AN
Twista: Hey! Here we are again! Thank you all for the 100+ reviews! Shout out to 'The Prince of Souls' for being reviewer number 100!
Roy: Jake is still in Rome, Twista and I are once again left to write this. Anyways, we want to say that updates may decline since our Junior year is starting.
Twista: I can't wait! Its prom this year!
Roy: Don't remind me…
Twista: So here we go, new chapter and we progress on the quest. Safe to say Son of Neptune is halfway done and the awaited reunion between Percy and Zoe draws close.
Roy: Time for replies to our dear reviewers:
Replies:
The Prince of Souls: Great now I'm never gonna hear the end of it from my banshee of a friend here.
Twista: Hey!
Khaos Puncake 11: Should I just say it? Anyways, his plan is different.
Roy: That's that, please enjoy and if you liked it leave a review, follow and favorite below, it helps us out a lot.
Disclaimer: PJO and HOO are not ours!
Percy 3rd Person POV
As they reached the bay area where they last left the boat, Percy grumbled in an annoyed fashion as he adjusted his 'man satchel' given to him by Iris. Out of common courtesy, he reluctantly accepted the humiliating looking bag from the Goddess after she stuffed it with a lot of R.O.F.L. goods.
The Son of Neptune felt it was one big knockout uppercut to his wounded ego and a point on how he was utterly useless when Polybotes nearly found them. The bag was itchy whenever it hit his body and he scratched irritably as he said "Stupid bag…"
The Pax floated on the bay without a care in the world but it looked fine just the way they left it. Percy shrugged and said "Here we are"
Caleb visibly cringed and said "That's your boat?"
Frank crossed his arms and said "Yeah, got a problem about that?"
"Don't try that with me you oaf," said Caleb sharply as Frank narrowed his eyes, "I know you don't trust me but be discreet about it."
Hazel scowled at Caleb as Percy said "Please, stop fighting and yeah this is it. It's all we had but it'll do."
The sorcerer shrugged and hefted his small bag over his shoulder and opened his palms visible to everyone and said "Look, I'm sure this boat is all the rage back at Camp."
Hazel, Frank and Percy frowned at the insult and then he clapped his hands together and produced a small card from nowhere and said "But I do prefer to travel in style."
Caleb threw the card on the water on the flat side as a rune lit up in the center and he said "Incantare: βάρκα κλήτευση (Boat Summoning)"
The card flashed brightly as the three shoulder their eyes while Caleb smirked as the card was now a green striped motorboat which floated next to the Pax. It looked new and it was totally clean as there were two vacant seats in front while an open sitting area was at the back. It looked big enough for the four of them as Caleb smirked and said "Tadah!"
Frank looked impressed as he said "Wow that was new."
Hazel was thinking of throwing up as she realized they would be on a boat that would be speeding at fifty miles per hour. Percy raised a brow and said "Impressive but for some reason I think I've seen something like that before."
"Sure you did," said the sorcerer with a small smirk,
"You'll drive it?" asked Hazel,
"Heavens no," said Caleb, "I don't know how!"
"Then why do you have this then?" asked an infuriated Frank,
"Calm down," said Caleb, "No need to throw a fit."
He pulled a card from his belt and threw it on the boat as a man in a suit about two inches taller than Percy stood on the boat. He had cropped black hair and a small goatee. Polished black shoes were on his feet as he cleared his throat and said "Al-err ah Caleb, you summoned me?"
Caleb nodded as he said "Ah yes, Doctor Claymore, I'd request for you to drive this boat for us to Portland."
Caleb faced the trio and said "Doctor Claymore here is what you call a Mistform, a being made form Mist and he was given a form by my mother and he now accompanies me."
"I told you to just call me Claymore Caleb," said the Mistform, "Anyway, shall we? I hate waiting."
Percy, Frank and Hazel boarded the back of the boat as Claymore took the driver's seat and sat down where beside him by the side driver's seat sat Caleb. The trio sat at the back on the comfortable leather seats as Caleb said "Take us to Portland doctor."
"As you wish," said the Mistform as he began to drive the speedboat,
Percy leaned back and looked at the clear blue skies as Hazel said "So how long have you been doing this?"
"Little over a year," said the sorcerer, "I was with my sister and some of her friends back then but I had to leave."
