Chapter 15
Authors note:
I'm sorry if the story has seemed a little like a copy version of TLT and I do plan on adding twists to it. Thanks for all my followers and reviewers and I hope you are enjoying the story. Also special shout out to destinyflareon for always supporting and motivating me.
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson nor any of its characters, I just own my own character Antheia/Alyssa.
Alyssa watched as her brother jumped out of the gaping hole, falling down six hundred feet to an icy death. As he landed, the water seemed to surround him almost, like a soft cushion.
She froze as she felt cold fingertips wrap around her shoulder, a hissing voice whispered in her ear. "Don't worry, Antheia. He'll be all right, but its your safety you should be worried about."
Suddenly, Alyssa felt an icy wind blow past her, almost like it was surrounding her skin and bringing her somewhere. Her body froze and her skin seemed to grow thin, almost like paper, before a blinding light hit her eyes.
When she opened her eyes, she looked around to find herself in a dark cave. She lit a fireball in her hand, something she was still shocked about, and held it out in front if her.
The cave was an empty, barren chasm filled with a thick tenseness in the air.
"Hello." Alyssa's shaky voice called out, goosebumps forming on her arms. She freezes as she hears a hissing coming from behind her, she whirled around to find nothing.
She walks around trying to find an exit, her heart yearning to see the sun again. To hear Percy and her mothers voice.
She hears the hissing again, this time closer.
"Who's there?" Her voice rose again.
The hissing voice returned, though this time with another hissing noise.
More and more noises came up- shrill screams, growling, the swishing of clothes..
A raspy voice came from the darkness surrounding her.
"Poor, little Antheia." It sneered. "All alone... No memories, no past, no present..."
The voice moved again, it seemed to be echoing from all around her.
"You were suppose to be dead, killed off long ago. You were suppose to stay human, a weak pathetic human with no chance whatsoever... Lets see, where was I? Oh, yes."
The voices grew closer, she shrunk into a ball, wishing for Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Luke..anyone to help her.
The voices grew closer and closer, slowly merging until there was just one voice again. "You have no past, no present, and now... No future!"
At that words Alyssa saw sharp talons flash out and drag across her face, ripping the skin. She howled with pain and quickly got up, shooting fire out at the figure lurking in the dark. She saw a brief outline of the figure and as she ran towards it, preparing to jump, when another rough object came out and smacked her away, throwing her several feet back.
She landed with a thud against the sharp wall. Her eyesight went blurry as she saw two figures approaching her. She shook her head a couple times, trying to make the black spots disappear.
As she squinted her eyes she saw Echidna and the Chimera walking towards her, prepared to charge.
"Don't take this personally," Echidna smirked, "but we can't have you alive. If your alive, then you will ruin our plans that we have spent years working on, centuries. So now... Prepare to die!"
She lunged at Alyssa, her sharp talons extended and her Chimera close behind with its teeth bared.
Alyssa screamed and something in her mind clicked, and she snapped her fingers, which once again gave her the ice cold feeling and her body froze..
Her last glance at the dark barren cave was Echidna's claws just inches away from her face before the blinding white light came again and she was gone.
-:-
Percy came ashore next to a floating McDonalds. Memories of the water spirit he had seen just minutes before still ring through his mind.
'Go to Santa Monica before you descend into the underworld. Do not trust the gifts...your father believes in you.'
What gifts.. What would he get at Santa Monica.
A block away, every emergency vehicle in St. Louis was surrounding the Arch. Police helicopters circled overhead. The crowd of onlookers reminded him of Times Square on New Years Eve.
A little girl said, "Mama! That boy just walked out of the river.
Her mother ignored her.
A news lady was talking to the camera about the incident and trying to talk to some of the survivors.
Percy felt a surge of relief. Maybe the park ranger and the family made it out ok. He hoped Alyssa, Annabeth, and Grover were ok.
Another reporter was talking about an adolescent boy who cause the explosion.
Percy backed away, trying to keep his head down. He had to go the long way around the police perimeter. Uniformed officers and news reporters were everywhere.
