Replies:
thank you for including so much of Grover, because honestly not a lot of stories include him and he's my favorite enchilada-eating satyr in the world –Princess Andromeda II
You're welcome…? Haha. I feel Grover doesn't get enough attention in this fandom. I'll let you know he won't be a main character, but he'll appear often.
Yes! ANNABETH! Mr. D was so great. I feel like you got him right on point. –WiseGirlGeek
Thank you! I think I like Dionysus this way. :)
Also, a few theories: Was Chiron the one who pushed Percy into the future at the end of this chapter? He is a son of Kronos. Or is Percy not actually in New Jersey yet? Another weird thought: Is Chiron the one Percy least expects to betray him? I know I'm asking a lot, and you don't have to answer all of the questions. See you next time! –Bass Beast
Probably the closest guess yet… Chiron is an interesting suspect….
nooooooooo continue with Percy. Plz –raging fire storm
Hmm….. I'll see what I can do to appease everyone. I have an idea.
Awesome! Now I see why you are doing all the book parts, he is in a kind of coma or something right? –Thrawn13
Dis is what people should start pondering.
Please update quicker. There aren't many good time travel fics out there –Trunkssan766
Cheese and crackers! Has it been that long? *checks date* Holy % #^%$! Its been two months! I better start typing!
-Part One: Pressed-
Chapter 13: ANNABETH
Some formatting problems and then computer problems delayed this chapter by a few days. Sorry.
Also to be clear: since this is replacing The Lost Oracle, Leo Valdez hasn't returned to camp and is considered, 'missing in action.' (We all know he went to Ogygia.) So… Thanks!
Last time with Annabeth:
"Everything you have seen has yet to happen," the figure warned. "Your actions and willingness to comply will determine whether I will be merciful…" There was a pause. "Or whether I am not." The figure delved his arm within himself and pulled at another blade from the illusive shadows.
Riptide.
With a single blur of movement, the figure swung around and delved Percy's own blade right into his chest.
Chuck, the sound of blood bubbled.
'No!' I tried to scream but my voice became clogged.
"What was that you were saying Annabeth? I didn't hear you," the figure's voice chanted.
I tried to speak once more, but the scene faded.
LINEBREAKWELCOMESBACKCHASE
Sometimes, Annabeth despised how informal council meetings were.
After all, these were where decisions that decided where people lived or died happened. Sometimes – especially the past few years – the fate of the world rested upon the readiness and wisdom that came out of these gatherings, and the decisions made during it.
Despite what Travis Stoll said, the daughter of Athena highly doubted that humanity wouldn't be too horrified if they found out these things were being done around a rickety, rust-stained ping-pong table, with the participants conferring about plans while snacking on Ritz Crackers and Spray-On Cheese Paste . An image of the Olympian council doing a similar thing for the Summer Solstice crossed her mine, and she shuttered.
If the Olympians did decide the course of humanity over cheese and crackers… the thought didn't settle nicely in her stomach.
But today, Annabeth was glad for the diminishment in tension – listening to Thalia's humming of 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' – and the scratchy, yet energetic singing of Leo's horrible single, Hot Babe McShizzle, which he had installed into the Pac-Man machine to play in place of its normal theme song – and even the nervous tapping of her foot under the table. The clashing sounds soothed her. As the counselors filed into the room, she couldn't help but loosen from her straight stance. The smiles, however depressed they were, made her want to smile back. She breathed in, drooping her shoulders to a more natural state. The anxiety within her almost melted away, flowing out from her foot, whose taps slowed in tempo.
Tricket the satyr walked around carrying a large tray of snacks, like a concessions seller in the stands. Almost every demigod took something. When the satyr walked by her, she appreciatively accepted a Caprisun as her throat felt dry.
As the meeting readied to start, Thalia went to the Pac-Man machine to unplug it, but Annabeth waved her friend off from the action. They had a silent staring contest which went something like:
Annabeth: Don't. Its fine.
Thalia: Really? But you hate it when this plays during meetings –
Annabeth: Yeah, I know. But I think we should keep it on today.
Thalia: If you say so, Annie. *shrugs*
Annabeth: Don't call me Annie.
Thalia: We're not even talking, Annie.
Annabeth: I'm the one that's supposed to be logical!
Thalia: Sorry Annie.
"Thanks everyone for showing up. I know that it was quite an inconvenience for all of us to miss lunch for this meeting…" A murmur rippled through the crowd, agreeing with the statement. Since the meeting hadn't been planned, Annabeth had opted to having the meeting during lunch so it didn't interfere with anyone's schedules. Looking over the faces, it was obvious many were a little annoyed by her choice. Luckily, she had gotten Tricket to come in and hand out snacks or there would've been an outright riot…
"But I think we can all agree, that once I've shown you all what we've found, you'll see why we wanted a camp meeting."
"Get on with it!" Clarisse sneered.
