a.n. IMPORTANT author's note so please read. This chapter contains a very gruesome seen so if you don't want to read it, look for the read to the bold print and then skip to the next bold print. If you are confused by what I just said, I'll explain it.
Chapter 4: I Meet the Ultimate Guardians
Percy's POV
Here's a little tip. When it is the hottest day of the summer and you live in, like, Africa and you get tired of all the heat, come to the North Pole. That will defiantly cool you off.
When Jack, Blackjack and I flew out of the portal, the first think I noticed were a bunch of snow-covered cliffs bigger than sky-scrapers. Then I noticed the snow itself. It was falling as gently as possible onto the already snowy blanket that quilted the ground. It was a beautiful sight to see; like it was taken right out of a Christmas card. Although I dressed for snowy weather, I still felt as though I was suddenly put in the coldest refrigerator built on the earth. Which isn't that far from the truth, I guess. Jack really wasn't kidding when he said to 'dress warmly.' I shivered.
"How much further?" I asked.
"North flies his sleigh into this cave carved into one of the cliffs further ahead. That's why the portal took us out here and not closer to the Workshop itself. We'll have to fly a little bit further," Jack explained.
"Good. Let's go and get out of this cold," I said.
"Didn't I tell you to dress warmly?" he asked in a joking way. I ignored him and tried to lean closer to Blackjack for more warmth. "Lead the way," I said. Jack laughed then led us further into the snowy vastness. After what felt like an hour more of flying, I noticed a tiny dot that looked a little out of place with the whiteness of the snow. But the closer we got to it the less out of place it looked. It turned out to be an odd building placed on the edge of one of the cliffs. Below it was a cave big enough for a sleigh and reindeer to easily fly through.
"Is that it?" I asked, pointing to the building.
"Yep" Jack said and started descending towards it. Once we got close enough to see more details, he started flying in circles around the top of the Workshop but was still descending as he did it like a bird would when it's about to land. I had a feeling Jack was just trying to make it easier for Blackjack and could have gone without all the fancy flying. Nonetheless, Blackjack did it as gracefully as a flying horse could to it. On the last circle, Jack flew into this open window in the roof; a skylight, I guessed. Blackjack hesitated a little but I patted his neck reassuringly. "I know you're tired but this is going to be it for the night," I said. I could tell he was reluctant but he did as I asked. We followed Jack through the skylight.
As we flew in, four pairs of shocked eyes were fixed on us. That's not what bothered me. What bothered me was who the eyes belonged to. I had to blink to make sure my eyes were not showing me an illusion. Standing in front of me was the oddest looking bunch I have ever seen. Standing to the left was what looked like a warrior rabbit. His gray fur had black markings on it. His belly and face were a grayish white. He stood on the biggest rabbit feet I have ever seen and his ears added about two feet to his already tall height. He wore a brown leather sash across his chest.
Next to him was a tall, round old man with a snow white beard that could have been tucked into his belt. His face was so jolly and he had the kindest ocean blue eyes. He wore a long red coat with a trim of brown fur. His hat was the same. He had on red pants and a pair of old black boots. He looked Russian to me. Santa is Russian? That explained a lot.
In front of him was a short man with spiky blond hair. His robe was the color of the sun, only a little golden. If I looked closely, he looked to be made of sand. He had a wide smile that took most of his face. With the dimples on his face you could tell he smiled like that often.
Fluttering next to him was what looked like a half human, half hummingbird hybrid. The only parts of skin I could see were her small hands and her face. The rest were covered with multicolored feathers; colors of gold, green, purple, yellow, and blue. Instead of hair, she had longer feathers that could be wing feathers on a bird. The feathers were pushed back like a feathery headdress but there were a few out of place. She was hovering about three feet in the air with transparent brownish-pink wings. She was beating her wings so fast I could barely see them. Hovering by her face were three mini fairies that were the same size as hummingbirds and the same color as the bigger fairy.
