Author's Note:
Surprise! Extra update!
And it's a lot longer than normal!
Cheers!
justapercyjacksonfan
Chapter 20:
The hippocampi were fast, no doubt about that. Jess had taken her sneakers off and put them in her backpack, allowing her feet to skim along the water without the disgusting feeling of wet shoes. Jo and Caleb had both opted to catch up on some sleep, as the hippocampi adjusted themselves periodically to keep their passengers on board. Bri was determinedly staring into the horizon, while Ian looked much too on edge to sleep. By the time they could see the Clashing Rocks, the sky had already begun to lighten.
Their steeds stopped in front of the obstacle. The others woke the Lynk siblings up.
"Just go around them." Jo said sleepily
"We can't. They would just-"
"It's completely clear!"
"They would just reappear for us. To get into the Sea of Monsters, you have to enter through either Scylla and Charybdis, or the Clashing Rocks." Bri finished
"That's a stupid design." Caleb muttered.
"I didn't choose it! If we had some birds-"
"Why birds?" Jess asked
"Stop interrupting me. The Clashing Rocks entrance comes from the story of Jason. Before he tried to pass through, he sent birds and when they didn't get crushed, he knew it was safe to make his way through. But unless any of you have a canary or something in your pockets, we need a new way."
"Like counting?" Ian asked
"If we knew how fast the hippocampi went, sure. Do you know the average speed of a hippocampi?" Bri answered.
"Don't you know it? Aren't you the library of information? The one who's been at camp for her entire life?" he asked.
Bri stiffened. "Look, Simon Says. I took classes on monsters, and myths. I did not attend a class on the average speeds of all magical creatures, so you can take your presumptions and shove them right-"
"Alright! Alright, geez! I don't know what you're getting so mad about it wasn't-"
"Arguing will get us nowhere." Jess interrupted.
"And you! Aren't you supposed to find weaknesses in our opponents?" Bri shot back, diverting the attention.
Jess rolled her eyes. "They're magic rocks that clash together. What do you want from me? Let's just make a plan, execute the plan, and not start running around like chickens with their heads cut off."
"Okay. What's your plan?" Jo asked
Whatever Jess was about to say was cut off by the surge forward of the hippocampi. They began swimming harder than before, and made it through the rocks, just as they came to a close again.
"I guess letting these lovely animals do our job for us." the daughter of Nemesis recovered.
Scaly creatures wound closer to the group now that they had entered. Some good stabs and arrows sent it away, but small monsters made their way over to the group on an hourly basis. By mid-morning, their goal came into sight - a low island, covered by huge walls. As they made their way on shore. The fish horses turned and dove underwater.
"Guess we aren't getting back that way." Caleb muttered.
The five turned their attention to the problem in front of them. Rising just over the top of the walls was the tip of something. After a few seconds of staring, it became obvious to Jess that it must be the pillar they had come to free. The stone maze was covered in water plants, and shell imprints, as though they had been fossilized into the rock.
"So how do we get in?" Jo asked
"We make a-" Jess began
A portion of the wall swung open.
"We walk right in." Bri said, and briskly made her way into the place.
Jess had never felt so small in her life. The confines were easily ten times her height, and there were massive corridors, twisting off into who knows where. Just as suddenly as it had opened, the door slammed shut, sending an echo throughout the space.
"Great." (great great great) went the echo to Ian's voice. "Now what?"
"We just have to get to center, right?" Caleb asked
"Yeah, but it's a maze. We could be stuck in here for days." Bri added
"We just need to stay together, and it'll be fine." Jo tried to lighten the mood.
"Or we could actually make a plan?" Jess suggested.
A plan
That wasn't an echo. Someone had repeated Jess's words. Someone with a deeper voice, someone not standing with them.
If only you could. If you wish to find me, that is the one thing you cannot have
"Who's there?" Ian shouted
The one you seek. Only one will make it all the way. Fate has already predetermined whom. And it may be perhaps the worst choice of them all. The one who hates my very namesake - the one who cannot move without forethought.
"How do we find you?" Jess called out, "What do you mean?"
There she goes again. Trying to create a strategy. Let go, or I shall never be found.
"It won't be one." Jo yelled back. "We're staying together! We're a team."
Bri snorted at that.
I agree, child of Zeus. You aren't a team. You would be just as effective to save me from Chaos without each other. It is predetermined. Only she can free me. The rest of you are merely incidental.
A strong wind blew through the corridor, forcing the demigods to step back and separate. Walls shot up between them. Muffled shouts came from her companions, but they were well and truly stuck. The walls were sheer 18 meter tall barriers of stone. They wouldn't be able to get back to each other.
"What are we supposed to do now?" Jo called "Jess, what's the plan?"
"Didn't you hear?" Bri asked, "She can't make any plans. She has to find Instinct on her own." The last sentence was infused with bitterness.
"We can't let her risk everything for us!" Caleb yelled back
"We don't have a choice, Ice boy! None of us can fly-"
"Aren't you a daughter of Zeus?"
