CHAPTER FOUR

The Challenge of Zeus

After a long plane ride, we finally land in New York. It takes half and hour to get past the traffic in the airport and when I finally walk out the doors, I take in a deep breath of American air.

"Are you coming with us?" Fiona asks me.

"Actually, I don't know where I'm going. Before I met you guys, I was planning on going to Camp Half-Blood with Percy."

When Percy hears his name, he walks over and puts his luggage on the ground.

"Are these your friends, Annie?" He asks.

"I met them back in Athens, just before we boarded the plane." I say.

"I'm Fillip, and this is my sister Fiona." Fillip says, holding out his hand.

Percy shakes their hands. "I'm Percy."

Percy nudges my shoulder and whispers, "are they…demigods?".

"No," Fiona says. "My brother and I are descendants of Hercules."

"Hercules is our great, great, great, great," Fillip says, counting his fingers, "grandfather!"

"Because they're descendants of a Greek hero, the power of the Mist is weak on them." I explain.

"But we're just as capable as you so don't count us out," Fiona says.

"Where are you two headed, anyways?" I ask.

"We're gonna go-"

"Visit our mom in Long Island!" Fiona says, finishing Fillip's sentence.

"Well it was nice meeting you!" Percy says, waving his hand goodbye and turning around.

"I'm…gonna go with Percy," I say, giving the two siblings a hug.

I turn around and start walking with a small feeling of regret. They're not going to go visit their mom. I saw it in my vision. Their mom's in Rehab. Where could they be going?

"Wait…do you want to come with me?" I say, turning around.

Fillip and Fiona turn around, and the looks on their faces tell me yes.

XXX

We follow the Camp Half-Blood bus in a taxi, and get off when the taxi reaches the outskirts of town. I pay the driver and he drives away into the horizon.

"We can walk from here," I say.

We walk on a path in a forest and Fiona makes a clicking sound with her tongue that she calls echolocation.

"So what's waiting for us at this camp everyone keeps talking about?" Fiona asks.

"From what I know, it's a place for young demigods to train." I reply.

Fillip's face lights up, as if I just reminded him of something big. "Really?" He asks. "Well then pick up the pace!"

Fillip runs ahead and drops his bag. Suddenly, a wall of gas appears between two trees and Fillip runs right into it and falls over. The wall is transparent and made of a red gas. It looks like one could just walk through it but Fillip can't pass. From the cloud, three figures walk through.

"It's a portal," I say to myself.

"What's happening?" Fiona says.

"My sisters…they've found me."

"Fillip! Come here!" Fiona says, panicking.

Atropos picks up Fillip by the shirt. "Annie, surrender yourself and your friend will live," she says with blank white eyes.

"Fillip!" Fiona screams, holding on to my arms. "Put my brother down!"

Fiona runs, clicking her tongue in desperation. She stops to pick up her bag. Before Fiona can pull out her bow, I stop her.

"I surrender. Now let him go." I demand.

Without letting go, Atropos points her finger at me. "Clotho."

Clotho walks up to me and holds my hands behind my back. "See how easy it is when you cooperate? No one has to get hurt!"

I walk up to the portal with Clotho holding my arms, like a criminal going to jail. Atropos lets go of Fillip and Fiona runs into his arms.

"And as for the two of you, leave this place now. You may not enter this camp, as it is not your destiny." Clotho says.

When I expect Fiona and Fillip to fight back, the two run off into the forest.

I walk up to the portal with a look of mutiny on my face. "It can't end like this," I whisper.

"Don't be sad, sister. Just think of it like this: once you're gone, the world will see balance and order." Atropos says with a smirk.

Before I enter the portal, in a last minute act of desperation, I fight back, and pull out my blades, but my sisters quickly extinguish it.

I'm a millisecond away from being pushed into the portal when an arrow pierces through Atropos' stomach. She stops and gasps at her injury, and a scream comes from behind. Atropos moves out of the way and I see Fiona drawing another arrow. Fillip runs up with his fist held high, prepared to attack. He punches the Fates with all he's got while Fiona shoots arrows from a distance. I throw Clotho into the portal in the midst of all the chaos. Fillip pushes Lachesis into the portal, and all that's left is Atropos. She's kneeling on the ground, recovering from three more arrows.

"Why do you rebel, sister? We are the good guys! You are standing in the way of justice and we will not rest until you are gone." She says, standing up. "You are doing nothing but prolonging your agony."

I stare her in the face for a heartbeat and then Fillip throws her into the portal. The portal closes and Fillip takes a minute to catch his breath. Fiona runs up to me and she's probably asking if I'm okay but I drown it out and reflect on what Atropos says.

"Am I really standing in the way of justice?" I ask.

"Don't worry; I would have done the same thing, given your situation." Fillip says.

"So would I," says Fiona. "Come on, let's go."

