Wow, I honestly can't believe I actually finished this chapter. I know I haven't updated for almost a year now and I'm so, so sorry about that. I had lost my inspiration for this story and worked more on Daughter of Broken Vows, but I needed a pause from writing it and managed to work on this instead. I think I'll manage to find a balance between writing my two fanfictions so I'll start working on Drop in the Ocean again. I'll try to update regularly but I don't think I can manage once every week. We'll see about that.
Anyway, thank you for your amazing reviews! I reread them all before I finished the chapter and they gave me a lot of inspiration. So thank you!
BuffyandSpikelover – Thank you! Yes, at least for now I think they'll have more of a love-hate relationship with lots of arguing.
Halliwell2002007 – Thanks!
PercyJacksonROCKS4ever – Well, this update is definitely not soon, but hey, at least I updated :) And thank you very much for the compliments *blush*
TweetyBaby – Thank you and I hope you haven't given up on this story!
life is short so am I - I'm pretty sure he doesn't know and underestimates her which will make him more impressed when he sees her in butt-kicking mode :D
Lucky Guard - Thanks and sorry for the long wait
Leaseablue – Sorry it took me sooo long to update :(
High Gaurdian - Hmmm, we'll see about that :)
Annechase – Get along? Not very well
Guest– Thank you
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skyler jackson chase – I'm sorry
guest - Well, I loved writing it
ptl4ever419 – I'm glad
chica-sabia-nabepi11– Thank you :)
Lolstan - Hmmm, I admit I'm still not sure what Poseidon's reaction will be. I think he'll be kind of happy that his kids get along but at the same time he'll be angry that they get along too well
Guest2 – I'm happy that my explanation worked!
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godess bubbles – Yeah, that will take awhile
FallenAshe - Thank you :)
the dark euphie – I'm glad you think so
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guest– Wow thank you so much! I'm sorry I probably disappointed you with the lack of updates. I promise I'll update regularly from now on and I really hope you'll keep on reading.
vomiter - Ummm… I'm not sure how to answer to that… Okay?
lovelymaiden - So sorry
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ThePerksofBeingMinisterofMagic – Well for now they'll probably just fight a lot :)
PrincessofSea - Thanks and sorry
aerie-art - Thank you so much! And I'm so sorry I waited for so long
Meagan - Thanks
killer4853– I apologize
guest - I'm sorry. I'll post more from now on
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Semoka – Is it too late for that cookie now?
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Guest - Thank you
pennameisblank– Well, considering that in the books he showed up for about a minute, I'm not sure we really know how he acts. I mean how could someone be ooc when we don't really know how he acts in cannon?
Lucia– I will finish this and that's a promise
Lmb111514– It is a bit weird, I'll admit :)
A Drop in the Ocean
Chapter 5
Something Worse Than Your Life
"Can't you just magic us a car out of air or something?" Percy murmured as she stood side by side with Triton, watching the dirty yellow cab pull up in front of them. It had been almost more than three years since she had ridden in the Chariot of Damnation, but the memory was still fresh and unpleasant in her mind. But, though reluctantly, she had to admit that this was the fastest mode of transportation right now.
The hippocampi had left them at the shore, unable to go further, still quite away from Rachel's house. Percy had offered taking a cab, but it was enough for Triton just to glimpse at the speed the mortal vehicles moved with to write off the idea immediately. Instead he had come up with the decision to call forth the Chariot of Damnation.
Percy stole another glance at the peeling yellow paint of the car, scowling deeply as she thanked the gods for not having a heavy breakfast, because she was not sure if she would be able to keep the contents of her stomach at the end of the ride.
Triton next to her bore a grim expression as well, not really keen on enduring the sisters' terrible driving skills, but aware that this was their best possibility. Trying to shake off the uneasiness, he stepped forward and opened the back door of the car, smirking at Percy's direction when she rolled her eyes. She climbed in and he shut the door behind her, circling the car to enter on the other side. His action had slightly lightened the mood between the two of them for a moment, but it had quickly evaporated when Percy found herself in the Chariot.
The Grey Sisters were just as terrible as the last time Percy had seen them, their empty eye sockets dark and ominous. The heroine couldn't help but suppress a shudder, relief washing over her when Triton slipped on the seat next to her.
