A/N: Ugh! So sorry to the person who thought I updated regularly! I gave you the wrong impression! Again –procrastinator here! At this very moment, I should be doing something else. This chapter, which isn't long sorry, took a lot longer to do because of the research. I kind of got myself in a bind in the other chapter and I had to get a mountain and an island. That took a lot of researching and errors of deleted chapters. I love you Wikipedia! Eros castle was everywhere. For anyone that lives in the area of New York and Pennsylvania I am sooo sorry if I screwed up your location description. Um…I actually deleted a lot of this A/N because it was too long, it still is. Kitty's review asked if I was making a reference to the movie – yes and to the books even the small little stories in…I can't think of the title…something about demigod files. AwesomeGirl82, a most appreciated review. The situation is a long story. To make it short as I can, the copied story was posted on another web site that was not part of Fanfiction or its sister site. The person did it under a different name so I never knew who actually stole my story. I wish I did because I can only say that it probably was a reviewer, encouraging me for updates so they could update as well. On the other site, it was deleted because a lot of people did go there with the complaint. Oblivious my story date showed I had written the story. On fanfiction, I never knew who it was and I never finished the story. Again, I do appreciate the support and the offer and maybe one day consider it. Kiransomers, I love your review. A person after my own heart. Ignore the mistakes. That is me! Thanks! ThaliaDiAngelo and mosspath, thank you for the update encouragments. I need them. I should be really cleaning my room. Shia F – I don't want to spoil anything though I love spoilers myself. I read books from back to front – seriously. Mushy, mushy, mushy. Um – I don't plan on it. Not like that. There will be some awww moments, I think. There is a part that my mind is trampling on that eros' near presence might affect them – mostly Annabeth and Percy, but I shouldn't think it would last long. This isn't not a pleasant experience for Thalia. This is truly one of the most difficult quest she'll make because she has so much to lose. It's not going to be *snap* instant love. Eros isn't going to play it like that. Hope that gives you some hopes for the future of this story. Sorry again about it being short!
Where the Stream Divides
'As I was saying before Percy tried to get brilliant.' Nico continued, taking a step backwards as Percy moved to strangle him.
'Hey!' Annabeth warded her boyfriend off.
'I was joking!' Nico took one more step just for caution.
'I liked you better when you were younger and not a demi-god.' Percy muttered.
'So did I.' Nico replied with a sigh. 'Anyways, I went down through this doorway to Dad's domain, it's more like a shaft. It is the coolest thing ever. Just wait till you try it!' Nico's dark brown eyes grew large. 'It's like a mega slid! You twist to the right and before long there is a sharp turn on the left, another pull on the right, a ninety degree angle sloop and there's a loop near the end of it and all the while you are going rocket fast!' His hand was moving for a visual demonstration of every turn and loop and twist that he explained. 'Of course there were some sharp rocks sticking up through the track but I managed to smooth them down as I went. The rocks shouldn't be a problem, unless of course, they grew back. At the end, you swear you are going to plow right into the stone wall but there is a vertical net of sorts that catches before you head makes contact.'
'No way!' Percy's own face beamed with excitement.
Annabeth and Thalia exchanged 'boys' eye roll look but they both had a trace of a small grin as well.
'Will there be seahorse merry-go-round too!' Tyson asked eagerly.
'Um. No, Tyson.' Nico put the palms of his hands up slightly and shook his head, giving Tyson a sorry look. Though Tyson was growing at a faster rate than Percy or Nico, the son of Hades never seem to have trouble remembering that Tyson was more of a child then any of them. 'But I've heard Eros' Island has a lot of animals, like a petting zoo. Anyways, so on reaching the bottom there is a bit of openness, like a cavern type deal. It's your basic cave dwelling with the stalagmites and stalactites, the whole shebang.'
'I like zebras.' Tyson explained.
'A netting?' Annabeth asked with a puzzled expression. 'Why would there be a netting to stop someone from plowing into the wall if it was an entrance to the underworld? Spirits wouldn't get hurt.'
'Forget the net.' Thalia cut Annabeth off. 'What else have you heard about Eros' Island?'
'Dad and Persephone were talking about this…er, mess.' Nico turns to Thalia. 'It is apparently the newest drama epidemic. All the gods are buzzing about it. There is even a pool on the outcome of the quest. A lot are favoring Eros, by the way.' Nico cleared his throat on receiving the glare Thalia gave him. He could almost feel her strangling him. 'Anyways, I guess they hadn't notice me sort of hanging out in the shadow.' Nico brushed dust of his bomber jacket. 'Dad was telling Persephone about Eros castle.'