"No, we can't. The Fates will just find me again."

"Maybe we can find some answers at the camp, and make a plan." Fillip says.

I take in a deep breath. "Okay."

XXX

We arrive at the camp at the same time the bus does. The demigods all flock into camp and Fillip stares at the gates in awe.

Fillip runs into the camp like a little kid into a candy store.

"Why is he so excited?" I ask.

"All his forefathers were great men. Leaders, preachers, builders, you name it. Fillip has this dream of fulfilling Hercules's legacy and being a hero just like him. I guess being at this camp is his first opportunity to actually train with real weapons." Fiona says.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood!" Percy says from behind.

"Where will we stay?" I ask.

"You can pass yourselves off as demigods for the next few days and stay in the Hermes cabin." Percy suggests.

"I want to see Olympus." I say. "It's been so long since I last visited."

"Me too!" Fiona says. "Will you take us there?"

"Sure, when do you want to go?" He asks.

"Tomorrow," Fiona says.

"What's happening tomorrow?" Annabeth asks from behind.

"We're going to Olympus," I say.

"Can I come?" Annabeth asks.

"Who is this?" Fiona asks.

"I'm Annabeth." Annabeth says.

"I'm Fiona."

As we walk through camp, I find my plan unravelling. There are too many people here. I'm going to get too attached. I'm going to be found.

XXX

A day passes and already it's time to head for Olympus. Fiona, Fillip and I sneak out of the cabin while everyone's awake and busy. We meet Percy and Annabeth and the camp doors and leave without attracting any attention.

"Are you sure no one will notice we're gone?" I ask.

"I'm sure," says Percy.

Everything goes by so fast, and suddenly I'm on the 600th floor of the Empire State building.

"The Empire State building has 600 floors?" Fillip says, following the group.

"Get with the times, Fillip." Fiona says.

The elevator doors open and even I'm in awe. Olympus has grown since the last time I saw it.

We're in a huge courtyard with trees and fountains. People are walking around wearing togas. Directly in front of us is a long staircase leading up to a huge palace.

"What is that clicking sound you're making?" Percy says.

"It's how I see. Not all of us are blessed with vision." Fiona says.

"You're…blind?" he asks.

"Yes I am, thanks for reminding me," she says with sarcasm.

"Fiona uses little clicks to hear what's around her, just like bats use supersonic waves to see in the dark." Fillip explains.

"That's amazing." Annabeth says.

"I know," Fiona replies.

Before Annabeth can start talking about the buildings, I take the words right out of her mouth. "That's the throne room of the Olympians."

"I don't think that place is open for tours at the moment," says Annabeth.

I drown out Annabeth's words and run towards the palace at light speed when I come up with an idea.

From the distance, I can hear the others shouting my name but I ignore it. I run towards what I'm convinced is my salvation.

I stand at the doors and take a deep breath. I kick open the doors.

"I'm sorry, this place is not open for tours right now," says Athena. "You must go."

Annabeth, Percy, Fiona, and Fillip all rush up behind me.

"We need to go now, Annie." Percy whispers.

"It is you that must go, Athena. I'd like to talk to my father in private." I say.

Athena raises her eyebrows and my friends all nudge me but I ignore it.

"And which one of us is your father?" Hermes asks.

"If I am not your daughter, leave now." I say.

All the gods disappear in a cloud of dust except for one.

"Your father is…Zeus?" Annabeth asks, as if it were unbelievable.

"Anastasia, why have you come?" He asks.

"My sisters seek to kill me." I say.

"And why is that?"

"What do you mean, why is that? You birthed a fourth child. I am above the Fates' control and it drives them crazy having me interfere with mortal's lives. All I ask is that you kill me, and rebirth me instead of sending me to the Underworld. Let me live a regular life. As long as I don't have to seek refuge my whole life." I say.

"I can't just hand out second chances like that, Anastasia." Zeus says.

"I'm your daughter." I reply.

"So are the Fates. If the other gods found out I went around the will of the Fates they would punish me for it. If you want me to grant you this wish, you must do something for me."

"And us, too!" Fillip blurts out. "We'll all do you a favour and you grant us all a wish!"

Fiona elbows Fillip in the gut and mumbles.

"Fine then," Zeus says, catching the undivided attention of everyone in the room. "Do this for me and I will grant you all one favour."

"What is it?" I ask.

Zeus puts his hands on his chin and looks up to think. "For many centuries, it has been cast away beyond the reach of any hero, but many still try to obtain it and use it for evil purposes. Some have been very close, but it must be destroyed so that it can never be used for harm. It is among the strongest weapons in the world. So strong that it can kill a god. The gods cannot destroy it, as we were the ones that cast it away. It must be destroyed by a hero."

"What is it?" Fiona asks impatiently.

"Pandora's Box," says Zeus. "Find it and destroy it."