Christmas Day
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO
Please remember that it is about 2032 in this story.
Hallie's POV
Today is Christmas Day! My parents always go out of their way to get Sophia and me things we will love. Dad always gets excited when shopping for me because we are both always thinking of the sea. Sophia is more like Mom, so she does most of Sophia's shopping. That's just how it goes.
This year, I actually got an aquarium of tropical saltwater fish! I also got a boogie board, a surf board, a giant squirt gun, and new bathing suits. To me, these are the best presents ever, because I love the sea! But that's not all I got. I got a new green iPod, a blue laptop (I have been begging for one for three years), and fifty dollars in iTunes gift cards.
Sophia got a new silver iPod, a green laptop, fifty dollars in iTunes gift cards, Sim City computer games (she's into architecture like Mom), new ice skates (hers were falling apart), a telescope (loves astronomy), and a cat. I was surprised by the cat, but Sophia loves her and named her Spicy.
By the looks on my parents' faces, there was one more present, and it was the best. They were grinning ear to ear as Dad pulled two small boxes out from behind his back. He handed the silver one to Sophia and the green one to me.
I excitedly undid the ribbons around the tiny box and pulled the lid off. Inside were a key and a picture. I unfolded the picture and started crying tears of joy when I saw that it was a picture of a Wave-Runner. I had the key to my very own Wave-Runner! It was green and blue, my favorite colors.
I looked at Sophia, and her reaction was the same as mine. She showed me the picture from her box, and I saw it was a car! Sophia got a car! Her car was a 2022 silver Toyota convertible with black leather seats. I showed her my picture, and she grinned at me. I noticed that I was grinning at her too.
I ran to my parents and pulled them into a giant hug, "You guys are the best! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Sophia did the same thing, saying, "I can never say thank you enough or describe in words how awesome you guys are!" She kissed them both on the top of their heads, twice each.
They chuckled at our reactions, "You're welcome," Dad said. Mom said the same after him. I reached under the tree for the presents I bought them with Grandma Blofis. Sophia did the same.
I gave them my presents first. Mom opened hers to reveal a silver tennis bracelet. She smiled as I helped her put it on. "I love it," she said.
Dad was next, "Grandma Blofis told me that you would appreciate that. She delivered them this morning and I helped her make them yesterday," he looked at me suspiciously before pulling the lid off. He laughed as he pulled out a blue cookie. Mom laughed with him.
"Blue cookies," he said, "I haven't had a blue cookie since I left for college," he took one bite; "Mom hasn't lost her touch."
"You know," Mom mentioned, "Whenever I visited, I never even had a blue pancake," she pouted.
Dad handed her a cookie, "Blue food was a symbol of defiance against Smelly Gabe. After he was gone, she just made it for fun." Who the heck was Smelly Gabe?
"They're delicious," Mom said in surprise.
"What did you expect? Blue-flavored chocolate?" he teased, "I expected more brains than that from you."
Mom rolled her eyes at him, ignoring the taunt/insult. Sophia noticed her cue and gave Mom and Dad her presents. Mom went first again and revealed a necklace that matched the bracelet I got her with an owl charm on the end. She smiled once again as Sophia helped her put it on, "Girls, I really love these presents. Sophia, how did you know that I like owls? I don't think I ever mentioned that."
"Grandma Blofis told me," she answered.
Dad opened his, "I made yours myself. I've been collecting materials all year." He took the lid off and pulled a shark tooth necklace out, "There are twenty shark teeth string on that necklace."
"This is awesome. Thank you," he told Sophia.
Percy's POV
"Sophia, you park the car while I go get us a table," I told my daughter. We let her drive us here in her new car because she was dying to get behind the wheel. Annabeth sat next to her, giving her directions. For some reason, Annabeth brought the Yankees caps.
I got out of the car and hustled inside Greek Myth, the restaurant we would be eating at. The nymph at the counter greeted me with a smile, "Do you have a reservation?"
"Yes. Percy Jackson, party of thirteen," I told her. As I (well, Annabeth) predicted (the reason I went ahead of my family), her eyes grew wide at the mention of my name.
What I didn't expect was for her to curtsy, "We all owe our lives to you, Percy Jackson," she said.
"Oo- kay…if you don't mind, I don't want any special treatment. My daughters don't know about my past yet and they will be here," I requested.
"Whatever you wish, hero– I mean, Mr. Jackson," the nymph stood straight.