It was a wedding gift from Eros to Psychic, who was at the time a mortal. She wasn't a demi-god or a minor god. Just a regular person. She couldn't live with him in his world so he had to live with her in our world. Plus, he didn't want Aphrodite to know he was married. Dad said that Eros is a mamma's boy.' Nico added with a snort. 'Eros castle was made to hover above water. The way Dad explained it, it is as if huge chunk of land was torn off from earth and just drifts above a body of water. In a way, it looks like an island. Normal people cannot see it, something to do with the mist. Currently it is above Lake Wallenpaupack.'
'Wallenpawho?' Percy asked, holding back a laugh.
'Wallenpachue Lake.' Tyson replied also messing up the name but not noticing his mistake.
'It's a large lake in Pennsylvania. In Pocono Mountains in fact. Huge honeymoon attraction. Well that's what Dad says. I haven't checked it out.' Nico shifted his weight to his other foot. He left out how Persephone remarked to Hades about wanting to visit Eros' Island on their next honeymoon. 'There is something that is supposed to be really romantic about that place but dad says there isn't anything special at all, just that the place reeks of Eros' love aura and it attracts a lot of um..honeymooners. I guess when Eros is around though, his aura seeps out and everyone is affected.'
'It's not an island in the ocean?' Annabeth quickly unfolded the parchment that was given to her. She showed it to Nico. 'We thought it was an ocean because of how it was sketched. This big piece of land surround by enormous amount of water.'
Nico studied the map by standing at her side. He gave a brief head shake. 'I don't know. I never saw the island myself. Just happen to be in the right spot when dad was speaking about it.'
'Maybe the map is sketched at a closer range so it cuts off the edge of the lake, making it appear to be an island floating in the ocean.' Percy took up a spot next to Annabeth, pointing out the outline where the body of land might be if it were to be a lake. 'Like the person ran out of room to show it's a lake and not an island.'
'If the island is floating above the water, how do we get there?' Thalia looked at each face, hoping to find an answer that did not have anything to do with heights.
'Maybe I can make a water surge that would lift us to the level of the castle.' Percy looked closely at the map. 'Its fresh water lake, I might be able to speak with the lake's spirit dwelling there.'
'How high can you make it and can you do that with five people?' Annabeth asked her boyfriend.
'Depends how high it hovers above the water and how much the lake will help.' Percy folded the map back up before handing it back to Annabeth. 'I guess we won't know till we get there.'
'Here's the thing on that.' Nico smiled broadly, knowing he had the answer. 'The island is alive and it needs to feed. Luckily, it only feeds on the normal earth stuff like soil, sun, and water.'
'That's in our favor.' Annabeth sighed in relief. 'As soon as you said it was alive and needed to feed, I thought for sure it ate Demi-gods!'
'It's how our luck normally goes.' Percy added with understanding.
'No it doesn't go for Demi-gods but doesn't exactly reject them either.' Nico replied.
'I knew it sounded too easy!' Percy growled.
'In this case, when the island needs something like soil or a bit of water it lets down its roots to soak its dinner up. The roots are alive and they search somewhat like that of a worm. At the end of the root there is a circler mouth and razor teeth, like a leech.'
'I don't like leeches.' Tyson pulled a horrible face.
'We could climb the vines.' Nico recommended.
'That sounds sound. Climb man eating root vines while we are a mile high in the sky.' Thalia contended.
'We got some options to go on once we reached the quest area.' Annabeth clapped her hands once. 'As you know, our plans never work out because there is and probably forever be obstacles in our way that are not foreseen.' She reminded them. 'So let's just there and see what we are up against, see which option are better.'
'If this castle is in Pennsylvania and we are in New York, why do we need to take the Underworld Route?' Percy looked at the others and noted the same question in the Thalia's eyes.
'Remember the prophecy and how it spoke of the arrow will find a home in the darkness of the race?' Annabeth asked them. 'You can't get any darker than the Underworld. For some reason I just feel that we need to take that path. It's a gut instinct I'm having.'
'There is a rumor that a demi-god, a child of Hermes did loot out some temples and that a golden arrow was one of them in which might belong to Eros. The kid has taken the Underworld for an easy escape.' Nico bit his lower lip before scrunching up his nose. 'I'm not buying it. I can't see a god just leaving a weapon behind. However, there is an intruder that matches the kid's description in the Underworld so there is some truth to that story.'
'You think it's worth checking out?' Percy asked the younger looking boy seriously.
