Bending the Mist, I made sure the mortals saw me wearing normal clothes, which were still jeans and a shirt. The sidewalk was glass, raised off the ground. Under was a bed of grass. Hinges on the sidewalk explained that the glass moved when it was raining, allowing the water to reach the grass. Trees lined the sidewalks, eco-cars drove down the street. Eco-cars ran on solar power, wind, and garbage. There were no tires, they merely glided over the street, not releasing any harmful chemicals. It was a warm day in summer.
After bearing near the end of the Earth, humans had really cleaned up their act, inventing cars that ran on garbage, which cleaned out landfills, oceans, public areas, recycling, and overall caring for the Earth. Nereids, naiads, and other nymphs have never been happier. Pollution and smog no longer made the air thick, and resources were no longer scarce. The Amazon Rain Forest had grown back, as well as hundreds of other forests.
Breathing deeply, I walked past the mortals, slipping into the building and seeing that there was a new man. He was middle-aged, with a balding head of black hair and his brown eyes focused on a hologram being projected from the small machine. He was ready a classic book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Stealthily, I slipped past him, moving silently. He was intently focused on the book. From a small drawer, I pulled out the keycard, entering the elevator. He looked up as the elevator dinged, signaling that it was at the floor. I bent the Mist, making it look like I was wearing a suit. He nodded towards me, "Hello, young man."
"Hello. Have a nice day." I greeted, closing the door. Sticking the card in the slot, the button for the 600th floor appeared. Pressing it, I let the Mist free allowing it to show me as I was. Curiously, I wondered what was going on at Camp Half-Blood. Is anybody going on quests anymore?
The door opened and Olympus appeared. I stepped onto the pathway, slipping into the shadows, weaving in and out of trees. No one noticed or sensed me, as I always disguised myself well. Ducking behind a statue, I realized everything here was designed by Annabeth.
Annabeth. A familiar pang hit my heart, making me feel depressed. Shaking away the emotions, I focused again on the task at hand. I can't be distracted.
Moving towards the entrance to the throne room, I slipped inside. The hall leading to it was empty. My steps were silent, my breathing noiseless. Entering the throne room, I thanked that the door was slightly ajar. Staying in the shadow of a brazier, I observed my surroundings. Unfortunately, all fourteen Olympians were present, the extra two being Hades and Hestia, the two newest. Demigods were in the center, talking about something.
I could have groaned, if it wouldn't compromise the mission. Looking at the demigods, I saw Thalia, in her Hunter's uniform and tiara. I pulled my hood up, shielding my face. A twenty year old man with dark hair and dark eyes was also present, as well as another girl and a satyr. Examining the thrones again, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. Artemis was missing. Widening my eyes, I knew what was happening a second before it happened.
Knocking away the arrow with a bat of my fist, it clattered to the floor. In less than a second, the door was slammed shut and locked with divine power. Artemis had her bow pointed at my chest, my heart specifically. Jumping on the wall, I flipped backwards over Artemis, drawing Riptide and holding it at her neck.
"I am very sorry, Lady Artemis. I merely meant to slip in and slip out. It wasn't supposed to be complicated." I mumbled, releasing my grip slightly.
Olympians gasped, startled. The Big Three looked downright furious, while the demigods looked shocked. Zeus had his lightning bolt, Dad wielding his trident, Hades a Stygian Iron sword. They all glared, ready to kill. Zeus looked downright murderous.
"An intruder!" Snarled Hades, pointing his sword towards me and trying to intimidate me. Note the word "trying". I held my hands up, slipping Riptide into my pocket as it shrunk into a pen.
"I mean no harm," I declared loudly, "I am merely a messenger with a letter to Lord Zeus, god of the skies." Holding up the letter, I walked past the demigods, ignoring them. The satyr nervously bleated, reminding me of Grover. Athena was watching me, analyzing me. Giving Zeus the envelope, I watched as he read it, his eyes moving from line to line. As he progressed, his face became contorted with rage.
"Who sent this?" He snarled, raising his lightning bolt. I raised my eyebrows, but they couldn't see that. Why would Uranus not sign off the letter with his name? Overcoming my confusion, I found the correct words to say to my uncle.
