Disclaimer: Characters belong to Rick Riordan.
Annabeth woke at the crack of dawn. She felt an ache in her neck. Massaging it, she jumped off her bed and stretched. Soft rays of light were streaming through the windows.
Annabeth sighed. All that determined resolve she had felt last night disappeared. Everything that happened yesterday came back in a rush. Before she was engulfed in them, Annabeth pushed it away. She then busied herself.
After getting dressed in simple t-shirt and cargo pants, she took note of her meager belongings. Aside from the clothes she was currently wearing, she folded an extra set in her sturdy silver backpack. Checking for undergarments, she also shoved in a thermos of nectar and a bag of ambrosia. Annabeth never got the hang of the tricks the Hunters used to pack their things, so she was forced to keep it small. She strapped her sword to her waist and slung her bow and quiver of arrows onto her back. For emergency measures, she stuffed a dagger into her pack. Food and water supplies were to be given when they left, and she had a roll of mortal money already in the bottom of her pack.
A durable watch strapped onto her wrist. A flashlight into one of the pockets of the backpack. A couple packs of batteries: these were rechargeable and was plated with solar panels so you could keep using them, despite not having a power source. All this new technology did have its perks.
She fingered her two camp necklaces. And surveyed her things again. All her things from her past were kept to a minimum. Her Yankees baseball cap still worked, for Athena had restored its power, but she minimally used it, as invisibility wasn't really all that essential when you were a Hunter, and the risk of losing it was big, as well as the fact that by now, the cap was probably worth a bit of money. Or not. She didn't keep track of prices of baseball caps.
But she had brought it along for the sake of a memento and a chance that it might be useful.
Another keepsake she still had was the coin given by her mother for The Mark of Athena. It didn't exactly bring pleasant memories, but she still kept it. Probably because it was small. She often caught herself rubbing her ankle from when she broke it ages ago whenever she saw the coin.
She put on her silver jacket.
"Think that's about it," she muttered to herself. She didn't have the heart to spend more time packing, so after pulling on her boots, she silently crept out of the cabin.
It was still early in the morning so she assumed she would be the only one out roaming about. That was not the case. With the fear of monster attacks, the campers had set up an all night watch with various shifts. She spotted a tired looking group of demigods heading toward the bunks. They were intercepted by another, more fresher looking, group. They stopped and exchanged words. The change of shifts, Annabeth presumed.
Marty and Percy were nowhere to be seen. Probably still asleep. Annabeth sighed.
Not having anything to do, she slowly walked up the hill. As Thalia's Pine appeared in her view, she spotted Peleus. She wasn't sure if he still remembered her, but as he saw her, he gave a friendly snort.
"Hi," she murmured softly. She rubbed her hands against his hard scales. Peleus made a content sound. "You must be tired," she said.
Then she discovered the faint scars across his back. She remembered the decapitated snake head Chiron has shown her. Did that snake give Peleus the scars? Were there more of them? Annabeth let her mind wander. Chiron had also told her that despite the Golden Fleece being removed, the camp boundaries should have been fine since the Fleece had healed the tree completely. So there was another hole in the story.
"He likes you."
Annabeth whirled around.
It was only Percy. Ignoring her sudden calamity of emotions, Annabeth molded her face into one of a disinterested look.
She gave no answer. Percy had a similar backpack slung across his back. His outfit was similar to hers. He ran a hand through his hair.
She turned her head. "Bye Peleus," she whispered softly. He replied by putting his snout on her head.
Giving no indication of Percy, she slowly trudged down the hill. He followed her.
Despite being numbed, she had an immense appetite. Breakfast wouldn't be called for another hour or so, so she and Percy ate first. Annabeth had no idea where Marty was.
She ate a heaping stack of pancakes and downed it all down with milk. After that was a bowl of yogurt and berries. Finally, she topped it off with toast slathered with jam.
To no surprise, Percy ate more than her. He chose waffles instead, muttering something about texture. He had a bowl of oatmeal as well as eggs and bacon. Annabeth wrinkled her nose. The latter choice was not appealing to her. She tended to eat healthy, and bacon was history. Percy then had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He left a smudge of peanut butter on his chin and Annabeth resisted the temptation to wipe it off with her own hand. She instead pointed it out.
Marty joined them mid way. He was bouncing up and down, to jittery to eat. Nevertheless Annabeth forced him to have some toast.