"Why'd you leave them then?" asked Frank,
"A personal choice," said Caleb, "I made some bad decisions and my sister still forgave me but she got killed for it."
"Sorry we asked," said Percy,
A grim feeling crept up Percy's chest as if he knew what it was like to lose a sister. It was as if his heart was being gripped by a fist and it really felt as if it wouldn't stop. Caleb leaned back as the open waters glimmered in the day.
Hazel then said "So you are a magician?"
"Magician, warlock, sorcerer," listed Caleb, "all common terms but I prefer Sorcerer or Mist Manipulator."
He then said "We're still quite a distance from Portland, its best you get your rest if you'd want."
Frank sighed and said "How did the Iris Message go?"
Percy explained on how he had called Reyna on their way back to the boat. Percy nodded and said "She knows, and I'd say that she's trying her best to prepare everyone."
"How long do you think they have?" asked Hazel,
'Two to three days," said Percy sighing once again,
Caleb then said "I'd say a bit more since monsters aren't the most organized forces to attack with."
"You'd know that?" asked Frank,
Caleb closed his eyes and remembered flashes of battle during some sort of war and said "Personal experiences"
Claymore cleared his throat as Caleb looked at the clear blue sky. Hazel then said "Unless we free Death and get the Eagle we don't stand a chance."
"I'd still say we don't stand a chance," said Percy, "not without help."
The Son of Neptune took Caleb's advice and leaned back comfortably as his eyes became droopy and he lost himself in the world of dreams.
Dream
Percy opened his eyes to see himself looking over a somehow familiar scene. He looked over where he saw a massive Titan in armor. He was there with a blonde girl, a tan guy, a tall auburn haired woman and Zoe as they stood before the Titan weapons ready.
The Son of Neptune watched as Zoe was struck down by the Titan. He clenched his fists in anger but he watched himself place his hands over her as they glowed brightly and Zoe's eyes fluttered open.
The scene then shifted to where a giant warship in its dry dock. The bronze dragon figurehead was glittering in the morning light as sounds of construction came from the boat.
Percy closed in on the deck to see a boy with black curly hair calibrating something on the deck with a keyboard. He looked tired and had a bit of muscle on his and Percy recognized signs of tough training.
Two other demigods were on the deck with him. One was a teenage guy with blonde hair while the other was a girl with long dark hair. His fingers clicked over the keyboard at seemingly mach speed as the blonde who was leaning on the wall said "So how are we doing?"
The curly haired teen was silent for two seconds as he clicked on the board and pressed it back into the controls and said "Just about done,"
He wiped some sweat off his forehead with the towel around his neck and said "Give me an hour to load and we're good for takeoff."
"Right on schedule," said another familiar voice as they all turned to see an older looking girl,
She stood tall about five foot eleven. She had a head of snow white hair had a ponytail that reached up to her waist. Her face was framed by two long bangs on each side of her face revealing her forehead and her hair had streaks of violet on it.
The girl had a pair of deep blue eyes that glittered like ice. She wore a baggy sleeveless sky blue hoody, cargo pants and leather boots. A bangle hung from her wrist as she put a hand on her hip and said "Looks like you got it going Leo; even with all the extra training you're doing you seemed to complete the Argo 2."
The Latino nodded and said "Yeah well Allen did tell me that I needed to get stronger…"
Her eyes dropped as she gave a small smile that hid many emotions. Grief, anger sadness and regret. The woman then said "Glad you took his advice, I wonder where Talon is though, I haven't seen him since he left a few days ago."
"Riley too," said the dark haired girl in an orange shirt, "She went searching for something a few days before Talon left."
"If they aren't here yet then they'll have to catch up." said the white haired girl,
"Can't we wait for them?" asked the blonde haired guy,
The white haired girl then shook her head as she sighed "We can't; we need to leave today if the information is correct and if we want to reach them. I'll tell Chiron to leave a message. Talon has Asteron while Riley has Chain. They can reach us easily."
The girl with black hair then said "Yeah Jason, I think she's right besides I think they might not have that long."
The white haired girl nodded and said "Where's Deathbreath anyway? He was said to be coming with us…"
"Great," said Leo, "Three of the crew missing, our patrol, mechanic/defender and dead person expert."
