"'The shadow king rises to power,

Making all those who pass hide and cower.

Mother of all will lead the way,

Sending the heroes on their way.

Water and ice shall break the spell,

Sending evil back to hell.

Sun and wisdom shall come to call,

But beware the life that affects us all.'"

Chapter 6: Where to Start?

Nobody spoke for a few minutes after that. It was so quiet you could've heard a pin drop. You could literally see the gears turning in the Guardians' heads, trying to process what had just happened and what they had just heard.

"What?" Was all Bunnymund was able to manage.

"That is what we call a prophecy. It tells what will happen in the future but it's never clear," Annabeth said.

"We just heard a bit of the future? How is that even possible?" asked North.

"There are a lot of things in your world that seem impossible to us. I guess it's vice versa," said Percy.

"Well, what did that prophecy mean?" asked Bunny.

"The first line said the 'shadow king'. Anyone know a shadow king?" Rachel asked.

"That part's pretty obvious. It has to be Pitch," said Jack, who was perfectly balanced as he stood on the top of his staff. "So…he's gaining more power and scaring everybody who he comes across. I thought you said prophecies weren't clear," Jack asked Annabeth, who shrugged.

"Usually," she said.

"Doesn't matter. We got the first part down. What's the next?" Percy asked.

"'Mother of all will lead the way, sending the heroes on their way," Maddy stated. "Who's 'Mother of All'?" Bunny gasped.

"North, is that who I think it is?" he asked.

"Could be…," North replied, though he was deep in thought. Maddy could have sworn she saw a little strand of his beard twirling itself. Maddy smiled. Nobody else seemed to notice this, so she decided to let it pass.

"Who are you talking about?" Jack asked.

"Bunny and I think we know who Mother of All is. Jack, do you remember Mother Nature?" asked North.

"Yeah, I remember her. She got mad at me for accidently freezing a meadow in the spring," said Jack. Bunny glanced at him with his eyebrows furrowed. "I apologized, of course. Like I said, it was an accident. I was probably only what…eighty, ninety, years old then and I was just getting used to my powers," said Jack with his arms raised. Bunny rolled his eyes but said nothing.

Annabeth looked outside, noticing for the first time the setting sun that was painting the sky a beautiful orange color. "Maddy, I think it's time to get back to camp. It looks like dinner is about to start," she said. Maddy looked outside, surprised at how much time had passed.

"It's six already? How did that happen?" Maddy asked. Annabeth shrugged.

"I dunno," she said than turned her attention back towards the I.M. "Percy, remember what I said earlier? That if you die I'd personally bring you back from the underworld myself? "

"Yeah, why?" Percy asked.

"I'm doubling that. You better not die on me," she said.

"Even If I do go to Elysium I would never be completely happy without you," said Percy. Annabeth laughs.

"Good," she said. "Percy, just…just try not to disappear on me again."

"I swear on my life that that will never happen again," says Percy. Annabeth nodded satisfied.

"Come on Maddy. We'll be late," she said. Maddy waved at the Guardians before being steered towards the elevator by Annabeth.

"So…Mother Nature. That would be a good piece of the puzzle. But what does she have to do with anything?" asked Jack.

"I guess the only way to know is to ask her ourselves," said North.

"Maybe, she can help defeat Pitch!" Jack said.

"If she wants to," whispered North. Apparently, he thought no one could hear him but when everyone went quiet, he looked up.

"Why wouldn't she want to help?" Jack asked. North waved his question away.

"If we are going to pay her a visit, I'll let her explain," said North.

"So we know where to start. Mother Nature," Percy stated.

"Erm…"

"What?" asked Percy.

"Well…none of us really know where she actually lives," Bunny said. Percy thought for a little bit.

"Rachel, Got any ideas?" He asked. Rachel was about to answer when she heard a jingling noise by the door as if someone were trying to unlock it. Her father was home. She turned back towards the Iris Message, mouthed the word 'bye', than waved her hand through the watery image.

"What was that about?" asked Jack.

"Her parents don't know about our world, so Iris Messaging is kind of a big secret. Along with everything that comes with it," Percy explained.

"That watery video-thing is called Iris Messaging?" North asked. Percy nodded.

"So what exactly are we up against?" he asked, changing the subject before he had to explain how Iris Messages worked.

"Last time, Pitch almost destroyed what we have sworn to protect. He almost made us all disappear. He tried to rule the world with fear like he did a long time ago in the Dark Ages and he came pretty close too," said Bunny.

