"Mt. Orthrys?"
"Yes"
It had already been five minutes into the rogue quest at the morale of the group had already plummeted. The demigoddesses and huntresses were inwardly terrified, but their pride as viragos wouldn't allow them to show it let alone admit it. Percy was another situation; he was a bit wary and you could tell he was. Going up against a powerful being that was strong enough entrap and imprison a goddess was a bit nerve wracking.
"Like the Mt. Orthrys?"
"The one and only."
"Are you sure Artemis is chained up the Mt. Orthrys, ya know the Titans' base?"
While Thalia and Annabeth were grating Percy's nerves with their incessant questions of 'are you sure?', they had to be sure that they were heading into the Titan stronghold. The specific mountain where the Titans originally had been stationed at when they were ruling the universe. And like always Percy's answer was—
"Yes! The Mt. Orthrys! In California! Would you like me spell it out or draw you a picture?" He angrily and sarcastically replied.
Thalia's anger bubbled, "Oh, I'm sorry, am I irritating you? Because if you haven't noticed we're going to Orthrys to undoubtedly fight a Titan! And let's not forget about the obstacles that will be in our way!"
"Oh no, I haven't forgotten, I'm just not making a big deal out of it." Percy answered nonchalantly.
Zoë spoke bitterly, "Let's not forget about the Japanese deities and monsters that will be standing in our way with the Titans."
Percy chuckled, humored by their predicament, "Oh kami, I just remembered that too."
The girls were amazed by Percy's composure. He wasn't scared or even mildly fazed by the situation at hand. He was just grinning, laughing at the fact that they were most likely going to die. Seriously, who does that? The girls were now starting to doubt his sanity. Someone who laughs in the face of death has got to have a few developmental issues, or mental disorders. Regardless, it was… there was no word to describe it.
Thalia looked the kitsune with awe, "How are you so calm?"
Percy's face and eyes darkened considerably, "Practice, I've been doing this since I was nine. This ain't the first time I fought a god with the odds against me."
The girls' eyes widened when he uttered those words. Him? Fighting a god? But he quickly changed the subject. "Let's get going, we're wasting time."
While the girls were curious about him fighting a god, they could tell he didn't want to delve into that conversation and wisely kept quiet.
As the group travelled in the camp's van there was a quiet silence. Zoë and Phoebe sat in the driver's and passenger's seat. Thalia and Annabeth sat middle row while Percy lounged in the back having a dream. It was disturbing. He saw young girl wearing old fashioned Greek chiton leading a large man with a lion pelt draped over him. He saw the girl give the man a hairpin before it changed into a glowing bronze xiphos. Taking the sword the man went further into a beautiful garden where there was an enormous tree with sprouting golden apples. But the tree was guarded by large hundred-headed dragon. Percy watched as the man battled with the dragon with powerful tenacity. In the end the man was triumphant over the ferocious beast. The man went and plucked a golden apple from the large. The young girl ran to the man; ecstatic over his success.
"My lord, you've done it! You've bested Ladon!"
The man only walked right past her, not saying anything. The girl called after the man but her cries were heard on deaf ears. The young girl just stood there as she saw man walk away. Eventually the girl fell to her knees and sobbed, heartbroken. It was at this moment that Percy finally got a good look at the girl. Long, silky black hair, volcanic black eyes, and copper colored skin.
Zoë Nightshade...
Percy woke up breathing heavily and eyes wide as dinner plates; earning him confused looks from everyone.
"What the Hades is wrong with you?" Thalia asked with an arched eyebrow.
Percy just ran a hand through his long, messy, dark hair as he sighed. "I'd tell you, but that would take to long."
Zoë. Zoë Nightshade. Was a Hesperide. Percy was shocked by this revelation. The man-hating girl scout was a nymph that tended Hera's garden. He was always a little suspicious of Zoë, she didn't exactly smell like a half-blood.
Abandoned by Hercules… no wonder she's so damn bitter about men.
The group traveled all the way to D.C. on a quest that was most likely going to be their deaths. All the while Percy casually made small talk, which usually ended into small but heated argument between Percy and Zoe and/or Phoebe. Thalia and Annabeth were a bit wary about the back-and-forth of the huntresses and fox. They could easily tell by the feel of his power that Percy could easily destroy them. And the last thing they wanted was to come Artemis and tell her that the fox destroyed two of her most loyal attendants. That would be the most awkward conversation a demigod could have with a goddess.
Zoë parked the van at a train station near the Smithsonian Mall of Museums. Annabeth got and gave everyone a train ticket. "All right we have an hour before the train leaves, so we shouldn't wander too far away."
As everyone got their ticket they noticed that Percy was gone; much to Zoë's and Phoebe's irritation.
Percy walked around until he came across an alive-and-well Dr. Thorn. 'Fucking monsters'. Percy turned his physical form into a black odorless vapor and proceeded to follow the reformed monster from a distance in a shadow. Following them in a dinosaur exhibit Percy noticed that there was blonde teen and very very tall man talking with a few monsters.
The man spoke with very deep and commanding voice, "Did you get it?"
The monsters nodded yes and handed him something to the man. The said man laughed boisterously in triumph, "Ignorant, foolish mortals! They don't even know they have dragon's teeth in their midst! Plant them, deliver us an army!"
Three monstrous bears appeared; the one on the left had white fur, the one on the right had brown fur, and the one in middle, and the largest, had black fur.
"I see you have been able to obtain dragon's teeth. For a moment me and my brothers didn't think you would come through, General." The black bear said in a demonic voice, gesturing to the other bears.
"BE SILENT, MONSTERS! Do as your told, beasts!" The so-called 'General' was enraged.
