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Locating Oceanus
It was 5 o'clock in the morning, two hours before Hick's team departs for the airport to fly to France and get to the Indian Ocean, Oceanus' territory. Percy made his way through the archery field towards the dining pavilion for some breakfast, feeling curiously excited. Somehow, he could not help but look forward to this mission. Heck, he had the good kind of chills running down his spine. As he trudged on, something red caught his eye and he stopped in his tracks. He knew who it was straight away.
There sat Hick, in the middle of the archery field, her thick, shoulder-length auburn curls flowing with the light morning breeze. She had on the same army green jacket she wore yesterday, during the flag competition. It was still dark, but she seemed to not have sensed his presence yet. Probably lost in thought. Probably missing her mom, her friends, Ryan… her life. Percy couldn't help but feel a little sad. It has only been two days since he'd known Hick, but they've gotten along really well. His heart sank a little. He'll miss her when it's time for her to leave.
After much contemplation, he decided to make his way over to the lone warrior's side.
Someone's approaching from behind, the shadows warned Hick. She looked over her shoulder and saw Percy heading towards her, waving his hand in greeting when they met eye contact. She could see the morning sun starting to inch its way into sight behind the wall of pine trees in the background.
She smiled back at her teammate and went back to looking through the pictures in her phone.
Percy nested himself right next to her. She was grinning stupidly at a picture on her phone, and held it up for Percy to see. It was a snapshot of Hick, Ryan and José in the midst of screaming at a couple of toys on the floor. "That's Ryan over there, and that's José," Hick said.
Percy smirked. He guessed right; she was thinking about home. "What're you guys doing?"
"Oh, we were invited to a party but it kind of stunk because we didn't fit in… too many cool kids, you know?" Hick sighed, getting a sense of nostalgia from reminiscing. "So, we stumbled upon a couple of mechanical toys in the storage room we were hiding out in and… you know, thought we should bring it out onto the hallway to have a race. And boy, did we." She shook her head in disbelief, laughing. They were such dorks back then, the three of them.
"So… which toy did you choose to race down the hall? Don't tell me it's the…"
"Yes! That stupid T-Rex…" Hick groaned, wearing a look of indignation as Percy roared with laughter. "The hopping bunny is Ryan's and the wind-up doll is José's. Obviously the T-Rex didn't GO far because it couldn't sustain its humungous head, so it toppled and fell before it could even cross the starting - STOP LAUGHING! It's not funny! I lost twenty bucks, and that was my income of the day after five painful hours of waiting tables."
"Damn… Damn…" Percy wheezed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! That must've sucked…"
Then there came another burst of laughter.
"Oh, totally. Totally. I totally FEEL your sincerity," Hick retorted, scowling at Percy's excessive laughter. "Give it back, you twat!" she growled, snatching her phone back and turning her back on him.
From a distance, Annabeth watched as Percy make a grab at Hick, pulling the newcomer into another tussle. She has never seen Percy like that before, so comfortable in his physical interaction with a girl... and so genuinely happy, ever since he came back from Tartarus. She shifted uncomfortably. She remembered that look on his face when he turned the poison back on Akhyls, so horribly contorted and ugly with rage. Ever since that time, he always had this quiet sadness to him. And Hick was making it go away.
Hick sensed Annabeth's presence and turned to see the blonde demi-god watching from afar. "Annabeth, help! Please! Get this bugger off me!" she yelled, wearing a purple face of constipated anguish. Annabeth chuckled at the sight of Hick's face and shook her head. Maybe she's overthinking it.
The whole team were about to fly first class, courtesy of the wealth Hades had bestowed the team of his three children's behalf. Everyone had sent them off at the entrance of Camp Half-Blood, and Dionysus had driven them off to the airport to catch their flight. It was a long ride from Camp Half-Blood to the airport. Hick fiddled with her brass knuckles nervously, looking out of the window. She knew they had left demi-god territory, because they were now driving on asphalt concrete instead of the dirt path, and the trees were replaced by cobblestone footpaths separating rows and rows of buildings from the traffic.