"I noticed you kept saying 'almost'. What stopped him?" asked Percy.

"Jamie," was all Jack said.

"What?"

"One child who believes. That was all it took, was one child. And Jamie will always believe," said Jack.

"What do children have to do with you defeating Pitch? Kids stop believing all over the world, all the time," asked Percy.

"Yes, but the children's belief is like our source of power. Imagine if the very thing that keeps us full and alive, vanished. Not unlike the food you eat," North said. Percy pondered that in his brain for a minute.

"I guess that would be bad. And one guy, Pitch, did all that," he stated.

"Well, almost. Like I said, as long as one child believes, we will be here," said Jack.

Percy was silent for a while. "Do you think we could have a practice run?" he asks.

"What for?" North asked, but unnoticed by everyone else, Bunny smiled a competitive smile. He'd wanted a crack at Percy ever since he had first set foot in the globe room.

"We're fighting a guy who snuffed himself into my dreams and tortured me. I think it would be good if I knew exactly what we're up against," said Percy.

"I guess it would be good for us to see what Pitch is going to have to fight as well," Bunny suggested, masking the smile. Jack could easily tell Bunny was just itching to at least know what Percy was capable of.

"Bunny, you go first, if Percy doesn't mind," Jack said. Percy had a smile that matched Bunny's.

"Gladly," he said. Bunny got in his fighting stance. North yelled the word, "Go" and the duel started.

Bunny quickly grabbed for his boomerangs and started throwing, but Percy merely sidestepped and ran at his opponent. When the boomerang came back around, Percy ducked. Bunny jumped to retrieve his weapon and when he landed, he franticly tapped his giant paw on the ground. A bunny hole started forming around Percy's feet, but Percy jumped out of the way as fast as he could. The look of surprise on his face satisfied Bunny a little. But he didn't have time to bathe in the satisfaction yet because Percy had quickly recovered from his shock and continued his attack. Bunny tapped his paw again but the hole appeared beside Bunny this time and he jumped down it just as Percy passed him. Unfortunately, Bunny did not have the factor of surprise again and Percy knew what to expect. When he saw Bunny tap his paw, he started slowing down a little and jumped into the hole with him. Before any of the others could follow, the hole closed on them, leaving behind the signature flower to take the place of the rabbit hole.

The silence that followed was the loudest Jack had heard in a while. He looked at North, who shrugged and sat on one of the comfy lounging chairs at the corner of the room. Jack sat on the railing that separated the ground from the five story fall to the floor of the workshop. After a while of waiting, they saw another hole appear a bit further away, but nobody came out yet. Instead, they heard the loud grunts and yells coming from the bottom. The two sounded deep in the ground but Jack figured it best not to peek. He didn't want to risk getting hit by one of Bunny's boomerangs or even a paw, foot or hand.

Suddenly, the yelling stopped, and Bunny hopped out of the hole, followed by Percy. Bunny's face was full of anger at the demigod, yet Percy just had a calm smile. North didn't need to ask who won…it was clearly written all over their faces. Bunny mumbled something like, "Bloody, half god with his bloody tricks," as he walked over to North. Jack had to resist the urge to laugh.

"Me next," said North cheerfully. Percy was analyzing his swords as he walked into the ring. Wearily, North pulled out his two large swords. With the reason unknown to Jack, Percy smiled as though he had a plan. Bunny rolled his eyes. What confused Jack (and the others too, no doubt) even further, was that Percy reached into his pocket and pulled out a cheap balled-pint pen. Their confusion was replaced by shock when he uncapped the pen, and Jack had no idea how, but within a second a huge Greek styled sword was in Percy's hand instead of the pen.

"That's the same sword he used when I went to get him in New York. He thought I was an enemy or something and threatened me with it. I was wondering how he had it in his hands so fast," Jack whispered to Bunny.

"He didn't have a sword when he was fighting me," Bunny whispered back. Jack shrugged then continued to watch the duel.

Being the warrior that he is, North automatically studied strategies and weakness of his opponent. He and his swords were bigger than Percy's. Unless he was more skilled then him, Percy would be easily beat.

In his centuries of being an immortal guardian, North couldn't be more wrong. Percy fought with surprising speed and strength. Every time North swung his swords, it was blocked by Riptide. When Percy came in, it took all of North's strength to block it. Though Percy was stronger, North had been fighting longer and he had two swords against one. Needless to say, they were evenly matched. After about thirty minutes of dueling, the two Guardians called it a draw.

