Chapter 11: The Plot Gets Started
(Peter)
Months later and I was still regretting how I didn't run after Percy. He'd disappeared from camp which wasn't unusual for us, but when I later looked for him in our typical hiding spots, he was nowhere to be found.
I figured he must have used the labyrinth to escape. We found the Zeus' Fist entrance in the woods once and I had warned him to stay away from it. It was either that or he'd gone back to Tartarus. The entrance was gone when I checked but perhaps Percy had taken it before it had disappeared.
Personally, I hoped he was in the labyrinth. As scary as the place was, it was still better than the Tartarus hellscape.
But then again, who gave a fuck about my hopes and dreams in this shit story?
Fucking no one.
How else could I explain Percy's claiming. Instead of being rightfully claimed by Poseidon, Percy had been branded as the kid of some random sea god I'd never heard of (Pontus or something). I had had to get the hippocampi to tell me and they are an unreliable source of info, but it didn't matter.
I felt like a fucking idiot.
I had been so sure. He acted like the same Percy Jackson I knew from the canon. He had all the powers, but no! That would have made too much fucking sense. In this stupid fucking fic, Percy was the son of the god of fucking sea lions which meant he had similar powers to Poseidon's children without actually being one of them.
It was just so fucked up.
Months had gone by and I still wasn't over it. Life after Percy was shit. Nothing was the same without him. I felt like I was just going through the motions as I tried not to think about the deadly adventures that awaited me.
But that didn't stop them from coming.
It started with me heading to breakfast. One minute, I was trudging towards food. The next, I heard shouting. I saw that everyone seemed to be running towards the Big House, so I followed them, only to see a big yellow school bus parked outside. Beside it was a tall teenager with sandy hair, tan skin, and a smarmy smile that he was bestowing on who else but…Andromeda Sunshine.
I already knew what was going on there. Apollo flirting with a Mary Sue was a tale as old as time. More interesting were the girls leaving the van. The Hunters.
"Aren't they beautiful," Grover sighed. He was standing behind me.
I glanced back at him. Grover often seemed to be following me around. I suspected this was due to the Sue's meddling. Speaking of which, "I thought you had pledged yourself to Miss Sunshine," I said.
Grover glared at me. "Of course, I have. No one can compare to Andi, but…"
The satyr sighed again as the Hunters marched past us to Cabin 8.
"I'm not that picky," he said, before following them with a dreamy look in his eyes.
I snorted. It was nice to see that some things were consistent.
I looked over at Apollo and Miss Sunshine one more time. Now that I'd seen what the commotion was about, I was ready to get breakfast. But just as I was about to look away, Miss Sunshine caught my eye. Her expression was unmistakable.
It said, "Help me."
I hesitated. It was still very much my policy to avoid Miss Sunshine whenever possible, but I had seen too many pickup artists in my life to not be a little creeped out by Apollo's behavior. Mary Sue or not, Miss Sunshine wasn't even legal and he was fucking immortal.
Plus, despite my repeated attempts to get her to fuck off, the Sue was always trying to help me and sometimes to my irritation she did provide assistance. After Percy's disastrous claiming, it had been Miss Sunshine who had rallied the camp to search for him. Even though I knew she had been extremely jealous of Percy, she had done it for me. And besides her endless meal invitations, she had never asked me for anything in return, until now…
God Damn it. Fucking fine.
It wasn't in my nature to ignore a woman being sleazed on, so against my better judgment, I went over to them. If nothing else, it might be interesting to meet Apollo. He was pretty cool when he wasn't hitting on girls.
"Hey guys," I said, coming up to them.
Apollo didn't even look at me. He just continued what he was saying, "I may be able to see the future, but I can't see why Luke hasn't fallen in love with you. Curses aside, I swear I could sing your praises all day, every day.[1]
Sweet Smelling Andi
Inspiration to my heart
You are my new muse."
He winked at her and Miss Sunshine blushed, but then I was blushing too. That had been embarrassing.