"Ara is going to freak when she finds out he isn't here," said the blonde,
The white haired girl laughed slightly and got the same look in her eyes as she said "I'll be going guys, I'll get Zoe but first…I'll uhh need to have a trip back to the cabin."
"Is she still doing it?" asked the Latino to the two other demigods as she left,
"I don't know," said the brunette, "Talon keeps an eye on her but he isn't here."
"We should tell Zoe," said the blonde,
The three nodded and left the boat as Percy's vision shimmered and revealed a boy and his dog roaming the hills of California. It looked normal except a smaller girl was on the dog's back and the boy only had one eye.
"He smells farther away!" said the Cyclops,
Percy felt as if he didn't find this one an enemy. The girl on the back of the dog felt special to him and these two, he seemed to recognize and he felt as if he cared for these two deeply.
The girl on the back of the dog sighed and said "I don't know where he's going but we have more than enough time to find him right Tyson? We can do this together! You and me!"
The dog gave a woof as the girl rubber the dog's neck and said "You to Mrs.O'Leary!"
The Cyclops heflted his club on his shoulder as he looked north and said "There! We went there!"
The two strode north as Percy zoomed forward as if being pulled by some force. He saw a snowy range of mountains as Gaea's face seemed to form on the formation. She chuckled sleepily and said "Foolish pawn, you are valuable Percy Jackson; you may be the key to my rise and a special weapon I intend to bring back…"
Percy froze as she said "Come north then! Your friends will die but I will preserve you, I will need you for quite a lot!"
He looked up as a Giant lumbering figure stood before him. He had gold skin and his voice boomed as he said "As you fumble north, our armies will destroy your camp. You cannot win demigod, we await you on to op the ice!"
The Giant stepped aside as two chained figures were on the ground. Percy's eyes narrowed as he tried to catch their faces but then the Giant slammed his spear on the ground as Percy jolted up awake.
Dream end
The son of Neptune awoke under a cloudy grey sky with rain falling on his face. He shook his head as he focused his eyes and saw Hazel before him sitting down as she said "Dang and I thought I slept heavily."
"Where are we?" asked Percy,
Caleb stretched his arms as Frank said "We're in the Willamette; we went from upstream from where we were until we got here."
As Caleb's boat was driven by Claymore, Percy rubbed his eyes and said "I had this weird dream."
Caleb was still in front as Percy looked at his two companions and said "There's this Giant Warship that might be coming to help Camp Jupiter but it seemed like they knew Zoe, Talon and Riley. A friendly Cyclops, a giant dog and a girl about your age were looking for me and then there was this humongous gold skinned thing that told me that he was waiting on top of the ice."
He then explained what else he saw and Hazel said "So Alcyoneus is on a glacier? That doesn't really help. About Talon and Riley, we'll have to ask them."
Caleb coughed and turned around and said "So he's on a glacier? Arent there like hundreds of those in Alaska?"
Frank shrugged and said "Maybe this guy Iris told me about could tell us."
"Ahh yes," said Caleb, "Phineas the Seer, he could tell the future but he's blind."
"How did he become blind?" asked Percy,
"Kept leaking secrets," said Caleb shrugging as they came to dock and he stood up as he said "Gods punished him for it."
Caleb hopped off to the dock as he said "Gods are always like that, someone messes with them and they release their fury tenfold. They're like a Mafia."
The trio then stepped off the boat as Caleb stood before the boat where Claymore stood tall and he said "Summon me whenever you need me Caleb."
"Sure doctor," said the sorcerer as Claymore and the boat glowed brightly and Caleb extended his hand and two cards flew to his hand and he pocketed them silently.
Hazel stretched her arms after long hours of being still on the boat. Caleb yawned and said "Alright now we look for Phineas"
Frank pulled out his jacket and said "Great looking for a blind guy under the rain."
"Sounds like a blast," said Percy as he pulled out his jacket as well,
Hazel did the same while Caleb just raised his collar, covering his neck. The rain fell on them as they walked through Portland. Frank curiously looked at Caleb and said "Why is it that you don't look even a bit wet?"
He gestured to a rune that glowed faintly on his cape and said "This makes me waterproof, my clothes anyway."
Hazel and Frank looked pretty interested in what his runes could do but Percy just said "So we're looking for a blind guy right?"
Caleb nodded as Percy continued "Grubby, fat, looking really disgusting?"
