"It should be around here somewhere." Jason said desperately.
"Yeah, Jason? Hate to break it to you but you solution involved getting us lost." Thalia replied. For about the past hour the four of them had been traipsing around in the woods, searching for Jason's solution. He still refused to tell the others what it was.
"We're not lost per say, we have a compass." Percy said before the siblings could start an all-out feud.
"Just tell us what it is already." Thalia demanded. Jason broke out in a grin.
"How about I show you. I recognize this place from my dream. Come on!" He rushed off. Stumbling through the underbrush, the three companions followed him. Annabeth kept up decently, but still had more trouble than the rest of them. The trees began to thin, and Jason slowed his pace. "Be careful, there's a cliff." He said as they emerged from the last of the trees.
Percy almost gasped. The ocean was visible-stormy blue in color-from the top of the huge cliff they were standing on. The wind was already blowing hard, so Jason wouldn't make much of a difference. Percy leaned over the edge and saw jagged rocks fifty feet below. Even at low tide, only the tips were visible, and he could see timbers from at least one shipwreck.
"Hey Jason," He said "You do realize that I knew about this place. More importantly, I know how to get here in twenty minutes." Thalia and Annabeth glared at the other boy, who shrunk back sheepishly.
"Oops." He said timidly. "Uh, maybe I should have told you." Percy rolled his eyes.
"In case you were wondering, this place is called Dead Man's Cliff. Poseidon banned ships from sailing by it because so many were shipwrecked. He also banned people from going here, so no one will walk in on us." Percy informed them.
"Great, so how do we do this? Train him I mean." Annabeth asked.
"Well, you said the winds come whenever you feel in danger, right?" Thalia asked. Jason nodded, although if he knew what Thalia was going to do, he wouldn't have. Thalia grinned and grabbed Jason by the arm, tugging him to the very edge. "Here we go." She said, and then pushed Jason off the cliff. She backed away as quickly as she could, her moment of bold ness overcome by her fear of heights.
"Thalia!" Percy cried. He looked down, expecting to see Jason's broken body tangled in the rocks. Instead, he saw his cousin suspended in the air, arms whirling. He had his mouth open in a silent scream
"That's it Jason!" Thalia cried. "Now get back up here!" Percy watched as Jason slowly started to rise. He shakily deposited himself on solid ground.
"Oh, great idea, let's just throw the elmentalist off the cliff and hope he floats. That's a great idea." Jason said sarcastically. "Next time, we sacrifice you!"
"Me? I think that Percy would be a much better candidate." Thalia cackled. "Oh, that was great! Do it again!" Jason scowled, putting on his concentration look.
"Hit the deck!" Percy yelled at Annabeth, pulling her to the ground. They landed in a tangled heap just as Jason sent a blast of air at Thalia. Thalia's eyes widened in surprise as she was flung backwards. She hit a pine tree with a thump and collapsed to the ground, unmoving.
"Thalia!" Jason shouted. "Thalia are you alright?" Annabeth shoved Percy off of her and ran to the injured girl. Percy followed her while Jason stood frozen in place.
Percy's fears we quelled as Thalia sat up. She was merely stunned momentarily. She groaned and put her head in her hands.
"Note to self, don't mess with elementalists." She muttered. Jason and Percy laughed in relief, while Annabeth glared at them.
"Jason, do you know what could have happened?" She said angrily. "You could have killed her! And all because you don't understand or have much control over your powers! This isn't a game, it's serious."
"Annabeth, its fine. I'm fine." Thalia stood up and placed a hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "I deserved it; I pushed Jason off a cliff for crying out loud."
"We should get back." Annabeth sniffed. "Percy, lead." She ordered. Without a word, Percy obeyed, and his companions fell into line behind him.
"Remember the way; I can't always come with you. I have a tournament to prepare for." Percy said after a long silence. No one else responded, partially because Annabeth was too busy glaring at the siblings and his cousins were attempting to avoid her gaze.
When they arrived home, Annabeth marched off, claiming that she needed the library. Percy didn't want to yell after her that she had no idea where it was, but she was already gone.
"Do you guys want to spar?" He asked. Thalia shook her head and excused herself on the account of being sore. Jason accepted his invitation after guiltily glancing at Thalia.
The two boys walked to the training arena discussing battle strategies between them.
"Are you going to enter? You'll have to stay for it, the roads are still too badly damaged." Percy asked.
"Maybe, but I don't want to lose control. They'll burn me at the stake." Jason sighed.
The arena was already quite populated; knights and noblemen were sharpening their skills in preparation. Their pages and squires franticly ran about, supplying shields and dummies and in some cases opponents. The ring of metal on metal rang throughout the area. There was also noise coming from the blacksmith's.
"Hey, it sounds like Tyson's here!" Percy said. Tyson was his half-brother, although the giant saw them as being fully related. He was a good kid, skilled at metalworking, and he and Percy got along quite well. "I'm going to go see how he's doing." Percy marched to the forge.
The heat inside was sweltering, and broken weapons and dented armor was scattered everywhere. Tyson's distinctive form hulked over the anvil, his back toward Percy. Smiling, Percy leaned against the wall to watch him work. Tyson loved what he did, and the blacksmith let his apprentice have more and more reign of the forge. The giant plunged his work into a large bucket of water and steam filled the air. He turned around; smiling at the perfect axe blade he had created.
"Percy!" He cried as he caught sight of him. Gently setting down the new weapon, Tyson lumbered over to his brother and enveloped him in a bear hug. Percy happily returned it, until his ribs felt like they were going to crack.
"Good to see you too buddy." He gasped with his voice almost an octave higher. Tyson released him, and started babbling happily about his profession. Percy smiled; glad to see his relative so enthusiastic about his work, epically after his accident.
"Percy, are you in there?" He heard Jason call. The blonde boy entered the forge and started in surprise at Tyson's appearance, as usual. Tyson was huge, almost seven feet tall, with a large barrel chest and broad slightly hunched shoulders. His hands were rough from working in the forge, and his babyish face was marred on one side. A few years ago, Tyson had an accident on a hunting trip, resulting in one of his eyes being gouged out. It left him with a gruesome appearance, but it didn't affect his work so Tyson could care less.
"Does Percy need to go now?" Tyson asked sadly.
"Yeah, sorry Tyson. It was great hearing how happy you are in the forge. That axe you made looks like a good weapon." Percy commented. Tyson beamed proudly.
"Oh! Wait, I made something!" Tyson began rifling through the forge, searching for something he was obviously very proud of. He came back bearing a polished bronze shield. "For you." He eagerly presented it to Percy. "Keep you safe."
"Tyson, I…I don't know what to say." Percy stared at the gift. "Wow." He manage to sum up.
"Fight good brother." Tyson smiled. Hugging him one more time, Percy exited the forge with Jason, eager to try the shield.
Yikes, long time no update! We're nearing the end of the school year, any my writing time has been pretty decreased. Don't be surprised if the next update takes a while too. Anyways, thanks for all the support! Please review, constructive criticism and suggestions are always welcome!