I coughed and said, "Sunshine, I think Chiron wants to talk to you."
She turned and gave me a relieved smile. "Of course! Thanks Peter." Then she said to the wannabe poet, "I'd love to talk more but I have to go, Apollo. It was nice talking with you."
Apollo shot me a displeased look before giving Miss Sunshine another smile. He took one of her hands in his and said,
"You are like a flower.
I want to smell your bloom always.
But spring only comes once."
Then the dude actually sniffed her hand before kissing it.
Gag.
Instead of squeeing like a fangirl or recoiling in horror, Miss Sunshine just looked confused by the contact. She said, "Uh…thanks, Apollo," but then she just stood there waiting for Apollo to let go.
He didn't. He just smiled again creepy as fuck. Obviously, he was too sueified to do much of anything.
In the end, I had to pulled her hand away. "Yeah, see you later, Apollo," I said. "Come on, Miss Sunshine. Chiron is waiting."
Miss Sunshine glanced at me and where I was holding her arm. Her eyes widened.
Shit.
"Sorry," I muttered, dropping it, but I could see it was too late. She was already getting ideas. Before I could kill her misguided hopes, Apollo said, "Goodbye my flower."
I looked up.
The god had already hopped back into the bus. He turned to me and added, "You take care of my new muse, Peter. I'll see you two later."
He gave us a wicked smile. Then he closed the doors and revved up the engine.
Miss Sunshine had to pull me out of the way of the giant heat blast from the engine. I was too busy watching the bus change into a red sports car as it rocketed into the sky and merged with the sun.
"Fuck," I said, covering my eyes.
Miss Sunshine sniffed and I knew she was making her "language" face, but all she said was. "It is very bright. Here." A cloud moved over the sun. "Better?"
Yes. "You shouldn't use your powers like that."
"Why not?"
I sighed. "Never mind." It wasn't worth explaining.
"Okay!" she said. "So, tell me, what does Chiron want to talk about?"
"Nothing," I said, still looking up at the conveniently cloudy sky.
"But you said," she began.
"I lied."
Miss Sunshine gasped. "You…lied? Why would you do that?"
I scowled at her. Really. She had to be joking. She had asked for my help. "Do I have to spell it out for you?" I snapped.
"Yes," she replied without skipping a beat.
I groaned. I forgot. Sues don't understand things like subtlety or sarcasm.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fucking peachy," I muttered.
"Oh, that's good."
There was a pause and I realized she still wanted an explanation.
"It's National White Lie Day," I lied.[2]
The Sue's eyes got big and she said, "Wow! Really?"
I had to stop myself from snorting. This was too easy. I should have tried lying to her ages ago.
But then she smiled at me and grabbed my arm. "Come on, Peter. Let's go." She started dragging me along.
"Go? Go where?" I tried to remove her arm, but it was like a vice.
"I don't know," she sang as she pulled me towards the Big House.
"Let go of me," I cried.
"I can't hear you!" she sang even louder.
"Sunshine!"
The Mary Sue stopped walking. We were in the Big House now and Nico was glaring at us from the window.
"Having fun?" he hissed. This version of Nico was always hissing and muttering things.[3] I might have found it funny if he wasn't so intimidating. I swear his glares could be considered a weapon.
"You saw the Hunters?" Miss Sunshine asked in a worried voice.
"Of course, I saw the Hunters," he muttered.
I looked between them. Nico and Miss Sunshine were like best friends and she was a Sue. What was all this friction? Miss Sunshine actually seemed to be at a loss for words.
"Nico," she began uncertainly.
He held up his hand to stop her. "I don't want to talk about her."
Oh! This must be about Bianca. Now that I thought about it, I didn't actually know where Bianca was. As I had not seen her around camp, I guess she must be with the Hunters. Unless she was already dead?[4]
"Alright," Miss Sunshine said, awkwardly. "Come on, Peter. Let's talk to…" She hesitated for just a moment before she moved us forward and said in a flatter voice, "Let's talk to Chiron."
