Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I completely forgot to disclaim my chapters. I don't own anything. Not from this chapter or all the previous ones

Percy's POV

I heard a roar.

I wasn't the normal lion roar. I was a piercing shriek, and it shook my soul.

" What was that." I wondered aloud.

" Something-ACHOO!- That we-ACHOO!" Nico sneezed.

" Either you have a cold or someones talking about you." Merope stated. Nico glared at her.

" I hope it's the latter because we can't afford to have you sick." I said.

" Yeah especially since we might have to face what ever that thing is." Nico said, gesturing to the direction of where the roar came from before sneezing again.

" Especially since most of us can't fight."I looked at my own clothes," and our clothes are seriously torn."

" I'm actually used to this." Nico said.

" Wow what kind of depressing life do you live in." Merope said unsarcastically.

" Shut up! You sarcastic dead lady!" Nico yelled.

" Don't speak like that to your elders, you moody teenager!" Merope growled.

" You old hag!"

" Immature brat!"

" Narcissistic grandma cook!"

" Gloomy twig!"

" Twig-?!"

" THAT"S ENOUGH!" I yelled, all three of us flinched at the force of my voice. As annoying as their argument was, it was still quite entertaining. " You two are definitely more alike than you think, so why can't you two understand each other?"

What I said was true. I did feel like they could've been very good friends, but they were both too stubborn to admit how much alike they are.

" I more than tired of your bickering. Apologize to each other," I ordered. Nico looked at as if I had just ordered him to feed his soul to Tartarus. I glared back at him. " Or else I'm going to tie you both up to a tree."

Nico sighed." I'm…So-sorr-ee…" Nico forced out.

" I apologize Nico, for calling you moody teenager, immature brat, and gloomy twig." Then with a hint of mischeif dancing in her eyes, she said."Μπορεί η αδελφή σου και ο θλιβερός σου γάιδαρος να σαπίσουν στην κόλαση."

I had no idea what she said but Nico turned a bright shade of red and shouted," I HOPE YOU KNOW YOU'RE TALKING TO THE SON OF HADES! BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE I'M SENDING YOU ONCE THIS IS ALL OVER!"

Surprised was an understatement. I had never seen Nico actually pissed off like that, now I really wanted to know what Merope said.

" What did you say." I asked Merope, who smiled in absolute victory.

" Just a little inside joke I heard from Thalia." She said.

" Tell me," I said as Nico stormed off ahead of us burning in anger. " Nico gets mad but he never get's this mad."

" I told him that he and his sister can rot in hell. I added some more vulgar language into that though." Merope merely said.

I sharply turned my head towards her."What?"

Merope rolled her eyes." You heard me."

Anger churned through me. If Thalia told Merope about Bianca, then she should be at least a little more sympathetic to Nico. Instead, she just told him off with one of the worst insults you could afflict to him. And now she's standing there completely apathetic.

" What in gods name were you thinking?" I yelled."It's not easy to lose someone you loved."

" It's actually very easy." Merope said. Her usual bright blue eyes now turned ice cold." I lost all my sisters to Orion, but I didn't go into depression or cry one bit. I didn't blame anyone either."

I was totally lost,"actually I'm pretty sure it was you who died, and your sisters who lived."

" That's exactly what they want you to think," Merope said." Orion continues to chase my sisters and I am safe from his hunt because he now thinks I am dead."

I scratched my head," Yeah…about Orion, you see, he's already dead."

Merope's eyes lit up."Really?"

" Yes, but we're getting off topic now. You still hurt Nico's feelings." I said.

Merope scoffed," Like I care."

I starting to get why Nico didn't like her very much. We caught up with Nico who refused to talk to an of us. I was seriously considering to tie them both up to a tree.

When the sun finally set after a blazing day in the desert, Nico still hadn't spoken a word to us. I didn't care at that point, they were both driving me into an early grave. I tried to relax myself by thinking of happy things: Annabeth, blue food…but it wasn't working. Merope took first watch, although I did eventually drift off into sleep, something else was bothering me. I forgot about 'him'.

A white flash surrounded me, and I knew this was where I was while I was unconscious in the Singapore beach. I heard footsteps and felt his eerie presence.

" Stop bothering me." I growled.

" Percy," I looked up. My father stood in front of me with both his tourist clothing and a grim face.

The footsteps got closer.

" Tell him to go away from my dreams…Please." I begged my dad."I can't stand another night of this." Surely my father can understand, right?"

No. Poseidon shook his head."You have to accept this Percy, you're the only one left who hasn't accepted it."

" You told me that last time." I mumbled." I didn't think Thalia would accept her."

" She did, not happily like Nico, but she allowed it…in her heart."

The footsteps got closer, and closer.

" It's not fair. I don't want him back." I thought about Annabeth, how she would react, actually how everyone in Camp Half-Blood would react.

" This is your destiny, and quite frankly, yours too." Poseidon put his hand on my shoulder and stared at me with piercing green eyes, which I reflected. " Turn around Percy and face him."

The footsteps stopped.

Fear built inside my chest, mountains on top on mountains…After two nights I finally looked at him. I leveled my gaze to his, but I couldn't take it. streams poured out of my eyes.

After all these years Luke Castellan looked the same.

" Percy…Percy…Percy…" I squeezed my eyes shut then let them open. They were stinging. Nico and Merope sat over me.

" Hi guys," I grunted. " What's going on?"

" You were murmuring no and Luke, then you started crying." Merope said.

Nico glared at me intently."Did you happen to have a dream in which Poseidon came to you and told you Luke is alive?"

" Uh, actually exactly." I said. Then realization dawned upon me," It has something to do with the prophecy doesn't it."

Nico nodded gravely.

" And I heard about…Bianca." I said stupidly.

Nico looked down." It's okay, I'm actually happy for her. "

" I can't say the same about Luke and me."

Nico cracked a small smile.

Merope looked between us." I'm sorry, I'm kinda lost here. Would someone kindly fill me in on what's going on?"

" It serves you right," Nico said.

Merope scowled," Whatever."

We hiked for about two more days in the blinding sun, stopping by towns to restock, before we felt something remotely strange.

" Guys," I said, looking below," I think we found it."

We all sang a song of relief as we gazed down at an Oasis. and right smack in the middle of it was a large cave. I wanted to just bathe in the sparkling lake but I resisted temptation.

" Percy!" Merope yelled.

" What?" I asked.

" Above us!" Nico shouted.

I stared at the sky and saw four dragons diving towards us.

Chapter 17 end.