OKAY! I really didn't expect to update so soon!Umm lol it's not soon :p
I'm actually going to switch povs here. I wasn't planning to do that... So instead of Percy's point of view, it's Rachel E. Dare's and the gods' because it is kind of necessary to understand the blanks. I might need to do some more of these, not necessarily Rachel. And here we go:
Rachel hadn't expected there to be a sudden change immediately after the Giant War. Honestly, she was expecting some nice quiet peace. Apparently, primordial gods and the Olympians had other ideas. Can't they see that the demigods have had enough for one lifetime?
She sat in her old cave in Camp Half-Blood. The place was near deserted, cabins ransacked, strawberry fields dying, Big House broken down... Even the ocean was different! The tide had receded back, a constant grey color. The only others left were the nymphs that couldn't leave, the harpies that had no idea what was going on, just eating what was left behind, Malcolm the son of Athena, Lacy the young daughter of Aphrodite, and Rachel herself with the haunting voices. Not even Chiron was here! Malcolm and Lacy stayed in Rachel's cave, saving what they could of their possessions in their cabin.
However, Rachel's cave was slowly eroding away. The curtains were torn and unfixable, the once beautiful lights had blinked out a while back, the floor so rough, it cut the soles of their shoes just by treading on it, and it had started to cave in on itself. They needed to leave, and fast.
The three were supposed to watch over the camp while the rest rallied and trained elsewhere. Instead, they just watched forlornly as the camp ate itself away, crumbling into a fine dust. The two demigods were sticking by Rachel, helping her through the sudden barrage of voices that came rushing at her, and she had to decipher them. Malcolm was constantly buried in stacks of books, reading as much as he could find of primordials. He often muttered to himself, "It's no use. Where are the historical dates? What happened to Nyx? Why– Aha! No, wait..." and he would go on and on.
Lacy had busied herself to making survival packs with certain necessities and repairing clothes to take on the trip. She was actually quite good for her age. Rachel didn't want Lacy to get hurt, for she was at the young age of nine. She turned ten in three weeks. Sometimes at night, when Rachel's insomnia kicked in, she couldn't hear Lacy cry in her sleep. In the morning, though, Lacy put on a brave face and did whatever was needed.
The routine had been going on for a month without contact with the Olympians or fellow demigods. Thankfully. She hadn't wanted anyone to visit them and find out they were evacuating. It deeply saddened Rachel that Juniper would have to be left behind, seeing as she was bound with her tree, but Juniper reassured her that she would be fine. Grover had set up a plan for her, just in case anything went wrong.
So, two months into the plan, Rachel most certainly hadn't imagined being visited by Hermes. It was 11pm and her companions had long since fallen asleep. Rachel thought that Hermes hadn't anticipated for her to be awake. He was supposed to sneak in and do something Rachel knew not of, but she caught him as he flashed in. She stood in the dark as Hermes fluttered around on light footsteps; he felt around the walls and shelves, desperately searching for something not there. The shelves and walls were clear of anything, Rachel knew that as a fact, for she herself had incinerated everything she didn't need in the lava climbing wall.
Hermes was getting close to where Rachel stood with his back to her. She stepped out of the shadows, and, trying not to wake the others in the adjoined room, whispered, "Looking for something?"
Hermes yelped and turned around, caduceus ready. "Who's there?"
"Quiet, Lord Hermes! It's me, Rachel! The others are sleeping! Do you want to wake them up?"
He lowered his scepter, but had it stiff at his side, defensive. "Hello, Rachel. I, uh, I had no idea you'd be up at this hour." His eyes wandered around the room, nervously.
"And I had no idea someone would be visiting me. What brings you here?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing. Just checking up on you guys. Y-You know, Zeus's orders. Hehe..." He laughed a bit hesitantly and crazily.
Rachel didn't have to be Apollo to know Hermes was lying. "Tell me what's up! Something's not right! I know there isn't. Tell me!"
But Hermes was gone. It was silent. Rachel stood in the center of the room.
All of a sudden, someone rushed up behind her and clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling Rachel's scream.
