And the second prologue is here. Gandalf has made his plea, but the eagle isn't the only one who heard. How do you like this? Please review! Even Flame if you want to, I just want to know people are reading this.
Disclaimer-The Lord of the Rings and Percy Jackson belong to Rick Riordan and J.R.R. Tolkien.
EDITED AND REVAMPED ON 31 DECEMBER 2013
BTW, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL YOU AWESOME READERS!
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Prologue 2
Valinor
Manwe, Lord of the Valar and Commander of the Air, stood in his throne room at the palace at Arda and watched Middle Earth. Things were not going well. Sauron, once the servant of Melkor had once again clawed his way back to threaten the peace of Middle Earth. Once thought to be defeated during the Last Alliance of Men and Elves, and once again destroyed during his short return as the Necromancer of Dol Guldor, the Enemy was gathering strength again. Manwe knew that Sauron could not be destroyed as a mortal could. His life force had been bound into the Ring, the foull creation of his, and as long as the Ring remained, he would remain. He now saw that his defeat sixty years ago had been a feint, a trick to blind the Maiar and the rest of the White Council. Sauron had now chosen to fully reveal himself in his fortress of Barad-Dur, and now the Nine rode among the free lands of Middle Earth along with his vast armies of orcs, sowing terror and spreading discord. Even in the dark depths of Moria, ancient evil was stirring.
Against this darkness, though, light still shone. Frodo Baggins, a young hobbit of the Shire, had come into possession of this Ring, and by the advice of Olorin had set out to Rivendell. Manwe was quietly impressed by this hardy race. A normal man would have succumbed to the lure of the Ring a long time ago. It was a testament to the good hearts and strength of the hobbit-kind that Bilbo Baggins could hold it for sixty years without being corrupted by the Ring. Even now, four of the hobbits were on the road to Rivendell, guided by the heir of Elendil and Isildur, Aragorn. But time was running out. Already the Ringwraiths were searching. They were already on their trail. There were problems. Olorin should have met them three days ago. Where was he? Manwe paced worriedly around his throne room as Varda watched in concern. Middle Earth was now facing one of its biggest threats again, and the forces of good had weakened.
At that moment, a voice, carried by the wings of the wind, his servants, reached him. "Help." Manwe started. That voice! He turned his attention to Isengard, from whence the cry had come, and beheld a terrible sight. Olorin, tired and frail, trapped atop the tower of Orthanc, which meant that Curunir had finally succumbed to his lust for power. His chosen Maiar sat hunched against one of the spires, as though conserving his strength. Looking closer, Manwe noticed a tiny moth negotiating the wind currents, carrying Olorin's plea with it. This was something that he could help with. He sent a gentle wind current to aid the moth, blowing it to the region of Mirkwood, where Aiwendil had made his home. Aiwendil would then be able to persuade one of his animal friends to bring help.
Manwe stepped back, face still set in a frown. It still wasn't enough. Middle Earth needed help. Strong warriors that would aid the people in their time of desperate need. By the will of Eru Iluvatar, he and his kin were forbidden to interfere with the people and workings of Middle Earth, but something needed to be done. He must discuss these matters with his fellow Valar. He turned to Varda. "Varda? Please summon the other Valar to a council. There are matters we must discuss among us." His beautiful wife, Queen of the Stars, nodded and quietly left the room.
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Hours later, the rest of the Valar arrived. Ulmo, Lord of the Waters, second only to him. Aule, the Smith, maker of the Dwarves. Orome the Huntsman. Mandos, Lord of the Dead and his brother Lorien, Master of Visions and Dreams. For the women, Varda, his wife, Yavanna, Queen of the Earth and spouse of Aule. Nienna, the Lady of Mercy, Este the Gentle, and Vana, Queen of the Flowers and Ever-Young. They sat in a circle.
The Council began.
"Why have you called us here, Manwe?" asked Ulmo. "Why summon us to Valinor at this hour?"
"My Friends," Manwe spoke in a quiet yet commanding voice. "Middle Earth, our charge, now faces a threat long thought dead."
Ulmo sighed. "That much is clear, Manwe. We are not blind. Yet what can we do about it?"
Most of the Valar then tried to give their own opinions and observations, resulting in a huge clamoring in the throne room, until Varda opened her palm and let out a blinding flash of starlight. "Quiet!" commanded Varda." Listen to what he has to say."
The others quieted down respectfully. Manwe then proceeded to tell them his observations. In the style and manner of a master storyteller, he retold the story of Middle Earth, starting with the creation of Middle Earth by Eru Iluvatar, and the creating of the Valar and the Maiar to preserve order among the land. He spoke of how Melkor, once the most powerful of them, had fallen and tried to subvert the land into his own vision. Sauron, who had once served under Aule, had also joined him in his quest for power, then only as a lieutenant. Melkor had spread chaos and discord into the world, and stole the great Silmarils from the land. He planted seeds of darkness among all men and corrupted many elves with his promises of power and his empty lies. He was the one who corrupted the Men of Numenor, and caused the seperation of Valinor from Middle Earth. Only when the Host of Valinor had taken matters into their own hands had he been defeated by their unitted force and cast into the void. As he told the story, Manwe noticed the sad and angry expressions of the other Valar.