Chiron bounded up to their table. "Are you three ready?"
They all nodded.
Annabeth's head suddenly snapped up. "There weren't any clues beside the snake yes?"
Chiron nodded. The group of senior demigods appeared around him.
As quick as lightning, an idea occurred.
"You don't think perhaps…"
Chiron sighed. He proved her suspicions correct.
"Gorgons," she whispered.
The rest of their party shifted uncomfortably. Buford started.
"What exactly-"
"The three Gorgon sisters." Chiron replied.
"You mean Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale? But there weren't any accounts of them back from Tartarus." Eve glanced from Annabeth to Percy nervously.
"Some myths say that the Gorgons lived near the entrance of the Underworld," Annabeth stated confidently. "Others say they lived in the Gorgades, a chain of islands. So if they did in fact reform and take the Fleece, it is highly possible that they could be in any of those locations."
"And the Underworld is still in Los Angeles," Percy stated. "As for the Gorgady islands, I'm not sure."
"Gorgades." Annabeth corrected him.
A voice piped in. "There's a chance that they might be at the actual islands, so Cape Verde?"
Annabeth scanned the crowd. The voice belonged to a tiny blonde girl. She smiled at her.
"That's good! Pliny the Elder's words did imply that the Gorgades are the now the current Cape Verde."
Percy bit his lip. "Cape Verde? That's near Africa right?" Annabeth nodded.
Taking charge, Annabeth decided pondered their choices. There was a probability that the Gorgons could be at Cape Verde or Los Angeles.
"We'll go to both."
A murmur passed through the group. They might question her decision, but she was the leader.
After being quiet for the whole time, Marty spoke up.
"Even though the Fleece was removed, the boundaries should have still worked right?"
"Yes Marty," Chiron replied, looking curious.
Marty let it all out in a rush. "So the tree should have worked just fine, but it didn't. Which meant some outside force tainted it. If it is the Gorgons, then they might have ulterior move. Taking the Fleece might have weakened Camp Half-Blood, but it wouldn't have destroyed the boundaries. So what easier way than to prick their left side of their bodies with the poison and slap a drop on the tree?"
There was a stunned silence. Annabeth slowly registered his words. As she kept thinking of it, the more it made sense. A small puzzle piece filled the one of the gaping this whole matter.
"That's right!" Percy exclaimed. He ruffled Marty's head. "You're a genius!"
The others nodded grudgingly.
Chiron contemplated all this. "Adele, take Max and Taylor to Thalia's Pine immediately. Take a sample of the tree and the nearby plants."
The little blonde girl from earlier nodded and sprinted off.
A slow horror dawned Annabeth.
"Wait, if the poison from the left side is indeed the cause, wouldn't it mean immediate death?"
"I'm guessing the long term effects of the Golden Fleece have been slowing down the process," Chiron said gravely. "But it won't be long."
"But doesn't blood from the right side of a gorgon cure anything?" asked a boy with curly red hair.
Annabeth sucked in air. "That or the Fleece. There's a chance that one might work but not the other."
Percy put his hands on his hips. "Then let's go! We have no time to waste. So we go to Los Angeles, and if they aren't there, we go the Cape Verde yes?"
Annabeth nodded. "Alright, if there's nothing more to be said then-"
"Did you visit the Oracle yet?"
The Oracle? Oracle? Flashes of red-haired Rachel flitted around her head. She had also lost contact with Rachel Dare. Not surprisingly. Hell, she didn't who was alive or dead!
Annabeth reeled. Percy sensing her panic, stepped up.
"I'll go."
Regaining her composure, Annabeth straightened her spine.
Not trying to sound bossy, she said "It's fine. I'm the leader. It's my responsibility."
He gritted his teeth. "Well actually you don't really look okay. Just lighten up and let me go."
Before she could toss back a retort, a slender girl with white hair pushed in through the crowd.
At first glance, she thought the hair was dyed. Teenagers had crazy habits these days, and on the rare occasions when she stepped into the mortal world, people sporting flamboyant and vibrant dyes in their hair wasn't uncommon.
But this girl's hair looked too natural to be a dye. As she placed herself in front of them, a strand of white hair slipped off the loose bun on her head. Then Annabeth caught the reason her hair was white. Her loose hair settled on her collarbone, and right near her clavicle, there was a light spot of skin. There were more patches of light skin that traveled down her neck and toward her chest. Her sleeveless white dress covered any more of the spots if there were any.