People call her the warrior. The one to make a revolutionary change.
The one to save the world.
Hick unleashed a quiet scream in the deep, dark depths of her soul and smashed her face into the bulky backpack on her lap. The world is so doomed.
"What're you thinking?" Jason asked. Hick looked at him. He shrugged. "It's just every time you worry, you'd bury your face into something."
Percy raised his eyebrows at their conversation. What, do they have a history?
"Oh you know…" said Hick. "Just about the meaning of life… love… DREAMS…"
"Splendid, just splendid," Jason grumbled, catching onto her sarcastic tone. "You always do that."
"Yes… yes… I DO think about life a lot," Hick replied, wearing a face of mock contemplation. "You know –"
"Okay, okay! Forget it!"
Silence ensued.
"Jason?"
"What?" he snarled.
"How did we meet before?" Hick whispered. "I mean… what did we do when we were friends? Did you know José and Ryan and… everyone else?"
Jason hesitated. He met Hick's gaze, and the memories started flooding back.
Apple Valley, California, 2003.
There was a huge commotion along the hallway. Everyone started abandoning their desks to find out what the big fuss was all about and Jason naturally followed suit, out of sheer curiosity. That was when he saw her for the first time, the girl with the thick mass of wild flaming red hair and fearless sparkling eyes that were a blazing purple. He remembered seeing her in his art class. She's in 3rd grade.
Jason wondered what a 3rd grader like her was doing, picking a fight with a 5th grader, and the biggest, meanest one of the lot. His name was Grayson. He was the boy that would always empty the bin of leftover food over that scrawny brown guy, José. And right now, he was hurling globs of ice cream at her, with each throw whamming her fragile body hard against the locker. There was a huge pile of rubbish at her feet, and a clump of soggy tissue in her hair, indicating that she had been dumped with rubbish. The ordeal ceased when the ice cream ran out, and the bully stepped back, watching smugly as his piece of 'art' slid down the locker, her trembling legs struggling to support her weight.
And she smiled. She smiled a small smile.
Not one of agony, insanity or incredulity, but of pure merriment. And it showed in those bold purple eyes that never avoided the bully's gaze. Jason could not help staring at it all. There was something sad and endearing to the soggy and rancid girl standing alone, under the scrutiny of the huge crowd of judgmental tweens.
"Come on, let's go. She's nuts." The bully and his friends walked off, done with their fun, but the crowd stayed to milk the drama and bond over gossip. Jason hated those whispers: crazy, weird, excessively excitable… lies about having a family… talks to herself…
He should get her out of there. Jason took a step forward, but someone got to her before he did. It was that Ryan boy, with the pale skin, light blonde hair and pale blue eyes. The 'lover boy', or so people call him, because he was not the junior misogynistic type of boy at all, like the other middle school boys. He liked girls a lot, but he liked Hick especially, probably because she always seem to get into trouble picking fights or accidentally setting the water sprinklers off. In fact, Ryan Swanepoel's one of those audacious little bastards who would actually and successfully sweet-talk the girls until they fell for his charm (hence, the reason why all the boys would constantly ostracise him and pick fights with him, while the girls swooned over him and sent him dozens of love letters). But at that moment, he was devoid of cheekiness. He was a rather sensible boy like that. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."
And he led her away from the crowd by the hand.
The present.
"Why didn't you retaliate?" Nico piped up from the boot he and Hazel were sitting in.
"Wha-? Don't be rude, Nico," said Hick. "He was just offering SOME ice cream."
Everyone else in the cab smiled while Nico simply rolled his eyes.
"You guys knew each other before?" said Hazel. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"It never came up," Jason shrugged.
"And I don't remember. Apparently, the gods wiped out all my memories of Jason," Hick grumbled, folding her arms. "We should have some human rights law against those stupid gods playing with people's memories."
After a long ride, Dionysus dropped them off the airport.
It all started when they were exploring the duty-free shops in the departure area. Hazel desperately wanted some food, so Hick and Nico queued up with her at a burger joint while Percy and Jason looked after their belongings.