I glanced at her and then saw where she was looking. Chiron was sitting with Mr. D. by the wall. The two of them were in the middle of an intense card game. Mr. D was in deep concentration while Chiron had a self-satisfied smirk on his face.
"Um Chiron, can we…" Miss Sunshine began, reaching out for Chiron's shoulder.
"Shut up, Annie," Mr. D. said, "I'm thinking."
I blinked. I thought I was literally the only one at camp that didn't like Sunshine. Well besides bitchafied Thalia and Drew, but I guess I was wrong.
"Mr. D, I've told you like a million times. My name is Andi. A-N-D-I. Not—"
"Don't care," he said cutting her off.
Miss Sunshine's eyes seemed to gleam with a sinister light. I tried to tug my arm out of her grip again. No luck.
Thankfully, Chiron broke the tension by asking, "What is it, Andromeda?"
Miss Sunshine stopped glaring at Mr. D. and turned to Chiron. But before she could speak, Grover burst into the room and announced, "The Hunters are all moved in!"
We all looked at him. The satyr was covered in bruises and bleeding a bit, but the guy was grinning like crazy.
"Hunters, eh?" Chiron said thoughtfully.
Mr. D. just grunted as Miss Sunshine muttered, "I was going to say that."
She shot Grover a look. "Is that how you got all those injuries?"
"Probably," Nico whispered from the window. I had forgotten he was in here.
Grover blushed and avoided her eyes as he appealed to Chiron, "Shouldn't we start organizing for capture the flag?"
"Yes. I suppose so," Chiron said with a nod. "Andi, you and Peter go down to the cabins. Inform the campers we'll be playing capture the flag tomorrow evening."
"Capture the flag?" Miss Sunshine protested. "But we don't have enough—"
"Shoeshine!" Mr. D. snapped. "Do what Chiron says and get. Some of us are trying to work."
"Work?" she said. "Do you call that work?"
Mr. D. finally looked up. He narrowed his eyes at her, "Yes."
I really wanted to leave. I tried to pull out of Sunshine's grip again as she said, "But that's bananas. It's only a—"
"Come on you two," Chiron said quickly. He pulled us away from Mr. D's scowl and the important card game.
"But—" Miss Sunshine protested yet again.
Chiron just turned us around. Then he placed a hand on my and Sunshine's backs and said firmly, "Out we go."
"See you tomorrow, Annie," Mr. D. called after us.
Not bad.
Miss Sunshine was pissed. She turned back as we walked away and snapped, "It's ANDI and I hate that musical, you fermented old man!"
Mr. D. just laughed as Chiron whisked me and an angry Miss Sunshine away.
Once we got outside, Chiron muttered, "He's probably going to cheat now, but all well."
I was about to ask if I could be excused now, when Miss Sunshine whined, "Chiron."
I rolled my eyes.
"Yes, Andromeda," he said patiently.
"Mr. D. and Grover kept interrupting, but Artemis has gone monster hunting and—" [5]
"I know," he said.
"She—You do?" Miss Sunshine said, surprised.
"Mr. D. told me."
"He did?" I asked. Beside me, Miss Sunshine seemed to deflate.
Chiron patted our backs. "He's not as oblivious as you two seem to think. Now I'm going to go back inside and do some damage control. Be sure to tell everyone about capture the flag."
Chiron wheeled himself back in, leaving me and Miss Sunshine standing outside alone. She was looking a bit lifeless. I took the opportunity to finally extricate my arm. I was almost free when she tightened her grip and turned to me and said, "It's not fair, Peter."
Damn it.
"Mr. D. is so mean to me. He gets my name wrong on purpose and no one cares."
"Mr. D. is mean to everyone," I said before I could stop myself.
Miss Sunshine sniffed and said, "He is. He's so heartless. Luke, Annabeth, and Percy are gone and does he care? No siree, he plays games with Chiron, sips his coke, and gets my name wrong. My name. Andi. A-N-D-I. It's so easy to say. I hate it when people get it wrong. Luke never got my name wrong. He…" She wiped at her eyes freeing my arm at last.