Vitiligo. She recalled her knowledge. There were treatments available. But this girl held her chin up proudly. Inviting anyone to look at herself. She was not afraid to show her true self. Annabeth felt a tug of emotion. She already respected this girl. She wore herself with no embarrassment
"I am the Oracle of Delphi. My name is Seraphina." She settled her cool gaze on Annabeth. Her startling green eyes contrasted with the white in her hair.
Her brain acted out of its own accord. Questions formed in her head. Where was Rachel? When had she become Oracle? Was Rachel alive?
Instantaneously, her defenses slammed down onto the questions, scattering them. She had made her choice a hundred years ago. That was the end of it.
Eager to get started on the quest and not wanting to experience the dread of a prophecy, she sent Percy in her steed. Sooner or later she would hear the prophecy regardless. But she didn't want to be the person the Oracle spoke too. She shuddered at the memory of emerald green wisps snaking around the mummy of the Oracle before Rachel.
As she and Marty waited for Percy to receive the words of the prophecy, they made plans. It would take too long to go by foot all the way to Los Angeles from Long Island Sound. Obviously. An airplane would be the next practical choice. In the end, plans were made to book a plane to Los Angeles and arrive at the airport via some sort of mortal transportation.
Trains were long outdated, so new systems such as maglev and atmospheric railways replaced them. The nearest maglev station was an hour of a drive away, while the nearest atmospheric railway was a mere fifteen minutes just by walking.
Unsteady footsteps sounded behind them. Annabeth turned around. She took in Percy's haggard expression and his dark untidy hair spiraling in every direction.
She pursed her lips. "Was it bad?" she asked tentatively.
Percy shook his head. "Whatever."
She arched her eyebrow. 'Whatever' didn't really answer her question. But she didn't push him. He would tell them sooner or later.
A lithe figure jumped next to them. Seraphina.
"Good luck on your quest. May the Fates smile upon your favor." Annabeth was just about to thank her, when the unthinkable happened.
Seraphina leaned into Percy. Her small frame was nearly enveloped into his bigger one. She placed her palm on his chest. She tiptoed and whispered something in Percy's ear that visibly made him relax. She then laid a hand on his forearms.
Annabeth felt like her guts were ripped from her body and torn to a million pieces. Her heart pounded fiercely against her ribcage. She wanted to take back all the kind words she thought of the Oracle. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. Only when the bitter taste of blood was registered on her tongue did she regain her senses.
Annabeth had no right to feel all the these emotions. She had sworn off all men. Then a whisper tugged her mind. Then why are you acting like this? She fired back a response. How am I supposed to know?! She screamed to herself. Annabeth bit even harder on her bleeding lip. Realizing the cut, she hastily sucked her lip.
Jealousy. Envy. Numbness. Resignation. She was such a hypocrite. She had kept telling herself to give up on this fanciful notion and accept the fact she was Hunter of Artemis. And the irony of it all. Her primary reason of becoming a Hunter was to never to succumb to the claws of love. And here she was, going crazy because there was another boy who looked like her dead boyfriend. How would Anna act? Would she even lay eyes on another boy in the first place?!
All this thinking made her head hurt.
Marty fidgeted, not sure what to do.
Annabeth hardened. Percy could do whatever he wanted. He could look at any girl he pleased. Who was she to judge him? But then another thought flew into her head.
The Oracle of Delphi wasn't allowed to take on a lover or take part in any romantic relationships while hosting the spirit. A secret affair? She shuddered to think of the words spoken between them right now.
But did Seraphina's actions count really as romantic? If you looked at it from a certain perspective...
She gave up. Pushing all these thoughts to a corner in her head, she promised herself that she would take a look at them later. When her analytical mind was back on track.
Not looking back at Percy and Seraphina, Annabeth tugged on Marty's arm roughly.
"Let's go."
o.O.o
The trio sat on the upholstered seats of the atmospheric train. Unlike the trains in the past, this one moved almost entirely with air pressure, which was used as power for the propulsion. Through trial and error, scientists and engineers were able to make the trains move at bullet speed.
Annabeth sat with her legs crossed. She had her backpack on her lap, and her weapons were glamoured by the Mist. Or so she hoped. Security didn't stop her, so she assumed it nothing looked out of place and threatening.
