The full chapter title (because apparently there is a limit on chapter name length and I like movie quotes too much) is this: We're Going to Have to Science the Schist Out of This.
Sorry for the delayed update. This chapter is dedicated to RosettaQueen20, who requested an Annabeth chapter. Also, last call for POV requests, as I'm finalizing my chapter outlines after this week. Enjoy!
Annabeth was done with the fates.
Finally things were getting back to normal. They were in college, safe, and able to conquer life like average sword toting demigods. But no, the fates couldn't let their favorite playthings live in peace for long. "Oh, Annabeth and Percy are happy, the seven haven't had to deal with a world ending event for two years, let's throw in the theory of the multiverse. Yeah, that will end well".
On the other hand, the theory of the multiverse appeared to be true. Which was freaking awesome.
Annabeth let Percy lead their group of cabin leaders and the...whoever they were...from Earth-1 into the Big House. She could practically see Percy wishing that they were in Camp Jupiter, with the Pomerian Line and Terminus to enforce peace (or at least discourage dismemberment). Instead, he settled for glaring at anyone whose weapon came close to leaving their holster or scabbard. Gathering around the ping-pong table, Annabeth ceeded her usual seat at the head of the table to Percy, sitting instead to his right. Cisco sat to his left and the groups were seated on opposite sides of the table from each other, glaring heatedly and fingering weapons. Chiron slid in as well, taking up a spot along the back wall.
"So..." Percy began eloquently, nervously tapping his fingers. "Given the circumstances, I think my oath on the Styx has been revoked". He glanced out the window as if he expected some response. None came, so he shrugged his shoulders and continued. Annabeth leaned forward, anxious to finally get some answers.
"The fall of senior year, after big three capture the flag, I was out walking in the woods. As usual, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A dark figure with a horde of monsters was standing there, in front of a glowing circle".
Percy told the whole story, with Cisco filling in some of the details from Team Flash's point of view. Annabeth's throat tightened as Percy glossed over his time with Zoom and the blood draining. That's what his nightmares had been about. She hadn't been there for him, and it made her mad.
Everything was coming together now, the oath he had sworn, the way he never left his cabin during a thunderstorm, the burn marks when he returned that looked remarkably similar to the burn Thalia had given him yesterday. Earlier today? She couldn't even remember what day it was anymore. He had come back from his "adventure" stronger and yet more broken at the same time. She finally knew why, and it felt like the world had again been lifted from her shoulders.
Leo was bouncing with excitement as he peered around Jason and Frank to get a better look at Cisco. The man in question was fiddling with his Vibe gauntlets in a manner almost identical to Leo's mechanical fidgeting.
"And so Hestia sealed our earth off from the rest of the multiverse and Team Flash sent Zoom to prison. Which apparently didn't last long. The Olympians made me swear an oath on the Styx, and here we are". Percy finished, sitting back down and running his hand through his hair.
"How did the breaches open again? We have been trying to get through for months now with no results". Caitlin leaned forward, her brownish-grey eyes alight with curiosity.
"I don't know. But I think Nico did it". The son of Hades looked a bit shocked, then nodded as if it made sense. Percy continued, "We had a bit of an...altercation...yesterday, and Nico had to step in. He can shadow travel. It's similar to teleportation but usually only able to transport children of Hades. Nico can shadow travel across great distances and can take others with him, but yesterday was the first time he successfully shadow traveled something that wasn't himself. I think he effectively opened a breach. Remember Hestia said that she sealed us off from other earths?"
The team Flash crew nodded thoughtfully. Annabeth shook her head in disbelief. Percy had never been stupid (although there were moments he was a complete idiot), but she would have never classified him as logical either. Maybe college was actually getting through that thick skull of his. Percy continued, "Well, I think the barrier could only be broken if we tried to access the multiverse. As Nico unknowingly did".
The group sat quietly, processing the information. Percy took advantage of the silence to ask Cisco what was going on in their earth, and Leo's doppleganger briefly outlined the events of their past couple years. Annabeth processed the information quickly, noting events she needed to question later. Because she might not be a science major, but she definitely wanted to write a paper on Flashpoint.
