Note: Updating! Updating! :D YAY! Thanks a dozen of sea turtles to all who reviewed, favored, followed, and simply read Beyond the Horizon! I have the best readers and reviewers in the whole world! :D I love you all! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! :P
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson! And 31 days till The Mark of Athena! :D CAN'T WAIT!
-.-
Chapter 2
The five demigods and the satyr shuffled on their feet nervously as silence stretched after Zeus's two words of greetings. The gods and goddesses eyes were still on them, but before long, Zeus spoke again, and the eyes shifted towards their king.
"We have a matter of utmost importance at hand, demigods. It is most unusually, of course, since it never happened before—and some deities refuse to admit—"
"I stole nothing from you, Zeus!" Hades bellowed from his place beside the hearth, jumping to his feet.
The young demigods jumped, scooting together in a circle.
"I was stolen from just like the rest of you!" the god of the underworld continued, glaring hatefully at his family members. "You could either accept that, or I might—"
"Enough!" Athena spoke, standing up. "Fighting will help nobody! We have already discussed this, Father. And Hades has been proven innocent."
"Only he can do such a thing, though!" Hera said, looking at the god of the underworld with distrusting eyes. "Since none of us can go to the underworld, except Demeter of course, it'll be the perfect spot to hide—"
"Hera, we can't steal each other's symbols of powers—among other things," Athena said, patiently, glancing at Aphrodite's anxious face. "You know that."
"Athena is right!" Hermes said, nodding. Percy noticed that the god of messengers and thieves was bare footed.
He glanced at Annabeth, and she raised an eyebrow in astonishment.
Leo raised his hand. "Is anyone going to explain what this is all about?"
Thirteen pair of eyes turned to look at the young demigods, startled. They had apparently forgotten that they were in the presence of their children.
"Oh, Piper!" Aphrodite cried, standing up and, shrinking into normal human form, rushed forward to hug her daughter. "It's terrible! The most horrid thing that could ever happen to me!"
Piper, awkwardly, patted her mother's back. "It's going to be fine, Mother. What happened?"
"My perfume is gone!"
Annabeth could actually hear the pin dropping as silence consumed the whole throne room.
The Olympians rolled their eyes collectively as Hades threw a disgusted look. "You think that's relevant?! My sword is gone!"
"Well, my lyre has disappeared as well!" Apollo announced, looking handsome and radiant. "And that'll cause a lot of mayhem if activated by the wrong hands!"
Aphrodite pushed away from her daughter, scowling at Hades. "It is relevant, Hades. If anyone smells too much of it—"
"Enough!" Zeus snapped, standing up. He turned to the demigods. "As you have already collected, I am sure, we have an enormous problem. Each of us has had something stolen from them."
Annabeth nodded slowly. "When did this happen?"
"For the past three days, item after item have been disappearing mysteriously," Zeus said.
"It was planned." Athena said. "And timed just right as to not rouse suspicions around us until the right moment."
Athena's eyes looked at her daughter. Annabeth nodded slowly, her mind working.
"We want you to search for our items and bring them back before the sun sets on the 25th." Zeus announced.
Piper's eyes widened. "But that's exactly four days from now, Lord Zeus. You can't expect us to travel everywhere looking. They are thirteen items, they could be anywhere."
"Piper is right. It'll be almost impossible to locate them all in four days time!" Jason agreed.
"The 25th is the autumn solstice." Artemis said, scowling at the young demigods. "We need those items with us—"
"But it's just a perfume!" Apollo interrupted, looking at Aphrodite. "It's not that important. I think they can skip some items!"
"No, they can't!" Aphrodite clenched her fists. "I need that perfume."
"Apollo might be right," Athena spoke, softly. "Some items aren't that relevant. So you don't have to search for Aphrodite's perfume, or Poseidon's pearls—"
Poseidon stood up. "Oh, is that so? Maybe they shouldn't search for your stupid battle blueprint as well! After all, it isn't that relevant, either."
Athena's gray eyes flashed. "It is important, since it has all the battle strategies I have come up with and some weak-points that should not be seen by anyone!"
"And my pearls are important as well because they support the northern structure of my castle—which is already beginning to crumble."
As the two gods shot back scathingly at each other, Percy and Annabeth shared a look. They slid away from each other a bit, so that Grover stood shaking between them.
"Mother, your battle blueprint is just as important as Lord Poseidon's pearls and every other item—"
"Are you taking his side, Annabeth?" Athena's eyes flashed. "I knew that son of Poseidon would be a bad influence after all."