So far, they had seen his battle tactics and his strength, which was his sword. Now, they were going to figure out how well Percy was going to do with Jack. As Jack stood to get ready, he couldn't help but feel bad for Percy. Although he was a great fighter, Jack didn't usually do regular hand-to-hand combat. He usually fought from a distance with his staff and ice powers. Just like the rest of the guardians, Jack started the duel. He shot a few ice crystals at Percy, who quickly sidestepped and advanced. Jack then started to shoot more and more at Percy. Realizing what Jack was doing, he held Riptide higher and started deflecting the ice crystals with the blade. Jack shot harder and faster, trying to get somewhere. Percy was getting closer, and Jack made a jump into the air and tried to get at Percy from a different angle. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw a stray piece of ice fly past the blade. Jack thought he might have finally won the duel, but the ice started to liquidate into water. The water slowed down a little, but not enough to make it fall or lose course. It hit Percy square in the face.

Jack heard loud gasps behind him as he slowly descended back to the floor. He didn't need to look behind him to know the other Guardians were just as surprised and awestruck as he was. He, North and Bunny were now staring confusedly at Percy.

Jack was the spirit of winter, not summer. He froze water, not melted it. How did that happen? But that wasn't the end. The now melted ice that hit Percy's face seemed to evaporate quicker than usual and within a second; his face was as dryas possible. Percy grinned. All the Guardians were capable of doing at this point was wordless gapping; Bunnymund especially. Percy sighed and answered the loud, unasked question.

"You were right Bunny. There is more to me than just talking to horses. My dad is Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea and earthquakes. He is also one of the three major gods on Olympus. Nice to meet you."

xXx

It had been an hour since Percy had shown his powers to the Guardians. Afterwards, the demigod found the perfect escape to go to the stables and check on Blackjack. In the meantime, the three Guardians were still in the globe room frozen with shock. Bunny was the first to speak.

"Poseidon. He's the bloody son of Poseidon!"

"That would make sense. Poseidon created horses out of sea foam. It's only fair that he could speak to them. I wouldn't be surprised if fish could talk to him," said Jack.

"How do you know that?" asked North.

"I read it in a library somewhere on Omaha," Jack replied.

"You read?" asked Bunny.

"You'd be surprised on how much free time I have," said Jack.

"Maybe we should start looking for Mother Nature now," North suggested.

"But where do we start? We don't even have a clue where she lives," Bunny stated. North was about to speak when once again, the familiar fizzling noise interrupted him. Right in the center of where the Guardians stood, water started rising out of the ground and formed an Iris Message. The red headed girl that was in the previous I.M. was sitting in front, searching the room for a certain pair of sea green eyes.

"Percy isn't in here, is he?" she asked. North shook his head. "I'll try again later," she said, and was about to disconnect the IM when North stopped her.

"No. What were you going to say?" he asked kindly.

"I didn't get the chance to say this with the girls here, then my dad came in and I had to go. He's asleep now so I took the opportunity. The prophecy said 'Mother of All' right?" she asked. Jack nodded. Well, I think I have an idea on where to start." She reached over and grabbed something and held it up for everyone to see. It was a painting of one of the most beautiful places North had ever seen. The first thing he noticed was huge mountains that touched the blue sky above. The sky was dotted with only a few white, fluffy clouds. The sun hit the mountains so perfectly that the golden light only touched half the mountain. Small patches of snow could be seen on the shadowy side of the tall mountains. The lower the mountains went, the greener it became. The whole bottom was covered with green grass. The grass was surrounded by a small body of water that flowed off to the side of the portrait. In the bottom right of the painting were a few pine trees on a small green hill.

"Did you paint this?" Bunny asked with a hint of awe in his voice. Rachel nodded proudly.

"Yeah. But that's beside the point. This is either western Montana, or Colorado. I can't be sure. But I'm positive it's one or the other. I think it is Montana though," says Rachel.

"You're right, it is Montana. I've seen that place a lot while I was flying over that state. The place is beautiful. Where else would Mother Nature be?" Jack asked.

"Fantastic! We finally know where to start! Someone needs to tell the others…Jack you get Sandy; Bunny, you get Tooth. I'll tell Percy," said North.

"Why not just use the globe, North?" asked Bunny.

"We are only lacking two guardians. Besides, if I use aurora borealis too constantly, people will get suspicious. Now go," said North. Jack nodded and flew out the skylight, leaving behind a cool, winter breeze. Bunny shivered and taped his paw on the ground. His rabbit hole appeared and he jumped down it.