"Wait, so Barry is stuck in the speed force? How is that even possible?" Annabeth's mind finally paused on a single piece of data. "If the speed force is pure energy, a place in the multiverse where time and space don't exist, a human shouldn't be able to inhabit it".
The blonde one, Julian, sighed and crossed his arms, "Of course. But Barry is a metahuman speedster, not a normal human. I would be incinerated upon entry, but Wally here as a speedster was able to inhabit the speed trap".
Annabeth nodded slowly, "But the speed trap in general, how did that come into existence? I know" she held up a hand to stop Julian from interrupting "Time loop. But even a time loop has to have some sort of 'the loops starts here' moment. Like, the chicken and the egg assumes that one of the following was created or evolved from something else. But Savitar and the speed force trap? If Savitar is Barry's double or time remnant created to stop Savitar, why does it exist in the first place? Was Savitar originally not a time remnant? Was he originally not from Barry's efforts to defeat Savitar and through the cycle he has become the time remnant used to stop Savitar? And you may have killed this Savitar, but who is to say that the cycle won't continue? Time always finds a way to self-correct. Here we call that the Fates".
The crowd stared at her for a second. Cisco, Caitlin, and Julian were obviously mulling through her logic while the campers looked at her like she had grown two heads. Not that she wasn't used to it.
"You just turned my brain to mush, Wise Girl. I just fight the stuff that comes from all this sciencey crap". And there was Percy, doing his killer impression of a five year old.
"It's going to matter if we want to get your friend out of the speed force". She paused, a new idea sparking in her mind. "Why did you guys come to us anyways? I am sure there are more scientifically evolved earths out there. Hades, there are more intelligent beings on our earth than us".
"I can guess". Percy spoke up a second before Cisco started talking. "You want Hestia to help again".
Cisco nodded. "We can't get him out using science. We need to bend the laws of nature. And your Hestia is the only one I know that can do that".
It was good reasoning. Sound. But wrong. "Hestia can't break the laws of nature, or the multiverse. The Olympians are the laws of nature on our earth. From everything we know about the gods, they has no jurisdiction in the multiverse. Hestia could defend our earth because she is the goddess of the hearth, of the home. But she has no power anywhere else".
Team Flash's faces fell. Iris, Barry's fiance, sniffled and looked away. Percy looked at Annabeth with those baby seal eyes, like begging could make her change the laws of the universe. Luckily for him, she had an idea.
"I have an idea. It probably won't work, but it's an idea". She waved her hand as if to ward off their hope. "Listen, you have been focused on bringing Barry back. Metahuman Barry, the Flash. You are looking in the wrong place". Seeing their looks of confusion, she tried again. "Take the Underworld for example. I've been doing some fascinating research on the architecture of the dead and I happened to stumble across something that might be applicable here. The dead in the underworld are not living, they're...intangible. But children of Hades, such as Nico and Hazel, can interact with them on a physical, tangible level. Percy or I could talk to them, but they may not even realize we were there and we certainly couldn't view them as a tangible entity. Like, Percy couldn't punch Octavian in the face".
The campers grinned at her last remark while Team Flash looked confused. Best to move on then. She spoke faster, the threads of information finally weaving together to form an image. She moved her hands quickly, reeling her audience in and pulling together the data to form a solid conclusion. "And because our world is definitely mystical, the Olympians, demigods, clear sighted mortals have dismissed us as magic, transcending the laws of nature. But magic is just science that hasn't been explained yet. Our origins may be explained by a supernatural being, but the earth is still subject to the laws set up at the beginning of everything. For example, the Olympians are immortal because their cellular regeneration is so different from human regeneration. Their cells are literally energy. Monsters come back from the dead because they can piece themselves back together on a molecular level. And the dead? Their bodies are gone but their spirit still exists as primordial energy. In the world but not interacting with the world. Nico and Hazel? My theory is that they operate at an in-between frequency that allows them interaction with the mortal realm and the Underworld. Hades? He can manipulate the primordial energy of the Underworld. Your 'speed force'? It's just another earth, one that only speedsters can vibrate at the correct frequency for. But in someplace like that? With the energy readings you are talking about?" She gestured to the data on the computer Cisco had set up. "This 'earth' is energy. So you are looking for a way to bring back a physical, human, tangible body. But you aren't looking for one. You are looking for a speck of energy in the haystack of the multiverse that is Barry Allen".