As soon as they saw Blackjack their eyes narrowed. The bunny reached behind him and brought out a boomerang, the old man pulled out two swords, the small golden man made little whips made of gold sand and the fairy balled her hands into hard fists. They all charged at me screaming a battle cry. At the same time I reached into my pocket and pulled out my pen. Jack saw this and flew as fast as the winds would allow him and positioned himself between us. Thank the gods he managed to do so before I pushed the button to uncap the sword.
The look in Jack's eyes was warning enough. The odd bunch lowered their weapons but the reluctance was clear on their faces.
"What are you protecting the beast for? It works for Pitch!" the old man said with a heavy Russian accent.
Blackjack threw his head up and whinnied angrily. "I don't work for no Pitch! I don't even know who the Hades he is! I don't want to die!" he said. He flew a few inches higher and cantered in the ai r. I tried to reassure him and it seemed to have a little impact on him but not enough to make him land. Which was understandable. I myself was weary to land.
Jack shook his head. "Does that look like a fearing to you? He's not even made of sand! And look at his eyes. They are not gold," he said.
"But Pitch is stronger than he was before! His nightmares could have had armor like they once did a long time ago! And he could have given them wings," the bunny said.
"Jack, is that Percy?" the fairy said, pointing to me.
"Yes, that is him, and you're scaring his horse. Now put your weapons down before he flies away!" Jack said.
"I like the albino boy," Blackjack whispered into my head.
"It's like Sophie all over again. Remember when we charged at her thinking she was a fearling or something?" the fairy said.
The old man laughed joyously. "I remember" he said. Blackjack noticed the tension cleared a little bit and allowed himself to descend a little but still refused to land.
"If he is not a fearling, than what is he?" the bunny asked.
"Blackjack is a Pegasus. A horse with wings and your weapons are preventing him from landing so could you please remove them?" I said. With a confused look on their faces, they looked at their weapons then put them away. Blackjack landed, but he was still reluctant to do so. I slipped off his back and found it hard to walk from sitting too long.
"Percy, it's nice to finally meet you," the old man said. "I think it's time for some introductions. My name is Nicholas St. North but most people just call me North. Or you may know me better as 'Santa'. And-" he gestured to the bunny- "this is Bunnymund, or Bunny, You know Jack, and Sandy, and Tooth." Each of them waved. Bunnymund looked at me like he was studying me for a test. My head hurt and I had trouble keeping my eyes open. I guess this was visibly noticeable because North frowned.
"We may not know much about you but we do know that you are at least human so you must be tired. I prepared a room for you to sleep in for the time being. We will do questions and answers tomorrow," he said.
"What about Blackjack?" I asked.
"I have the perfect place for him to rest. I'm sure my deer will make room for him in my stable. Just take a left, then a right, then a right and a right, go past the pool and the library, and then you will see a lamp post than take another left, than a right and your room will be the second door to the right." I looked at him trying to comprehend what he was saying. All I had gotten out of that was a bunch of right and left turns and a pool. North laughed. "Kidding! Just go that way and your room will be the last one in the hall," he said. I tried to find an argument but I found nothing to back me up.
"Alright," I said. I turned to Blackjack. "You be good and don't start a fight with the other deer. They have done nothing to you" I spoke to him through my mind.
"You got it boss," he said and watched as I grabbed my bag and left the room with the giant globe. When I got to the door of the hallway, I stopped and turned.
"How long am I staying?" I asked.
"As long as it takes to defeat our oldest enemy, Pitch. We'll tell you more about him tomorrow," North said.
So I can go ahead and unpack?" I asked
"I would."
I nodded then left.
I walked a little ways through the hall but I finally found my way to the end door. When I opened the door my jaw dropped. My room was as big as my cabin back at camp. The walls were painted ocean blue with a bunch of wave designs on every wall. Right above my bed was a huge metal trident screwed into the wall. Right in the middle of the room was a fountain. I felt right at home but I also felt weary. How did North know who I was? Well he is Santa and Santa is supposed to know all the children so it would make sense that he would know about half bloods. But why have I never known about him and the others? What made it even creepier was he was the only one who seemed to know who I was. I thought about this as I unpacked my bag. I set a picture of me and Annabeth on the bedside table. I missed her so much. I thought about Iris Messaging her but I figured that would only worry her. I'm sure I looked like a mess and I felt very tired. I didn't know the time difference and didn't want to wake her up. I fell asleep wondering what tomorrow will bring.
