Nothing in terms of character development for Lacy, sorry. Just know she's just like her father, but can actually figure things out on her own. Perhaps a little of Athena went into her after all :3
And...PLOT! Well, moar plot than you usually get. By the end of this chapter, you'll all be like, "Oh gods! It's obviously -insert guy here-, but that's so intense and cool!"
I own nothing you recognize as canon. Kids/Teens are mine.
XXII
LACY
Lacy Jackson twirled a finger through her hair absent-mindedly as Esperanza tapped her foot near the bow of the ship. Icarus the dragon figurehead did a 180 and tugged at her hair.
"Icky!" Espie cried. "Don't do that!"
Icarus snorted steam into her face. Lacy didn't speak automaton, but she assumed that meant, "Do not call me Icky."
Lacy giggled as Espie and Icarus had a 'my flame is bigger than yours' contest.
Then she remembered her dream and stopped smiling again.
She sighed and leaned against the mast. When the group had decided all the Valdezes and Sammy Leo would be going to rescue Hazel, Lacy had gone down to her own cabin to sleep. It used to be Percy's and Lacy loved the fact that she could still see bits and pieces of her father's teenage life in the room—the occasional blue strip of paint, the Minotaur horn that had (somehow) survived through the wreckage from Zeus's slap across the world…y'know, little stuff.
Lacy wanted her father to desperately return and she had gone asleep worried for him.
That was when the dream had started.
Lacy was standing at the base of an empty hill. A storm seemed to be brewing at the top, like a windless cloud tornado was about to touch down up there. She shuddered and made to step closer and walk up the hill, but something in the shadows caught her attention.
Lacy ducked behind a bush, not sure if she could be seen as a dream-floaty-invading-spirit-person.
"How long?" boomed a deep voice. "I'm not feeling any different over here!"
"Patience, sir," whimpered a small voice. Lacy followed it and saw a tiny figure talking to an IM.
Lacy couldn't see who the IM person was, only glowing eyes that seemed to pierce her very soul. She shivered.
The figure in front, however, was clear as day. It was a small Telekhine. His Doberman head was bowed in respect, which made him seem smaller.
"Most of the weight has already been released. She takes it well. Much better than—"
"Shut up," growled the glowing-eye-guy. "What of the progress of the Seven?"
The Telekhine shifted his weight. "Um…J-Janus reported Frank Zhang has been freed. He said he will help no more, since he was paid for only one show…"
The guy in the IM grumbled. "They move quickly, I'll give them that. And with a descendant of Hades on board that stupid ship, they'll easily get the key to Hazel Zhang. Status on that?"
The Telekhine brought out an iPad and started typing something up on it. Lacy figured that must have been hard to do, considering he was using flipper-paw-things.
The monster gulped. "Oh, uh…seems she's just been freed…"
"Then they'll be after the irritable son of Poseidon next." The figure's teeth seemed to shine as he grinned evilly. "So attack them."
"But, sir," the monster protested. "The ship is too powerful. Ever since our Earth Mother died and the Hephaestus family fixed it, we cannot even go near it. It can't even be tracked!"
"You remember Percy Jackson's location, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then ambush the rescue party, idiot. Prevent the destined unlocker from reaching him! If she cannot reach her father, then we win."
The Telekhine bowed his head again. "Yes, sir. Fantastic idea, sir."
"GET MOVING!"
The monster squealed in terror and typed out an order on his iPad. "The ambush party will be lying in wait, sir."
"Excellent." The figure grunted, then sighed as if he had been placed into a hot bath. "Ah, there it is. Now I feel the effects. I don't care about world domination or all that schist. Just free me! I'm tired of this nonsense!"
"Soon you will be free, sir," the Telekhine said proudly. "But are you sure you don't wish to try and overthrow Olympus?"
"With what army?" The figure gritted his teeth. "Most of it has been reduced and is still stuck in Tartarus. The rest of you imbeciles are too afraid to try anything so soon. No, once I am free, perhaps I will at least wait a few decades. I'll build up another army, get more minor gods on my side. I'll wait for those ridiculous heroes of Olympus to die off. Their brood cannot be as powerful as their heritage suggests."
The monster gulped. "Well, sir…perhaps…two of them could, if you think about it…?"
The man snarled and the whole area shook. "Do not talk to me about those beasts! I refuse to acknowledge their relation to me! Their father's blood runs deep in their veins. Neither of them has what it takes to live up to me. What a waste of a pedigree."