"If it is not signed with the name of who sent it, then you are not required to know." I stated calmly. Zeus, enraged, snapped his fingers. I was instantly tied to a chair, Celestial bronze shackles around my arms and legs.
I snarled, struggling against the bonds, or so it seemed. Rage flooded my mind as my face turned into a look of pure fury. A knife fell into my hands, having wiggled out of its holster. Slicing through the bonds, I stood up, kicking the chair so hard it shattered, exploding into splinters. With a wall of water, I shielded the demigods and satyr from the chunks of wood that would have impaled them. How could this have gotten so bad so fast?
"Who are you?" Zeus snapped, attempting to restrain me again. Poseidon waved his hand and I was imprisoned in a ball of water. He grinned, as well as his two brothers. Looking confident, Zeus, strolled towards me, towering over the ball of water. I breathed freely, aware of the fact that they all expected me to hold my breath. Making sure my hood was secure, I listened to Zeus.
"Now, once you feel ready to cooperate, we will let you out." He stopped in front of me, watching me and I swan around leisurely. He thought I was struggling while in reality, I wasn't wet at all. Moving to the center of the water, I held my arms by my sides, mustering all of the water control I had. Luckily, my skills had grown incredibly strong over the last three hundred years, thanks to my god-like status and Uranus's gifts of power.
I threw my arms out, the water exploding around me and showering the throne room. Landing lightly on my feet, I growled, "You underestimate my power."
Moving towards the door, I was nearly out when another arrow whistled through the air. Catching it before it hit me in between the shoulder blades, I turned around, throwing it back to Artemis. Distracted by the arrow, Athena took the opportunity to hit me with a blast of pure energy. I fell to the ground on my hands and knees. Ichor dripped from my mouth but I whipped it away with the back of my hand, drawing Riptide.
"So you are immortal." Athena stated.
"I do not wish to fight." I explained, dodging another blast of energy from Hera this time. Ares was already pulled out his sword. Zeus growled.
"You brought this upon yourself!" Zeus remarked, sending a blast of lightning towards me. I stopped it midair and sent it out the window. Outside, thunder boomed as the lightning struck. Artemis and Apollo had their bows out, an arrow notched and aimed at my heart. Aphrodite was the only one not fazed. She seemed to be confused, trying to figure out who I was.
Hephaestus held a device that would probably shoot something deadly at me. Hestia watched sadly, as if she felt bad for me. Athena and Hera were awaiting the signal to blast me. Dionysus looked bored. The Big Three watched, both stunned and livid, drawing weapons. Ares advanced, clearly happy there was action. Hermes was holding his caduceus, George and Martha looking fierce. Demeter was yelling about cereal.
"I am only a messenger!" I called once more. I was blatantly ignored, mainly because I had made Zeus livid.
Ares reached me, attempting to strike me down. I deflected his blade, sending a flurry of attacks as fast as I could. His eyes widened as he increased his tempo, deflecting my blade. I feinted, slicing his chest. Golden ichor flowed down hisstomach, causing him to become severely enraged. I blocked his entire volley of attacks, distracting him with a blade while I lashed out with my foot, connecting it with his stomach.
Ares flew backwards, crashing into the wall and sliding down, landing in a crumpled heap. Artemis and Apollo sent arrows towards me like a rainstorm. I tapped the repaired watch Tyson gave me and folded under it, feeling the thumps and arrows lodging themselves in the metal. Blasts of energy were sent my way and I managed to dodge all the column-like, deathly rings of energy until I straightened, having done a back flip to get away from a jet of water that would have cut me in half.
A cold dagger pressed against my throat. Twisting the arm, I turned around, disarming the god and holding their own dagger at their throat. Riptide was positioned at their stomach, ready to tear through skin. The scent of lemon soap washed over me as I realized who I held captive. Dropping the dagger and Riptide, I suddenly felt sick. My hands shook uncontrollably as my face became a look of pure shock. I felt vomit rise in my throat, the room talking a sharp, dangerous three-sixty.
Blond curls intact save for the slight disheveled, ruffled look from fighting, gray eyes fierce, I stared into the eyes of Annabeth Chase.
"You're alive!" I gasped, a second before the combined magical energy of multiple Olympians struck my unshielded back.