Eventide
part one: civil

ch. ten: far over the mountains


There was absolutely nothing to do. Nothing. It was pretty much Elysium all over again - at first, he thought it was pretty much paradise. True fact. (Of course, this was after he had stopped beating himself up over letting the Titan Lord take over his body to kill a bunch of people, etc.)

No, no, scratch that. There was nothing productive to do except pace around. His bare feet were starting to burn against the rough, unfinished wood of the porch. It was still strange, he mused, how he was staying at Percy's place. Yesterday, someone had come over to talk about living arrangements, and he'd be able to get his own place in about a week. (But couldn't Chaos just poof it out of nowhere?)

"Luke," someone called. Bianca. Her dark eyes met his as she reached out to touch his shoulder, touch soft as a butterfly's, fleeting. She jerked her head in a different direction. "Chaos is coming." He turned.

And indeed she was, the young girl he had come to associate with Chaos walking towards them briskly. Behind her, the everlasting couple of 'Percabeth' followed, holding hands.

"Should I wake Ethan?" he asked. Bianca opened her mouth to answer, but the creator beat her to it.

"Please," she said, inclining her head. "That would be nice." Grinning wickedly at his friends, Luke moved over to the lawn chair that Ethan had pulled out to sleep on. No one tried to stop him; Annabeth leaned over and murmured something in Percy's ear, causing him to laugh.

And then the lawn chair fell over with a creak and a groan. There was a surprised yell as Ethan hit the floor, with only his instincts saving him from complete and utter embarrassment. Bianca giggled behind a hand. He himself threw his head back, laughing, and the couple was leaning on their significant other to keep from falling over. It wasn't that it had been funny, no; the sight of a one-eyed, surprised Ethan was simply too good to not laugh at.

He wondered, for a brief moment, if this was the first (if it even counted) prank Ethan had received. Maybe that was what had made it hilarious. Even Chaos had managed a weary smile. She clapped her hands together, drawing silence.

"Thank you, Luke, for awakening our companion, but we are to discuss more pressing matters. As you know - or, I suppose, do not know - Percy asked to bring back nine demigods. Luke. Bianca. Silena. Beckendorf. Ethan. Micheal. Lee. Castor. And one more, who I am sure you know very well. Zoe Nightshade, Hunter and lieutenant of Artemis." He sucked in a breath. If he just thought back, he could just barely remember dark hair, long and braided, a silver circlet, and blue-ish eyes.

"You did?" Bianca asked, eyes wide. He didn't understand her reaction until he remembered that Bianca, too, had once been a Hunter in her former life. Ethan, though, was a bit more confused.

"I've never heard of her," he said, truthfully.

"Interesting," Chaos murmured. "Interesting indeed. At any rate, this will be your first official mission with the Fellowship. After all, I am not asking you only to be soldiers; you must do your duty, as well as other things, no? I wish for there to be three of you. A good number, hmm?" All the quests before had been of three; with a pang, he remembered his own quest years ago, how there had been two others joining him - Ruth, the daughter of Athena, and John, a son of Hephaestus. One of the things that had turned him as well: the loss of two friends he nor the gods couldn't save.

"A trio," Percy said. "That'll work." He was grinning - some sort of inside joke or past reference, Luke guessed.

"I heard that Maine's very nice this time of year," Annabeth said, out of nowhere. She laughed, a clear, high sound. He smiled at the sight. They'd been avoiding things between them for a while now, so it was nice to see Annabeth, his little sister, laughing.

"I'll go," he said, suddenly. He didn't know what had spurred him to say that, but the words had slipped out before he could do anything about it. The small moment had passed.

"Luke," Annabeth said, her voice tinged with a hint of something. Sadness? Remorse? Or was it something else, something darker than he knew? He met her worried eyes calmly, smiling. This was his chance to prove to himself - if not the rest of them - that he'd put his past behind him and that he could do this.

"I guess I'll go?" Percy said, though it was more of a question. "Just in case our favorite Hunter wants to kill him." He jerked a thumb at Luke, though his eyes were gleaming. Was Percy teasing him?

"Yeah, like you're any better," he retorted. "If someone doesn't love you, then they're too busy hating you. Actually, everyone loves me, thanks."

"Take the 'g' outta your waffle, and all that's left is your ego," Percy quoted.

"And I'll go to keep an eye on these idiots," Bianca huffed. Annabeth and Ethan just laughed while Percy pretended to look affronted.

"Hey!" Luke yelled. "Not cool, Iron Man." Annabeth whirled around to face him, her mouth open.

"You did not," she said, half-laughing. He just raised an eyebrow, like: What did I do? It felt like he was back on the run, where he and Annabeth would tell jokes back and forth for an entire evening, and Thalia would roll her eyes and grumble about them not shutting up.

"If you would pack your provisions," Chaos interrupted. "You are to leave immediately. I will give you fifteen minutes to prepare and say your goodbyes. You shall meet me at the temple." Feeling a bit numb, Luke caught a backpack that had been thrown through the air at him by his fellow quest-mates.