Annabeth flushed. "No, Mother, I just—"
"What exactly is wrong with my son, Athena?" Poseidon demanded, his green eyes sparkling dangerously.
Percy quickly jumped in. "Okay, look! Each item is as important as the rest. We'll search for them, and find them, and bring them back before the sun sets on the 25th."
Leo nodded, finally projecting a pencil and a notepad from his magical belt. "It would be good to have a list of what was stolen, just so we know what we are looking for."
He walked up to his father first, and Hephaestus looked down at him. "My hammer."
"Can you describe it, Father?" Leo asked, writing it down. Hephaestus did. Leo jumped from god to goddess writing down what was stolen from them and asking them to describe it.
"My bloody spear." Ares.
"My winged sandals." Hermes.
"Wine bottle." Dionysus.
Grover's eyes widened. "He screamed because a bottle of wine disappeared?!" and he fainted.
Piper and Annabeth rushed over to help him. Jason and Percy shook their heads at their satyr friend.
"Lyre." Apollo.
"Perfume." Aphrodite.
"Bow." Artemis.
"Battle strategy blueprint." Athena.
"Pot of barley." Demeter.
"What does a pot of barley do to be so powerful?" Percy whispered to Jason.
The Roman demigod shook his head, just as lost as his cousin.
"Sword." Hades.
"Three pearls." Poseidon.
"Diadem." Hera.
"Eagle." Zeus.
Leo did a double take. "Eagle?"
"Yes, eagle."
"Um, Lord Zeus, don't take this the wrong way, but why would anyone want to steal your eagle?"
Zeus' eyes flashed. "Are you insulting my pet?"
"So, he's an alive eagle?" Leo squeaked.
"Yes. Very much alive. With midnight fur and golden eyes and that neck." Zeus sighed, slumping back into his throne. "Oh, Fluff must be so terrified by now. He loves only hot baths, you know. And completely refuses anything but the finest rats!"
Did someone say rats? a hissing voice sounded, groggily.
"He wasn't talking to you, George, go back to sleep." Hermes said, sighing at the snake wiggling on his staff.
Rats… George drifted off.
Leo stared at Zeus. "You named the eagle Fluff?"
"Yes." Zeus' eyes bored into Leo's. "Is there a problem with that?"
"No, sir. Of course!" Leo said, hastening towards his friends. Percy was trying so hard not to laugh, while Jason had his face covered by his hand. Annabeth and Piper looked awe-struck. Grover was still unconscious, moaning "Wine…"
"So, let me get this straight," Leo flipped through his notepad. "We have exactly thirteen items to retrieve, four days to do so, and with no idea on where to begin and who is the one who stole them, right?"
The Olympians nodded.
Leo turned to his friends, grinning. "We are doomed."
-.-
They were doomed.
Annabeth stood at the helm of the Poseidon's Sea Pearl. Her demigod friends ran around the main deck, securing the ratlines, hauling the pennant line, slackening the sails, hauling cannon powder and cannon bronze balls from the pier, and locking the cannons into safety mode.
She had no idea how they were going to pull off finding thirteen objects in four days, return them before sunset on the autumn solstice, and discover who was behind this act.
"I can see the wheels turning,"
Annabeth turned. "I am just thinking. Who would want to create a drift between the gods?"
"Pretty much every enemy they have," Percy shrugged. His face sobered. "I have bad news. Rachel hasn't come back from her trip with her parents."
Annabeth cursed in Ancient Greek. Great. She added it to her mental list: she had no idea how they were going to pull off finding thirteen objects in four days, return them before sunset on the autumn solstice, discover who was behind this act, and without a prophecy that would guide them a bit.
"Great…" she muttered.
"Don't you want to hear the good news?" Percy asked, amused at her dark expression.
"Well, if you have something good in this mess, I'll be glad to hear it."
He chuckled. "Stop thinking too much, Wise Girl. It'll work itself somehow. Anyway, Nico told me something interesting when I Iris-messaged him—he can't come by the way; he's busy in the underworld, but anyway! There's a small library named Mystic in a small town nearby. It's not that far away from camp, so we'll be there in less than an hour."
Annabeth nodded slowly. "And this library is important because…?"
"According to Nico, the library hosts a very special map that shows the exact location of what you want the most…"
Annabeth straightened up. "What are we waiting for?" she turned towards the crew. "People, quicken your pace. We have to reach that library before the enemy!"