"Where to, dearies?" One of the sisters turned to look at them, one yellow eye resting in its rightful place. Percy scooted closer to the god and for once he didn't seem to mind the action. Hastily, they recited the address and with a nasty smile the sisters turned forward at once, pulling the cab into a gear.
The two passengers squeezed their eyes shut, as their backs flattened to the backseats. Percy's stomach rolled as the chariot took a sharp left turn, narrowly avoiding the approaching cars. Mentally, the demigod prayed to whoever god she could remember that they did not die in the murderous Chariot.
Finally the tires screeched to a stop in front of a big, rich house, but Percy relief was short lived. The momentum sent her body sailing forward and she would have probably crashed through the front glass if it wasn't for Triton. The moment he had saw her move forward, his arm had wrapped around her middle and pulled her back, perhaps a bit too forcefully, in her seat.
Percy winced as he loosened the vice like grip he had on her, pretty sure she would have bruises on her stomach. But she was not angry at him. Better handle a bruise than flying out of the car. She would have survived, of course, bearing the curse of Achilles and all, but it would have hurt anyway. Plus, she had found out (the hard way) that even though her skin was invulnerable to sharp objects, she could still bruise if she was hit with enough force.
She watched as Triton dropped forty golden coins in the hands of the middle sister and as quick as they could, the strange pair slipped out of the cab, not even turning around to see it disappear into black mist down the streets of New York.
"Do you understand now why I was so against this?" The demigod asked, watching with faint amusement as her half-brother bend over, his hands resting on his knees, taking deep breaths of air. Well at least that answered her question if the gods could get dizzy.
She felt sympathy for him, though, already having guessed that that had been his first actual ride on the Chariot. Even she, who had done it already once before, felt like emptying her stomach.
A few minutes later, though, Triton straightened, looking over her with a scowl Percy had already gotten used to. "Well, what are you waiting for?" He snapped, gesturing towards the house. "Lead away."
The girl frowned dangerously at him, her arms crossed in front of her chest in indignation. She really, really hated being ordered around. "Why me? You are the god."
Triton's glare intensified and he looked at her like she was an idiot, which was probably something along the lines of what he was thinking. "Because, Percy," He sneered slightly at her name. "The Oracle is your friend, not mine. Hades, I haven't even met the girl."
"Oh." She answered intelligently, feeling surprisingly idiotic about her useless outburst. She shouldn't have reacted that way, and probably wouldn't have if it was any other person, but there was something about this particular god that got under her skin.
Pushing that thought away, Percy squared her shoulders and headed for the front door of the house, the heavy pair of footsteps behind her indicating that Triton had followed. Somewhat nervously, she rang the bell.
She hadn't seen Rachel since the end of the war when the other girl had accepted to house the Oracle of Delphi in her body and replace the terrifying mummy that had fulfilled the task previously. For a moment the young demigod wondered if her friend would be different now when she had such power.
Her answer came when the door was slung open and Rachel stood in the doorway. She looked the same as Percy remembered her, with bright red hair that often looked like it was on fire and clothes smudged with different colored paint.
Percy grinned at the other girl, relieved to see that nothing had really changed. "Hey, Rachel."
"Percy!" Rachel exclaimed and the demigod laughed when she was swiped inside and enveloped in a huge hug.
Triton stood awkwardly at the doorway, watching curiously as the two girls hugged and laughed together, like two friends who hadn't seen each other for a while. He realized that this was the first time he had seen Percy smile, for real, unlike the polite curving of lips she had offered to the gods she had been introduced to in Atlantis or the mocking smirk she often shot in his direction when they argued.
She was beautiful when she was happy, he realized with a start.
It was a strangely enchanting sight, her smile. Not too wide, showing just enough amount of teeth, with the quality to lighten the room like a miniature sun. It reached her eyes, making them shine with a sparkle he hadn't seen before. It reminded him of sunlight grazing against the flat surface of peaceful seas and damn, he liked it more than he should.
"Now Percy, care to share who this guy is?" Rachel asked suddenly, looking between Percy and Triton with curiosity. She hadn't seen Percy in months and now suddenly she appeared knocking on her door with a handsome guy in toll? Rachel was very interested by the situation.
