***Hi all! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed—to WiseGirl1993, don't worry, I have some (hopefully good) Percabeth moments planned for later in the story and to the Guest reviewer, there will be some Jason/Piper stuff, too—though in regards to the Labyrinth, I think it'll be really cool if RR works it into BoO, just not sure it'll fit into my story…we'll see : ) Anyway, here's Chapter 8, featuring Frank. Chapter 9, featuring Percy's POV (and some "fighting giants" action) will be up by Wednesday, April 9. Have a great weekend!***

VIII. FRANK

Frank had messed up. He was the son of Mars, the war god, but he had no battle plan. Or any type of plan, really, as he, Hazel, Percy, and Annabeth went ashore in Pylos. Frank had been so focused on meeting his ancestor in Pylos, he had never thought much about where the meeting would actually take place. Now, standing on the sidewalk under a palm tree and looking up at the tiers of white and pastel-colored houses in front of him, Frank realized that he had no idea what to do next.

"Where are we headed?" Percy asked.

Frank felt himself turning red. This was ridiculous; he was a praetor now, he was supposed to be in control, but he had to tell them the truth. "I'm not sure. I guess I was kind of hoping Periclymenus would just meet us."

The four of them looked around. It was still early morning; the sun was just rising over the hills. Across the street, several market stalls were being set up. At the end of the road, a bored-looking guy was lounging against a van printed with Greek letters, playing with his phone.

"Maybe we just have to find the right meeting place," Hazel said. "What do we know about Periclymenus? Besides that he was a shape-changer."

"He was the grandson of Poseidon," Frank said.

"So there's a good chance he's hanging out close to the water," Percy said.

"And he was an Argonaut," Annabeth said thoughtfully. "You know, one of the guys who sailed with the original Jason."

"Oh yeah," Frank said; he'd completely forgotten that fact. "Maybe—maybe there's a connection here."

"We could ask that guy," Percy said, pointing to the guy leaning against the van.

"Why?" Hazel asked.

Percy looked confused. "Because of his van."

"I don't know about you, but my mother told me not to talk to strangers with vans," Frank said.

Now Percy looked completely lost. "What? No—look at what it says on his van."

Frank looked at the van again. "It's in Greek."

"Well, yeah," Percy said blankly.

Annabeth nudged him with her elbow. "They're Roman, Seaweed Brain. Latin comes naturally to them, not Greek." She turned to Frank and Hazel. "It says 'Express Tours' on the side of the van."

Hazel caught on faster than Frank, who still didn't understand what that had to do with their problems. "So maybe he's a tour guide," she said.

Percy nodded. "He might know where some Ancient Greek-type stuff is around here."

"Worth a shot," Frank said.

He led the way over to the guy, who was still messing with his phone. As they approached, Frank heard him mutter, "Nine hundred emails. I've got to get a better spam filter."

Oh good, Frank thought, he speaks English. Which struck him as a little odd, since the company's name was only in Greek. But maybe the guy had picked up English from driving around American tourists or something like that. "Excuse me?"

The guy looked up. He had curly hair under his baseball cap and elfish features. There was something about his grin that made Frank a little uneasy, like maybe he should watch his valuables around this guy. "Looking for a tour?"

"Just some information," Annabeth said. "Do you know anything about Periclymenus, the—."

"—Argonaut, sure," the tour guy said. "The quest for the Golden Fleece and all that. Great story." He narrowed his eyes. "But why are you interested in him?"

"School project," Hazel said, smiling sweetly. "We're on a summer trip, studying mythology."

That's one way to put it, Frank thought. Hazel kept smiling innocently at the tour guide, who was still studying the four of them with narrowed eyes. Then, unsettlingly quickly, a grin popped back up on his face and he clapped his hands. "Awesome. I am all about mythology." He slipped his phone in his pocket. Frank noticed the case looked like it had snakes on it. "And if you're interested in the Argonauts, I know just the place you need to go. I'll even give you a ride."

The van looked spacious from the outside, but on the inside, it was crammed full of boxes.

"Sorry about the mess," the tour guide said cheerfully. "I do some deliveries on the side."

"Some?" Percy muttered as he climbed over a large box to get to an empty seat in the back.

Frank wished he could turn into something smaller, like maybe a squirrel, because it would be a lot more comfortable than sitting here with the corners of two different boxes poking into his back and Hazel squashed in next to him so tightly she was almost in his lap. However, he didn't want to alarm the driver. He wasn't sure how the Mist would cover up the fact that there were suddenly only three humans in the van, rather than the four he'd picked up.

Hazel pushed against one of the boxes, trying to move it over, but it didn't budge. "You must not give tours to very big groups."

"Nope," the guide said. "I'm pretty selective."