"THAT DOESN'T MEAN I CAN FLY!"
"Okay, okay, geez!" the son of Khione answered
"None of us can fly, and we can't climb these walls. If it was "predetermined" then we won't be able to find Instinct. That doesn't mean Jess can either, mind you. It just means we definitely can't." Somehow, it was more bitter sounding.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Jo shouted back
"Try and make it to the center anyway." Jess decided. "When I get there, I'll do whatever Instinct needs, and then we can get out of here."
There was a silence. Finally Ian spoke up. "We believe in you, Jess. You've got this."
Jess, nodded, then remembered they couldn't see her. "See you in a bit!" Then, she turned around and ran down the hall.
Within seconds, she was faced with a choice. Right, left, or straight.
She remembered something about going right in a maze. But going straight was actually towards the center of the labyrinth. Then again, if left was the least obvious answer, that had to be the right direction. She shifted uncertainly on her feet, baffled by the choice in front of her. This was a Greek god's maze. It was probably the option based in the story of Theseus and the labyrinth. She chose the right path.
The path curved around a bend, before offering her a left and a right. She chose right again, certain that was the perfect plan.
After sprinting to the right at least another seven times, Jess came to a crossroads where she was offered seven choices. Each of them had an odd theme to it.
Choose.
Came Instinct's voice
If you cannot choose the correct answer to this, then you are truly doomed to my maze.
Jess stamped her foot. "If you want me to save you, you could be a bit more helpful!"
Three lie in Elysium. Three you have met. The seventh is the correct choice. Only one of these will offer you the instinct you need to conquer me. To find it, you must demonstrate your own instinct as proficient. Then you may receive it. Now, choose!
"All right, you want instinct?" Jess muttered. "I'll show you instinct."
She approached the first one. Unlike the rest of the walls covered in water plants, these had owls carved everywhere. It gave her the feeling of security, and reminded her of the old woman at camp. But her gut screamed at her it wasn't right.
The next hall had a light pink sheen to the walls. Here and there were white feathers along the path. All she felt from that hall was a light buzz. She moved along. The next crackled as she got close, static electricity jumping about. Everything her intuition told her said it was too slow to be the power she needed though.
She skimmed through the next two. One was studded with gemstones. But the feeling she had was that it would give her two much information. The other just made her angry. There was nothing to suggest it was different from the corridor she had come from.
The next was just as non-descript if not for an abundance of the shell imprints. At the end was a hall with bits of metal making up parts of the corridor.
She stepped back a moment. Three had felt wrong because they would give her the opposite of what she needed, the owled, jeweled, and electric hallways. That left the two plain ones, the metal one, and the feather one.
It was the feather one. She didn't have any reasoning behind it. It was just her gut. With a deep breath, she took a step down the hallway. Behind her, the way she came from was walled off. No going back.
As she went, she felt herself growing more confident in herself. The next five crossroads she passed with ease. At this point, Jess refused to be bogged down by her mind, and just went wherever felt most right.
I suppose there's some hope for you yet.
"Believe me." Jess muttered. "When I find you, you'll regret making me do this."
I'm blushing. But which way are you going now? My blessing is wearing off, so now you'll need to use what you've learned from it.
It was true. Jess didn't feel nearly as sure of herself, but she didn't even stop to look at her choices at the next fork in the road, instead, barrelling down the one in front of her. As soon as she took a step down the hallway, she got a pit in her stomach. She knew that was the wrong path, but she didn't turn around. This was what Instinct wanted her to be.
She took one more turn, and the path opened up into a circular clearing. The center was occupied by a huge pillar, shooting straight up towards the sky. The floor around it was pulsating royal blue light, but the stalagmite like structure was covered in a black-purple cloudy mist. Sitting glumly against it, the cloudy magic wrapped around his waist, was a giant of a man, easily three meters tall if he were standing. His skin was the same royal blue as the light from his pillar. His hair was a darker blue, the same color as the ancient Greek-style robe he had on. When he looked up, Jess saw her own brown eyes looking back at her.
Without opening his mouth, Jess heard his voice fill the space.
The maze is only the first half, daughter of Nemesis. The real test is the chaos surrounding me.
There was a second of nothing, and then the cloud around the pillar slammed into her.
Author's Note:
Cliffhanger? Hehehehehehe
To the Guest who had some questions about the Lynk's relationship: (you reviewed on chapter 8, but I can't PM you, so you'll have to make it all the way here to get your answer) Anyway, I can offer two explanations.
The biological, or in story explanation is that they have the same mortal parent: Michael Lynk. The question you might have about this is: "But Jo's godly parent is Apollo?" In both mythology and canon, Apollo is suuuuuper pan-sexual. Second, Michael is bi. Third, Apollo is a god, so yes, he could have a child if he wanted.
The out of story explanation is that I, the author, wanted two of the five to already know each other.
To Guj Suy: Thank you! Yeah, I love Jess. She's probably the most protagonist-y of the first part, although that does change. And thanks for answering my question!
Have a lovely day!
justapercyjacksonfan