Aule raised his hand. "These are painful memories, Manwe. Why dredge up the past again? Melkor has been defeated for good. I see no reason to bring up that dark chapter of our past."
Manwe acknowledged him with a nod, then continued. "I do realize those memories are painful, yet they are relevant to what we face today." At the mention of this, many of the Valar's faces tightened noticeably, and tears appeared in Este and Nienna's eyes. "As you all remember, Melkor, or Morgoth as he later named himself, had a most devoted lieutenant. Sauron was his name."
Aule grimaced at the name, and shut his eyes. Yavanna took his hand, comforting him.
"Sauron was cunning and devious. He began forging the Great Rings, and teaching elves the craft of enchanted rings. Nineteen were thought to have been made, with varying strengths and uses, to bring order and to exert the will of its wearer on its chosen realm. Three Rings were given to the Elven-kings under the sky, seven to the Dwarf Lords in their halls of stone. Nine rings for mortal men doomed to die. And now we know that Sauron forged another Ring in secret. In the fires of Orodruin, he forged a Master Ring, transferring much of his power and spirit into it. With it, he could then dominate the wills of others who bore the Rings. In that venture, he was only partly successful. The elves, as soon as they learned of his betrayal, removed their Rings and hid them, rendering them lost to him. Four of the dwarf Rings had been destroyed by dragonfire, but Sauron succeeded in capturing the other three. The Nine men who bore the Rings were corrupted easily, and became the Nine Ringwraiths, his most loyal and dreaded servants. Sauron then proceeded to spread fear over Middle Earth. But the might of Elves and Men were stronger then, and they formed a Last Alliance to challenge him. It was then when Isildur, with a stroke of his father's broken sword, cut off Sauron's finger, weakening him and gaining victory."
Orome spoke up. "All this we know, Manwe. This is not news to us. We know, also of Sauron's attempted return sixty years ago as the Necromancer, thwarted by the actions of the White Council. What is the reason we are assembled here today?"
Manwe smiled wryly. "Ever the impatient Huntsman, Orome. Very well. Allow me to show you." He spread his hands, and the land of Middle Earth lay projected before them in the throne room. Manwe started telling them of Sauron's latest return, and his plans. The Enemy was clearly getting stronger, and all he needed to complete his subjugation of Middle Earth was the One Ring. The warriors of the Light were now too few and too weak. He then sighed. "And this is the reason I called you here today. A tragedy has happened. Curunir has fallen. He now serves the Dark Lord of Barad-Dur, and has captured Olorin and imprisoned him on top of the tower Orthanc." He spread his arms, calling upon the wind to deliver the message it had brought him. a whisper, a word, drifted into the room. A simple plea, driven by desperation and tinged with sadness and weakness. "Help."
A ripple of shock and anger spread through the Valar. Aule put his head in his hands while Yavanna tried to comfort him. Curunir was now the second of his Maia to betray him. In a bitter twist of irony, his current Maia had deserted him to serve his former Maia. Este and Nienna, the gentlest of the Ladies, were brought to tears by the weakness and the sheer desperation of the plea.
"Manwe. What do you have in mind?" Nienna asked softly. "What can be done to help?"
Mandos cleared his throat. "The problem, as I see it, is that while the Enemy has plainly been gathering strength, the peoples of light have waned. The Istari are divided and weak. The Numenoreans are a doomed race. The elves have started to abandon Middle Earth to sail for the Undying Lands. The dwarves retreat into their mountain caves. In these times, from where shall this help come from? You know the Valar are forbidden by Eru himself to intervene directly in matters of Middle Earth. From where shall we find this aid?"
Lorien spoke, a thoughtful look on his face:" Brothers, help cannot be found on Middle Earth, it is true, but what of the other realms?"
"Other realms? Hah! I fear that you have spent too long in the realm of dreams, and have finally confused your visions for reality, Lorien." Aule sniffed.
Yavanna took his hand, quieting him."What is this talk of other worlds, Lorien? Iluvatar created Middle Earth and Valinor, nothing else."
"At least let us hear him out, Yavanna." Ulmo said from his seat.
"Aye. Thank you, Ulmo." Lorien smiled. "In dreams and visions, I have seen another world. One with other deities and great heroes as well. Heroes with great power. It is called "Earth".
"Earth?" inquired Yavanna curiously. "It sounds most similar to our realm."
"Yes, earth. A land not unlike ours, but with great magic." Answered Lorien. "Iron birds that carry people in the air, Iron carriages that need no horses, buildings that reach out to the sky, tubes that can kill with a sound." The rest of the Valar seemed to have some trouble taking it in, but they seemed willing to listen.
"Impossible!" scoffed Aule. "These things cannot exist. I am the Smith, and I have never even heard word of these creations."