Alarm bells started going off in Frank's head. He glanced at Hazel and knew she was thinking the same thing. Something was definitely off about this guy. There was a good chance they had just walked into a trap.

The guide picked up a stack of boxes off the front passenger seat so that Annabeth could sit down. "Hold these for me, will you?" he asked her.

"Uh, sure," she replied. The guide dumped the boxes on her lap and Annabeth jumped. "There's something dripping from the bottom one!"

"Oh, yeah." The guide's slightly arched eyebrows drew together in concern. "Sorry about that. It's harmless stuff, though."

Annabeth looked disgusted, but she swallowed back whatever she had been going to say. "So, where are we going?"

"Voidokilia Beach," the guide said. He put the van in drive and took off so fast Frank was slammed against the seat. He winced as the boxes jabbed him in the back. "There's a place there called 'Nestor's Cave'. It's a little bit of a hike, but I think you'll find it's worth it. It's got a great view of the bay."

The name "Nestor" sounded vaguely familiar to Frank. "Is Nestor another Argonaut?"

The guide looked at him in the rearview mirror and grinned again. "Very good. Lot of history at that cave. Some say it's where Hermes hid Apollo's cattle. It's also supposedly where Nestor met with Telemachus, when Telemachus was searching for his father, Odysseus, after the Trojan War."

"But what does all that have to do with Periclymenus?" Hazel asked.

The guide shrugged. "It's related to the Argonauts. I thought that's what you were interested in?"

"We are," Frank said hurriedly. The cave might not be a good lead, but it was the best one they had. "How long does it take to get there?"

"Typically, about twenty-five minutes." The guide looked at Frank in the rearview mirror again and gave him that unsettling grin. "But I can usually make it in ten."

After that, Frank didn't get a chance to ask the guide any more questions because he was too busy inwardly cursing, praying to whichever god prevented car accidents, and holding on to Hazel's hand for dear life. When they finally screeched to a halt in the beach parking lot, Frank's knees were shaking. He let out the breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding as Hazel doubled over, pressing her face against her knees.

"That was horrible," she said.

Frank patted her back. "Yeah, it was."

Percy, Hazel, and Frank managed to work their way out of the back of the van and onto the pavement. Annabeth handed the guide the stack of boxes she had been holding. "What do we owe you for the ride?" Annabeth asked.

The driver waved his hand. "Don't worry about the money. But you'd be doing me a huge favor if you could make a quick delivery for me."

"Sure, we can probably do that," Frank said cautiously.

"Fantastic," the driver said. "Bottom box here, miss," he told Annabeth, balancing the rest of the stack in his hands so she could grab the bottom one. "You shouldn't have a problem figuring out where it goes. Just be careful with it. I have a feeling the person it belongs to may need it soon." With a final grin and a wave, the guide put his foot on the gas and shot out of the parking lot.

"That was weird," Percy said. "So who are we supposed to be delivering this box to?"

Annabeth looked at the label. The blood drained out of her face so fast Frank thought she was going to faint. "Oh my gods. Percy."

"What?" Percy must have had the same thought as Frank because he put an arm around Annabeth's waist like he thought she was going to fall. "Who does it go to?"

Annabeth was still staring at the label like she'd seen a ghost. "No, I mean, look at the label. Percy, it goes to you."

Percy read the label, then suddenly looked like he was trying to swallow a baseball. "There's no way. She destroyed it. She told me she destroyed it."

Frank craned his neck to read the address on the package. It said:

The Gods

Mount Olympus

600th Floor,

Empire State Building

New York, NY

With best wishes,

PERCY JACKSON

Over that was written, "Return to Sender." "Wait, Percy, you sent this?"

"Yeah, when I was twelve. But my dad sent it back to me. He didn't want it, for some reason."

Hazel was still pale from the crazy van ride. It seemed to be the popular look at the moment. "You know what's in there?"

Percy nodded grimly. "It's Medusa's head."

The sand was hot, the water was clear, the sun was shining brightly in a cloudless blue sky. It was, Frank thought, a great day to be at the beach—unless, of course, you were hiking up a steep hill in search of your long-dead ancestor, and carrying around a severed head capable of turning people to stone.

Not that Frank had to carry Medusa's head, which he was guiltily glad about. Percy had taken charge of it, though he was holding the box gingerly like, well, like it contained something dead and disgusting.

"I still don't understand how Hermes found this, though," Percy said as they climbed up the hill. "My mom told me she destroyed it after she turned Smelly Gabe into a statue."

"He deserved it," Annabeth assured Hazel, who looked shocked.

They had decided it must have been the messenger god who had given them a ride. Hermes (or had he been Mercury?), god of travel, thieves, and, apparently, delivering long-lost packages that no one wanted.

"Did she tell you how she destroyed it?" Frank asked.

Percy frowned. "No. No, I guess she wasn't really specific."