"That'll be five cheeseburgers and two fish burgers, seven packs French fries, three lemon tea and four coke," the blonde, preppy girl at the counter announced enthusiastically in what Hick suspects is a mash-up tone of Barnie the dinosaur from Gossip Girl. The cashier flashed them a megawatt smile. All three kids of Hades shuddered. She had a lot of teeth, and they were frighteningly white. "And the total is… forty-four fifty!"
Hazel handed over the money and as soon as the girl went off to get their order ready, she looked at Hick. Wow! She mouthed.
"Excuse me! I am so sorry! Excuse me, please!"
A plump old lady was waddling through the narrow space between two queues, making a huge fuss as she headed towards them. Hick narrowed her eyes. She knew that disguise anywhere. White curls, beige woollen coat, and those beady eyes wedged into that fat, wiggly face. A carnivorous sheep, she thought, getting Nico and Hazel behind her back.
"Hick, what's going on?" Nico muttered, confused by Hick's sudden change in behaviour. Without a word, Hick left their side and grabbed onto the old woman, pulling her away from the people. "Grandma! I told you, the toilet isn't this way!" Hick exclaimed. A couple of people sniggered as they watched Hick pull the monster away. All they could see was a frustrated granddaughter and a flustered granny.
Within a flash, Hick had unsheathed her pocketknife and stabbed the lady in the heart before she could morph into a sheep. It disintegrated into a pile of ash.
Jason caught on to what was going on and drew his sword. More monsters should be arriving. Percy was confused. "Woah, hey! What the heck was that?"
"Stray carnivorous sheep. They've found us," Hick replied. "Oh shoot, Hazel and Nico!"
Hick rushed back to the counter where Hazel and Nico were and started pulling them away.
"Guys, we need to leave."
"What? B-B-But… our food!" Hazel sputtered.
A hand latched onto Hazel's shoulder, pulling her out of Hick's grasp. It was the blonde counter lady. "You should stay. Your order's almost ready."
A forked tongue flickered between her lips. Wait, what? Hazel and Nico froze.
Within seconds, Hick had leapt over the counter, getting behind the basilisk. Grabbing a handful of hair, Hick snapped the lady's head back, exposing the throat. Wasting no time, Hick jammed the knife into the lady's throat before she could morph into her true form: a basilisk. Hazel and Nico watched in horror as blood sputtered out of the scaled neck that Hick had ruthlessly punctured. It wasn't the blood that scared so much. It was the unsettling way Hick executed the kill with such dexterity and… indifference.
The wounded basilisk eventually crumbled into a pile of ash. Everyone else seemed oblivious to the commotion, thanks to the wonders of the Mist.
"Excuse me, miss. You're not suppose to be behind the counter," one of the cashiers called out to Hick. Hick smiled apologetically, stowing away her weapon.
Another large old lady hobbled her way towards the burger joint two shops away, in a white woollen coat this time. The beady eyes gave her away. Catching Percy's eye, Hick signalled the approach of the enemy. Sheep, she mouthed, gesturing in the direction of the old lady just two shops away. Percy unsheathed his sword, Riptide, and Jason rushed ahead, going in for the kill.
As they approached the hobbling granny, her woollen coat stretched and melted into her skin, and she lunged forward, morphing into a sheep the size of a hippo.
"Ugh, just great," Hazel groaned, rushing off to help the guys. "Of all times, they had to find us when I'm goddamn famished."
The sheep had wrestled Jason to the floor and was snapping its jaws relentlessly at him. In a flash, Percy ran Riptide through the sheep's side, spilling its guts onto the cold marbled floor. Three more sheep headed his way. Nico ran off after Hazel to help them, using umbrakinesis to hold the sheep in place for Percy and Jason to finish them off.