"It's me!" Oh. Hermes was still here. "Listen to me!" he commanded. "Apollo faded! Artemis is soon to follow! Help me, please! I-I don't know what to do anymore!" He choked on his own words. "I feel it! It's so cold and dark!"
Rachel didn't know what to do. Here was a god, grovelling at her feet, begging her to do something she couldn't.
"Please! He-he's too strong! Ah!" Hermes grabbed his throat in shock and started to cough loudly.
"Hermes!" Rachel cried and knelt to try to help him. "Hermes! Snap out of it!" Her subconsciousness wondered how the others weren't awake yet. "Get up! Please!"
It was scary, seeing the god of messengers forced to his knees, lips turning blue from lack of air, eyes wild and pleading. A trickle of blood dripped from his mouth and fell onto Rachel's nightgown. Her eyes widened.
The blood was red.
Before she could get over her shock, Hermes fell, face first, onto the floor with a thump. He was limp.
Like an x-ray vision, Hermes's pale skin faded to muscle to bone, until there was no more of him than a faint sound of a hawk echoing in the distance.
She stared at the red smudge on her dress. Why was it red?
Malcolm rushed in, sword high, Lacy protectively behind him. He was in his pajamas, brown hair tousled and glasses crooked. "What's wrong? Who's there? What happened?"
"Nothing," Rachel replied numbly. "Nothing happened."
"I-I heard a thump! Was someone here?"
"No one," whispered Rachel, lying, not looking them in the eye, just staring at the floor.
"I... Okay. Sorry," Malcolm apologized, seeing her crouched form on the floor.
"Why are you bleeding?" Lacy asked. "Are you hurt?"
Rachel's head shot up. "No! I'm not hurt!" Rachel must've looked crazy because Lacy shrunk back into Malcolm in fear. "I...I'm sorry, Lace. I'm sorry. I just–" She couldn't find the words to say, but she was forgiven and Lacy hugged her.
"You should sleep, Rach," Malcolm stated matter-of-factly. "You look terrible."
"Thanks," responded Rachel sarcastically.
"I'll take first watch, see if anyone comes."
No one will, thought Rachel, but instead she said, "Let's go back to sleep, Lacy. It's late. You're tired."
Lacy nodded and took Rachel's hand. Rachel peered over her shoulder to Malcolm, who slouched against the wall, sword next to him.
We aren't ready for anything, Rachel ruminated as she saw her companions this tired. She felt herself go nauseated. And I'm not ready for anything either.
Rachel crumpled onto her bed just as she put Lacy to sleep. There was too much to do. Her head hurt.
That night, the demigods weren't the only ones plagued with visions and dreams.
"Is he dead?" a rough voice asked hopefully.
"No. But he will be soon," a female voice replied cheerily.
"Good because I am getting hungry! I always wanted to taste demigod stew."
"Fool!" Rachel could see who was speaking now. "He is not for eating! He is a sacrifice! His blood will build a body for Lady Khaos."
The male was a large, overgrown troll by the looks of it, with a pot-belly and all. He had long strands of white/grey hair growing from his ears, chin, and legs. The female, however, was not a troll. She was like a goddess with flowing auburn hair and silky skin. Her eyes didn't match her friendly appearance, for they were red and filled with hatred.
"He would've tasted good though, this boy. Look at all that meat on him!" He gestured to a boy, hanging upside-down on a rope over a giant fire pit. He had curly brown hair and a yellow toolbelt.
"He will make the ultimate sacrifice."
Yep, Rachel knew who this god was. It was the one and only Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus.
The dream shifted, and Rachel was in a different scene. She saw a boy with a pack slung on his shoulder running and looking behind him. He was Percy Jackson, Rachel could tell very easily.
He yelled in Latin, "A mari usque ad mare, adsum!" Rachel didn't know what it meant though. She tried to remember it to ask Malcolm.
He came upon a stone arch. Inscribed on it read: Η γη του Δεῖμος καὶ Φόβος. It directly translated to ' the land of horror and fear' in Greek. It didn't look promising.
Percy mumbled it to himself, then ran into the land beyond the arch, away from the bellowing monster behind him.