But it didn't matter. I was frozen. Not because of the tears, though I did find the sight of a girl, even a Mary Sue, crying disturbing, it was because it had finally clicked.
I should have realized it as soon as I saw the Hunters. Hell, I should have been suspicious of the Christmas decorations, but I had been so distracted with Percy, all the inconsistencies from this fic, and the general day to day. Then I had had to save Miss Sunshine from being creeped on and the whole thing with Nico and Mr. D., but it didn't matter.
None of that mattered because it was finally happening. The isekai was afoot. We were entering the plot of Titan's Curse.
I steeled myself. This was it. If I was lucky, this would be one of those fanfics that like to borrow heavily from the book. If that was the case, the names would change. There would be some dialogue differences, but everything else I should be able to predict.
If I played my cards right, I would be able to get through this story. I had to. With Percy gone, it was up to me to fill the role.
"Peter?" Miss Sunshine said waving a hand in my face. "Did you even hear what I said?"
I didn't answer. I was thinking hard. My mind was going into overdrive. It was like I was speed reading the book in my head. Tons of the beginning was missing, but the Hunters were here and we'd just had that conversation with Mr. D. I fished around in my head until I found it. I could actually see the page.
"Peter? Are you going to faint again? Should I get the smelling salts?"
Chapter 5. Page 63. Paragraph 4.
"We'll get Luke back," I said, decisively. "I just don't know how yet."
Miss Sunshine looked at me strangely. Probably because I had just stood there like a zombie for a few minutes, but also because this was the nicest thing that I'd ever said to her.
She finally replied, "So, you were listening. Good." She sniffed and rubbed her eyes again. "And I hope you're right. I don't think I can handle losing another person, not after Luke. I was so scared when you went missing this summer. I was worried that I had lost you too and now even your friend, Percy, has run off to places unknown. It's worrying."
Chapter 5. Page 63. Paragraph 6.[6]
"Don't think like that," I responded with ease. It was like magic. I could remember every line of every paragraph of every page of Titan's Curse as easily as I could remember my own name. I smiled. This must be Mnemosyne's gift at work.[7] I could do this.
Miss Sunshine smiled back at me. "You're right," she said. "We can't give up on hope. With you, me and Nico, there is a kid from each of the Big Three at camp. If we work together, we should definitely be able to save them."
I nodded. Then I pointed ahead of us at the basketball court where the Hunters were arguing with a guy, presumably from the Ares cabin and said, "Look!"
As I hoped, Miss Sunshine cried out, "Oh my!" All her sadness seemed to be forgotten as she said, "That's no good. I'll go break that tiff up before it becomes serious. While I do that, could you go around and tell everybody about capture the flag tomorrow?"
"All right," I said, "And you should be team captain."
"Of course," she replied. "I have been at camp longer after all."
I frowned at her. That wasn't…fuck.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
What's wrong? 30 seconds into the script and I was already seeing how hard this was going to be with this Sue around. Nothing was ever easy, was it?
"Peter?"
"I was hoping that we could, uh…be co-captains or something."
The Mary Sue looked at me, thoroughly confused. "Why?" she asked, "When I play capture the flag, I'm always captain. I'm the daughter of Zeus."
"I just thought it'd be a good idea," and though it hurt me, I added, "Please?"
Miss Sunshine looked unsettled and I knew she wanted to say no, so I squeezed my eyes shut and said, "I'll owe you a favor."
"A favor?" she repeated.
I opened an eye to look at her and said, "Yeah. Just one." Even as I said it, I was already filled with regret, but I had no idea how accurate I'd have to be to the plot to ensure the Good End. It was best not to deviate too much until I knew more.
The Sue closed her eyes and thought. After a bit, she smiled.
Fuck. Mistakes. Mistakes have been made.
"How about…" She tapped her chin trying to look coy. She looked about as subtle as a four-year-old. "You sit with me at dinner from now on?" she finished in a rush.