Out of the blue, another blasted sheep from afar came charging towards Nico from another angle. Hick went bounding towards the monster. Within a split second, Hick went from a mad sprint to a rapid skid, pulling the sheep's hind leg as she did and tripping it before it could ram Nico off course. In another heartbeat, she had clambered on to the sheep's back, and automatically stabbed her knife right in the middle of the sheep's forehead, just above the eyes, completely destroying the brain and bringing about immediate death.
Done with the kill, Hick rolled off the sheep's back and got up on her feet. She caught one last look of the dead sheep, its eyes rolled back and its tongue dangling out, before it disintegrated into another pile of ash.
"This is impossible!"
That was Hazel. Hick looked up to see her teammates struggling with an exceptionally huge sheep. Its eyes were wide open with desperation, and it was snapping its jaws at Jason, splattering globs of saliva all over Jason's face. It must have gone delirious with lust at the scent of the Big Three's demi-gods. There was Percy, trying to run Riptide through the sheep's body, but it's massiveness made it impossible. It was practically elephantine in size. Blood was everywhere.
"Kill it already!" Nico growled, getting tired from holding the sheep in its place with umbrakinesis. It was ridiculously strong, given its massive size and its woollen coat had a steely texture to it, rendering Percy and Hazel's blades useless.
"Would you guys hurry?" Jason yelled, tired of getting sprayed with the crazy hungry sheep's spit as it made another violent attempt to take a bite out of his face.
Hick placed her hand on Hazel's shoulder. "Not like that. This one has a thick and strong pelt. So aim for the brain. Like this." Taking up her knife, Hick rammed her weapon through the beast's forehead, just above the eyes. It stilled and its legs gave way immediately.
Everyone collapsed onto the floor as the sheep disintegrated into a pile of ash all over Jason. The poor guy was too exhausted to even sit up and dust it all off.
"Are there more basilisks coming?" Hazel asked Hick. Everyone groaned, ignoring the passers-by who were staring at them.
"No. But if they do, hold your breath and avoid its breath… and especially its spit. They're venomous. The scales are fragile on its underside, so once it rises to strike, you'll have to be quick to slide in and gut it in between the belly scales," Hick replied, finally sitting up. "Of course, it'd be best to kill them before they morph into their real form. We have a flight to catch in… fifty-six minutes. About an hour from now. So just make a quick kill if you really have to."
Just make a quick kill, Nico replayed that last phrase in his mind. He shook his head and pinched the flesh between his furrowed brows. She makes it seem as if killing monsters is no big deal, like the equivalent of taking a dump in the loo.
At the waiting area, just before boarding time, Hick sat in awkward silence next to Nico, guarding all five of their backpacks as Hazel, Jason and Percy went off to the toilet.
"Fancy a banana?" she asked, whipping one out from her jacket's pocket.
"No."
"Come on~ The best banana in the world~" Hick cooed, poking the yellow fruit into the boy's sides.
"Just because I'm younger doesn't automatically mean I'm stupider."
Hick pocketed her banana in shame.
"I was just offering."
"Look, I'm sorry. I just – "
"Oh my gods! Dude, 9 o'clock. Totally cute guy checking you out."
Nico looked over at the neighbouring row of seats and flushed a deep shade of red. A tall lean guy, with feathery light brown hair and chocolate brown eyes was looking in his direction. And he was smiling. Nico immediately averted his eyes and look at Hick.
"I-I'm not gay!"
Hick stared back at him. The poor boy looked like a kid caught trying to steal cookies out of the cookie jar. "Uh… I didn't say you were. But, I have to admit, I knew you were one the moment I laid eyes on you. You remind me a lot of José when he was still in the closet."
"José? Is he the boy Jason told us about? The one who was bullied a lot? He's gay?" said Nico.
"Yep. And we're still best chums. In fact, I'm in the same… no. I was in the same college as him. Now I'm stuck here doing some stupid mission. Woah, seriously, that guy is totally checking you out."
"P-Promise you won't tell Percy about this!"
"What? About that guy? I don't think Percy's gay. And even if he is, he's not going to be much of a competition. You're more that guy's type."
"No! Not that! About me being… you know…"
"What? Gay?"