Percy had almost lost hope of every finding them when a familiar voice bleated, "Percy!"
He turned and got tackled by Grover.
"We thought you'd gone to Hades the hard way."
Annabeth stood behind him, trying to look angry, but even she seemed relieved to see him.
"We can't leave you for five minutes! What happened?"
"I sort of fell."
"Six hundred and thirty feet?"
Behind them a cop shouted, "Gangway!" The crowd parted and the paramedics rushed by, rolling out the mother of the little boy who'd been on the observation deck.
She was saying, "I'm not crazy! There was this boy who jumped out of the hole and the monster disappeared with some girl.."
Percy's whole body froze..
"Guys, where's Alyssa?"
Grover's face went white.. "I thought she was with you."
Annabeth's face was tense, her thinking expression on.
After a long pause with Percy and Grover panicking and running around, Annabeth said, "Percy... What if... What if she was working with the monster.."
Percy stopped running and turned sharply to her. His face filled with anger.
"How dare you say that! She's my sister!"
"She's not your sister! She's nobody's sister. What of she was just playing us the entire time. Gained our trust only to betray us in the end."
A single sentence went through Percy's mind: "You shall be betrayed by the one you call friend."
Grover spoke up, clearly mad. "Annabeth how dare you say that! Alyssa has helped us thick and thin. Your just jealous because Luke likes her and not you."
Annabeth's face went red, her fingers clenched in fists. "He...doesn't...like..her." She said.
Percy, who had been just standing there thinking, took a deep breath. "Guys, Alyssa will have to find us on her own. We only have a couple more days until the solstice."
Another news reporter went by, saying, "It was confirmed that Percy and Alyssa Jackson, the wanted fugitives, were spotted in the Arch, possibly causing the explosion.
"First things first," Annabeth told them, "we've got to get out of this town."
As they were walking back to the train station, they saw a figure laying in the middle of a meadow, with flowers growing around it. Grover raced over, wondering if he could help, and gasped when he saw the face.
"Guys!" He yelled. "It's Alyssa."
Percy rushed over with Annabeth close behind.
Alyssa was laying face up with her arms folded across her chest. Her face had three longs claw marks on them, like a dog had attacked her and her whole body was scattered with bruises and small cuts.
Percy bent down next to her and brushed a hand across her face.
"Is she...dead? Annabeth asked.
Grover bent down and felt for a pulse.
"No, she's alive. Her heart is beating strongly."
The plants suddenly shifted underneath their feet and they stood up surprised. The tall grass and small flowers wrapped around Alyssa's body, like a mummy until she couldn't be seen. The plants starting glowing, sending off a bright light that felt warm and a light summer breeze filled their nostrils with traces of strawberries and flowers.
Grover's eyes fluttered, "Its so beautiful..." Percy and Annabeth nodded in agreement.
The light faded and the plants unwrapped themselves, revealing Alyssa, but she was completely healed. Her face was beautiful, with soft pink lips and her skin seemed to glow and her long chestnut hair curled beautifully around her head. Her green eyes fluttered open and she attempted to sit up before sinking back down again. Percy quickly helped her up, holding her hand for support.
"What...what happened?" She asked.
Annabeth snorted. "You tell us, princess."
Grover smacked her on the arm before saying, "You were just in a fight with Echidna and a Chimera. You disappeared and we thought you were gone until we found you laying here in the grass."
Alyssa winced as she remembered her fight with Echidna. She touched her cheek, expecting to feel a big cut, but instead found smooth, clean skin.
They heard a train horn in the background, signaling that it was boarding time.
"We should get going." Annabeth said. And they all got up and hurried back to the train station just as it was leaving, heading for Denver. The train trundled west as darkness fell, police lights pulsing against the St. Louis skyline behind them.
-:-
The next afternoon, June 14, seven days before the solstice, their train rolled into Denver.
They hadn't eaten since Kansas and the hadn't showered since Half-Blood Hill, which was kinda obvious.