3rd person
As soon as Percy left, Bunnymund turned to North. "I still don't get it. What significance does he have? He's not even immortal! Before today, he didn't even know we existed!"
"Even more reason that we should make him feel welcome," said North. "Manny chose him because we need him. You and I both know Manny chooses his guardians with great care. Look at Jack for instance,"
"Yeah but that's different!"
"How?" Jack butt in. "Remember when I was chosen? You were the only one who was even slightly unhappy about it? Now look at us. Don't you think that Percy deserves a chance? He has never done anything to you." Bunny looked like he was trying to find a solid argument again. His furry mouth opened and closed again but he finally seemed to reluctantly agree.
"Bunny did have good point. North why don't you tell us what we don't know?" Tooth said. It sounded more like a demand rather than a question. "Just who exactly did we let into our company?" North twirled his beard in concentration. He looked like he wished he were anywhere else but here. After what seemed like an hour of intense silence, he sighed and gestured towards the chairs.
"Alright get comfy 'cause it's a long story," he said. "The first thing you must know is that we are not the only immortals out there. There are all kinds of magical beings that exist through different parts of the world, and maybe, throughout the universe. There are other mythologies and legends, each with their own way of concealment. For instance, we are unseen to those who do not believe. Percy comes from a world very different from ours. We guard children but those children do not need protecting. They have to fight to survive. Percy is from the legend that is the most overlooked, but probably the most powerful; Greek mythology.
"Greek? But I thought the Greeks died off when Rome overthrew them a thousand years ago," Tooth said.
"The people did. But not the gods," said North. "Don't you remember that the Romans worshiped the same gods? Sure they made minor tweaks, but they were still the same gods." In the far corner, Blackjack whinnied again.
"Bunny, can you translate?" Tooth asked.
"You talk horse?" Jack asked.
"I talk to any animal," said Bunny. "The horse, sorry; Blackjack, said that the Romans made more than "little tweaks". They took one of the Greeks' best goddess and took away most of her power just to make her 'safer'. That's just one of the many things the Greeks never forgave the Romans for."
A golden question mark appeared over Sandy's head. "You got all that from one whinny?" North asked.
"Yes."
"Ok. Well the Greeks never forgave the Romans until quite recently but that's a different story for another day," said North.
Tooth shook her head with confusion. "North, you said yourself that the Greeks died off a long time ago, along with the Romans. So how…?" her voice tailed off.
"Think!" North said. "What was one of the most common things the gods did in those mythologies?" The room was silent for a long five minutes. Finally, Sandy showed a picture of a little golden family of three. Smiling, North nodded. He stayed quiet letting them put the pieces together on their own. North nodded to Sandy's little picture of a family so…
Suddenly there was a loud collective gasp as they figured it out. Nobody seemed able to speak. After another long moment of silence, North said, "We just kind of kidnapped the most powerful half human-half demigod alive. And we must ensure Pitch doesn't get ahold of him.
In the other bedroom down the hall, the demigod in question stirred in his sleep…
Percy dreamed he was in a dark cavern surrounded by thick, heavy mist. He tried to look around to see exactly where he was, but he couldn't see three inches past his nose. He shivered, noticing for the first time how cold it was. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Suddenly, he heard a hard, metallic laugh, cold as ice. The laugh seemed to be coming from every direction which annoyed Percy witless.
"So you're the famous Percy Jackson. I expected someone…better. But no matter. According to my resources, you are the most powerful of your kind," the voice said.
Percy's eyes narrowed and he put his hand over his back pocket. "Who are you and how do you know me?" he asked.