"Shh!"
Hick shrugged.
"Suit yourself. But don't keep it in too long, and let it burden you so. Homophobes aren't exactly a dying breed today, but people are way cooler now. You shouldn't hide it just because you feel ashamed."
The plane gave another jolt and Nico lost grip over his packet of roasted peanuts. Darn, he cursed inwardly, watching helplessly as his snack scattered onto the floor. Percy was nervous. They were in Zeus' territory now. There he sat, with Hick and Nico opposite him. Jason and Hazel were seated next to them, separated by the walk path.
"Alright, kiddo. Don't sulk," Hick laughed, ruffling the head of a distraught Nico as she handed him her packet of peanuts. "Here, you can have mine."
To Percy's surprise, Nico accepted Hick's kind gesture and began munching on the roast peanuts. Ever since Bianca's death (Nico's sister) and their return from Tartarus, Nico's appetite had dwindled and so had his weight, at a very alarming rate. To see him eat anything was a great relief for Percy.
"Hey, Hick?" Nico looked to the redheaded girl.
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you use any of your weapons?"
"Not used to them," Hick shrugged.
"How'd you know you were the daughter of Hades?"
"Dad claimed me one night, when I was thirteen and about to get hit by a truck on the road just in front of the house."
"Then is it possible for you to fall in love with Jason? As a daughter of Hades?"
All eyes were on Jason, who was starting to turn red. Percy stared suspiciously at the duo under speculation.
"Oh, I plan to marry him some day," Hick replied sarcastically. "We'll have a wedding on a starry night at the tip of a cliff in Barbados."
"Why the tip of a cliff?"
"So I can jump to my death."
"Hey!" Jason protested.
To Hick's horror, Nico continued with his barrage of questions. Does she like Ryan then? (Hick was too stunned to answer that.) Why couldn't she defend herself well against Drew? (Hick tried not to choke him to death then.) Why couldn't she sense the monsters around them after all her experience with killing monsters? (Oh, she really wanted to smash open the window and squeeze this pale little man-boy through it and let him plummet to his death.)
Hick decided against strangling Nico to death and wore the headphones provided on board, deciding to watch some movies.
Nico observed quietly as Hick struggled with the movie selection on her TV screen. Some car racing game appeared on the screen, and all the other racings cars were whizzing pass her stationary vehicle. Ugh! How the hell do you work the damn thing? Hick cursed inwardly, pressing frantically on every button. She was evidently growing more and more frustrated by the second, especially under the other demi-gods' scrutiny.
"You're not using it properly," said Nico.
"How about I properly punch you?" Hick snapped back and everyone sniggered, much to her consternation.
Percy couldn't believe what was happening. It was the first time in a long time since Nico talked that much. But ever since his sister Bianca's death, Nico got bonier, quieter and paler. His conditioned worsened especially when Gaea held him captive as a prisoner of war. He looked like those lifeless, skeletal Jews in those black-and-white war photos. But now, it seems as if he's slowly reverting back to his old self, talking his head off and eating well again. Even if it was just a packet of roasted peanuts. It was as if he was becoming that same cheerful, annoying kid Percy knew during the Great Prophecy.
Nico was about to open his mouth to reply Hick when the plane gave another one of its jolts. It was much bigger this time. The lights flickered off, plunging the plane in utter darkness. There was a strike of lightning and the dim lights came back on. Something felt off.
"It's Zeus," Hick sighed.
Jason frowned. "What does my dad want?"
"This is our cue to get off," Hick replied, picking up the backpack from under her seat.
"WHAT?" Her teammates stared at her in disbelief. A flight stewardess pushing a squeaky trolley down the aisle shushed at them.
"Nico, Hazel, can you guys shadow travel into the ocean beneath us?" They nodded.
Hick turned to Percy. "I'll trust you keep us alive down there, buddy." He gave a thumb up.
"Where are we going?" Jason asked, reaching for his own backpack under his seat. Hick turned to him. "We're going to meet Oceanus."
To be continued...