The crew looked at her. Travis grinned. "Aye, aye, captain!"
Percy chuckled.
-.-
He was right. It was less than half an hour later that the young adults found themselves in a small port with the sign that said: 'Welcome to Red Port'. They let down the anchor and docked. Percy and Annabeth jumped down the ladder, and were quickly followed by Jason, Piper and Leo.
Percy looked up. "Come on, Grover!"
"No-ooo, thank you," the satyr bleated, nervously, shaking his head. "I'll just stay here, manage the ship and all…"
"The Stolls can do that!"
"No, they can't…" Grover shifted, eyeing Percy. "Do you really trust them all alone?"
"Katie is there to keep them in line!"
"No!"
"Travis! Conner!" Percy exclaimed, exasperated. They were pulling the ropes on the mast, allowing the pirate flag that they have purchased a short while ago to flutter higher and higher above the ship.
Piper hid her smile as Annabeth rolled her eyes.
Leo grinned. "I like it!"
Jason shook his head, sighing at his friends' childishness.
"Put it down now!" Percy was ordering, trying to ignore the pointed look Grover was giving him.
The sons of Hermes grinned. "But it's the latest version. See? The skull is grinning and the teeth form the word pirates!"
"I don't care! Put it down!"
With a sigh, the Stolls did as they were told. Annabeth could hear Katie scolding Travis gently. Grover grinned. "I'll take care of things here."
"You do that." Percy sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Let's go."
He was glad no one stopped them and asked them for money. The town already gave him a huge sense of déjà-vu. He just hoped that the people won't melt into venti and the earth won't sprout out basilisks. They asked an old man for directions to the Mystic Library and he led them through the small paths of the town until they were standing in front of a medium sized building with peeling-paint walls and half-broken doors.
Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "It's not in use anymore."
The old man nodded. "It has been said that the place is cursed. No one goes in. And who does, aren't seen alive again."
Leo whistled. "Cool."
"Thank you," Jason smiled at the old man.
He looked concerned. "You're not planning to go in, are you?"
Percy glanced around the group. Piper sighed internally, and stepped forward, speaking softly, "Don't worry about us, sir. We'll be fine."
The old man's eyes glazed over, and he nodded, reassured. "Alright."
"Thank you again. Have a safe trip back to your house."
Leo whistled again as the man obediently walked away to his house. "I just love your charmspeak ability, Beauty Queen."
"And I hate it," she scowled. "But he wasn't going to let us in."
Jason walked towards the doors, and pushed them open gently. The wood's damp smell reached his nose, and he wrinkled it. "Come on."
The library was unkempt and unclean. Row after row was doubled over on the ground, books scattered all around. The place was damp and dusty and they had to jump over over-turned chairs and tables. Slowly, they spread out, using the minimum amount of sunlight that penetrated the windows to navigate them. However, it wasn't enough so Leo ignited a small fireball in his palm.
"Good idea," Annabeth praised, scooting down to turn a book. She set it back down, moving towards another.
Piper skipped over a chair. "I wonder what happened here."
"Most probably a fight," Percy answered, groaning as his boot caught in one of the holes that were drilled to the ground.
Leo shivered, eyeing a dried spot of blood. "I think the place is really cursed. Let's finish up quickly."
Jason crouched down beside one of the shelves, and he grinned in triumphant. "I found it!"
They moved quickly towards him and Percy and Leo helped him move the shelf away. Sure enough, a rolled scroll laid in front of them, shining faintly in the semi-darkness that surrounded the place. Percy reached out and took it.
"Good!" he grinned at his friends. "Now, back to the—"
Piper yelped, backing away in shock.
"What's wrong?" Jason demanded.
She pointed a shaky finger on the floor. The young demigods stared in shock as a swarm of scorpions seemed to flood from the holes in the ground. They all backed away, trying to put as much distance between them and the poisonous, black, predatory animals. Their small bodies devoured the library's floor and they stood between the demigods and their only exit.
Percy and Annabeth quickly straightened a large table and climbed on top. Leo and Jason followed; Jason pulled Piper up and against him just as a scorpion was ready to strike her foot.
"It didn't get you, did it?" he demanded, looking down at her foot.
"No, it didn't," she reassured.
"Make sure it doesn't," Annabeth warned, grimly. "It takes sixty seconds to die from their strike."
Leo grimaced. "Holy Hephaestus! They can't climb, right?"
"No, they can't," she confirmed.