"It's about Percy, right?" Holly yawned. "It's always about him."
Many looked at Clarisse and Holly with horrified and offended expressions, but none were surprised by the statements.
Annabeth nodded at Holly's sarcasm. "I know I missed the last meeting which was just a few days ago, because I was well… unconscious, but Piper filled me in. Leo's still missing, but he's sent some scroll that says he went after Calypso. Since then, we've heard no word from him. Percy's missing. The Labyrinth has reappeared. Strange force fields have stopped us from getting out of camp. IM'ing's stopped working. Nico's shadow travel isn't working–"
"Get on with it, you're boring them," Piper nudged her.
Annabeth mentally facepalmed, before continuing, "–And when you all tried to ask the Delphi Oracle for a prophecy, for either the Percy and Leo search, she didn't give you one. What I want to do is ask her again."
A confused look came upon many of the campers' faces, while others whipped their heads around to stare at Rachel Dare, who had been innocently listening to the conversation.
"What makes you think you'll get something different?" Butch asked, eyebrow raised in curiosity. "I mean, besides you know, you always get the quests."
Annabeth shrugged, he had made a good point. "I had a dream. It's hard to describe…"
A mutter went through the crowd and Piper nudged the blonde warningly.
"I forgot to mention. No dreams either. Nothing. Even Clovis has had trouble getting dreams," Piper added.
Annabeth looked towards the dozing fourteen year-old son of Hypnos. The kid was snoring in the corner, while Van was drawing random shapes across his forehead with a Sharpie. Annabeth's vision zoomed in.
Washable.
Not that Clovis would ever notice or care.
"That would've been a good think to have mentioned to me earlier, McLean," Annabeth sighed.
Piper laughed. "Sorry. It kind of slipped my mind."
Annabeth resettled in her seat. The counselors slowly refocused their attention towards her.
"The dream was a threat on Percy's life."
"Isn't that, like every dream?" Damien whistled. "What makes this any different?"
"What makes this different, is that Percy is missing! And – " She proceeded to describe how the shadowy figure had attempted to convince him to join his side, and later made threats. She pulled out the scroll, which she had found earlier that morning, when she had awakened. "We received a ransom for Percy."
Pandemonium erupted in the room. Some freaked out, hugging each other in fear. Others rolled their eyes, seeing it as, yet, 'Another adventure? Can't we ever get peace and quiet?'
Van continued to doodle on Clovis' face.
"Everyone, stop pissing in your panties and listen to Annabeth over here; she's got something to say," Clarisse yelled out to the crowd, quieting them down. "It's my last week before college, and I am not in the mood to leave the place in shambles or be late."
The daughter of Ares looked to Annabeth, before sitting back down. Annabeth paused to let the demigods refocus on her.
"Thanks Clarisse," Annabeth said, leaning forward to spread the scroll wide across the table and used her Caprisun as a paperweight to hold it curling ends down. Campers all around leaned towards the center of discussion.
"Wow, that looks old." Katie Gardener observed, scratching her head at the words.
[The Ransom for reference. :)]
To receive who's been lost,
You must pay the total cost.
And face much of the past,
before the equinox's surpassed.
Be my demands, you must find:
The Golden Fleece.
A Scarf of Doves.
1qt. Chiseled Victim.
24 hours; Moonlight.
13 Persephonean Seeds.
"We've had monsters with smug boasts, but never ransoms before," Thalia said, voicing the thoughts of the crowds. "Whoever this person is…"
"But it says, 'to receive who's been lost,'" Will Solace interrupted. "Doesn't this equally apply to Leo as it does Percy?"
The son of Apollo had made a good point.
"The shadow, whoever it was, threatened me," Annabeth argued, "threatened me with a picture of Percy's death. They wouldn't just show Percy if this list wasn't about him."
Annabeth received a few nods of complacency.
Nyssa looked unconvinced. "So we should trust this…potentially Percy's or Leo's detainer's words and what he has shown you? I mean, has this person even given proof they have Percy?"
Nyssa's argument received a few nods of agreement as well.
The conversation moved forward. A few other campers made their own observations and individual comments, but none made good discussion topics.
Finally, the conversation circled back on Will's earlier statements. "We can't just ignore the list. What if Percy or Leo or both are in danger?"
Nyssa squinted at the list. "Let's say we do send a quest to complete this ransom. Golden Fleece. Scarf of Doves. Chiseled Victim. Persephonean Seeds. We all know those. But moonlight! How in Hades do we get moonlight?"
"Annabeth, did the guy say anything about a time limit or where to go?"
Annabeth gaped. "Yes they did! Dawn of the Equinox."
The room became somber. That gave them nearly 4 weeks, a long time by quest standards, but could mean a more difficult quest...
"We're forgetting, that we can't get out of this damn place," Nico said pointedly. He pointed at the walls. "We're trapped at the moment. As mentioned earlier, even shadow traveling hasn't worked…"
"We still haven't sent a scouting party down into the maze yet. They could go down that way and maybe it goes through," Amber Young, daughter of Hebe, suggested.