"She probably did believe she destroyed it," Annabeth said. "But monster parts that are spoils of war are really hard to get rid of. Hermes must have found it after your mom threw it away."

"And it sounds like he thinks we'll need it to turn someone to stone," Hazel said. "We'd better be on our guard."

"Periclymenus better have some really good information for us," Frank muttered as they reached the entrance of Nestor's Cave, set into the hillside.

After their various adventures in Rome and the House of Hades, Frank was expecting something impressive. But Nestor's Cave was just that—a cave. There were a few stalactites and stalagmites and a small pool at the back, but that was it. Frank felt let down. "I think Mercury gave us some bad advice."

"He's always been helpful before," Percy said, looking put out at the total lack of anything interesting in the cave. "There has to be something important here."

Hazel laid her hand against the stone wall of the cave, next to where some tourists had carved their names. "There's something here," she said. She tilted her head as if listening, then pointed toward the back of the cave. "The water. I think it's covering up a tunnel."

The four of them walked to the small pool near the back wall of the cave. Percy knelt down and dipped his hand in the water. He frowned.

"What is it?" Annabeth asked.

"There is a tunnel here," Percy said slowly. "Actually, it's more like a well. It drops straight down, but I can't tell how far. And I can't control it," he added, looking a little nervous. "It's like something else, or someone else, has control of the water and their will is a whole lot stronger than mine." He glanced up at Frank. "What do you think, man? Your call."

Frank's palms were sweaty. If Percy couldn't control the water, that didn't seem like a good sign. He had never considered the idea that maybe Periclymenus wouldn't want to help them. Frank wondered, again, if they were walking into a trap. But Demeter had specifically said to come talk to Periclymenus, to get the information they needed to find the weapon that would hopefully help them defeat Gaea. If his ancestor was hiding at the bottom of this well, Frank needed to find him. "I think we've got to take the chance and go in," he said.

Percy looked resigned. "Yeah, you're probably right. So how are we going to do this?"

"Are your other water powers still working?" Frank asked.

Percy pulled his hand out of the water; it was completely dry. "Seem to be."

"Okay, then you and I will go down the well and see what we can find." He turned to Hazel and Annabeth. "You two, um, I guess stay here and keep watch."

"And how are we supposed to contact you if something happens? Or vice versa?" Hazel asked.

"Yell loudly?" Percy suggested.

Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "I don't know that splitting up is the best idea."

"Can you breathe underwater?" Percy asked her. Annabeth glared at him and he shrugged. "We'll just go check things out. If we're not back in ten minutes—"

"Wait longer?" Hazel suggested, raising her eyebrows.

"Pretty much."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. She and Hazel exchanged a glance. "We'll give you guys fifteen minutes," Annabeth said. "Then we're figuring out a way to come after you."

"Perfect," Percy said. He kissed Annabeth on the cheek, then handed her the box with Medusa's head. "Keep an eye on this."

She looked nauseated, but she took the box.

Hazel gave Frank a quick kiss. "Just be careful."

"You too," he said. He agreed with Annabeth that splitting up didn't seem like a great plan, but they didn't have another option. Frank followed Percy into the water, then closed his eyes and concentrated. Within seconds, he had become a six-foot-long mako shark. If they were walking into a trap, Frank wanted to be something with teeth.

"Nice," Percy said appreciatively. He gestured downward. "After you."

With one last glance at Hazel and Annabeth standing worriedly at the side of the pool, Frank turned and dove into the depths.

It took them a full five minutes to swim to the bottom of the tunnel. Frank wasn't sure how many hundreds of feet that was, but he figured it was a lot. Finally, though, the shaft they were in opened up into a much larger space, like an underground lake. Frank and Percy swam forward until the water got shallow. They surfaced in front of an island of stone set in the middle of a massive underground cavern. Frank turned back to human so he wouldn't have to crawl onto the shore on his shark belly. He looked up and could just make out stalactites the size of school busses hanging down from the ceiling a hundred feet up, which made him realize something. "Where's that light coming from?"

Percy pointed. "Top of the island."

Sure enough, at the pinnacle of the island, about fifty feet away, was a small crystal, glowing brightly enough to illuminate the entire cavern. Silhouetted in front of the light, as if he were facing them, was the figure of a man. Frank unslung his bow and notched an arrow. Percy drew his sword. Together, they walked slowly up the slope towards the figure.

As they got closer, Frank realized that the figure was an old man, bald and so wrinkled he actually looked several thousand years old. His eyes were cloudy white with cataracts, but he turned to Frank and said, "I have been waiting many years for you, Frank Zhang. Welcome. I am Periclymenus."

"Uh, hi," Frank said, because it was all he could think of. What exactly were you supposed to say to long-dead ancestors? "Nice cave."