Lorien stood. There was no anger in his face, but there was fire in his eyes."I speak the truth. I am…special, among the Valar. Dreams and Visions are often considered to be a realm of their own, unconfined to restrictions of our world. Among this shadowy realm, The veil between other realms are the thinnest, and I often see things that are beyond imagining." A wry smile crept onto his face. "I dare say that you wouldn't believe half of the things I have seen, though you know of my honesty. I speak of only what I have seen with my own eyes. As it is, I believe I have even conversed once with the Dreamweaver from that realm" He said it with such conviction that nobody doubted him anymore.
"Well, why not try to contact the leaders of this "earth" and ask for help?" asked Varda.
Manwe smiled for the first time. "an excellent idea. All in favor, rise." As one, the entire council rose. "Very well. Lorien, you can converse with them? Excellent. We shall ask for the aid of some of their most powerful heroes."
The Valar rose and exchanged farewells, then departed to their own realms. The Council was dismissed.
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Olympus. Two days later.
"ARE YOU INSANE?!" Poseidon roared, grabbing Zeus by the collar and slamming him against the wall of the throne room. "This is my son, my son you are offering! He had just survived a war of his own at only sixteen! In case the knock Typhon gave you is still affecting you, you will remember that Percy defeated Kronos for us! You cannot just send him to another world to fight another war!" The God of the Sea was furious, and it showed. The oceans of the sea were churning, and at that very moment a couple of tsunamis were hitting shores all over the earth, and some places were experiencing some earthquakes. Athena and Artemis, who were in the same room, stepped back slightly. It was not often that the easygoing Sea God became angry, but when he did, it was frightening. Even Hades looked a little taken aback. Hestia watched disapprovingly from the hearth, but said nothing. Outside, it began to rain.
Zeus managed to shake him off and glared at him. lightning crackled around his fingers, and the smell of ozone filled the air. Fortunately, Athena intervened before anymore violence could happen. "Father, Poseidon is right. Our children have just gone through a war. They deserve a rest." A edge of steel entered her voice, "And, this is also my daughter we are talking about. I will not stand seeing her in more danger. Besides, what of your own daughter? And Hades' son? You cannot just agree to put our children in more danger just because some other god asks for assistance. What has possessed you to do this?"
Artemis added "Father, I have to agree with my uncles and my sister. Thalia Grace has sworn herself into my service. As it is, she is under my protection. I cannot allow you to just give her services to some other place like a common slave girl in Greece!"
Hades joined in for good measure. His face was emotionless, but his voice was steel."You are insane, brother. As Poseidon has said, you have no right, no right at all to touch our children, much less to offer him to another 'realm'. If any harm was to befall him, it would be your fault. I already have lost Nico's mother and Bianca. I will not lose Nico too." A couple of tremors shook New York underneath.
The five Olympians argued back and forth in the throne room. Zeus had received a vision the night before, from a god who claimed to be from another world, asking for help from their greatest heroes. In a fit of pride at being asked, Zeus had immediately agreed and volunteered four of the best demigod heroes from Camp Half Blood. Looking back, he kind of regretted his quick decision. His immortal family was really letting him have it. Poseidon raged, Artemis pleaded, Athena reasoned and Hades ventured the occasional scathing comment. Zeus was unhappy. He was the King of the Gods, for his sake! He could do whatever he pleased with the demigods, to Tartarus with what his family thought. In Sparta, for instance, it would have been a great honor for their children to fight in the army! Thus, Zeus was deaf to all of the other's arguments.
He slammed a thunderbolt into the floor of the throne room, stunning the rest into silence. "Lorien had made it clear that is a great honor to be chosen for this! And they'll be safe, don't worry. Though I hate to admit it, they are not called the strongest demigods for nothing." He grimaced, as though the words tasted bad in his mouth. "I have made my decision. I will not be shaken." With that, he left the room with a terrific flash of lightning and a loud thunderclap.
The remaining four gods looked despairingly at each other. "We have to warn them."said Poseidon grimly. I will not let that idiot of my brother put my son in more danger."
Athena agreed," yes. Father has indeed gone too far."
Hades was already walking out the door to look for Nico. The four demigods in question had decided to take a picnic in Central Park to celebrate their victory over Kronos that day, and that was where all four gods were headed. Hestia watched them leave sadly. She knew that it was already too late.
By the time the four gods appeared in Central Park, looking for their childrenthey reached Central Park, they were too late. Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Nico Di Angelo and Thalia Grace were gone. Vanished off the face of the earth.
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By the way, I'm Malaysian, so my English might not be as good. I tend to mix u.k and u.s a lot, actually.
Edited and revamped ON 31 December 2013. Better use of quotation marks, expanded on the council scene with a lot more involvement from the other Valar and historical trivia from the first age. Also made the flow smoother in the second scene. In my opinion, this chapter has been ramped three notches up the quality meter. Haha. Review and tell me what you think!
To keep the feel of the Valar, I used the true names of the Istari when referring to them. Aiwendil is Radagast, Olorin is Gandalf, and Curunir is, of course, Saruman. hope nobody is too confused!
PJCrazy signing out.
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