"Let's try and contact Chiron," Annabeth said. "I want to tell him about your talk with the river spirit."
"We can't use phones, can we?" Alyssa asked.
"I'm not talking about phones."
They wandered downtown for about a half hour, the air was dry and hot, which felt weird after the humidity of St. Louis. Everywhere they turned, the Rocky Mountains seemed to be staring at them, like a tidal wave about to crash into the city.
Finally, they found an empty do-it-yourself car wash.
They went to the farthest stall, trying to not be seen by any cops.
"What are we doing?" Percy asked Grover as Annabeth took a spray gun. She placed seventy five cents in and set it to fine mist.
"What are you doing?" Alyssa inquired.
"Iris-messaging," Annabeth replied. "The rainbow goddess carries messages for the gods."
"You summon the goddess with a spray gun?" Percy asked.
Grover pointed the nozzle in the air and water hissed out in a thick white mist. "Unless you know an easier way to make a rainbow."
Sure enough, late afternoon light filtered through the vapors and broke into colors.
Annabeth held her hand out to Percy. "Drachma, please."
He handed it over to her.
She raised the coin over her head, "O goddess, accept our offering."
She threw the drachma into the rainbow and it shimmered and disappeared.
"Half-Blood Hill," she requested.
Suddenly the familiar strawberry fields could be seen with the Ling Island Coast in the background. They seemed to be standing on the front porch of the Big House.
Standing with his back to them was a sandy-haired guy in shirts and an orange camp shirt.
"Luke!" Alyssa called out.
He turned, eyes wide. He was literally standing three feet in front of them.
"Alyssa!" His face broke into a huge smile. "Is that Annabeth and Percy too? Are you guys ok?"
"We're..uh...fine," Annabeth stammered. She was madly trying to straighten out her clothes and comb through her greasy, mattered hair.
"Is Grover there?"
"I'm right here." Grover called, turning the nozzle so his face could be seen.
Just then a big SUV pulled into the car was with its big stereo turned to the maximum hip-hop. As the car slid into the next stall, it vibrated so much, it shook the pavement.
"What's that noise?" Luke yelled.
"I'll take care of it!" Annabeth yelled, grabbed Grover and dragging him off as well. Percy took the nozzle and help it out with Alyssa standing next to him.
"Chiron had to break up a fight. Things are pretty tense here-word leaked that Poseidon and Zeus were gonna have a war and now everyone's taking sides."
Alyssa shuddered at the the sight of the happy campers fighting each other.
"So what's your status?" Luke asked.
Percy filled him in on everything, feeling good to just talk about his life.
"I wish I could be there," Luke said. "We can't help much from here. But listen, it has to be Hades who took the bolt."
In the stall next to them, the music stopped completely. A man screamed in terror, car doors slammed, and the SUV peeled out of the car wash.
"I'd better go check that out.." Percy said, handing the nozzle to Alyssa before racing off.
Luke turned back to Alyssa, giving her a big smile.
"Hey, Alyssa, can I tell you a secret?" His eyes were sparked with mischief and laughter.
"Sure," Alyssa said smiling.
"I'm coming out to join your quest. I just got permission from Chiron and I'm taking a plane tomorrow so I'll surprise you at Santa Monica."
Alyssa's eyes widened. "Really? That's wonderful!"
He gave her a big smile, "Ya it is. I'm really happy, but here's the thing, you can't tell the others yet. It's a surprise."
She nodded, a playful smile on her face. "Okay I understand."
The machine suddenly beaped, signaling she only had seconds left.
"Oh, my times almost up." She said disappointedly.
"Listen, Alyssa. Just know that I like you a lot and I really care for you, so please stay safe and I'll see you soon." He said as the mist ended, leaving a last glance if him smiling face. Alyssa felt her face grow hot as she smiled to herself. She was really falling for Luke.
The rest if the group came around the stall, laughing.
"What did Luke say?" Annabeth asked her.
"Not much," she lied, her stomach filling with butterflies. "Let's go find some dinner."
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