She breathed heavily, letting the implications of her statement sink in before continuing. "We are not trying to extract matter. We are trying to extract energy, electrons. My theory is that once extracted on your earth, his body will reform into the state it was before. Because his body didn't die, his mass is still conserved, he just transcended his body for the time being. He's constantly running at high speeds to vibrate at the high frequency necessary in the speedforce. All he needs is a push and a shove into Earth-1 and his matter will solidify. This makes our lives a lot easier. Because we don't need a person to fill the speedtrap. We need primordial energy".
The room was still, like the audience's silence after an orchestra struck their last note. Tension pulling between the performers and the audience, the epiphany and the reaction. Annabeth read confusion on lots of faces, understanding on others. Surprisingly, some of the demigods seemed to understand. Nico, for one, was nodding slowly. Will had a furrow in his brow but was on the verge of catching on. Malcolm was obviously following her train of thought. But the biggest surprise was Percy. He had a mask of confusion stretched across his face, but she had always been able to read him. Though he may not have understood the science behind it, what she was saying wasn't a surprise. In fact, he looked nervous, like the puzzle was assembling before his eyes and he didn't like what he saw.
"So, we just need to get energy and Barry can just...walk out?" Joe gestured with his hands, obviously confused but hopeful. Caitlin was already shaking her head, "No, Barry is a speedster, and a powerful one at that. You would need a lot of energy, like, equivalent to the first particle accelerator explosion".
"Ah, I think I can help with that". Travis Stoll's voice rose out of nowhere, shocking the entire room. Campers looked at him in complete and utter shock. "You?" Malcolm snorted in disbelief.
"Yes me. Rude much?" Travis glared at Malcolm then continued. "So Connor was busy with classes and I was bored. Really bored. So, I decided to do some...hands on research".
"You stole from a museum". Jason crossed his arms. "Why am I not surprised anymore?"
"Yeah, well, it's a good thing I did, isn't it?" Travis retorted defensively. "Now, where was I? Ah, right. So, my aunt's brother-in-law's mother is a curator at The Met. I sometimes meet with my aunt's brother in law, who works odd jobs and does some...well, burglary on the side. We keep up to date, swap information, and eat some really good food. I had just...appropriated someone's black American Express and boy did we eat well, lobster drizzled in butter sauce and..." Travis trailed off when Annabeth glared. "Right, not important. So he said that his mom was all stressed out, talking about some big Egyptian exhibit that was coming into town. Apparently they recently acquired some artifacts that were thought to be lost and were pulling out all the stops for the grand unveiling. So I staked out the Met, collected blueprints from Luis, my aunt's brother-in-law. I've never actually pulled a heist there before, but you know, I figured since the Greek and Roman gods are real but the Egyptian ones aren't, we're the next best people to hold onto these very rare, powerful objects. Or at least the ones who should profit from them, right?"
"You wanted the challenge". Percy's voice was flat. Annabeth understood. They never told anyone about the Egyptian gods, and they were treading dangerously close to that line now. She could already tell that this story wasn't going to end well. "Get on with it, Travis. How does this help us?"
"Right, so I wanted the challenge". He admitted. "But I was so bored. Like, really bored. So I went to the Met, got information about the event, was all ready to execute the heist of a lifetime. But something went wrong. Someone got there before I did".
"Luis?" Piper asked.
"No, some really cute girl and a scary boy. Tall, dark, intimidating. Gave off a powerful aura. So I was like, what monsters are trying to steal my artifact? But they only took one thing: a big fat book. Called the Book of Sloth or something. I looked it up later, apparently it was like a roadmap to Egyptian mythology. So I figured, the Olympians aren't going to let us take an object of Greek or Roman power to help out this Barry dude, so why not take something super powerful from some gods who aren't real? And this book can lead us to them". Travis finished, extremely proud of himself. Annabeth stood there in shock for a moment, trying to reconcile "oh my gods the Book of Thoth was stolen again" and "Of all the people, Travis Stoll was the one who found out about Egyptians".
Cisco, on the other hand, was super excited. "Yes, that could work! We just need to track down these monster book stealers and find an object that can replace Barry! A mythological artifact is bound to have a lot of power, more than enough for something like this. Where do we start?"