"How can I not? Practically every one of your Greek and Roman world knows of your stories. The way you defeated the Minotaur with absolutely no training or no weapons, how you single handedly defeated the Titan lord, and the most spectacular of all, how you fell into that pit in the Underworld and still managed to come out alive,"
"Who are you and what do you want from me?" Percy was beyond mad at this point. He preferred it much better when he could see his target. Waving only an echoing voice from all directions was probably the most annoying thing for someone who wanted to fight.
"Oh I don't want anything from you…yet. For now, I merely came to deliver a message,"
"What's the message?"
"Count the shadows."
"Percy was so taken aback; his hand fell from his pocket. "What?"
"You'll figure it out. I believe you asked me another question? 'Who am I'?"
"For once, I think I'm starting to figure it out. You're obviously immortal, yet I have never heard your voice, however similar it is to Cronus. So the only possible answer is that you are a part of this mythology, not Greek. Uhh, the Boogieman?"
"You're smarter than they give you credit for."
"Not really. You know what? Why don't you show yourself to me so I can actually fight you? Unless you're scared."
"I do not feel fear. I am fear. You on the other hand, are a different story,"
"I am not scared of you or anything you tend to throw at me."
"No, you're not. But I do know what you are scared of."
"You really think so, huh?"
"Let me show you."
(A.N I'd skip this part if you don't like reading brutal stuff.)
Percy turned around and his heart nearly died. Standing in front of him was Annabeth. Her hands were chained to the wall and Percy saw a gallon of blood trickle down her face, arms and legs. Her usually blond hair was so matted and dirty, it looked a brownish reddish color from dirt and blood. One eye was swollen shut and the other was black and blue. What made it worse (if possible) was her head hung limp. Her own dagger lay beside her, bathed in red.
(Ok I think it's safe now. I'll explain what it was at the end if you don't figure it out.)
Aside from all the blood, Percy saw red. He tried with all his strength to reach her and save her (and he would saver her) but it seemed an invisible brick wall was keeping him from her. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?!" Percy's yell was heartbroken. He was shaking violently and huge, wet tears fell from his eyes.
"You were scared of losing your precious Annabeth. Don't worry. All you are seeing is a mere image of her. It's not real" But his voice had a hint of excitement.
"SHUT UP!" Percy yelled. Suddenly, he was sitting up in his bed back at Santoff Claussen. He found himself and the bed covered in sweat and his pillow. As Percy sat there, he had only one thought running through his mind. He will get revenge even if the image was real or not; because one thing was for sure. NOBODY messes with Annabeth and gets away with it if he could help it.
A.N
Don't worry. I have a bit more written down. I just thought this would be a good place to stop so I can start off fresh in the next chapter. Speaking of which, I think this is the longest chapter in this story so far. The image was of Annabeth beat up and bruised. I'm sorry for interrupting the story with author's notes but some people don't like reading that. I only put it in the story because I was trying something new.
Reply time.
WordSmyth: Your review made my day! Thank you so much! :,D
Annabeth Brady: I did thank you at the bottom of the chapter but I guess you just didn't see it so here it is: Thank you for your alert.
Compliment Giver: I don't think so. Well, not that much. Just don't do anything bad to her. I don't think two wrongs make a right. Or just ignore her. Besides, whatever helps you learn right ;)
theHuntress101: Thank you. I didn't know how people would react towards her.
RachelXJackFrost: Sorry, the only person I'd put with Jack is Tooth, and I don't think I will do that in this story. Thanks for your review!
Turkeyhead987: I didn't think of that. That is such a good idea and it makes a lot of sense. Thank you for the comment!
NewObsessionxoxo: I didn't say I was going to abandon this story. It's was my other story I was going to abandon (But I'm not). This one is a lot of fun to write.
Ivy Night51101930: Congratulations! I love your picture btw. I guess it's fit to say welcome to Fanfiction newcomer :D If you have any questions about updating and stuff, I'll be here!
Thanks to: BatfamilyFan01, SilverKnight121, Guest, H2O Pokemon FAN, Monkeygirlz3, Reading-is-4-life, Julie, Rosepink4140, AJ Skye and yellowoctopus333