"Thank you," Periclymenus replied. He gestured to a stone table with benches around it. "Please, sit down, so we can talk."

Frank's grandmother had been fanatical about respecting ancestors, but if she'd ever mentioned what the proper etiquette was for sitting down with the ghost of one, Frank had missed the lesson. He and Percy sat down awkwardly across from Periclymenus, who seemed quite at his ease. "And, Periclymenus, this is Percy—"

"—Jackson, yes," Periclymenus said, nodding his bald head and turning his milky eyes towards Percy. "The most recent demigod child of Poseidon. Even amongst spirits, Perseus, you are quite famous."

"Is that a good thing?" Percy asked.

Periclymenus chuckled. "You know, Hercules once told me there is no such thing as bad publicity."

"We met him," Frank said. "He threw pineapples at our ship."

"Yes, that sounds like him," Periclymenus said. He leaned back and looked at Frank again. "We were crewmembers on the Argo, he and I. Sailed with Jason to find the Golden Fleece. Now, as I understand, you are sailing with a new Jason, on the Argo II."

"How did you know that?" Percy asked.

Periclymenus spread his hands and shrugged. "Spirits hear things, m'boy."

"You don't look like a spirit," Frank said. And it was true; Periclymenus looked solid and alive, not like the dead soldiers from the House of Hades, or even the spirit army in Alaska.

"Yes, well, many of us who came back through the Doors of Death appear like the living," Periclymenus said. "Your girlfriend, for instance."

Frank's stomach clenched. "Hazel's not a spirit. She's alive."

"Is she?" Periclymenus said lightly, tilting his head to the side. "For that matter, m'boy, are you?"

"What?" Frank asked.

Periclymenus leaned forward. The whiteness in his eyes reflected the glow of the crystal, making Frank uneasy. "I know about your curse, Frank Zhang, son of Mars, descendant of Poseidon, bearer of my own legacy. Your life is fated to be bright and brief."

Beads of sweat broke out on Frank's forehead, despite the cool dampness of the cave. But he took a deep breath and forced his voice to stay steady as he said, "I know that. But right now, we've got bigger problems. Demeter said you could give us some information about finding a key to unlock a weapon that will help us defeat Gaea and the giants."

Periclymenus nodded again. "I can give you that. And I can also give you this advice: our fates are not set in stone." He reached across the table and patted Frank's arm. Periclymenus's skin felt dry and papery, but his hand was solid. "We are each capable of choosing our own destiny. Perseus knows this. His friends Iapetus and Damasen discovered this fact for themselves."

Percy looked like he was struggling to swallow a boulder. Finally, he said, "He's right. If a Titan and a giant could choose to change their fate, probably anyone can."

"A Titan and a giant?" Frank asked incredulously.

"Tell you later," Percy said.

"So you see, Frank, you may have been born with that cursed piece of tinder, but your fate, your destiny, is still up to you. When the time comes, the choice will be yours."

The choice would be his. Frank wasn't sure that choosing to die was exactly much better than being fated to die, but for some reason he felt as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders, similar to the way he had felt when Leo gave him the fireproof bag to keep his stick in. Our fates are not set in stone. "I'll keep that in mind," he told Periclymenus. "Now, about that information Demeter mentioned?"

"Ah, yes." Periclymenus sat back and laced his fingers across his stomach. "Sadly, I do not possess the key that you seek. However, I do know where you can find it."

"Great," Frank said. "Where is it?"

"You must go to Santorini and seek out those whose love was as destructive as the volcano which shaped that island. I don't imagine they'll be hard to find." Periclymenus frowned, then added, "And you may not like to hear this, but I recommend that only female demigods go on this quest."

"Okay, why?" Percy asked.

"Because the lady of the island has good reason to be suspicious of men and her, for lack of a better word, companion prefers to deal only with women. Trust me, the ladies in your group will be much more successful on their own."

Frank and Percy exchanged a look. "This should be interesting," Percy muttered.

"Indeed," Periclymenus said. He opened his mouth to tell them something else, but suddenly he stiffened. His eyes went wide with fear. "Oh no."

Instantly, Frank's hand went to his bow and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Percy reach for his sword. "What's wrong?" Frank asked.

Periclymenus turned pale, suddenly appearing much more like a spirit. "You need to leave now. Get back up to the cave. He is approaching."

Frank and Percy both stood up. "He who?" Frank asked.

Periclymenus seemed to be growing frailer, as if whoever he was talking about was literally sucking the life out of him. "The bane of Poseidon. You have met him before."

Frank's stomach dropped. Percy's expression turned grim. Frank flashed back to a dragon-legged giant towering over a hillside, basilisks falling from his hair.

"Polybotes."

***This chapter kind of went in a direction I wasn't expecting, but it sets up a lot of stuff that comes later—next chapter is much more action-packed, stay tuned!***