Starting on his own self-assigned assignment, North navigated his way through the busy yetis and elves to the wooden lift and dropped down to the stables. North opened the door of the lift and walked through the stables. Donner nudged his arm affectionately and North pet his head. Blackjack had his own stable which was mostly made for extra reindeer that occasionally passed by Santoff Claussen. Percy was sitting on the floor of the stable, leaning against the wall. He was absent mindedly fiddling with a piece of hay as he talked to Blackjack. North had yet to get used to that. It sounded weird when Percy was talking to someone, yet you could only hear half the conversation. If North had come across this scene two hours ago, he would have probably silently suggested a mental hospital for Percy. But he knew better now. He made a slight movement and Percy and Blackjack looked up.

"So you finally decided to tell them?" asked North.

"It was either that or get hit in the face with a solid piece of ice," said Percy.

"Don't you have that kind of healing food for demigods?" asked North.

"How do you know so much about us? Demigods, I mean. I come here expecting to have to give a full explanation of demigod life and yet here you are. And don't just say because you're Santa. As long as I've lived at camp I have never seen presents delivered over night or eggs hidden. Bunny didn't even know we existed until now and he hides eggs around the world. You know something. I wouldn't ask if it was about someone else, but since it is about me and my world, I think I have a right to know," said Percy.

North shifted uneasily but sat next to Percy and replied with, "In your world, you have the goddess of the moon, right?" Percy nodded. "What if I said she isn't the only one who is in control of it?"

"Where are you going with this?"

"There is a man who lives in the moon due to an accident that occurred over a thousand years ago. He is known to us as the man in the moon, or Manny. At least, I call him Manny,"

"So, he's the one who told you about me, my camp and my life in specific detail. Good to know. If he lives up there-" he nodded towards the window- "Than how did he tell you?"

"He showed me in a dream,"

"So immortals do need sleep. I was right,"

"What?"

"My girlfriend, Annabeth, said immortals don't need sleep. I disagreed with her. And I was right."

"We sleep, but not as often as mortals and not for the same reason. Usually it's when we're really stressed or bored, or need a lot more energy. Jack needs to sleep a little more than the rest of us because his powers can drain him sometimes."

"So…we were both right."

North laughed his jolly laugh. "Yes, I guess we were," he said as he heaved himself up. "By the way, we found where to start. Your friend, Rachel, is very talented. She used that watery, video chat…thing and showed us a painting she did of western Montana. She says that's where Mother Nature is."

"Then I guess that's where she is, if that's what Rachel said. How are we getting there?"

"I do not know. Quite frankly, I was surprised to see you flying, but I guess it makes since now."

Percy smiled. "Yeah. That's like my little loophole. I can ride Pegusi the same way I can talk to horses. Poseidon created horses and my uncle can't shoot something out of the air that is not his property."

"I know. Jack told us."

"Jack? How'd he know?"

"Apparently, he read it in a library. Back on topic. What are you comfortable with? I mean, with transportation."

Percy shrugged. I guess I'm ok with the portal, now that I've used it and know what it's like. But I don't think it's a good idea for me to ride that sleigh of yours…unless you don't mind the fifty-fifty chance of being shot by lightning."

"Bunny's scared of the sleigh as it is. We don't need to give him any more reason to be scare." North smiled. So, could we hook Blackjack to the sleigh?"

Blackjack stomped his hoof on the ground four times and threw his head in the air, whinnying angrily. Percy covered his ears and looked at Blackjack. "Ok, I get the message. No need to start acting like Arion. Calm down." Blackjack didn't seem to like that comment. He started cantering around the stall (careful not to step on the two Guardians)

"Who's Arion?" asked North.

"He's my friend's horse. He and Blackjack don't really like each other. And I've only heard one or two sentences that he has said that do not involve cursing," said Percy, glancing at the Pegasus through squinted eyes. "I'll just ride him alongside the sleigh if you don't mind."

North shook his head. "Go ahead," he said.

"When are we leaving?" asked Percy. North shrugged. "Should I go ahead and repack?"

"I would," said North. "We will leave when you are done."

Percy stood and stretched his muscles. He went over to Blackjack, pet his long neck. He leaned in and whispered something in his ear, and left.

xXx

As Percy put his duffel bag on his bed, he noticed the temperature suddenly start to drop slightly. Percy may have only been here for one and a half days, yet he already knew what that meant. Although Jack's footsteps were silent, the dropping temperature was his calling card. He knocked on the door and Percy opened it.

