Percy Jackson
Percy gripped the steering wheel with both hands so hard that his knuckles turned white. He made sure his speedometer didn't go even two miles per hour over the speed limit. His eyes stayed planted straight ahead, as if he were playing one of those games where if you looked somewhere else, you lost.
"Scared?" Annabeth asked in a teasing voice.
Percy wanted to glare at her so bad but he didn't want to take his eyes of the road, "Annabeth, we are literally driving up a mountain. If I so much as overcorrect, we are both going to be flying off this mountain."
"Geez, you're just like Thalia. What is it with you two being scared of heights?" Annabeth asked.
"I'm a son of Poseidon, I'm never supposed to be high. Wait, no not that way." He started to say as he realized what he said. It was already too late because Annabeth started cackling in the seat next to him.
"I've seen you high before, Percy!" Annabeth cried after laughing, "It's the funniest shit ever. Remember when you got your wisdom teeth pulled and you tackled that plant because you thought it was someone flirting with me?"
Percy remembered that incident very well. His mom and Annabeth brought him to get his wisdom teeth pulled. It wasn't his fault that the chemicals they gave him made him think the potted plant in the dentist office was a person. He swore he heard that thing say some very rude things about Annabeth, he just had to teach it a lesson. Apparently, that lesson was tackling the plant like he was trying out for the NFL.
"You weren't any better!" Percy argued, "You literally tried to ride me like a pony!"
Now it was Annabeth's turn to blush. A year after Percy got his tooth pulled, Annabeth had to get hers and boy was she worse. As soon as she saw him, she hopped on his back and started yelling like she was riding a horse. Percy could carry her weight of course but it still looked pretty embarrassing since Clarisse had also come along to help him in case Annabeth went into war mode. She never let him, and Annabeth live it down.
Percy made a sharp right turn, barely avoiding hitting the railing and either totaling the rental car or sending both of them off the mountain. He grunted as he slowed the car down by slowly pressing on the brake, this was the fourth or fifth time that he'd nearly wrecked going up Mount Rushmore.
"Gods, you scare me when you drive sometimes." Annabeth muttered since she had hit her head on the passenger side window.
Percy murmured some rather unpolite things. He was one of the few demigods his age who had a license. He, Clarisse, Chris, and a few other demigods had licenses and they drove like absolute maniacs. Percy typically just couldn't read any of the signs. The few times he did, he was actually pretty good at driving, just don't trust him behind the wheel of a sports car though.
Annabeth would've definitely forced him to let her drive if she had a license but even she didn't have one. The rental dealership wouldn't give them a car unless Percy signed a contract stating that he was the one driving the entire time. Annabeth wasn't too happy about that, but Percy didn't care, they needed a rental, he wasn't going to walk from the train station all the way up to Mount Rushmore.
That's how they ended up sitting in an old dinged up black Toyota Corolla. It looked like whoever had it last took it off the road because there were scratches and dents all over the car as well as a thin layer of mud on the skirt. Percy winced when he opened the car because the inside smelled like cigarette smoke but he ignored it and started driving.
Percy made one more right turn and slammed his foot on the brakes to avoid the large orange sign blocking the road. The jolt of the car stopping caused Annabeth to grunt as her seatbelt held her back. She bounced back against her seat, letting out a stream of curses as she did so.
"What does that even say?" Percy asked as he peered at the sign through the windshield.
The sign looked like a normal construction sign but instead of a silhouette of a construction worker, an outstretched hand with the words 'Stop' underneath the hand were painted against the orange backdrop. The sign was sloppy and looked like it came straight from a middle school art room.
"Let's check it out." Percy said, putting the car in park and getting out.
As he got out, the first thing Percy noticed was how quiet it was. There were no birds chirping, no cars rumbling in the distance. The only sound he could hear was the sound of his own footsteps and Annabeth shutting her door behind him.
When Percy got to the sign, he looked beyond the sign to see if there was actually any reason to stop. He was confused when he saw a clear road with not a single soul in sight. Percy couldn't help but feel like someone was messing with him by putting a fake sign in his way. He picked the sign up and set it to the side despite Annabeth's protests.
"Percy, what are you doing? That's illegal!" She complained.
"It's fake, look at it." Percy said, pointing at the sloppily painted word underneath the hand.
Annabeth leaned in and flinched, "Gods, that paint is strong."
Percy looked around to see if they were being watched, everything about their current situation screamed ambush. There was no way they could really be hit from the side since one side was a drop off the mountain and the other was a steep cliffside. He didn't see anyone behind him, either on the road or the few trees that lined the sides of the road. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong, he just didn't know what it was.
"We should get going." Annabeth said, walking back to the car.
"Right." Percy muttered. He walked over to the car and got in before shifting back into drive and continuing on the road to Mount Rushmore.