Annabeth wasn't sure what weapons Percy was carrying, but she knew Riptide was one of them. Sooner or later they would have to reorganize. Food and other necessary supplies were doled out equally amongst them. Marty didn't seem to have any weapons, until he showed her a handy Swiss army knife. She mentally reminded herself to get Marty a more stronger weapon, preferably celestial bronze or imperial gold.
An intercom blared through the speakers embedded on the train walls.
"Next stop, Green Station. We are approaching Green Station."
"That's us," Percy said as he shouldered his pack. Marty jumped off his seat, adrenaline pulsing. The train ran into a smooth halt. The air pressure dropped and Annabeth rose, unsteady on her legs.
She almost tripped, but Percy caught her arm. "Careful," he murmured.
Annabeth quickly withdrew her hand. "Thanks," she muttered.
The doors opened with a whoosh and they stepped off. Annabeth had pored over the maps and even the blueprints of the station to know which way to go, as well as where each water fountain was. "This way," she said, pointing toward a sign labeled simply with an arrow.
o.O.o
Annabeth found herself severely wishing for some sort of entertainment or anything to keep her from screaming.
It was an awkward silence. The Fates had put them three all together in a row on the plane, and Marty ended up sitting in between Percy and her. He had tried to instill some sort of small talk, but to no avail.
The little tablet on the seat in front of her was playing a movie she had idly picked, some sort of sappy adventure that was apparently "popular" on the list from where she had picked it from. Annabeth cringed at the lines and ended up muting the volume on her headphones. She then did a quick survey on the two boys.
Marty was asleep, his neck encased in a pillow rest, while Percy was drumming his fingers on the little movable table. He looked nervous, and a bead of sweat rolled down his neck. Annabeth clenched her fists. This was not a surprise.
She hastily turned her head before he caught her looking. Deciding she was sick of the movie, Annabeth exited the screen. Then, on a second thought, she tapped on the tablet again. After a few quick taps, she found what she wanted.
o.O.o
Percy gritted his teeth. He hated flying. Airplanes were the worst thing ever in existence. But ironically, he only found this out after he boarded.
Marty was slowly drifting off and Annabeth had headphones on and was watching a movie. His mind stilled when he came upon Annabeth, and he immediately looked away, feeling flushed. He hated himself for feeling like this. She had basically rejected him, but why did his heart still beat ten times faster around her? Every time, Percy assured himself that it would all come to pass. Hopefully. That logic was not working in his favor.
A shock of turbulence passed, and Percy nearly jumped out of his seat. He drew blood in his mouth and winced. Pulling the little side table so it was positioned in front of him, Percy pounded his fingers down onto it. Running a hand through his hair, he fidgeted, and it came up to a point where someone whispered at him to quiet down.
Risking a glance at Annabeth, he saw that her eyes were still on the screen, but they were no longer attentive and she seemed focused on configuring her headphones.
He tried to remember the steps to relax. Count to ten, or was it count down from ten? No scratch that, just breath evenly. Inhale and exhale? Using your nose or mouth? Or, or that mantra-"
Nimble hands slid something down his ears. Percy saw a flash of white skin, then registered the soft lining of the headphones on his ears. Music softly played and he was alarmed for a second. Then Percy calmed down, his heart rate slowed, and he began to relax.
Annabeth had her head toward the window, and the scene was so still that she might not have moved at all. But he knew it was her. He had, come to think about it, recognized how she smelled like. Coconut and chocolate. Percy didn't think it was perfume; it was just like a natural scent.
Why was he thinking about how Annabeth smelled like?
The music playing came into sharper hearing and Percy perceived piano. Then a woman's light, wistful singing filled his ears. It was not an English song, but he caught a few here and there. The song seemed nostalgic, and a bit sad too. A tender love. He closed his eyes, and the notes transported him to someplace near and far, somewhere where he knew who he was. A place where there were no such things like gods and monsters, and he could go to sleep at night, feeling safe.
o.O.o
Marty stared at the blonde and black haired demigods in front of him. He'd be stupid if even he couldn't tell the tension between the two. It had been present all through the plane ride, and now with the weight of the quest, the strain had increased tenfold. Marty was half waiting for one of them to explode.
But then his own jittery nerves overwhelmed him. Marty always had been looked down, whether at Camp or in the mortal world, so he itched to prove himself.
Those lingering thoughts led him to the entrance to the Underworld. DOA Recording Studios.
"Here goes nothing," Annabeth said, and they plunged in.