The monstrous bears stood on their hind legs and roared viciously. The middle roared in fury, "WE DO NOT TAKE ORDERS FROM YOU, TITAN! WE TAKE ORDERS ONLY FROM THE KAMI—"
"Wait brother!" The white bear said as he sniffed the air. "We have an intruder!"
"Go! Find them and destroy them!" Atlas ordered the beasts, much to their ire and animosity, but regardless took off, chasing the scent.
Percy, in his black gaseous form, panicked. Utilizing his powerful nose Percy tracked the girls to a nearby diner, where they were currently eating in the back.
As a black mist surrounded the demigoddesses and huntresses reached for their respective weapons. But before any of the girls tried to attack the mist it quickly assembled and materialized into a familiar fox.
"Guys, we need to leave, right now!" Percy quickly said, with labored breathing.
Phoebe was the first respond, in a harsh tone, "What for, boy?"
Three monstrous roars sounded throughout the diner. The girls saw three extremely large, devilish-looking bears at the entrance looking straight at them.
"Because of them!" Percy said urgently, pointing at the demonic beasts.
Zoë stood up with concerned, "What are they?!"
Percy stood in front of the girls protectively, "Don't worry about what they are! Go through the back, I'll hold them off!"
The demigoddesses wasn't exactly confident about him taking them on alone but left regardless, while the huntresses left, no questions asked. Almost like they didn't even care about his wellbeing. That's what irked him, he may be a boy; someone who wasn't even a Greek, but it kind of hurt to know they weren't even mildly or somewhat concerned about him.
His attention was captured when he saw the charging bears him. He closed his eyes for a few moments. When he opened them his ruby colored eyes were glowing bright with hidden power. A bright red light could be seen in the back of his throat. He took deep breaths, his exhalations turned to gray smoke. His five foot tails started to glow with an eerie red glow.
Right before the bears could touch him, he spewed powerful, red flames from the back of his throat point blank at the beasts. Utilizing ever flame produced in his lungs he created an explosion.
As the girls saw what happened at the diner they hid in an alley not too far away. They stopped running and started panting to catch their breaths.
Thalia spoke through her uneven breaths, "What the Hades happened?!"
"I don't know, but it's was most likely that dog's fault." Phoebe said annoyed and exhausted at the same time.
Next to them, Percy appeared in a flash of black smoke. "You guys alright?"
Phoebe marched up to Percy with enmity in her eyes and shoved him, but it had no effect. "What the Hades was that?!"
Percy's red eyes blazed as fury roared in his ears, "That was me making sure your still breathing and not their personal chew toy! Watch how to speak to the guy that just saved your life!"
Phoebe's face reddened as her enmity turned to absolute loathing. "You almost got us killed us, you sunuvabitch."
Percy's glowing eyes narrowed dangerously. He walked up to Phoebe, slipped his leg behind Phoebe's and pushed her, tripping her in the process. Before Phoebe could move Percy planted his foot on her shoulder, pinning her with his claws embedded deep in her shoulder.
Zoë tried to move to get release Phoebe but quickly found out that she couldn't move, like an invisible force was preventing the slightest twitch of her muscles. Mostly due to Percy's magic.
"Let's get something straight, you're only hear because I told you about your mistress! If your so worried about the peril of this mission, then leave! No one is making you stay here! I'm not gonna have this mission go tits up just because of your childish temper tantrums!"
Percy, with barely controlled anger, yanked up the huntress and threw her into Zoë, breaking her invisible bonds.
"I'm gonna go do my duty and rescue Artemis, do as you please, because I frankly don't give a damn!" Percy said hotly.
Vanishing in a tornado of red flames; the girls were left alone to contemplate that they just ticked off a powerful ally. And was basically kicked off an unofficial quest.
With the help of Zoë; Phoebe got to her feet. At that moment a vicious left hook caught her straight in the jaw, sending her ungracefully right into the concrete.
Thalia stood before Phoebe, wiggling her wrist. "Damn that hurt."
Phoebe spit some blood on the ground and looked at Thalia; anger rekindled in her eyes. "How dare you—"
Thalia's blue eyes blazed, "How dare I? If I remember correctly it was you who drove away our key ally! The guy who could get us to Mt. Orthrys!"
Zoë sighed in annoyance, "Let the dog rot in Hades, we can rescue milady without a dog slowing us down."
"Us? Us?! No, I think you mean Percy. Let's not forget that this quest is Percy's. Assigned by gods know who; most likely a god. We're just the honored guests who get to walk straight into a shit storm!"
Zoë grit her, "Watch your tongue, little girl!"
"Tell that to your willing lapdog!" Thalia exclaimed gesturing to Phoebe.
"What is with your obsession and this boy?! Don't tell me he has seduced you?!" Phoebe yelled.
Reeling in her anger Thalia sighed tiredly and proceeded to walk away. Much to Phoebe indignation. "Don't walk away from me, Thalia Grace!"
Annabeth questioned, "Where are you going?"
"To the train. He chose us as a team because he knew he couldn't do this alone. And I didn't travel all the way here just to walk away. You coming with or not?" Thalia said still walking.
Annabeth didn't need to be told twice before catching up to her 'sister'.
Zoë and Phoebe were left in the alley with silence and there thoughts. Did driving away the kitsune bode well for them? The huntresses couldn't believe why Thalia and Annabeth were acting like toward the fox. He was just an insignificant boy; a nuisance. He was just a foreign interloper who didn't have any right or business in Greek territory. He was just another vile male who's aim was fame, glory, and status, and didn't care about anyone who got in his way.
But as much as they wanted to believe that; both sisters-in-arms felt uneasy trying to rescue Artemis without the fox among their ranks.
A/N: Rick Riordan owns Percy Jackson. READ, REVIEW, LIKE, AND FAVORITE. Like it... thanks for the support. Don't like it... than I don't know tell you than.