"Come on, slow poke," Bianca teased. "Can't just stand around forever, can you? Tick tock." They stocked their backpacks with food, ambrosia, and nectar. There'd be a couple of flashlights. Clothes. Sleeping bags. Luke kept it light, packing smart and saving space. It was instinct, whether he'd gotten it from Hermes or not.

He met the others outside of the cabin, having finished. Ethan gripped his hand and gave him a 'good luck' in his low voice. Annabeth threw her arms around him, smelling like lemons.

"Don't forget to come back," she murmured in his ear. Then, suddenly shy, she turned and bade her goodbyes to Bianca and Percy. Silena and Beckendorf had come out of nowhere, both of them talking about how they should stay safe and blah blah. Michael had showed up to say only a few words, as did his brother, Lee, who saluted them before running off in pursuit of Michael, who had run off.

The trip to Chaos City (how terribly original) was short. Halfway there, Percy stopped to look at him, a weird look on his face.

"Can't you teleport?" he asked. "And Bianca, shadow travel? Can someone remind me why we're walking again?" Oh. Right. Assuming teleportation came with the Hermes package - he hadn't even thought about that.

And then, bam! He stood outside of the temple of Chaos, the heart of the city. There was a small popping sound as Percy appeared, and Bianca stumbled out of the shadows, laughing.

"You are ready to leave, then?" a voice asked behind them. He didn't even have to turn. The half-detached, light voice had become familiar to him, in a way. It was hard to forget the voice of Chaos, somehow with little emotion and an ancient power behind the words, like when the Fates or the Oracle spoke.

"Yes," he said. "We are."

"Good," she replied. "This is what one would call a, hmm, retrieval mission. You see, Artemis placed Zoe amongst the stars where she felt the girl belonged. Which makes it hard for me, because, as you might remember, I, like the gods, am not allowed to directly interfere."

"You brought us back. And what about Percy?"

"I simply offered him a spot in the Fellowship. He was allowed to decline. And besides, that was not directly interfering because you were not alive. That was, I suppose, what you would call a loophole."

"Oh." What a typical answer.

"Zoe's soul was sent to the domain of Ouranos, and there, she was kept alive in the sky. Therefore, I could not interfere. Ouranos, too, will not give her up willingly."

"So," Luke said, frowning. "You want us to get in, get her, and get out?"

"Essentially, young padawan." Oh, gods.

"How do we get there? And we have to convince this sky dude to let her go? Dang, didn't know this was what I was signing up for. But everyone, like, hates me." Percy.

"That is not my problem. Ouranos lives, in fact, where the ground meets the sky. Mount Olympus - the original Mount Olympus. And I am assuming Percy will know the grounds well enough to show you around." Percy had gone pale. He wondered why. There was no way of knowing what was going on in the outside world in the Underworld. He'd heard the rumors, though, of a prophecy.

"Fine," the son of Poseidon said, finally. "Come on, guys, I'll take you there." He spun around and marched off - probably heading towards the ocean. As he stalked past him, Luke caught angry eyes glaring off into the distance, Percy's lips forming a thin line of displeasure.

Confused, they followed without question. The only sound heard was their loud footsteps and quiet breathing. No one spoke; he'd never seen the son of Poseidon truly angry, as most memories after Kronos were damaged and unclear, but he guessed by what he knew of his powers that it would be pretty bad. For a second, he wished that Annabeth were with them - maybe she could calm her boyfriend down.

"Here," the boy said. He gruffly grasped both of their arms, and before he could react, icy water was already surrounding him. He couldn't breathe, and the pressure was rising. Panicking, Luke kicked at the murky water, trying to get to the surface, but the hold on his arm didn't relinquish. He jerked up, bubbles escaping from his nose.

There was a tugging feeling and a moment of what felt like something crushing his ribs. His lungs were on fire, gasping for air, and in a sudden moment of remembrance, he thought about how he used to hold his breath underwater for as long as he could when he was a kid.

He gave one last, desperate kick, being propelled upwards and breaking the surface. He gasped, hair plastered to his face. Luke stayed like that for gods knew how long, simply sucking in the fresh air. Bianca popped up next to him, doing the same and coughing.

"Luke," she managed to get out, moving towards him. He supported her as they floated, shaking his head angrily at his other friend. What had Percy been trying to do?

It was then he noticed that Percy was nowhere to be seen. He told this to Bianca, who looked around, pointing out that they were lost. He almost couldn't hear her over the crashing of waves, soft as they were, but she moved until she was right next to him. Her lips were suddenly at his ear, and he was very aware of how close she was.

"WE HAVE TO GET TO LAND. PERCY WILL BE FINE." They went under again, and he broke the surface for the second time. He understood what she meant. Something had gone wrong, though whatever it was, this was Percy's domain.

Soon enough, after a lot of sore muscles and swim fails, he was pressed against wet sand, the sun beating down. It felt good, warm compared to the iciness of the ocean. Forgetting his mission, he lay there for a long time, soaking in the sun as his clothes clung to his skin.