He stopped and panted for breath, putting his hands on his knees. He didn't notice the beams of light creeping up on him and, before he knew it, he was entangled in ropes of light.
He screamed in pain as the light burned his skin and he was engulfed in it.
"No!" Rachel yelled, but she had no effect to the the dream. Percy wasn't there anymore.
Rachel awoke, her yell still on the tip of her tongue. Malcolm was looking at her worriedly. "You alright?" he asked. "You were thrashing around in your sleep."
"Yeah, I'm good." Rachel took a deep breath. It was silent. "Hey, Mal?"
He looked up. "Yes?"
"What does, uh, a mari usque ad mare, adsum mean? It was in my dream..."
Malcolm looked troubled. "Who said it?"
Rachel took another shaky breath. "Percy Jackson."
Mal exhaled through his nose. "It means 'From sea to sea, I am here.'"
"And what's so bad about that?"
"It means," Malcolm explained patiently, "that Percy, and probably hundreds–thousands–of others, have returned from the dead. So, now, souls have been released, and we can only hope they will be on our side of the fight."
"Bad."
"Yep. Uh, so what do we do now?" Malcolm questioned.
"Uh-oh." Rachel felt something stir inside her.
"What? What?"
Rachel gasped, "Remember the balance of death and life
Or feel the wrath of mortal strife.
Watch the sea's son rise with the moon,
And when he awakes, you must importune.
Fear what wakes in the darkness of blood,
For time and creation will force its flood.
He must sacrifice the nine-night fall,
Or else he'll cause the death of all."
Malcolm stood stiff and blinked multiple times. Lacy woke up and was sitting upright, staring open-mouthed at her.
"Oh, gods," Rachel said as she stumbled back onto the bed. "What was it this time?"
"A-a prophecy," Malcolm gulped. He hesitated, then repeated the oracle's words.
"Must Percy always be in the prophecy?" Lacy wondered.
"It may not be about Percy," Malcolm thought aloud. "It could be any sea's son, now that the Elysium gates are open, and probably the Punishment ones as well."
Lacy queried, "So, do we have to leave and go on a quest of sorts?"
"Please stop with the questions!" Rachel exclaimed as the oracle took over once more.
"Three set off west and beware,
Do not take outside your golden share.
One to know,
One to see,
And the third to make the parting blow.
Return with madness in hand,
Or watch to see his final stand."
"Gods, a quest for us. We have to go!" Malcolm jumped up from his seat in an anxious excitement.
"What did I say?" Rachel clutched her head to try to mute the pounding headache.
He relayed the issued quest to her and grabbed the three packed bags from the floor.
"Do we have everything we need?" Lacy inquired as she took Malcolm's hand.
"I'm pretty sure we do."
"What do we do if someone visits us while we're gone?"
"Then they'll have to deal with it," Rachel cut in.
"And we'll be in loads of trouble," Malcolm continued in a whisper.
The three musketeers set of west with the sun at their backs and a bounty on their heads.
"They left their post, sir. They flee west," gasped a minor goddess.
"Let them go," Zeus rumbled. "They have no importance to us." He indicated to the throne room full of gods, goddesses, primordials, and spirits. "We have all we need. The oracle is no longer necessary, for we have an augur, Octopus man or whatever his name was."
"O-Octavian, m-my lord," squeaked the goddess.
"What? Oh, nevermind. Off with you! Your duties are finished."
The goddess bowed low and rushed off.
"I do not think this is a wise idea brother," Hades told Zeus quietly. "We are putting mortals in danger."
"I agree with Hades, Zeus. It is unwise to have one person wield so much power," Athena added in when she heard the conversation.
"The council shall do what I command!" Zeus bellowed. "And this is what I have commanded. We will become the greatest of them all!"
"Father! This has been the cause for the fading of Apollo and Hermes! We can't risk another life like that!" Jason jumped in, angry with his father.
Zeus waved him off. "They have lived long enough."
Immediately after that statement was said, arguing broke out between the five gods. The rest of the room soon heard them.