The entire time he drove, Annabeth kept looking in the mirror to see if they were being followed. He didn't blame her, something felt off.
After a few more minutes, they finally reached the parking lot. To get in, they'd have to drive through a toll booth but oddly enough, the parking lot was empty. It was the middle of the afternoon so there was no way the place was closed. Percy didn't see any guards manning the toll booth but he figured if there were any, maybe he could ask what was going on.
"There's no way." Annabeth said as she and Percy gaped at the empty toll booth.
Percy just drove past but not before asking, "Does this place feel weird to you?"
"Yeah, it does. There're usually tons of people here but we're the only ones here. Even then, there should be staff around here but I don't see anyone." Annabeth said.
On the bright side, Percy didn't have to worry about parking. He just pulled up to the curb and parked. He and Annabeth got out, weapons in hand just in case they ran into any uglies decided to come out to play.
Percy walked through the three-column entryway, passing the bathroom and a bookstore. Annabeth followed close behind, he could tell she was just as confused as he was. The bookstore had its lights on but like the toll booth, there wasn't a single person manning the register inside.
Percy wondered if Hektor had it arranged to have the place vacated. He didn't know if they were too late or if they needed to wait for Clarisse and her party to arrive.
"Did the messages say what we're even looking for?" Percy turned and asked.
Annabeth shook her head, "I don't think so. I mean, if it's Clarisse coming to get it then I doubt whatever it is, is hidden anywhere too hard. She's horrible at puzzles."
Percy stopped at the second three column entry way. He looked up at the four presidents seemingly staring down at him like he wasn't supposed to be there, either that or they were judging him to see if he was going to blow them up by accident.
"Wait, do you hear that?" Annabeth asked.
Percy stood as still as possible. He heard exactly what Annabeth was talking about. It sounded like a hissing noise, like someone was slowly letting the air out of a balloon. Then he heard another sounds, the sound of sandals hitting the ground. He looked over at Annabeth with a curious expression, maybe there were people here after all.
He followed the noise to the gift shop, slowly opening the door. He nearly jumped back when he looked to his right as he walked into the store. Standing to the right of the door was a stone statue of what looked like the poor gift shop employee. He looked like your typical skater dude with long hair, he wore a Mount Rushmore employee uniform. What freaked Percy out was his face. The statue wore an expression of pure fear.
"Fuck!" Percy said, nearly backing right into Annabeth. He stepped on her shoe by accident.
"What, what's in there?" Annabeth asked.
Percy wasted no time in grabbing her hand and running back around the corner they came from. His heart felt like it was going to explode with how fast it was beating. Cold sweat slowly ran down his face. His hand trembled, Riptide shaking slightly. He could hear his own heartbeat roaring in his ears.
"Talk to me, Percy, what was in there?" Annabeth asked, grabbing his shoulders and forcing him to look at her.
"I think Medusa is here." Percy said shakily, "The employee was a damn statue!"
Annabeth looked around then her eyes landed on the four stone presidents. Her eyes widened, "Fuck, we're so stupid! No wonder she's here, the presidents are made of stone, and she turns people to stone, this is like a playground for her!"
"We can't fight her, we don't have anything like a mirror." Percy said.
The last time he fought Medusa, he had that crystal ball. There was no crystal ball around him now. He hadn't seen her since he was twelve, for some reason he was just as afraid of her as he was back then. If he had Grover here avenging his uncle or a random crystal ball then it would really be just like old times.
"We have to fight her, she might have what we're looking for!" Annabeth said. Percy didn't like that 'might' part.
"Fight who, demigods?" A woman's deep accented voice asked. The hissing sound of snakes was obvious now.
Percy and Annabeth looked down at their shoes. Percy's eyes wandered behind Annabeth, only to see a pair of sandals around five feet away. He could see the shadow of Medusa against the afternoon sun, the snakes on her head squirming and spitting. Her talons looked as sharp as ever, if anything they looked like they got sharper.
"Ah, Perseus Jackson and Annabeth Chase as I live and breathe." Medusa chided, "How long has it been? 6 years? Quite a long time, I'm so glad you chose to visit me."
"Annabeth." Percy whispered, "Run as fast as you can to the bookstore and find something to try to fight her with. I'll distract her."
Annabeth nodded very slightly.
The sound of Medusa walking towards them was the que.
Percy shouted, "Run!"
He jumped to the side so Annabeth could sprint right past him and hopefully to the bookstore where she could find something to help him kill Medusa. While she ran, he closed his eyes and swung upwards, only feeling his sword cutting the air. Medusa's snakes were still hissing but she was letting out irritated growls.
"Percy, Percy, Percy." She chided while smacking her teeth, "Did you really think I would be as stupid as to charge you?"
"You did last time." Percy sniped, backing away from the noise of her snakes.
Medusa let out a frustrated yet amused grunt, "Then you sent my head to Olympus. I must commend you on that, not many heroes have that bravery. Or was it stupidity?"