"From what I heard yes," said Caleb, "How'd you know?"
Percy just pointed a finger where at a big open parking lot that had tree lined sidewalks and food trucks were lined all over. The crew's stomach rumbled as all of the food trucks were open for business.
Sadly, they had a quest and in the center of the lot was an old man in a bathrobe running around with a weed whacker screaming at a flock of bird ladies who were trying to take food of his picnic table.
"Take that you stupid chickens!" yelled the old man,
"Harpies…" whispered Hazel, "That means-"
"It's Phineas," said Caleb sighing,
Suddenly one of the harpies, a smaller one with red feathers took a nose dive and tried to swipe off some food. Sadly the seer swung his weed whacker and delivered a painful blow to the creature's back causing her to scramble back and fly away.
"Stop!" called Percy wanting to end it,
The harpies faced him and flew off causing the blind man to smile brightly at them and said "Ah! Thank you for the help!"
As they approached, Percy could describe the old man. As he said, the man was old and fat. He was mostly bald with scars across his forehead and he had some white stringy hair. HIs bathrobe was splattered with ketchup, mustard and other condiments. He looked like a total slob and he reminded Percy of someone. HIs eyes twitched as he saw that the man wore a pair of pink bunny slippers.
He was clearly blind since his eyes were milky white. The old man then said "I really appreciate it; those stupid things just never leave me alone!"
Percy bit his tongue in anger. He didn't mean to help but then again they needed information. He gave a small breath and said "Uh sure, my name is Percy Jackson and-"
"Demigods!" interrupted the old man, "I always know the smell of demigods! So what brings you three here?"
Percy raised a brow and said "There are four of us here…"
They turned to Caleb who shrugged as another rune glowed brightly this time on the inside area of his cape and said "This one means untraceable. It blocks out the smell of a demigod. That's how I freely move along."
"Hidden smell are you?" asked Phineas, "Doesn't matter, no wonder I heard another pair of feet."
"You can smell us?" asked Frank,
"Of course my boy!" said the seer, "You wouldn't believe how sharp my other senses became when I lost my sight! I'm Phineas the Seer and wait don't tell me!"
He jabbed his hands at Percy's face and the teen said "Hey! Personal space!"
"A Son of Neptune!" said the old man, "You know I too am a Son of Neptune!"
Percy's eye twitched in annoyance as he groaned inwardly. Great, this old man was somehow his brother and he hoped when the time came he would look anything like that.
He then faced Frank and Hazel and took a deep breath. The smell of deep earth and treasures then there is one with the smell of blood, sweat and masculinity. Ah Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto and Frank Zhang son of Mars!"
He smirked at Frank and said "But there is more to you Frank Zhang, your blood-"
"Yeah yeah," said the Asian, "Ancient blood, Prince of Pylos I know."
"Exactly!" said Phineas, "Periclymenus! He was a nice guy! I was a fan of the Argonauts! I had their fan club shirts and everything!"
Percy raised a brow as the man opened his arms and said "Are you four hungry?"
As much as he wanted to eat, Percy shook his head and said "No you see we're here for some information."
"Mhm," said the man, "I see and you probably heard if you help me against the harpies and I'll give you the information."
The group nodded as he laughed and said 'I'm sorry but scaring them off won't help, times have changed! See I used to be cursed by Jupiter through the harpies since I spoke too much secrets."
He crossed his arms and said "For instance-"
He pointed at Hazel and said "You're supposed to be dead,"
Phineas then faced Frank and said "Your life depends on a burned stick."
He looked at Caleb and said "You're lost and desperate for redemption because you're running out of time and so you're making a major scale spell where you hope to redeem yourself since you had quite a hand in causing your sister's death."
Finally he smirked at Percy and said "You have no idea who you are but I could tell you but where's the fun in that!"
The four glared at him and had expressions where they seemed to have been hit by a truck. Caleb growled and said "We got it you old pig, you were noisy."
"If the Gods cursed you then why did they stop?" asked Frank,
"They didn't!" said Phineas, "Can you believe it? As soon as I come back these chickens start flocking me again! But thanks to my patron Gaea-"
"Gaea is your patron?!" asked Caleb,
"Why yes," said the man as he faced Hazel, "Ask her, isn't your patron Gaea as well?'