"We don't". Percy's voice cut above the chatter. The whole room turned to look at him incredulously.
"What the hell, man? You said that you would help us get Barry back. Now that we have a chance, you want to give up?" The man in the yellow suit, Kid Flash or whatever, started to spark. Dang it. Things were going so well.
"You promised, Percy. Please, even if it doesn't work, we have to try". Iris took the calmer approach, calming down her brother with a touch and pleading with Percy.
"You don't understand. We're already treading in dangerous waters". Percy looked at Annabeth desperately for help. She almost grinned. However helpful it was for Percy to understand what was going on, she had missed his dependance on her plans and ideas.
"What Percy means, is that we have met these people before. And we came to an...agreement. And going after the Book of Thoth, well, that would be like declaring war". Annabeth made eye contact with the demigods in the room, silently reminding them that they really didn't want a war right now.
"We want to help Barry. We will help Barry. But we can't go chasing after this book to do it". Percy summarized, rubbing his face.
Annabeth took in the disappointment across the room, then looked to the corner where Chiron was sitting. She raised an eyebrow, Is it time? Her mentor shrugged and blinked in response to her inquiry. Not my call, Annabeth. They'll find out eventually. Just don't cause more trouble. Yeah, like that was going to happen. She sighed heavily, turning back to the group.
"Well..." Annabeth trailed off, looking at Percy. "We can't go stealing this book. We have contacts though".
His eyes widened momentarily, recognizing what she was inferring. "You sure?" Dang it, the seal eyes were back again. She hated herself a little for giving him false hope, but nodded. "Yeah. Let's see what we can do".
"So let me get this straight? You know the people who stole my book?" Travis's voice crackled annoyingly in her earpiece.
"Not your book, Travis. Their book. They were just stealing it back".
"I still think I should have come with". Travis was dangerously close to whining. "Seeing as this whole thing was my idea".
"Yeah, you tried to steal from them. Somehow I don't think they would be very happy to see you". Percy snorted, taking a sip of his coffee. They were sitting at The Iris Cafe in Brooklyn Heights, waiting on Carter and Sadie. Apparently Iris's Rainbow Organic Foods and Lifestyle (R.O.F.L) has expanded into cafes. The organic coffee was actually much better than Annabeth had expected. She wasn't brave enough to try the pastries, though it looked like everyone else was enjoying them.
One mention of the Book of Thoth and the siblings were more than willing to meet with Percy and Annabeth. But only Percy and Annabeth. Team Flash insisted on monitoring the conversation. Leo and Cisco had whipped up some demigod-safe surveillance equipment (man it was weird to see the two of them together). They had wanted cameras and thermal sensors (why?) but Percy and Annabeth had drawn the line at earpieces. Even then, Annabeth was going to turn them off as soon as they got down to business. She wouldn't betray Carter and Sadie's confidence like that. Until then, she had to deal with Travis and Cisco's chatter in her ear. Percy wasn't helping, humming the mission impossible theme song as he sipped his coffee.
"Annabeth!" Sadie strode up to the table, Carter in tow. Annabeth hugged Sadie, then shook Carter's hand while Percy hugged both of them. Seriously, Percy was way more like Tyson than he knew.
"Eyes on the targets". Joe said from the white van parked down the street. "Sending video through now".
Targets? Jeez, these people took themselves too seriously. And weren't nearly as oblivious as they thought. The only reason they hadn't been made was because Carter and Sadie were comfortable in Brooklyn. They never thought that mortals would be working with the demigods. Or that Percy and Annabeth would betray their trust.
"Wait, that's the girl that stole the book from me!" Travis yelled in the earpiece, causing Percy to wince, then play it off as stubbing his toe. Of course he actually stubbed his toe in the process, muttering a series of expletives that would have cased Sally to berate him.
The four chatted a bit obscurely, talking about college and life but never mentioning either of their mythological worlds. Carter was enrolled at Columbia in Manhattan (which was shocking since magicians tended to avoid that area at all costs), while Sadie took some classes in Brooklyn. Finally, Sadie leaned back in her chair and said with all her usual tact, "So let's get down to business. You had questions about the Book of Thoth? It's safe in Brooklyn House, just like when we last met".