A little bit of both. Percy thought.
He looked to the ground and opened his eyes, seeing Medusa was a good ten feet away from him, at least according to her shadow. She couldn't hit him but he couldn't hit her either. She outstretched her hands, as if she was warming up so she could slice him to pieces.
"Look at me, Percy." Medusa said, her voice soft and comforting, "Aren't you curious to see the beauty that captivated your father?"
"No thanks." Percy said, "You're probably a 2/10 without make up."
Medusa cackled, "You'd know if you looked. How do you know that I'm not prettier than that Annabeth girl?"
"Annabeth doesn't turn people to stone." Percy said, "Now are you going to make a move or are you just going to talk?"
"Growing impatient for death, are we?" Medusa asked, "Very well, I shall grant you your wish."
Percy smirked to himself as Medusa ran at him. He waited until she was closer before dodging to the side and running past her to the gift shop. Medusa screamed at him to come back before he heard her sandals slapping against the stone ground. The slaps got louder and louder until she reached the entry arch, where he heard her crash through one of the pillars. Stone went everywhere, small bits and pieces hitting his face.
Percy didn't wait for her to get her claws onto him, he charged into the gift shop, waiting behind the statue. Medusa did exactly what he wanted her to do. He pushed the statue over just as she came running through the door. He watched the statue's legs tilt forward then with a loud slam, fall on Medusa.
Medusa screamed as the statue fell on top of her. Percy could not believe this loony toon shit.
He jumped over Medusa, who was busy cursing the statue and him. He made it outside and ran past the entry arch. The middle pillar was completely destroyed, the top part of the arch was on the ground in front of him. He ran past and towards the bookstore. The sound of Medusa screeching and throwing the door of the gift shop off its hinges made him run faster.
When Percy got to the bookstore, he threw the door open and ran inside. Eventually, he found Annabeth in a small storage room, looking through a bunch of cardboard boxes. A dozen already open boxes laid to the size, their contents of books and papers not being worthy of Annabeth's attention. Percy felt like if they weren't being attacked by Medusa, she'd be geeking out.
Annabeth threw a box to the side and looked over at Percy, "I can't find anything! We'll have to fight her without a mirror."
Percy knew that was a horrible idea, but it was the only idea they had. Or was it?
Percy left the storage room and looked around the shop then he noticed their car out front, just a little ways past the first entry point. The car seemed to be shining like it was the answer to all of their problems. The side view mirrors glinted like gold. He wasn't sure if getting hit by a car was on Medusa's bucket list, but he was going to do it anyways. He just needed to get to it.
"Annabeth, the car!" Percy yelled.
Annabeth shuffled out of the storage room, her duffle bag noticeably bigger. Percy didn't have time to reprimand her for stealing books, he should've expected it to be honest.
"The car?" She asked, "What about it?"
"Why don't we run Medusa over?" Percy asked, "We'll have to drive in reverse, but I can do it."
Annabeth thought about it before shaking her head, "This is crazy but okay, let's do it."
Percy braced himself and sprinted through the doors, Annabeth right next to him. They both heard Medusa shriek as the doors hit her. She must've been waiting for them to leave but didn't expect them to slam the door into her.
Percy breathed heavily, the car seemed so close yet so far. He was right there. Medusa could be heard scampering after them, no doubt severely pissed off at the fact that they had even survived this long and most of her injuries were from things like doors and statues.
Percy put as much effort as he could into his sprint, he could hear Annabeth's footsteps pounding the ground next to him as they raced through the entry point and to their car.
"GET BACK HERE!" Medusa shouted so loud that it shook the ground.
Annabeth basically dove into the car while Percy climbed into the driver's seat and almost broke the key as he shoved it into the ignition. The small Corolla rumbled to life, the sound almost sounding like an angel choir to Percy. He grabbed the gear shift and went into drive, slowly peeling off from the curb.
Once they were a distance away, Percy looked into the rear view mirror and saw Medusa coming through the entry way and onto the road. He counted how far he was from her. Ten feet. Twenty feet. Once he hit thirty, he slammed the car into reverse and floored it towards the monster.
The sound of Medusa screaming as she tried to turn back and run away from the car currently coming towards her was so loud Annabeth had to cover her ears while Percy cringed. The car impacted Medusa with a loud Thump! then a bump sent Percy and Annabeth up in their seats. Annabeth clung to dear life while Percy whacked his head on the ceiling.
"Hit her again!" Annabeth screamed.
Percy shifted into drive and stomped on the gas. Another huge bump. After travelling a little ways away from where he hit Medusa, Percy stopped the car and put into park, turning it off and getting out. Annabeth opened her car door, peering out to see what had become of Medusa.