I grimaced.
"Well?" she asked. Her eyes and smile were huge.
"That's a high price for a single capture the flag game," I said blandly.
"Deal or no deal?" she said in a sing song voice. "I'm a shrewd Miss. You can't get something for nothing!"
"How about a single dinner?" I offered.
She shook her head.
"Two dinners?"
She just kept shaking her stupid Sue head.
"A week. That's my final offer."
"Hmm…" she said. "Is it though?" She tapped her chin again, glancing at me.
I groaned. She was enjoying this way too much. "Sunshine, I swear to fuck. Cut it out."
She was still smiling. "I'll give you the co-captain spot if you agree to a whole month of dinners."
"What!"
"Two months~" she said drawing out the words. Her smile was wicked now.
Damn her.
"One month," I growled. "That's all you're getting."
"I'll take it!" she exclaimed. Then she actually clapped her hands together and squealed, "I'm so excited. We're going to have oodles of fun together, Peter. I just know it!"
I sighed. Sometimes, she was so…sueish. Oodles? Who even talked like that?
Over at the basketball court, the Ares kid was crying bloody murder. There was an arrow in his knee.[8]
"Golly Gosh!" the Mary Sue cried, "I better go." She started to run toward the basketball court, but then she paused. She turned back and called, "See you later alligator!" before setting off at a sprint.
I rolled my eyes.
Sometimes? Make that all the time.
I did my best to swallow my regret and distaste. I could do this.
I began making the rounds, telling everybody about capture the flag. I found the sleeping Ares kid and woke him up from his nap. I asked him about Thalia. It was still hard to believe Clarisse didn't exist in this universe.
He said, "Went on a quest for Chiron. Top secret!"
"Is she okay?"
"Haven't heard from her in a month. She's missing in action. Like your butt's gonna be if you don't get outta here!"
I turned around to hide my smile.
At least everyone else seemed to be following the script.[9]
Thanks to a bunch of off-screen shenanigans, it was late afternoon, by the time I got to Cabin 3. Inside, it was just as empty as always, save for my bunk. But instead of the usual depression that came from remembering my failure with Percy, my eyes locked onto the new addition to the cabin. Recognizing it immediately, I smiled.
I really was in Titan's Curse because at the back of the cabin, there was now a large fountain with water coming out of a fish head and falling into a stone basin. Steam was coming off of the water giving the room the nice humid feel of a warm saltwater bath. It looked exactly how I had imagined it.
I eagerly went up to the fountain and looked into the water. I thanked Poseidon causing the surface to ripple and reveal the golden drachmas at the bottom. I picked up a coin and I tossed it in, saying, "Iris, O Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering."
For a wild moment I considered breaking script, but no, I had decided to adhere to the canon. So, I said, "Show me Tyson," I requested. "At the forges of the Cyclopes."
The mist shimmered, and the image of Tyson the cyclops appeared.
Right now, as expected, Tyson was standing by a forge, hammering away at a sword. The red flames contrasted with the deep blue of the water outside his window.
"Tyson!" I yelled over the hammering. "TYSON!"
The Cyclopes turned, and his one enormous eye widened.
For a moment, I thought about how awkward this was going to be. I'd met Tyson with Percy once during our adventures in the sound. Tyson, not Grover, had been this fic's Percy's escort to Camp Half-Blood. Apparently, discovering Tyson was a cyclops made it impossible for Percy to blend in anymore and his mom had dropped them both off.
But to my surprise, the cyclops grinned at me.
As he came forward and tried to hug the Iris Message, he cried out, "Percy!"
I winced. That explained it. Tyson couldn't see that well and Percy and I sounded a bit alike but still…
Tyson pulled away. "Percy you grew small…Peter?"
"Yeah," I said, "It's me."
"Hi Peter!" Tyson peered around me. "Where's Percy?"
I swallowed. To be honest, I had been half-hoping he would be able to tell me. No such luck, I guess.
Big fucking surprise there.
I told Tyson, "Percy's not here right now."