"What!" said Hazel, "Gaea isn't my patron!"
He shrugged and said "The harpies are cursed, they can only eat from my table but thanks to the weed whacker, I can keep them away and guess what? Since the Doors of Death are open, they can't die and live starving while now I can feast to my heart's content!"
"You're sick!" said Frank,
"Those things are forced to do this!" said Percy, "You can't just torture them!"
"They did the same to me for years!" said Phineas as he narrowed his eyes, "Besides! Jupiter will get what's coming to him! For now, I'll enjoy Portland! When Gaea comes into power, the Gods will get what they deserve!"
"You're sadistic!" said Caleb, "You deserve to be in the Fields of Punishment!"
"One sinner to another huh boy?" asked Phineas,
Hazel bit her tongue as the man said "As for Thanatos, he's at Alcyoneus' lair, I can tell you where it is but you'll need to do me a favor!"
"You'd wish!" said the dark skinner girl, "We should just send you straight down to the Underworld!"
"Coming from another dead person huh girlie?" asked Phineas,
She growled in anger as Frank said "Hazel what did he mean?"
The man laughed and said "You'll find out soon Frank Zhang, let's see if you'll be so nice to your little friend after that!"
Percy wanted to throttle the man right now but he had two options. One was to do his favor while the other involved him using the Truths which were also bad since he was going to be exposed.
"What's the favor?" asked Percy through gritted teeth,
He gave a wide smile and said 'There's this one harpy, she's faster than the others! I want her in a net so I can torture her! Heck I'll even give her some food just to keep her alive!"
"That's sick," said Percy,
The man shrugged and said "Sure but if you don't, you won't get your information."
"What if I force it out of you?" asked Percy slowly with his eyes glowing purple,
Phineas gave a smirk and said "Ah that power, you won't get answers from me out of that. It demands eye contact but as you can see, I'm blind. Such history behind that power…the misery, treachery and sadness that power granted some people's lives…such great power but also such a great threat…"
"What are you talking about?" asked Percy,
Phineas gave him a small smile and said "You'll find out just like he did. Anyway, bring me that harpy!"
Hazel 3rd Person POV (Timeskip- After finding Ella and now on the way back to Phineas)
"We can't give her to him!" said Hazel defiantly,
"This is irrelevant," said Caleb seriously, "My opinion still remains, she is just a monster. So what if she knows a few lines of a prophecy?"
"A prophecy that could be very important!" said Hazel in anger, "She's also a person! We can't give him to that sicko!"
"Well then what choice do we have?" asked Caleb,
"Call or fold," said Ella the Harpy, "Even odds, all in…Phineas sees things, big things but he doesn't see small chances."
"Gambling?" asked Frank, "He likes to gamble?"
Ella shakily nodded. The red feathered Harpy was still shaky but she seemed relaxed enough to not fly off again. Caleb scratched his exposed cheek and said "Hmm, we could expose him. I know a thing or two about gambling and I think I can trick him with my cards."
"I don't think that'll work," said Percy, "Remember how he knew I was lying? He can probably do the same to you and if he figures it out we can lose our chance for the information. We need something simple but with high stakes. Something where we can bait him into taking the chance."
"Well what do you suppose we do then Percy?" asked Caleb crossing his arms,
The Son of Neptune looked at Frank who raised a brow and said "You can't possibly mean-"
"I guess you holding onto those was a good idea," said Percy grinning,
The Asian pulled out a pair of identical ceramic vials he got from the Little Tiber and Hazel said "What is that?"
Percy took them from frank and said "Gorgon's Blood. After I sent those ladies down the Little Tiber, Frank got these two. And I think you know the myth."
Caleb looked stunned and said "Blood from the left cures everything while blood from the left is a lethal toxin."
"Exactly," said Percy, "We can use these two, a choice of life and death as a gamble. Besides, if all goes well, he'll get greedy and accept since he would get his sight back from this and I'll hopefully get my memories back."
Caleb raised a brow "If all goes well? How will he pick the wrong vial then?"
"The Son of Neptune laughed nervously and said "About that…I don't exactly know which one is the right vial."
Frank no0dded as Caleb face palmed and the dark skinned girl said "What!? You're doing that?!"
"I have a plan," said Percy, "Don't worry about it."
Ella shakily said "Also Phineas is blind…."