Annabeth glanced at Percy, reaching over like she was scratching her ear and plucking out the communication device, plunking it in the water glass sitting at the table. Carter's eyebrows raised in surprise as Percy did the same.
"Better to talk without others listening in". Percy said, shrugging his shoulders and keeping an eye on Joe's van. "Let's make this quick, he's not going to leave us for long".
"What was that about? I thought demigods couldn't use electronics?" Carter was looking bit nervous. Sadie clenched her fists, "Someone threatening you?"
Annabeth shook her head, "No, just some overly curious and protective friends. No, we came here because one of our campers was trying to steal the Book of Thoth from a museum exhibit, but Sadie and Walt got there first. Wanted to make sure you guys were alright and had a couple questions. Seaweed Brain over here managed to stumble into the theory of the multiverse".
"Wait, that's real?" Carter asked at the same time Sadie asked, "What's the multiverse?" Annabeth launched into a brief description of Percy's story and her theory on how to get Barry out of the speedforce. "Travis thought that the Book of Thoth could lead us to something powerful enough to use as primordial energy. Which is surprisingly insightful from a boy whose life centers around junk food and burglary".
Sadie scowled. "Some jerk-face rogue magician broke into Brooklyn House and stole a bunch of stuff, including the Book of Thoth. They thought rather small, to be honest, selling it to a museum. But we couldn't exactly challenge our right to it legally, so we stole it back".
"Why can't you find something Greek to use?" Carter inquired.
"Because the Olympians are notoriously selfish and possessive". Annabeth sighed, rubbing her hand over her face. "I was hoping the Egyptians might be more...understanding. Plus, you guys work with the Duat on a much deeper level than the Greeks ever have. My working theory is that the Duat is an expression of the multiverse on our earth, the bottom layer being the interdimensional energy that connects and separates all earths. The same force Cisco taps into in order to Vibe. Maybe Egyptian relics would be more compatible than any of ours?"
Carter and Sadie exchanged a cautious look. "We might have something that could help. We found it using the book after the whole Setne incident. The locals call it جوهرة القتلى, or Jewel of the Dead. Supposedly it would allow magicians to reach the bottom layer of the Duat. All who have tried, however, have been burned up before making contact. We retrieved it to prevent anyone like Setne from using it, but have little use for it ourselves. None of our gods have claimed it, so we shouldn't be angering anyone". Carter finished slowly, as if trying to remember if there was anything he had forgotten.
"You can't come into Brooklyn House, but we can meet you somewhere? I don't think Manhattan is a good idea, but maybe I could..."
"Montauk". Percy interrupted. "Bring it to Montauk Beach. I can pick it up there. The only deity watching from our end will be my dad. And the fates, of course, they can't keep their eye out of anyone's business".
Carter nodded slowly, while Sadie bounced hyperly in her seat. "I take classes near there. Easy. I'll bring it tomorrow morning? Hopefully keep Ra out of our business". She sounded just as excited as Percy was about "undercover" work.
"RIght before dawn, keep Apollo out of it too. He is awfully nosy". Percy said, draining the rest of his coffee then stood up, Annabeth's cue that they were out of time. "Thanks guys, we owe you one".
Carter waved them off while Sadie contemplated what she could make them do. "Nah, you guys helped us out before. We are just returning the favor. That's what we do, right?"
Annabeth smiled at them one last time before grabbing her soaked comm unit and putting it back in her ear. Of course it still worked, Cisco and Leo had designed it after all, but under the water it couldn't make out anything they were saying. Percy did the same, keeping one eye on the van where Joe was starting to open the driver's door. "Sounds great guys. Thanks again for your help". Percy waved at the two of them as they headed towards the van, Travis and Cisco screaming again in their ears. Beside her, Percy licked his lips. Annabeth quickly covered his mouth. "No! I swear, if you hum Mission Impossible one more time, I will cut out your tongue".
Warily removing her hand, Percy winked at her before launching into an off-key whistle of the Pink Panther theme.
The next morning, Percy appeared out of the Long Island Sound and walked to the mess hall, a glowing red jewel in his hands. His enthusiasm was infectious, impacting the campers and Team Flash alike. Annabeth grinned right along with him, holding the Jewel of the Dead in her palm. "Okay gang. Let's get back the Flash".