Nico gave a shrug of indifference. 'I have too. It's part of a punishment. My little quest Dad had given me for blowing up some of Persephone's daisies and for growing some rocks in their place. She isn't fond of rock gardens. I got it covered, so you guys can go your way and I can go mine. But no, for you I don't think it's worth checking out. I think it would be a waste of your time.'
'Why would anyone think the Underworld would be an easy escape route?' Percy asked remembering all the horrible creatures down there. The Underworld was no place for the living.
'He isn't exactly traveling alone.' Nico added. 'Phobos and Deimos are with him.'
'Ares' sons? I dealt with them once with Clarissa.' Percy shuddered on the memory. 'Not the friendliest bunch. I can't see them helping a demi-god unless Aries demanded it of them.'
'And we know how Aries feels about you.' Annabeth rubbed Percy's back with her right hand. 'If there is a way to make you suffer, Aries will find a way.'
'I'll check it out. Meet you at the lake.' Nico was about to turn into the shadows but Thalia grabbed his arm before he could do so.
'You can't go against Phobos and Deimos alone.' Thalia's voice did not make it a question, did not make it an order but it was a statement. 'No one should do that alone.'
'There is a reason for all these.' Annabeth agreed. 'And we will find the answer together. The five of us.'
'The trail starts at Lackawanna.' Nico gave a goofy smile. 'It's an old mining area in Pennsylvania. The shaft we need to go is there. That takes you to the Underworld. Eros' Island isn't far from there. Take a bus to Lackawanna, go to the Underworld, find a way out, go to Eros' Island then we can rest.'
'For some reason I don't think it'll be that simple.' Percy muttered.
Underworld
'Are any of these really any good?' A dark haired boy about twelve looked up at the two ugliest gods he had ever seen. They had evidence of battle scars all over their faces and one, the boy wasn't sure which was which, kept licking his lips like a serpent sniffing the air.
'Doesn't matter.' Phobos growled at the kid. 'A deal is a deal. You travel in the afterworld with the loot, find whatever it is that you are looking for and we help when you need it.'
'That's the problem!' The boy stared at one and then the other. 'I'm not sure what it is that I'm looking for and this bag.' He held up a brown backpack, giving it a bit of a shake. A loud clatter of metal clashing into each other rose from the sack. 'Is freaking heavy. Can't I hide some of it?' He rooted through the bag again, shaking his head all the while. 'I mean seriously, there isn't anything good in here! It's all junk!'
'Can't we just kill him?' Deimos looked over at his nearly identical brother.
'No. Well, maybe later.' Phobos hissed. 'Dad says we are to keep him safe for no.'
'I can totally hear you guys.' The boy looked at them. 'This isn't exactly fun for me either. It's not like you two are the best quest buddies I ever had!'
'This is your first quest.' Deimos reminded him. 'And you never had a quest buddy.'
'Official, yeah but I've done things on my own which I consider a quest-fullness.' The boy heaved the bag over his one shoulder. 'And I had a monkey who helped me out.'
'Next time take a bit more care who's things you are trying to steal.' Phobas remarked with a sneer.
The boy mocked the speech back before muttering about working with godly weirdoes.
'My brother is right. What made you think you could steal dad's motorcycle?' Deimos barked.
'First thing.' The boy turned around and gave a shuttered at having to face the two brothers. They were the ugliest unfortunate pair of souls he ever met. He decided to keep walking forward and not look back. 'I did not know that Aries even drove a motorcycle. How could I? Why would a god who can go anywhere and be anywhere need a motorcycle to go somewhere? And secondly, it isn't my fault. Dad being who he is and mom being who she is, my outcome of character was unavoidable. And thirdly, you guys left the keys in the switch which is just asking for someone to take a ride and fourthly that was all it was. Just a ride. I wasn't stealing it. I was just testing to see if I might have wanted to steal it. If it were a crappy motorcycle, why would I even want it and I had no way of finding out unless I turned the key. You all just jumped to conclusions.'
The brothers glared at the boy's back then at each other, both crossed their mangled arms in front of them at the same time.
'When this is all over, I'm going to kill him in his dreams and then when he awakens, I'm going to kill him again.' Deimos told his brother.
'That is so not motivating me!' The boy yelled over his shoulders before the two minor gods could disappear. 'You need to learn to use your library voices!'
It didn't make him feel better, leaving him in the Underworld alone. Yet, having them watch his back really didn't feel any better. This wasn't his fault
Hope you call visualized my thoughts clearly. Feel free to ask questions!