"Oh," Percy glanced at Triton like she had just remembered him, which made him scowl. "This is Triton. My half-brother. Triton, this is Rachel Elizabeth Dare, one of my best friends and the oracle of Delphi in her free time. "
"Hi!" The oracle smiled, giving a small wave. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Triton nodded, forcing himself to return the statement after Percy 'delicately' elbowed him in the ribs, punctuating it with a glare that could make even the bravest cower. "Pleasure is all mine." He managed to grunt through gritted teeth. That girl was stronger than she looked!
The demigod gave him a satisfied nod, though her eyes were laughing as she leaned in closer to whisper in his ear. "Good boy. Keep that up and you just might receive a dog treat." Triton just growled at her idiocy, inwardly praying to his father to give him strength and patience so he would not kill her at least until the end of their quest.
But Percy's face turned serious when she spun to look at her friend once again. "We need a prophecy, Rachel."
Reading the uneasiness in her friend's eyes, Rachel invited them to the dining room where they could hopefully sit and speak more comfortably. The demigoddess almost had to drag Triton, so unwilling he was to stay a moment longer in that house, and practically shove him into his seat. By his scowl she knew she would most probably pay for it later but at least she was glad he followed her lead for now.
"We are on a quest, Rachel." Percy started explaining over the cup of coffee her friend had been nice enough to offer. "Dad's trident is gone and we must find it but we need a prophesy first, because, let's be honest, we have no idea where it is."
Rachel nodded and Percy watched as her eyes unfocused, before they turned a bright green color that terrified her more than she liked to admit. Her mouth opened but as she spoke her voice was different, deep and ancient, making the heroine recall her first and unpleasant meeting with the oracle, more than five years ago.
"I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach seeker, and ask."
The daughter of Poseidon took a deep breath to calm her rapid heartbeat. "What is my destiny?"
"You shall travel west to the land without rain
and seek to find and return what was stolen again
You shall face the one that sees from afar
to stop the brewing of another war.
And despite all the pain and danger to be,
you shall lose something worse than your life
to a child of the Sea. "
Rachel mouth shut closed and the green in her gaze subsided. She gasped and took a deep breath, shaking her head as if to get rid of dizziness. "What did I say?"
But she didn't receive an answer. Percy and Triton were looking at each other in shock, the last line ringing through both their minds. You shall lose something worse than your life to a child of the Sea.
As far as Percy was aware, he was the only other child of Poseidon she knew and if they didn't meet any brother or sister gone rogue on their mission, the line would be referring to him. Something worse than her life? What could be worse than losing your life?
Percy rubbed her temples, hoping to chase of the beginnings of a headache. They had more important things to think about. They had to decipher the rest of the prophecy first because it obviously pointed to where the trident was, but, to be honest, Percy had no idea what any of it meant.
"What did I say?" Rachel repeated somewhat irately and Percy dutifully recited the prophecy purposefully excluding the last line. By Triton's gaze she knew he had noticed, but he didn't comment nor did he mentioned anything, which made her sag in relief.
"The land without rain…" The oracle repeated absently. "That must mean a desert right?"
"That's not what interests me most." Percy spoke up as well, pushing her other worries to the back of her mind where she could mull over them later. "The one who sees from afar… Who could that be? I've never heard of a person with such title."
"I might have an idea." Triton leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. "Koios is the titan of farsight and knowledge. It could easily refer to him."
"Koios? I've never heard of him." The demigoddess exclaimed with a frown, trying to remember if she had even heard the name.
"He's not very popular figure among the mortals and did not actively participate in the second Titanomachy, though he sided with Kronos." Triton sighed in frustration. "But it couldn't be him because he is also the titan of the north and the prophesy clearly said we must go west."
"Let's go back to the land without rain thing, shall we?" Percy offered, hoping it would ease some of the god's frustration. She certainly didn't need to deal with anymore angry gods at the moment. "As Rachel said it must mean a desert. How many deserts are there in the USA?"
"Too many." Triton growled. "We can't afford to lose anymore time! As far as we know Oceanus could already be in possession of the trident. We need answers. Now."
Percy leaned back in her seat thoughtfully. A memory ran through her head of another time they had been desperate for answers. "Well," she murmured. "I think it's time we paid a visit to my old friend Nereus."
So here it is. If this story has any readers left, please REVIEW so I know if there is any point in continuing. Thanks!