"I wanted to help you pack," said Jack.

"I don't really have that much to repack, actually. See, I'm leaving what I don't need and taking what I do. Like this shirt I'm taking. This picture of Annabeth, I'm leaving." When he finished talking, he walked into the bathroom and came out with nine golden coins in one hand and a shoe in the other. He set them by his yellow duffle bag. "So, what's Mother Nature like, anyway?" he asked Jack.

"She's very regal and not always kind, but she is very forgiving and understanding. Just try to not get on her bad side. Believe me, I know," Jack said with that twinkle in his eyes.

"That bad huh? You'd think she would understand, considering the facts," said Percy.

"Not really. I mean, messing with the seasons is a big deal. Especially for the woman who was created to keep the seasons in balance. No. If anyone overreacted, it's the spring spirit of spring. I think I still have a burse where she whacked me." Jack rubbed his head as he recalled the memory in his head.

"So, there are other spirits like you?"

"There are all different kinds. But there are only four main ones; summer, autumn, spring and winter. The others are kind of reflections of us I guess you could call it. Tooth is a reflection of summer; Sandy I think is fall and North is winter. He has those snow globes and Bunny is a reflection of spring. He has springy powers, like making flowers bloom in unusual places when he leaves in one of his holes. But he is not the spirit of spring. He's not as bad as she is," said Jack.

"That's hard to believe," Percy mumbled. "What's his problem anyway?"

"Hey, don't put it all on him, he's just upset. Look, twice now, MiM has chosen a new guardian. And you're not even immortal. I think that's it, mostly. First me than you. It's a lot to take in and I guess he's still trying get used to it. Give him time. I'm sure he'll get over it.

"So, he's not too fond of me because I'm mortal. Go figure."

"He didn't like me either at first."

Percy shook his head and went to his bed and zipped up his bag. "Ready to go," he said.

A.N.

Ok, I know this was a weird chapter. Especially with my description of the different seasons, and the whole thing with Bunny and Percy. No need for any flames about it. Sometimes I know what I want to say I just have no idea how to put it into words. I don't know if you've noticed, but this is one of those times. When this happens, I just keep going and pray it gets better. Believe me, I have a headache thinking about it.

Other than that disturbing note, I got a few things to say here, so bear with me. First off, sorry if I didn't catch Bunnymund's personality as well in this chapter. It's a lot harder than it looks, keeping characterization right. At least I tried.

Since doing the poll was fun the first time, (The one with Maddy and her godly parent) I made another one and put in my profile. About every three weeks I'll make a new one if you want to check it out. But if I make one that is crucial to one of my stories, I will be sure to tell you, so don't worry.

Next, and I have been meaning to tell you this, I have started a co-written story with my friend, Callofthewolfrunner. The story is on on her page if you want to check it out. It's a crossover of Maximum Ride and Percy Jackson. Just thought I'd let you know.

jessjess98: lol. Keep trying; I'm sure you'll get it.

Yo: That's a good idea. I think I'll do that…just mot the exact way you said it. :)

Guest: I figured Bunny would be the most upset with Percy's arrival. Look at how he acted with Jack for instance.

Ice Wolf Fang: Why, thank you very much.

Pwnie3: ALLONS-Y!

Pirate-Spy-Demigod-Wizard: That is just another thing I didn't know. Thanks' for that information.

anonymous2033: Please keep in mind that is my first poem, or anything close to a poem, so I don't doubt if it's bad. I just really wanted to get it finished so I could update.

Binglebop: Each chapter gets longer and longer as well. :) Funny, when I write, it seems like I haven't written that much, but when I look at how much words I have, it is usually a huge number. ;)

WordSmyth: As I keep trying to say, Percy doesn't completely trust the Guardians 100% yet so why would he say every deatail about him, especially his powers? I know I wouldn't.

SilverKnight121: so what if you read this a little late? I'm just glad you read it. :) Thank you.

Turkeyhead987: Ok, I'm officially counting you as my best friend over FanFiction. :D And thanks' BTW

Number1Bookworm: It took me a long time to catch up after my friend introduced -no- corrupted me with Doctor Who :) Don't worry. You'll get there.

Thanks' to: Hi, gamelover41592, OBSESSEDWITHpj, Annabeth Brady, RachelXJackFrost, shalalalalalala, theHuntress101, violleet, kellysprenkel, Guest, WatermelonPushPopsAreCool, Guest