebrows…"Right!" Dr. Chase said.
Everybody chuckled.
Zoë grabbed a sandwich…"I'll tell her," I promised.
"I know that now." Annabeth smiled.
We ran out to the yellow VW convertible parked in the driveway…"Shut up!" they said in unison.
Everybody burst out laughing.
"Maybe I should shut up." Percy grinned
"You know it's like that for everybody, you want it to go faster but you can't control the traffic." Nico said
Zoë weaved in and out of traffic…you would chew eucalyptus too."
"That's true, dragon breath smells awful." Percy gagged
I didn't question her…"What's going on up there? A storm?"
"It's both good and bad that it wasn't a storm." Percy said
"How?" Tyson asked
"You can trap Atlas under his burden but Artemis has to hold the sky." Percy said
Tyson nodded.
Zoë didn't answer…It looked like a cruise ship."
Everybody groaned.
"Princess Andromeda?" Beckendorf asked
Percy nodded.
Her eyes widened…"Kronos's army."
"Such pleasant company." Nico said sarcastically
I was about to answer, when suddenly the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
So did Poseidon's.
Thalia shouted, "Stop the car. NOW!"… Strewn across the road.
"ZEUS!" Poseidon roared
Zeus looked equally horrorstruck.
"Dad?!" Jason yelled
"It-it wasn't me." Zeus said
"It wasn't him guys." Thalia said
Jason sighed in relief.
Poseidon sat down.
I swallowed the taste of smoke out of my mouth, and looked at Thalia. "You saved my life."
"Anytime Kelp Head." Thalia grinned
Percy grinned back.
"One shall perish by a parent's hand," she muttered…"No. That wasn't it."
Zeus sighed.
At least Perseus had tried to convince Thalia.
"Wait," I said…"Follow me."
"The dragon's got some good hearing." Leo joked nervously
It resulted in a few chuckles.
Sheets of fog were drifting right across…manipulate you, make you angry at your dad."
"Thanks for making me feel better, if you hadn't said that then… I might have been easier for the enemy to talk to." Thalia said
"No problem Thals." Percy smiled
She took a deep breath…delicious thing I'd ever tasted.
Hera smirked.
"It does sound beautiful but the dragon." Rachel said
"The apples of immortality," Thalia said…had been fused together.
"I hate pythons." Apollo shuddered.
"The dragon sounds creepy." Lee shuddered
He appeared to be asleep…probably very dangerous.
"Zoe is the most dangerous though." Percy grinned
Zoe smiled.
"We do not see any sister," one of the girls said coldly…She pointed at Thalia
"I wouldn't kill Percy." Thalia growled
"What about me?" Nico pouted
"I won't kill you either." Thalia chuckled
"That's a relief." Nico joked
"Tempting sometimes," Thalia admitted…"You are no match for him."
"Singularly no. Together yes. We don't just strength and power, we have something that no enemy does. We have family." Percy said
"True words." The demigods chorused
The gods looked at their children, looking at how at peace they looked with each other.
"Artemis must be freed," Zoë insisted…"Ladon! Wake!"
Everybody's mouths hung open.
"Why?" Travis asked
"They never had any courage." Zoe said
The dragon stirred…"Not exactly reassuring."
"That is exactly what I was thinking, you know the should part." Castor said
Ladon opened his mouths…breath hit me.
Poseidon shivered.
The smell was like acid…my hair stand on end.
Poseidon rubbed his eyes.
I remembered the time a rat…nurse for another cough drop.
Everybody snickered or gagged.
"So did you ask the nurses?" Nico asked
"Nope, never since then." Percy shook his head.
"I never even bought one." Percy added
Everybody laughed.
I wanted to draw my sword…I decided to trust Zoë's judgment.
"Good job." Artemis said
Thalia went left…The dragon's eyes glinted.
Zoe smiled sadly.
Thalia and I were about halfway…from the monster's horrible breath.
Everybody had frozen but then exhaled sighs of relief.
The ones on the quest looked sad.
I drew Riptide to help…and Zoë cried out.
So did Artemis.
A cut appeared on the same place where Zoe was hurt on the quest.
"Artemis!" Zoe said in panic
Thalia and Apollo hurried to Artemis' side.
Apollo immediately gestured to Will who was more than happy to help and was glad to work with his father.
They applied some basic dressing and sighed.
Thalia uncovered Aegis…sound track for a funeral.
Artemis sighed and the cut disappeared for now.
Apollo, Will and Thalia went to their respective couches.
At the top of mountain were ruins…She winced and held her side.
Artemis winced too.
"You're hurt," I said…"Where he used to hold up the sky."
Everybody grimaced.
"I don't like the past tense." Leo said
We had reached the summit…clearly too much for Artemis.
Artemis gave a yelp of pain.
Apollo shot up again and rushed over.
"Will uh…" Apollo said, feeling a little guilty to make his son get up again and again
Will sighed.
"Its okay dad, I'm a healer after all but this can be resolved only by the curse." He said
Apollo knew his son was right so he just on Artemis' other side.
Zoe, Thalia and Reyna looked very worried.
Zoë was crying…his sword to her throat.
The Greek campers growled and snarled.
"He better let her go." Frank said, angrily
Annabeth smiled at her friends.
Artemis relaxed and Apollo and the hunter sighed in relief though Apollo didn't move.
"Luke," Thalia snarled…Thalia spat at him.
Jason and Reyna nodded at Thalia.
The General chuckled…"I won't let you."
Zoe smiled at Percy who returned a sad smile.
The General sneered…"Atlas is my father."
"Whoa. Family troubles." Nico said understandingly
"Yeah I've dealt with those, not really parents but the three problems in my life were Zeus and Zeus and Persephone hates me but I don't really care about that." Nico shrugged
"I love how you said Zeus thrice." Percy snickered
Nico smirked.
Zeus glared at him but Nico ignored it.
"Chapter's over." Chiron said
"I'll read." Zoe said
"Dad the chapter is going to hurt, like badly." Percy warned his dad
Poseidon nodded.