Sophia's POV
I'm driving my car! This is the best Christmas ever! Dad told me to park the car, and he got out. He practically ran into the restaurant. Well, that's my Dad for you: weird with strange, odd behavior. Whatever.
When I walked in the restaurant, I was overwhelmed by the Greek architecture. There were columns and statues and arches and more! Dad was waiting for us to come in, and behind him was a woman with a pale complexion and rose-red hair. She must've dyed it. Funny enough, there was a rosebush in a pot near her podium. She wore a stem-green dress, continuing the rose theme. It was if she were impersonating the bush. I'll call her Rose, since I can't read her nametag for two reasons. 1) I have dyslexia. 2) It was written in Greek. What the heck?
"Would you like to wait for the rest of your party or be seated now?" Rose asked.
"We will wait," Mom answered. Rose nodded with a small smile. That smile wasn't the phony ones that most hostesses give you; it was one that screamed, "I knew it".
About thirty seconds later, Greg, Rachel, and Tommy walked through the front door. Greg and I smiled at each other. My dad has been doing everything he can to prevent me from being alone with Greg. He has issues. I don't hate him, though. He's just trying to protect me; he doesn't want my heart to be broken.
About a minute after that, Tanya, Aunt Thalia, and Uncle Theodore came through the door. Hallie ran to hug her cousin and best friend. Those girls are funny to watch; they talk nonstop, saying things no one understands.
A few seconds later, Stella, Uncle Nico, and Aunt Aura arrived. Tanya and Hallie hurried to meet their other cousin and best friend. They picked up the conversation right where they left off, as if Stella had been there the whole time. Thirteen year olds will be thirteen year olds.
Rose led us to our table. The adults were on one end, and the kids were on the other. The right side of the table was Dad, Mom, Aunt Thalia, Uncle Theodore, Tanya, Hallie, and Stella. The left side was Uncle Nico, Aunt Aura, Tommy, Rachel, Greg, and me. So I ended up sitting next to Greg and across from Hallie. Greg and I secretly held hands under the table.
From my seat, I could see Rose and the front door. What I saw of Rose was only her profile (the side of her face). So I saw her mouth drop open in surprise when the group of five adults walked in the door. There was one thing similar about these people: they all walked with a tremendous sense of power.
The first man looked a lot like a male version of Aunt Thalia and Aunt Aura. He had the same hair and eyes, but a stronger build. The second man looked scarily like my dad, only he had wrinkles around his eyes from smiling a lot. He was also much tanner. The third man looked a lot like Uncle Nico, only scarier: pale skin, black hair, black eyes, and dark clothes. The fourth man was a ray of sunshine among the black hair (everyone but him had black hair). He had sandy blonde hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. He looked as if he were the youngest of the five and resembled Uncle Theodore and Tommy. The woman of the group had black hair and dangerous grey eyes. Her features reminded me of my mother's.
Rose actually curtsied when they approached her. Are they royalty or something? The first man said something to her, and she rose from her curtsy. She took five menus and seated them near us. The adults of our table wore bewildered expressions as the group sat. They knew these people.
I noticed that Mom was the only one who didn't look surprised. She pulled out a box and was approaching them. I watched as she bowed her head to the group, addressed the first man first, and then approached the woman.
Annabeth's POV
I took the box of Yankees caps out form under the table and approached the gods.
I bowed my head in respect, and then turned to Zeus, "Lord Zeus," Zeus nodded and I approached my mother, "Mother, these gifts are not mine to give. I do not know if they are ready to have them now, or if I should wait. I believe it would be wise for you to give this to Sophia and Hallie."
Athena glanced at her granddaughters and looked back to me, "I agree," she admitted. With that, she accepted the box
Now that my hands were free, I curtsied politely before I left. You must always be polite around a god, unless you are trying to hurt yourself, especially around Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.
Sophia's POV
What the heck was that about? The woman actually looked at Hallie and me during her conversation with Mom. Were they talking about us? Did this lady know us? Most importantly, who is she?
Mom came back to the table, acting like nothing happened. As soon as she sat down, the other adults started asking her hushed questions. Then it looked as if they were done with the questions and started to debate something.
"What do you think that was about?" Stella asked.
"I don't know. Our parents have been giving us hints, and I think it has something to do with Greece," I said.
"Hey Sophia! I looked up that language that you said your parents were speaking, and it wasn't Greek. It was Ancient Greek," Greg told me.
"What Ancient Greece was famous for?" Tanya prompted.