"Chiron said not to go down there. The place is dangerous. Plus I can sense the Mist from here. The Labyrinth's probably more dangerous now. And we don't even know how it's back up again, yet," Lou Ellen countered.
"He said not to try until Annabeth woke up. Well, here she now! Awake!" Amber shouted.
"That's not what he said – " another demigod argued.
"Everyone, calm down! I think the best course of action at this point is to ask a prophecy from Rachel. Maybe then, everything'll make more sense. Or at least… as much sense as a prophecy can get," Piper reasoned, her words pacifying the campers.
The room silenced, all the campers turning their heads towards Rachel Dare expectantly. Rachel and Annabeth's eyes met, and the daughter of Athena nodded thankfully.
"Okay. Prophecy. Umm… let's go," Rachel mumbled, mostly to herself, before closing her eyes and swooning in her seat. Will, being right next to her, righted her before she could fall off her stool, and next to him, Nico glared, almost jealously.
The room filled vibrating rattles and the soft hisses of snakes. Green mist formed in the air around Rachel and began to swirl around her feet.
When she opened her eyes, her eyes were glowing, like luminescent balls of foggy jade. Green smoke issued from her mouth, following it, a voice that sounded scratchy, rough and ancient.
"Five shall dive into the depths of the maze,
Led by the lights of the fallen sun's rays.
Flame and Shadows, united shall disperse,
The mightiest of those who bring all curse.
Owl, Eagle & Dove, take flight to the keys,
To the lost hero's mind, for when it bleeds.
Passed & returned. Another must reprimand,
For all of those who had followed command.
Bring forth the tide, the shade must rise,
Else Olympus shall meet, its final demise…"
On that ever ominous note, Rachel collapsed, drooping herself over the son of Apollo, who pulled her up and readjusted her until he was holding her bridal style. Nico glared even more.
"I'll let her have some rest in the guest room. That prophecy sounded like a doozy," Will said, before carrying the Oracle of Delphi out into the hallway. The lone child of Hades in the room followed suit.
"Well. At least we know we have a quest, and where it should go," Thalia muttered, breaking the moment of stunned silence.
Then there was an explosion, and the walls of the rec room rocked back and forth, as if the Big House was in the midst of a hurricane. Annabeth blinked, somehow recognizing it as a sonic boom, and lunged across the table and over the heads of several campers, before landing and running out the door. She had no idea what had taken over her, but she knew this was going to be part of her quest.
She pushed through the foyer door, out into the front patio, where she was in time to witness a very familiar looking red convertible Maserati Spyder – enveloped in smoke – tumbled out of sky, very vivid screams which were muffled by a dying engine filled the skies. The vehicle was rapidly losing altitude.
Annabeth raced down the steps and jumped over the fencing, before her feet hit gravel. She was at the scene within seconds.
Many of the campers, who had been lounging near the lake or on the dock had made their way there first.
Annabeth dragged on stopped her feet when there was a GLURP! And the godly vehicle was swallowed up by the lake water. Then, like a ragdoll, a blonde boy covered in seaweed was through out of the water, like the lake had eaten him and gotten indigestion. He fell down from the sky and landed face first into the sand at her feet.
The daughter of wisdom was stunned beyond belief, before she was suddenly jerked to the side. She was about to yell at the offender, before seeing it was Will. Will darted to the crumpled form, and pushed the boy to his side, his face – covered in soot, and bleeding – came into view. The resemblance between the boy and Will was undeniable.
"Da – Dad?" Will's voice croaked.
What I always found strange about the council meetings in the books is that there was almost never any argument or actual discussion involved. I've looked through all the books, and every time, Rick focuses on the main heroes and it always ends up being 'EVERYONE! LISTEN TO WHAT HAPPENED ON THE QUEST! NOW SHUT UP AND ACCEPT EVERYTHING SINCE THEY'RE RIGHT.' and I thought that was kind of lip service to what an actual argumentative conference it should be. Almost no one else ever pitched in. (With exception to Drew at the beginning of TLH.) Rick did some of that at the senate meeting in Camp Jupiter, so I used that as a template. Of course, greekified.
Before you guys ask, yes, Apollo is going to be in this story, and was already part of the plot even before Blood of Olympus was released. Pure coincidence, Uncle Rick also followed the path of mortal Apollo.
Anyway, thanks for waiting. I plan on updating more consistently after AP testing.
Best Wishes, from a Junior Scribe of Camp Half-Blood,
~VCRx
Beta Note:
Hiyo everyone! Beta Soul here! Quite the drama filled chapter, wouldn't you say? I hope you guys enjoyed and all ;) Don't forget to leave a review! Until next time!
Yours in demigoddishness, SoulHorse
[Last Edited: 4.27.2017]