"Luke," someone said, shaking him. "Luke, we have to keep moving." He blinked wearily at his companion.

"What d'you mean?" he asked, somewhat irritated. She gave him a look.

"Are you dense? We have to find Percy and get to Zoe!" she cried. Looking around worriedly, she continued in a low voice. "We're in Greece, Luke, one of the most dangerous places on Earth for demigods. We have to go now." He was jolted out of his trance.

"Right," he mumbled, getting up. "Right, come on, let's go." He hadn't lost his pack, and apparently, Bianca hadn't either. However, everything in there was wet and had a strong smell of seafood.

He looked around. The beach was a relatively small one, though for some reason, there were no people. The only thing he could see, really, was a barbed wire fence, with a few signs on it. Behind the fence, he saw a few roads leading off to who knew where. So now there were lost. Lost. Just his luck.

He guessed the roads led to a city of sorts, but at the moment, he wasn't thinking about that. At the moment, he was busy staring at a huge, looming mountain, one he could tell was Mount Olympus.

"Uh, Bianca," he murmured, tugging at her sleeve. "Look."

"Oh," she said in a small voice. "We know where we're going, then." He nodded.

They agreed to first find out where they were. He figured that this was a private, national-protected beach - which, of course, wasn't a good thing. Luke guessed that the small black things perched on the fence were cameras - which wasn't exactly a good thing either. He waited for someone to run up, yelling at them, but no one came.

They were at the fence, trying to figure out a way through without hurting themselves. Well, they had been, until some old lady walked up to them on the other side. He stiffened and reached for a weapon. Bianca did the same.

The old woman cackled. "You would hurt a poor old lady such as me? I mean no harm."

"Ma'am, who are you?" The lady had whitish-grey hair, and her eyes were set deeply in her face. Her skin was all wrinkled, a dark tan color spotted with freckles. She wore simple clothes - though he did note that they were different, a white tunic and dark leggings with sandals, as if she was from the olden days.

With a start, he realized that that could be completely true.

"Why, I believe they call me June," she said, grinning to show gaps in her smile. "Though I wouldn't be very welcomed here, I think. At any rate, you will need to get to Mount Olympus, yes?"

"Of course, please," Bianca said hurriedly. "I-I mean, could you?" The lady cackled again, her dark eyes twinkling with amusement. He clenched a fist. Whoever June was, he didn't like her one bit.

"Can you give us a clear answer?" he growled out. She didn't seem offended.

"Of course I can, silly. You do have to prove yourselves though, young heroes. There is no such thing as a free lunch, after all."

"Prove ourselves?" Bianca frowned.

"Oh, yes. In fact, there is one thing I would like...," She trailed off.

"Name it." He felt bold, a bit more outgoing. Maybe even rash - from what he'd heard, that was more Percy's part, though where the boy was, he didn't know. She didn't speak, holding out her hand through the fence. He caught his breath and staggered backwards, shaking his head. No. No way.

The golden apple shone in the sunlight. As she turned it back and forth, it gleamed different colors at times, like flashes of silver, or red, or blue, like it was iridescent.

"No," he said. The anger rose. "You dare-"

"Would you like to cross me, Luke Castellan?" she asked, eyes flashing. "Would you?" Something about his full name seemed to stop him. He shook his head, and she smiled, returning to the somewhat happy persona.

Snapping her fingers, she murmured something, and the fence disappeared. Feeling numb, he walked through, seeing the fence reappear behind him. She waved a hand, and the world spun in fast circles. He landed hard on grass with a groan.

They were in a meadow, or some sort of valley, now that he thought about it. Giving them no time to think, June waved her hand, and a gnarled tree rose from the ground a good fifty feet away from them. A single apple hung from its branches.

There was a sudden hissing sound that was oh-so-familiar. A small hydra - not fully grown - curled around the tree lazily. It blinked, tongues lashing out to taste the air. June sang something, an old lullaby, and the hydra's eyes shot open to look at them, stalking forwards.

"Redeem yourselves, half-bloods. I am watching, Luke Castellan. Finish what you started. Make your father proud. You were given a quest that you did not finish. This is your chance to complete it."

With that, she was gone, leaving the two demigods alone with an angry hydra, eyes gleaming red. Cursing, Luke pulled out a familiar weapon - Backbiter, the beauty - and charged, eyes set on the golden apple.

And all erupted into chaos.


Readers - for those in the US, please go to the Stop SOPA 2014 petition. I know it came up last year, but it's come up again this year, and we have to stop it. The petition is going to close in a week, and we need more than 70k signatures!

On another note, put down your favorite kind of sandwich as the 'I-read-the-A/N' thing. A little challenge for you guys: Can we get to 77 reviews and blow Classified out of the water? I want to set up a review competition between the two, seeing which fic is more popular.

A different challenge: how many references, from past books/movies/songs/etc. can you spot? If you can list at least ten, I'll find a little reward for you concerning Eventide.

achieving elysium