"The Greek gods," I answered immediately.
"So it all comes back to the Greek gods. The language, the TV, the names, the weapons, the stuff, and the movie," Hallie stated. She had already told us yesterday about the things she found in our parents room, "But what does this have to do with us?"
"Everything," a strong female voice said next to me.
Athena's POV
Annabeth made a wise decision to leave it to me to tell her daughters the secret. A mother is always thinking about the danger, so they never thing about the benefits when making the decision. As a grandmother, I worry too. But as a goddess, I have a better chance of making the right decision. As the goddess of wisdom, I have an even better chance.
"Athena, how close have they come?" Zeus asked me.
"Very close. Right now they are putting many pieces together. They have already mentioned Greek gods," I informed the other gods.
"They are grandchildren of powerful gods, so I personally think we should tell them," Apollo said in his carefree manner.
"That is a point that proves we should not. Once you know, you attract more monsters. As a grandchild of the Big Three, you attract way more monsters," Poseidon pointed out.
"Oh look, Kelp-Face made a smart point," I teased.
"We're all very proud," Hades grumbled sarcastically, "Let's get back to the subject. Stella will have both Nico and Aura's power, making her very powerful. The only child without as much risk is Greg."
"According to Aphrodite *laugh*, Greg and Sophia are inseparable," Apollo mentioned.
"Your point?" asked Zeus.
"Wherever Sophia goes, a grandchild of Poseidon and Athena, Greg will go," Apollo said smugly.
"Putting him in danger too," I agreed.
"Now, what about those invisibility caps," Hades began, "I think one should go to Stella, because she has two Big Three grandparents."
"Nonsense; only descendants of myself are allowed to own the caps," I countered.
"As much as I want to agree with Hades, I cannot. Invisibility caps are the special gifts Athena gives. Like Hermes and flying shoes," Zeus sighed.
"So, are we telling them or not?" Poseidon asked.
We all glanced at each other, and then they all looked at me, "Ignorance is no longer a protection. A monster came to Annabeth and Percy's apartment because Sophia used the emergency phone." They all nodded at my choice, agreeing. We all rose from our seats and approached our grandchildren.
Hallie was talking, "So it all comes back to the Greek gods. The language, the TV, the names, the weapons, and the movie," she looked at each face watching her, "But what does this have to do with us?"
"Everything," I said. Everyone at the table turned their heads towards me.
"Did you say 'everything'?" Sophia asked.
"Yes I did, my granddaughter," I replied with a rare smile. All of the children's mouths dropped open in shock.
"Did she just say 'granddaughter'?" Hallie whispered to Sophia.
Annabeth spoke up, "Mother, you honestly think they are ready?"
"Yes I do. Ignorance is no longer a protection," I answered.
"Does that answer your question?" Sophia whispered back to Hallie. Hallie nodded.
"I am Athena, goddess of wisdom. I am Sophia and Hallie's grandmother."
"I am Zeus, god of the sky and king of the gods. I am Tanya and Stella's grandfather."
"I am Poseidon, god of the sea. I am Sophia and Hallie's grandfather."
"I am Hades, god of the Underworld. I am Stella's grandfather."
"I am Apollo, god of the sun. I am Tanya and Greg's grandfather."
Sophia looked like she was thinking, and fast, "Mom, you married your second cousin?"
"It's complicated. The gods are all related, but they do not have the same genetics. Lord Zeus married Lady Hera, his sister," Annabeth replied.
"I do not think of Perseus as my cousin. Just as an annoying hero whom I thought wise to kill when he was fourteen," I said. The children gasped.
"Oh please no. The Underworld is over crowded as it is, even with the overpasses Daedalus built!" Hades moaned, panicking.
"I'm not going to kill him now," I snapped.
"Good," Poseidon told me sternly.
Sophia's POV
I would have never guessed anything like this! I am a grandchild of the Greek gods! That explains why I'm so good with water sports and is so interested in architecture and astronomy. Poseidon and Athena.
"All of you are what we call half-bloods. Well, all but Greg. Greg, you are a quarter-blood. You are all demigods. Rachel is not a demigod," Zeus said. Greg nodded.
"Sophia, Hallie? I have something to give you," Athena said. She produced the box Mom gave her, "Your mother was supposed to give these to you for me, but she didn't know when." She placed the box in between us and Hallie gently lifted the lid. Inside were two Yankees caps.