"We can't waste time, though," Jason pointed out, looking down at the black, swarming arachnids. "We don't have time. It's almost sunset. Our four days begin by dawn!"
Percy nodded, holding the scroll tightly in his hands. "Leo, send a fireball in the middle. Experiment a bit."
The son of Hephaestus grinned. "I love that word!"
Igniting several fireballs, Leo threw them around like basketballs, and watched as the scorpions gave a faint wail before being barbecued completely. The searing heat was beginning to get into the rest of the demigods, but Leo didn't seem effected.
"Can you create big fire?" Annabeth asked, trying not to breathe the fumes.
Leo's smile vanished. "How big?"
"Big enough to allow us a path towards the door."
Leo bit his lip. Several fireballs were nothing to him, of course, but he wasn't sure he wanted to create a huge fire. What if it went all wrong? He opened his eyes.
"How about I create two rows of fire as a path and kill the scorpions on the path with fireballs?" he suggested.
"If you can manage it," Percy nodded.
Leo began sending fireball after fireball in a line on either side of the table, creating a wall of blazing fire and a path towards the exit. Many scorpions wailed as they tried to penetrate the wall, and their bodies fumed and melted into the floor. Leo made quick work with the scorpions on the path between the two firewalls.
"Run!" Percy ordered.
And they ran; Leo in the lead, blasting any scorpion that he had missed earlier. They reached the door and flung themselves out. Percy lingered in front of it, watching the flames beginning to spread. He couldn't let the fire eat up the whole library—they didn't need anything to rouse suspicions. He concentrated, trying to find a nearby source of water.
Luckily, huge supplies of water canals were just under the library. Percy willed the water to explode upwards. With a whooshing sound, the water sprouted hard from the very same holes the scorpions came up from. They sprinkled their mist around, and Percy willed the water to splash forcefully against the fire, extinguishing it.
When he was sure that the library won't burn down, Percy made the water return to its place under the earth and exited the doors quickly.
His friends were gasping from fresh air. Annabeth smiled at him, nodding towards the wet library floor. "Good work."
He grinned. "Let's go back to the ship."
-.-
Back at the ship, the five demigods, along with the Stolls, Katie, and Grover, stood at the helm. They all looked at the faintly glowing map as Percy slowly undid the ribbon around it. He unrolled it and looked down at a blank scroll.
Piper blinked. "Huh?"
Leo groaned. "You have got to be kidding me! All those fireballs for nothing?"
"Nico said that it'll show us what we want the most. Maybe we should speak out loud." Annabeth suggested.
Percy took a deep breath, feeling completely stupid, but complied to try. "Map, show me what I want the most."
Slowly, ink began to make patterns on the empty paper. A small island appeared, and beside it, a ship was drawn neatly. Under the ship, words were written in cursive: Poseidon's Sea Pearl, on the helm, Annabeth Chase.
Percy spluttered, his cheeks flushing. Annabeth went red. Grover and Leo grinned. Jason coughed to hide his laughter. Katie and Piper looked away, hiding their smiles. The Stolls howled out loud, making half the crew turn their heads curiously.
"Well," Jason cleared his throat, though his amusement was shining in his eyes. "At least we know the map is very, very accurate."
Percy nodded, not daring to look Annabeth in the eye. She was staring hard at an imaginary dolphin out at the sea as well. Percy cleared his throat again. "Map, show me what I want the most—" then hastily, he added, "Hephaestus's hammer."
The lines vanished from the map completely, and in the middle, a cursive writing showed: Oh.
Percy rolled his eyes.
The word melted back into the paper and patterns began to form again. A huge surface of land covered half the center of the paper, and in the middle, words began appearing: Jade Island, Port Black, Donut Shop. Beside the huge land, the words North Atlantic were written. Above the Donut Shop, a small picture of a hammer, a spear, a diadem, and a perfume were drawn neatly.
Percy blinked. "We have four items in the same place!"
"Our lucky day!" Leo grinned.
"Alright, crew!" Percy yelled, and they all looked at him, attentively. "We have our heading. 60 degrees, 31 minutes east, 25 degrees, 12 minutes west. Jade Island, North Atlantic. Set sail, immediately. We have to be there before dawn."
"Aye, aye, captain!"
-.-
Note: Don't you just love magic maps? ;) And a certain son of Poseidon? Hahahahahaha! Leave me your opinion please-cause it matters the most! Thank you for reading! Have a beyond an epic day or night (whenever you're reading!)
Keep a weather eye on the horizon! ;)
Till chapter 3! Take care!