"Tell him hello!" He beamed. "Say hello to Percy and come visit soon!"
I tried to smile, "Okay, I'll do that."
Tyson nodded. "So, why did you call?"
"Just checking in," I lied, "Uh…How are you? How's the job?"
His eye lit up. "Love the job! Look!" He picked up the hot sword blade with his bare hands. "I made this!"
"That's really cool."
"I wrote my name on it. Right there."
"Awesome and do you talk to…Poseidon much?" It seemed awkward to call the sea god, Dad. I'd never even met the guy. Plus, he wasn't my father, not really.
Tyson's smile faded. "Not much. Daddy is busy. He is worried about the war."
"What do you mean?" I said getting into the grove of the familiar dialogue.
Tyson sighed and began to explain the underwater war situation, but he quickly went off script. He told me a bunch of things that he wanted me to relay to Percy.
I agreed to do so and waited for Tyson to tell me about Kronos and the Princess Andromeda, but he never did. So, in a lull in Tyson's excited gushing over his new job, I asked, "Tyson, what about Kronos?" and the bad boat? [10]
Tyson shivered. "Dad says he's bad. Brainwashed Aphrodite." [11]
What?
"But don't worry. She's better. We will win the war. Daddy is strong and I'm making lots of swords."
"All right," I said, still feeling confused. "That's…good. I guess."
Somewhere in the forges, a deep voice bellowed something.
Tyson flinched. "Got to get back to work! Boss will get mad. Tell Percy I say hello and don't forget to ask him about—"
Another shout.
Tyson waved and said, "Bye Peter!"
"Bye," I said, but the Iris message had already faded.
I sighed. That hadn't exactly gone to planned. Instead of talking about Kronos, the boat, and Annabeth, we had mostly talked about Percy.
Despite the humid air, it suddenly felt cold in the cabin. I seriously hoped Percy was okay.
It was a statement about my mood that I was actually happy when Miss Sunshine came through the door a bit later to collect me for dinner.
I still managed a frown and told her, "You should learn how to knock."
"Oh, sorry did I interrupt something?" she asked.
Not exactly. "No, but—"
"Then it's fine," she said. "Come on, Peter. It's time for dinner."
I dodged when she reached for my arm. "I can walk myself Sunshine."
"If you're sure," she said.
Damn sure. I was not doing that again. "Come on," I said walking past her and out the door.
To my relief, Grover was waiting for us outside. He waved.
We met up with him and we all headed to dinner together.
Later, the three of us joined Nico at the Zeus table. Miss Sunshine and Grover chatted throughout the meal and Nico was too busy glaring at his sister to pay me much mind.
Bianca was with the rest of the Hunters who were acting all merry and stuff. I spotted Zoë there at the head of the table. She was just like I had imagined her to be, elegant and regal with that silver lieutenant's band, glittering in the dark braids of her hair.
It was a nice mindless meal. I didn't have to talk much, but I still felt included as lame as that sounds. I was even a bit sad when we finished eating and Chiron made the customary toast to the gods and formally welcomed the Hunters of Artemis.
There was some pitiful fanfare and then Chiron announced the "good will" capture-the-flag game for tomorrow night and then it was time to leave.
I turned to Miss Sunshine to excuse myself, but she spoke first asking, "Do you want to play Mythomagic with us, Peter? We'd love you to join."
I looked over at Grover and Nico. Grover was watching the Hunters, but Nico was finally looking at me. There was no love in the kid's eyes.
Miss Sunshine continued into the awkward silence. "Nico is always saying an even number is best." She turned to the son of Hades. "Right Nico?"
When he didn't respond, she elbowed him. Nico muttered a, "Yeah, sure," but his eyes still resembled sharp cutlery.
"No thanks, Sunshine. I'm going to call it a night," I said as I stood up. Dinner was one thing. Card games was quite another. It was time to go.
"Oh," Miss Sunshine said obviously disappointed. "Okay then. Goodnight then. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight," I said quickly. Then I left her, Death Glare, and Grover behind.