I was confused. Mom instructed, "Put them on." I took the one nearest me, and Hallie took the one nearest her. Mom took one out of her pocket. The three of us put them on at the same time. All of the kids gasped. I gasped because my sister and mom just disappeared. I held my hand in front of my face and realized that I disappeared too!
"Awesome!" I exclaimed as I took it off, "Thank you, Lady Athena."
"Now I feel like I have to give something," Zeus sighed, "Stella, I give you a shield." He gave her a watch, "I got the idea from Tyson," he told the adults. Who's Tyson? He helped Stella get it on and pulled her away from anything breakable (like people and tables) and pressed the surface of the watch. A shield sprang from the face.
"Whoa," Stella shrieked, "Sweet! Thank you, Lord Zeus!"
"Tanya, Tanya, Tanya. What to give one who is sure to be great with a bow and arrow? Maybe a special arrow? I give you a quiver of lightning arrows. You shoot them just as would a regular arrow. They refill themselves. These are special for another reason though: no matter where you hit your enemy, they will be destroyed. With a normal arrow, you would have to penetrate the 'heart'," he explained as he pulled out a quiver of mini lightning bolts.
"Thank you, Lord Zeus," Tanya said.
"Sophia and Hallie, I shall give you swords that match your personality," Poseidon said, "Sophia, you are more like Athena; I will tell no lies. Even though you are good at water sports, I sense that among your Athena qualities, I sense the power of an earthquake. Don't misunderstand me; you will be able to control water as your father does. This sword I give you will let you create earthquakes. Its name is Earthmover." He handed me a grey pen.
Curious, I uncapped it, and was shocked when a sword sprouted from the inside, "Weird!" I turned to my grandfather, "Thank you, Lord Poseidon." I put the cap on the tip of the blade and it shrunk.
"Hallie, you are very much like me. Although you possess the wisdom of Athena, you are more like me. I give you a sword that can control the seas. Its name is Wavemover, and it is Earthmover's twin," Poseidon handed her a sea-green pen.
"Does it work like Sophia's?" Hallie asked. Poseidon nodded, "I trust you. Thank you, Lord Poseidon."
"Stella my granddaughter, you need a sword to go with your shield, don't you? I get tired of the old pen trick. Who wouldn't? For a girl, I find jewelry more appropriate, rather, Persephone does. Your sword's name is Bonebreaker," Hades said as he produced a black ring with a skull on it, "Put the ring on your dominant hand."
Stella slid the ring on her right ring finger, "How do I get the sword?"
"Press the skull," Hades answered. Stella did that, and a sword grew from the ring. She caught it on reflex.
"Thank you, Lord Hades," Stella thanked.
Apollo cleared his throat and held up his hand dramatically. The gods and adults groaned, all but Rachel, Tommy, and Uncle Theodore.
"Right now is gift time,
I meet my grandchildren now,
I still look awesome," Apollo said in a haiku.
"Tanya first! As Zeus pointed out, you will be a wonderful archer, no doubt about that. So my gift to you is a bow and regular arrows," he said as he gave Tanya those things.
"Greg, my grandson. Just because you are a quarter-blood doesn't make you any less awesome than the others. As I am your only god grandparent, there is no doubt in my mind that you will be a phenomenal archer. I give you a bow and many arrows," Apollo told Greg. Greg accepted the gifts.
"Thank you, Lord Apollo," Tanya said.
"Thank you. I have a question though," Greg started, "Do I see the monsters clearly because I am part god?"
Rachel surprised everyone by speaking, "No. I am able to see through the Mist, and you inherited that trait from me. I didn't understand what I saw until Percy tried to attack me with his sword." Dad laughed along with Rachel.
Dad wanted to defend himself, no matter how funny he thought this was, "I was being chased by monsters and you surprised me. You're lucky you're not part god or you would've been seriously hurt.
"What do you mean? Why would that matter?" Stella asked.
"I'll show you," Dad said. He pulled out a blue pen from his pocket and uncapped it, "Tsunami." That was its name I guess.
Dad reached across the table and swung Tsunami at Rachel's throat. She didn't even flinch, but that wasn't the only weird thing. The weird thing was, the blade went right through! Dad looked at Mom's neck where a pearl necklace was. Hallie's eyes grew wide and mouthed, that's the necklace from under the floorboard, to me. I nodded.