Caleb then said "A waste of the Gorgon's Blood if you ask me but what did you mean get your memories back?"
Percy then explained his situation and Caleb pursed his lips as if he just confirmed something and said "I see so I guess this plan is viable, risky to a hell's edge but viable."
Hazel wanted to argue but Frank also knew it was the best idea for this. Percy pocketed the vials and said "It's agreed then,"
Soon the group made their way back to Phineas who was happily eating a plate of tacos and he dropped the plate carelessly onto the table as he grinned and said "Ah the Harpie! I smelled you from miles away! I hear the flapping of wings!"
Hazel put a hand protectively on the Harpy's wings as Percy said "Yeah we're back but no you're not getting the Harpy."
"I see," said the seer quietly, "So you are here to kill me then? Good luck on your quest without the information."
"No you stupid old pig we're here for a gamble," said Caleb irritably,
The old man formed a small smirk on his lips as he said "A gamble huh? What do you propose?"
He gave a sly smirk and said "Information and the Harpy are the stakes?" asked the seer,
"No!" said Frank steadily, "She's not a part of the deal,"
Percy took a seat and pulled out the two vials and said "Here are two identical vials. Both Gorgon's Blood, one is from the left side while one is form the right."
Hazel was calming down Ella while Frank and Caleb took a stand near her and Phineas said "Gorgon's Blood? Seems risky… I might not be able to reform thanks to that."
Percy lured him in and said "But if you win, you get your sight back."
The old man went silent and contemplated what he had just learned. Percy had a calm expression on his face as he awaited his reply. He knew these types of people, they would bite off more than they could chew and he knew the old man would just accept.
The blind man raised a brow and said "I'm listening…"
"Gotcha you old bastard," thought Percy,
He then said "You know how it goes; the problem is that we don't know which one is the right side blood. The terms are that you write down the location of Alcyoneus in a piece of paper. You will choose which one you'll drink but you can't smell or do anything else to the vials except choose."
"I get you," said the old man as he scribbled down on a napkin and put it inside his bathrobe,
Caleb cleared his throat as Percy then handed Phineas the vials as held both and silently contemplated on which one to choose. Hazel watched as Percy calmly crossed his fingers as his elbows rested on the table.
He always had that calm expression whenever he was sure of something. Percy then raised a brow as a small tremor shook them and Hazel didn't know if he caused it or not. Her teeth chattered as Caleb shook and Frank stumbled a bit.
Taking the vial on his right, Phineas rolled Percy the left one and said "You we're a fool for this! Sight and prophecy will be mine!"
He uncorked his vial as Percy did the same and the old man said "A toast! To the Sons of Neptune!"
Percy nodded as he had a confident smirk on his face as they both drank the vial's contents. Percy calmly stood as his eyes flashed purple and said "No Phineas, you were wrong to take such a risk."
The old man then fell off his chair and started writhing in agony as yellow smoke poured out from his eyes, mouth and nose. He coughed "You tricked me!"
"No…" said the Son of Neptune as he stepped on the old man's chest and lowered his face close to his and said "No one fooled you but your greed you imprudent old man. This way I got rid of two problems and by the way, say hello to a guy named Gabe Ugliano for me when you get back to the Fields of Punishment."
The old man screamed in agony as he turned into dust. Caleb bent over and picked up his napkin and read out loud "Hubbard Glacier"
Hazel watched as Ella raided Phineas' dinner table and said "That place is pretty famous, but we have a long way to go before we get there."
Percy seemed conflicted as Gaea whispered "You were more valuable to me than him Son of Neptune, but I assure you, your end will be far worse than Gorgon's Blood."
The Son of Neptune faced them as Frank said "How'd you know he'd pick the wrong one Percy?"
"I gambled with Gaea as well," said Percy, "She said I'm more valuable to her than him so she let him die."
He then faced away and said "Come on, best we get moving. We're headed to Seattle next for that hopeful amount of reinforcement."
AN
Roy: Done, a bit bland but next chapter well…you decide! Its either we skip the Amazons or we skip Frank's Grandma, it's your choice really but we can only write about one of those two so review and tell us!
Twista: We hope you liked it! If you did leave a review below! It helps us out a lot!
Roy: Vote on our poll as well! Anyways, review please! This is a simple amateur signing out…