Now I know you guys who read my stories have been searching and searching for the Percabeth in my writing. Don't worry; it's coming up, maybe not in this chapter, but soon. Jokes too, I might add are part of Percy's character and wouldn't complete any fan fiction without them. I no own PJO. This chapter may suck, just tell me. Thanks!
The Beginning
The taxi ride seemed to lead nowhere until I realized Annabeth's intentions. She was driving us to Olympus. The taxi ride was conversational all the way there.
"I know she's up there?" Annabeth said, "She has to be."
"You don't sound so sure." I said.
She glared at me, but said nothing.
We sped down 5th Avenue and the driver stopped the taxi at the entrance to the Empire State Building, just an airplane's height below Mount Olympus.
Annabeth handed the driver a wad of mortal cash. We exited out on Thirty-Fourth Street and walked into the lobby.
Annabeth walked up to a large, bald man behind the desk. He was reading a comic book that looked vaguely like Superman. "We need the 'special' elevator card." She said.
The receptionist stared blankly at her. "There's only one card down here, miss, so unless you're here for an appointment with someone in the building, you need to leave."
I could tell Annabeth was getting impatient. "We need to see Zeus." She said.
"Who?" The man asked.
"You heard me."
The man's jaw clenched and he stared back at his comic book; I figured it was pretty good, considering the fact that he had the guts to ignore Annabeth, something I wouldn't recommend. "I need a reason." He said.
"Alright, pal," Annabeth said, "Here's your reason. The goddess of wisdom and war is angry, and unless you want death, you'll let us pass."
Now, I don't know where Annabeth gets off threatening mortals, but I understood her motives. We were close to a broken council, and the stress from Athena is giving her pressure.
The man gave Annabeth a malicious look, but handed her the card key.
"Alright, Percy," she said, "Let's go."
I followed her.
We rode up the elevator in silence. That is, until the doors opened, leaving us with the image of Hermes blocking the walkway to Olympus. And he wasn't in a good mood.
"Hermes," I said, "Why are you here." It sounded a lot harsher than I'd meant, but Hermes just sighed.
"God of Roads at your service. And this," he said spreading out his hand behind him, "Is a road."
Hermes shot a glance at Annabeth. "Your mother isn't in a good mood, and as you can see, it's affecting the rest of us. If you wish to see her, come with me."
We followed Hermes up the main road toward the throne room, but stopped as the road forked off in a million different directions, something I hadn't noticed before.
"Your mother is down that road." Hermes said, pointing down the road to the far left. "Follow it, but watch out." As he finished his sentence, Hermes disappeared.
"Ready?" I asked Annabeth.
"Ready as ever." She responded.
Walking down the road was easy enough, but I could smell tension in the air.
At the end of the road was a temple that looked familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
Annabeth, being Annabeth, seemed to read my mind.
"That's Athena's favorite temple. It was built to look like the Parthenon did before it was destroyed, but—"
"But what?" I asked.
"Nothing." She said.
Annabeth walked cautiously into the temple, so I followed her lead, hoping she knew her mother better than I did.
Apparently, the Parthenon had been completely awesome back twenty-five hundred years ago. The floors were polished marble, letting me see my own reflection any way I turned. The columns were also polished marble, double lying out around the main floor. Inside the columns were walls covering the top and bottom thirds of the building, leaving the center bare to see the columns and outside. The walls were decorated with every kind of precious gems and metals you could imagine; rubies, sapphires, diamonds, gold, and silver. A polished, shiny bronze brazier burned at the far end of the room, standing in from of a gold leaf scroll inscribed with ancient Greek writing that I couldn't see from where I was standing. In front of the brazier, staring up at the writing was Athena.
I stopped as I saw her. I had a feeling she knew we were here, but Annabeth kept forward, stumbling/walking toward her other.
Oh gods, I thought, she's going to get blasted to ashes.
I was about to follow, but when Annabeth got halfway across the room; Athena turned around and called out, echoing across the room, "Stop!"
Her voice was so shrill, I wanted to make a run for it before she turned me into a hamster and sent her owl after me, but something told me not to leave.
Annabeth must have sensed something in me, because she turned her gaze back to me. Her expression was confused and basically yelling, 'Get your but over here, or I'll turn you into a hamster myself.'
I walked cautiously over by Annabeth's side, hoping Athena wouldn't turn on me and bite my head off or something. My mind was on the prophecy the entire time. Rescue the goddess or suffer her fall. If Athena's position was as high as I thought it was, I'd probably be the one to fall . . . you know, thrown off the mountainside and splat on the ground kind of fall.
"Mother . . ." Annabeth said. "What happened to you?"
She was right; Athena normally wore army clothes or a white dress of whatever, with blond hair and a proud expression. Now she was dressed in an outfit that made Ares, the god of war, look down right childish.
Her hair was black and streaked with grey, like mine was from holding up the sky, but her hair was streaked silver in multiple spots. She wore a bronze breastplate under a one shouldered, white Greek chiton. Her sword was strapped at her side; a kopis, or slashing sword with a curved silver blade with a gold hilt. In her right hand was her spear, an eight foot long black shaft with a bronze hilt sparking with energy. Her shield, the aegis was around her back with leather covering on it, thank the gods. And her helmet; a Corinthian helmet gleaming silver, with an owl embroidered at the front of her black horse-hair plume was tilted on her head like it is in most of the sculptures I'd seen of her. She had a white barn owl on her shoulder and leather sandals on her feet. I could see now how Ares wasn't ever able to beat her in a fight. I was almost about to cry.
I remembered the prophecy one last time; rescue the goddess. If anything, someone was going to have to rescue us from her.
Athena cleared her throat. "The gods have not been kind to me, they have turned defiant of wisdom and war is almost at a brink as a result." Then she stared directly at me, making me feel small, "You father, Percy Jackson, is ironically, one of the only ones taking my side, and attempting to silence the other gods. For that, I am grateful."
I gulped hard, "Thanks." I managed.
She turned back toward her daughter, "Annabeth, you have both heard of the rumors floating around this mountain. I must confirm this, and I would hope you know there is only one thing you can do to prevent it."
"Let me guess," Annabeth said, "Get the others to shut up long enough to listen to reason?"
"And to agree with one another." Athena granted.
"Then there's only one way to do that." I put in, "And we're going to need your to help to do it."