Mom nodded at Dad's unspoken question. Dad looked at Athena just to make sure, and she nodded too. Dad gently held Mom's wrist in his left hand, and Mom clutched Aunt Thalia's wrist like someone would do when they wanted to distract themselves from pain. Dad slit Mom's wrist and she bit her lip while squeezing Aunt Thalia's wrist tighter. Mom started to bleed, but it stopped and the wound closed up as if it was never there. Dad and Mom both sighed in relief and Mom let go of Aunt Thalia's wrist, making her sigh with relief as well.
"Whoa!" all the kids, including myself, cried out.
"Celestial bronze does not hurt mortals. The necklace Annabeth wears heals every cut she receives," Dad explained.
Just then, the waitress came forward with the food we ordered. The gods retreated to their table where I saw weird food in front of them. To me it looked like a pale smoothie in a cup and many pale-chocolate squares. I'll ask about that later.
When I took my first bite, a frantic man in his late twenties burst through the front door with a woman who looked like a tree. He spotted us and ran our way, "Do they know?" he asked hurriedly, pointing us kids. Dad nodded, "I thought so. You guys are attracting a lot of monsters! They are on their way, and fast!"
Dad took out his pen again and pressed the face of his watch, out of which came a shield. Mom produced a knife. Aunt Thalia took out a sword and a shield that scared me. Uncle Theodore grabbed Tanya's bow and regular arrows. Uncle Nico produced a black sword. Aunt Aura clapped her hands so loud it sounded like thunder and two swords appeared in her hands. Tommy grabbed Greg's bow and arrows. This was so cool!
The adults ran out of the restaurant, and we followed. There were a lot of monsters charging towards us! Theodore and Tommy notched an arrow onto their bows and shot with amazing accuracy at monsters. They disappeared in a shower of golden dust.
Dad shouted to no one in particular, "Why are their so many?"
The man who just arrived answered, "Typhon." With that, the adults with swords charged at the monsters. Aunt Aura was chopping down monsters left and right like a ninja. Uncle Nico rarely used his sword, raising armies of skeletons from the ground. Dad was surrounded by three at a time always. Every time he got rid of one, another came up to him. Watching Mom fight monsters was funny. Every time a monster hurt her, the wound would clear up. This made the monster irritated. Aunt Thalia wasn't far away from Mom, and monsters cowered in front of her shield alone, which made watching her funny too.
Apollo gave Rachel a bronze-edged boomerang. She looked at it for a second in confusion, and then her eyes lit up with humor and recognition. She threw it at monsters with amazing accuracy, and she caught it when it came back to her. Then she threw it at another monster, and then another. Every monster she hit disappeared like the others did. It looked as if she had been doing this forever.
Stella, Tanya, Hallie, Greg, and I gawped at our parents. I thought they were complete nutcases before, but in actuality they were awesome! I was confused why the gods weren't helping. Athena saw the confusion on my face, "We cannot interfere directly," she told me.
Dad cut the last monster into a shower of golden dust. Zeus called the waitress over and ordered something called 'nectar and ambrosia'. The waitress came back with the food I saw on the gods' plates earlier.
The adults ate and drank the strange food (except Mom) and their wounds disappeared. Dad addressed the man who just arrived, "Grover, please explain."
"Remember when we got rid of Kronos, we thought the other titans would go back to where they belonged? Apparently Typhon resisted. He's dead set on finishing what Kronos started. He has many monsters who are listening, but all of Lord Hades's monsters are resisting. He's looking for demigod followers now, or even a god who will listen. He sees you all, even your children, as threats," Grover explained.
Tanya surprised everyone by speaking up, "I've been having these dreams about teenagers and children fighting monsters like that. A girl was screaming about 'Luke' and 'Kronos', saying that something wasn't right. There were trees pushing a big man down, and just before that a boy was thrown at the big man's head."
The adults exchanged looks. Uncle Theodore spoke, "This man wasn't always big, was he? He crumpled to the ground and the big man rose up? Scary-looking kids threw a boy with black hair at the big man's head?" These were odd questions, but Tanya nodded, "I saw that in a dream when I was fifteen. Then, it was the future. Now, it is the past. You were seeing a vision of the past."
Apollo was beaming at Tanya, "My granddaughter has the gift of sight! She learned of it at thirteen, two years younger than her father was! Tanya, if you ever see anything like this again, you must tell some one. But not the same dream."
Zeus spoke, "If Typhon is rising, the children must be taken to Cam Half-Blood for safety." Our parents bit their lips, looking unsure.
"If you think we should, I agree," Dad said.