It was for the best. I was more than ready to go to bed. When I got back to my cabin, I zipped through my night routine. Then I laid down and tried to get comfortable in my bed.
I was a bit nervous. With three people missing from camp my dream tonight was going to be especially important. I closed my eyes and waited to find out who was trapped on the Mountain of Despair.
I was walking across an obsidian desert of stone.[12] An eerie fog surrounded me. It dug in its icy fingers and filled me with a frigid chill and a sense of melancholia. Each step I took into the ethereal abyss echoed like a dark siren's song. Each breath cost me as warmth and comfort leaked out of me like sand from a cracked vase.
I rasped and struggled to move in the depressing landscape. Onyx stone pillars, like great trees in a forest in a holt of darkness appeared from nowhere. They seemed to mock my confusion and unease.
Still, I pressed forward. Even as I shivered with apprehension, I stayed strong. My fists were clenched and my jaw was set as I strode purposely through the miasma. Knowing that each step, each breath, each footfall would bring me closer to her.
As if I summoned her with my very thoughts, she appeared through the gloom. Even in the dank light, I could make out her athletic lithe body, her California tanned skin and her fairytale princess long wavy blonde hair fashioned into a ponytail. She wore her usual orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and I could just make out her father's college ring and the cord of camp beads around her graceful neck.
"Annabeth."
It was the merest whisper on the wind. The fog swallowed up the word, but it could not extinguish the feeling in my chest.
But that precious feeling was still dampened. For Annabeth was not standing tall and proud as she usually did. No. It was not to be so. Instead, Annabeth was sheathed in sweat. Her graceful figure was stooped. Her shapely legs and arms were bent as she carried the very world on her shoulders. Its celestial mass swirled with the colors of an entire planet:
Milky whites, deep blues, vivid greens, glassy aquas, intense violets, shades of cerulean, flashes of gold, slivers of silver and the darkest of blacks. The colors were as bright as they were unfathomable. My eyes as keen as they were, were nearly blinded by the sight and even if they had not been, I would not have given the majesty a second glance.
Such glorious vistas mattered not when my Starlight was in pain.
I began to walk with new purpose. I had to get to her, Annabeth, my Starlight. It was good to see her even as she was, even with all that must still be done here. I was glad that I was finally going to be reunited with her.
As my footsteps drew me even closer to my goal, my purpose. I spoke again, forcing power into my words to defeat the dark gravity that surrounded us. "I have returned," I said with all my being.
Annabeth looked up and it really was like seeing the stars for the first time. Her silver-grey eyes sparkled like them. And her smile, though she was sweating and trembling, my Starlight still managed one. She was a princess. Proud, noble, and true, that coy sassy closed-mouth grin was a testament to such.
She said with a wry exhausted voice that shook as much as her limbs, "I didn't think you were coming back."
Her voice, how I missed it. It was a sound I would never forget, smooth, bright, and clear like a crystal lake at daybreak.
I strode forward with renewed confidence and bravado. I had finally reached her, at last. "I don't know why," I replied stoutly. I positioned myself so that I was a hair's breath away from her. I could feel the heat between us. Then I lowered myself, flexing my limbs and preparing to take the load of the sky itself. "I did pledge to assist you," I reminded her.
"Yeah but—" she began and I could hear the unspoken worries that plagued her even now.
"But nothing," I replied swiftly. I would not let those fears fester. "She will never know I was here." I proclaimed. "I will make sure to vanish when the time comes, but for now, let me ease your burdens."
I was ready. I had prepared myself for this burden which she had had to bear alone for too many moons. Then I stood up with my arms raised and lifted some of the sky onto my back.
I gasped.
Pain.
Agony.
Torture.
The sky weighed me down like nothing else. My own limbs began to tremble and I knew if it was possible, I would have collapsed as surely as a twig between a wolf's jaws, such was the excruciating pain.