"Is there a problem," Hera asked coldly, Khaos's voice mixed with hers, for Khaos couldn't get to Katie.
"Of course not," Zeus said before anyone else could speak. Uranus's tone embedded itself within Zeus's.
"Good," came Hera's voice, seemingly cheered, if not for the dark expression in her eyes. "There better not be."
The rest of the occupation resumed chatting like nothing was the matter.
"This was not my intention when I said we needed more control, Father!" Athena muttered under her breathe. "I did not mean to lose my family for this," she waved her hands, "this-this madness! My siblings are gone! And my sister is ill! My daughter... Please, Father, please! I'm begging!" And Athena never begged.
"Yes!" agreed Hades. "And look at what you have done to our brother, Zeus. You've corrupted him! He doesn't even know his own name anymore, much less his family's. Lift this dark spell, Uranus. Let Zeus make his own decisions."
Zeus's face morphed into his patron's. "He makes his own choices with little of my influence. I merely, ah, say his choices whether he means them well or not. But he wants this! Together, he and I will rule the skies!"
"And we know that you will disperse of Zeus when you are finished! You will command on your own and enslave us!" Jason yelled. "This isn't right! If you stay like this, I disown myself from you. I am no longer your son, and I am no longer on your side. Good day."
Then, the room watched as Jason turned on the spot, grabbed Piper's arm, spat on the floor disrespectfully, and flew down the hallways to the elevator.
"I must agree with him, brother," Hades sighed. "I will have no means in this plot." Hades teleported away.
"Anyone else?!" Zeus challenged.
Artemis, Hestia, Hephaestus, Dionysus, Hebe, Iris, and Demeter stepped in front of the crowd, looked at each other, nodded, then vanished away. They had some allies to make.
Athena looked to her father. "I do not wish for this, Father, but I will stay by your side. I cannot say for my siblings or children." Athena walked off stiffly.
Katie, Octavian, and Dakota slipped out of the room, unnoticed, for they wished for peace and no part either.
Annabeth, however, knew she was bound to this fate, unfortunately. Rachel needed information. If Katie was to leave, then Annabeth would take her place. She caught Katie's eye as Katie left and nodded. Annabeth could only hope that Rachel would trust her, for Rachel knew that Thesis had been inhabiting Annabeth for quite some time.
Annabeth had to convince the others though, that she, er, Thesis, would stay loyal to Zeus.
"I will stay, Lord Zeus. It is my place."
He nodded. "Good." Then went back to his business with nothing more than a huff at his lost gods, but it didn't seem to affect him much. "The rest will pay for their treason later."
Annabeth walked to Athena in the room next door. "Mother," she called out.
Athena looked up and Annabeth could see how tired she was. "Yes, child?"
"I know you do not like this, and while I still have not forgiven you completely, I need your help."
"With what, may I ask?"
Annabeth lowered her voice. "Even though I stay, I am spying for the demigods. I... since you're a major goddess, would you mind telling me the information you gather at your meetings? If the world is to be saved, I must know."
Athena sighed. "It is your good-doing and pride that will be the end of me, child, but yes, I will do it for you."
"Thank you, mother!" Annabeth hugged her, then leapt back, embarrassed, and ran off.
Athena smiled at her daughter. Then she frowned and without turning around said, "Hades, what news do you have for me?"
"Athena. Always straight to the point. I think I can trust you."
She waited for him to continue.
"The dead are released. It is time."
Athena nodded her head and sighed. She pressed a button concealed on her wrist and with a bright flash, Olympus was enclosed in an invisible wall, cutting off the world from the gods.
Information would not be able to be brought back in, but that didn't mean that messages couldn't be sent back out.
Athena smirked to herself. It certainly was time to begin.
OOOH! What is Athena planning? Rebellion? Oh no! Zeus is not a happy one. Review your opinions! Oh, tell me if anyone is too OOC (out of character) or if you think some people should switch sides. Like you could say: I think Zeus should start arguing with Uranus until he realizes that Uranus's intentions are not good... or whatever. In the review, you can also tell me if you'd like to hear from someone else's pov. Thanks!