Percy stared at the large amounts of golden dust in the middle of the road. Medusa was all but gone. He walked over to the dust, noticing her head didn't stay this time. Instead, a small note laid right next to an arm with talons. Ignoring the ownerless arm, Percy picked up the note and read it.
'Medusa, if you're reading this note, then it's because we have accepted you. We understand you seek a release from your curse that you received at the hands of the wretched Athena. Head to Mount Rushmore, you will find a article of clothing in the gift shop that will reverse your curse, so long as you wear it. Good luck and happy hunting.'
Percy lowered the note and looked back Annabeth, who was now walking towards him.
"What's that?" She asked, glancing down at the note.
"Medusa was trying to find something. I guess we interrupted her. Whatever she was trying to find, it's in the gift shop." Percy said.
Annabeth took the note and read it. She looked up and said, "If it's a godly item then it has to be Hades's helm of darkness or Aphrodite's cestus."
"Aphrodite's what?" Percy asked.
"A cestus—never mind, I'll know it when I see it." Annabeth said, walking past him and back through the entry way.
Percy didn't bother to try to understand what Annabeth said, half the stuff she said he never questioned since she was right most of the time. He followed her to the gift shop, past the broken pillar which upset Annabeth for sure.
The entrance of the gift shop was covered in stone pieces. Percy gently moved the head of the poor worker's statue out of the way before walking into the gift shop. Inside the gift shop were small statues of Mount Rushmore, keychains, shirts, and some Native Americans stuff too. He may or may not have snagged a shirt.
Annabeth walked through the store, looking for the item Medusa was looking for. She went from aisle to aisle, eventually shaking her head at Percy and walking into the storage room. Percy followed her, he had just realized they split up during that fight with Medusa, something Jason said not to do.
He walked through the door just as Annabeth gasped. He looked down to see she had opened a box that had 'laundry' written on it with black Sharpie. She pulled out a black garment that definitely wasn't a hat. It looked like underwear to Percy, but Annabeth was staring at it like she had found gold.
"Uh, what is that?" He asked.
Annabeth looked at him, "This is Aphrodite's cestus. Well, technically this is a garter belt, but this is definitely Aphrodite's cestus. Look."
She showed the belt to Percy, who peered in and noticed the front side had 'Aphrodite' written in gold Greek letters.
"Well, I guess we found one of the missing items, let's get out before another monster comes." Percy said.
Annabeth nodded, "I'll be out in a minute, wait for me outside the door, would you?"
"Okay." Percy said, leaving the room and waiting.
He was glad he found a godly item but he kind of wished it was for a god that could actually help bring the world back to normal a little. Well, maybe Aphrodite could do that, but he'd rather tackle the big guys, like Ares or Hades. Those guys could cause some serious problems, they already did when they were sane.
The door behind Percy opened and he turned, his eyes widening and his mouth gaping. Annabeth was standing there with her skirt and tank top but this time, she was wearing a pair of black stockings. She really rocked the look and Percy found himself unnaturally attracted to her. She was already beautiful but now she looked downright godly, even better than Aphrodite. Her face was almost angelic.
She snickered at his expression, "How do I look?"
"H-how do you look?" Percy asked, "You look amazing, what did you do?!"
Annabeth's face reddened slightly before she lifted her skirt. Percy thought she was flashing him for a moment but then he saw she was wearing Aphrodite's cestus thing. She dropped her skirt back down, her face so red that it reminded Percy of the strawberries back at camp.
"It was clean and well…it's not underwear like panties are." Annabeth said shyly.
Percy stared at her, he was mesmerized by her. His heart felt like it was surrounded by a million butterflies. He wondered if there a world record for being attracted to a person because he had a feeling, he was not supposed to be this attracted to Annabeth.
"Stop staring at me and let's go, Percy!" Annabeth snapped.
She could've told him to kneel and worship her and Percy would've done it no questions asked. He was Annabeth's biggest simp and he did not care.
The entire walk to the car, Percy would glance over at Annabeth then smile giddily to himself. He couldn't believe he managed to date someone so attractive.
Instead of letting Annabeth open her own door, Percy ran over and opened it for her. She shot him a thankful yet exasperated glance before climbing into the car. Percy walked over to the driver's side and climbed in.
"Okay, Seaweed Brain, I want you to drive us to the nearest train station so we can go home, yeah? You can't touch me until we get home."
Percy nodded up and down rapidly and started driving, A look of pure excitement on his face as he drove.
A/N: So i've read the views and it seems Jason and Nico will be helping to undermine Hektor's plan. As for the review asking about any lemons, initially there weren't any lemons planned, like i said at the very beginning. I will write one lemon scene as sort of a test, if the response is positive, then i'll add more scenes, if the response is negative then i won't add anymore except the initial one. It will be strictly Annabeth/Percy by the way, i refuse to write Annabeth/anyone else really. Also this chapter is a bit long due to it being a actual fight scene, i kind of got carried away lol.