I had to fight not to scream like a fury at the all-encompassing affliction, but I would not shriek like a banshee. Annabeth was not letting her suffering be heard. She was not whimpering or yowling like some sorry beast caught in a bear trap. I must be like her, I told myself. I must be strong and proud. I forced myself to swallow my cries and turned my head to look upon her.
It was easier to smile when I had her face to gaze at. Her sharp features were as mesmerizing as always.
Our eyes met. Nickel-gray to silver-steel.
Her expression was unlike her. It was soft and full of gratitude. I could feel the warmth of it. Despite our surroundings and the deep despair that seemed to permeate through the very air. I felt hope fill me.
Alas, Annabeth did not hold my gaze for long. As soon as she beheld it, she looked away and said in a gruff yet feminine voice, "Your head is full of stardust, New Moon."
I felt my grin widen as it did every time, she called me that. That one phrase captured the essence of our completely platonic comradery.
I replied in a cheeky tone, "Not stardust, just you, Starlight." Then I winked at her.
Annabeth snorted, a sound that was uncouth and yet still refined. I knew her well enough to know that her apparent derision masked genuine delight.
She said in a choked-up voice filled with love and pleasure and all things good and painful, "You're lucky I have to hold up the sky. Otherwise, I would elbow you in the stomach for saying that cheesy line out loud."
I laughed with all the strength I could muster. It was a guffaw. A false show of merriment that I wish was real. As I did so, I made my trembling legs straighten. I did my best to ignore the onslaught of pain as I forced myself to carry even more of the sky.
Then the actions that I so intrepidly took on had the desired effect. My heart soared like an owl in the night sky. I had done it. My bright mood, my paltry strength, and Annabeth's own bottomless humor had made my dearest friend laugh.
There was no sound sweeter. I wanted to lose myself in that carefree music.
Suddenly my own laughter became genuine. I was joyous and jubilant beyond reasoning. I had accomplished my mission. I had lightened her load in more ways than one.
My Annabeth, my Starlight, I had reminded her that she was not alone. I had proved once again that our friendship was stronger than her anxiety. She was my partner and I was hers. I was made to support her.
After all, a star shines brightest under a new moon.
Footnotes
[1] Yes. Andi has been cursed by Aphrodite to never experience requited love. This was revealed in Lightning Thief and is the main reason Andi and Luke never got together. Andi loves Luke, but Luke loves Annabeth.
[2] Tell a White Lie Day is on April 4th.
[3] It's true. Nico whispers, mutters, mumbles, murmurs, hisses or otherwise speaks quietly. He wasn't like this in the Lightning Thief or Sea of Monsters fics. I guess he's changed his speaking patterns because he's supposed to be dark and mysterious now.
[4] Peter doesn't know, but from past fics, we know that Bianca should be with the Hunters.
[5] I assume Andi learned this from Apollo.
[6] I'm doing these here as a point of reference (yes these are the actual page numbers and paragraphs). In the original fic these references were like everywhere in Peter's chapters, but I no like (I know shocking), so you won't be seeing them after this.
[7] More on this later.
[8] Ah yes…remember when this meme was new?
[9] As a general rule, Andi's chapters will include more of the original PJO Titan's Curse prose than Peter's. That's simply her Sueish charm coming into play. However, no matter who we follow, I promise that there will be surprises in store.
[10] Andi never boarded the Princess Andromeda because Nico supplied the ship she used in Sea of Monsters. Andi has also never seen Kronos.
[11] This is what Aphrodite claims happened to her during the Lightning Thief fic.
[12] This entire dream sequence is told from someone else's POV. But who's POV is it? That's what Alpha and Beta R asked their readers years ago. So, in turn, I'll ask you guys. Who do you think New Moon is? I will take your guesses at the end of the chapter.
A/N: I told you this was a long one. It's probably one of the longest chapters in this fic and it's done!
Please keep the reviews coming. It was super nice to get support while chipping away at this one. Let me know who you think New Moon is. I'll tell y'all who I originally (and wrongly) guessed they were when I first read this fic next chapter. See you guys later.