Lacy felt the ground shift again. "Make sure your little ambush party doesn't disappoint me," the man growled threateningly. "If they get to the next key, I'll have your head."
The dream dissolved.
Lacy hadn't told her mother, Mr. Grace, or Mr. Zhang about this yet. She wanted to make sure.
If they all show up with Dad's key, Lacy thought, then I'll make sure everyone knows. I can't keep that a secret!
She had mulled over who their enemy could possibly be. He seemed to resent her father, Percy Jackson. When he had said the son of Poseidon's name, it was like he was spitting on the ground in disgust.
"That narrows it down," she mumbled aloud. "Dad made a lot of enemies…"
Then there was a possibility that two people could defeat this guy if he got free. Two siblings.
Narrows it down more…Could be me and Bobby, but are we related to anything bad? Just Poseidon and Athena, and they seem to be okay with at least one of us at a time…
She glanced over at Mr. Zhang, who was currently practice sparring with Mr. Grace. Their Roman styles were really intense compared to the Greek styles Lacy's parents had taught her.
Sammy Leo and Augustus are brothers, she thought. Mars and Pluto…no, Pluto admitted he didn't mind them, and Mars obviously likes Sammy Leo. He blessed the guy to be undefeatable in battle! Then who…
Her eyes locked onto Esperanza again. The Latina was currently juggling a few fireballs out of sheer boredom. Icarus had turned back around, clearly a sore loser of the 'my flame is bigger than yours' contest.
Esperanza and Tulio…
Something seemed to click inside Lacy's mind.
On Leo's side, they have Hephaestus, who clearly loves them and their fire abilities…But on Calypso's side they've got…
"Two of the Seven have dealt with this person before. And he is related to another of the Seven."
It couldn't be…
Before Lacy could think it over more, she heard Jason shout.
"Oh my gods, Leo," the son of Jupiter howled. "You look hilarious!"
Lacy turned and walked to the side of the ship. She burst out laughing at Mr. Valdez's clothes and how tiny they were on him. She had never before realized how small Leo was as a kid, but now it was oh-so-obvious how Tulio's future self would be built.
Leo waddled—yes, waddled—up the gangplank. He went right up to Frank.
"So, Frank," Leo began. "You had a growth spurt in Venice. My turn."
He flexed and yowled. Leo's shirt ripped completely, as did his pants—much like how the Hulk would rip his clothes, though the Hulk never lost his pants during the initial growth…
Leo immediately posed gloriously, only wearing his tool belt and pretty beautiful blue boxers. Not a hint of embarrassment was on his face as he grinned. It was like he was an Underwear/tool belt model for Mechanics Weekly. He was thoroughly enjoying this!
"Beat that," he said smugly.
With that, Leo picked up the remains of his clothes and headed downstairs.
Frank had the most bewildered face on. "What in Mars's name was that!?"
Jason blinked. "I think he just challenged you to a Hulk contest, dude."
A clear laugh rang out through the air. Frank stopped breathing and smiled as his wife Hazel came up to meet him in a hug.
Tulio and Sammy Leo followed. Lacy went up to them.
"Where's Sammy Valdez?" she asked.
"He's gone now," Tulio said. "Hazel got to say good-bye and that was about it."
"So, who's key did she have?"
Tulio brought out a green and blue key with a trident-shaped end. Lacy gulped, now knowing her dream had been real.
She grasped the key and was not surprised in the least when it floated. The words appeared a second later:
The love and fear of water together,
Shall save the son of the Sea from darkness forever.
The key floated back gently into Lacy's palm. Sammy Leo had the biggest grimace on his face.
"Of course it goes right back to being predictable again," the Roman grumbled. "Sure, why not!?"
Tulio shook his head and stared at Lacy. "Looks like it's your Dad's turn to be rescued, huh?"
Lacy smiled. "After all this time being the hero, now he gets to be the damsel in distress!"
It seemed like everyone heard that, because now all the people on deck were laughing.
Lacy's smiled disappeared. "But…there's something you guys should know about Dad's rescue…I had a dream while Hazel was being rescued."
"What about?" Jason asked.
Lacy made a face. "Well…"
A/N: Herp.
Pretty obvious who the mastermind is, huh? :P But you'll never guess WHY he's doing it :D
Well, you might, actually. I bet you anything that a certain someone WILL guess it! lol
