Frank let the others begin to go down the rope, while he turned into a dragonfly that slowly made it's way down to the streets of Astar. Returning to human form, Frank looked ahead a the crowded city in front of him. Jason shifted nervously, while Piper kept shooting worried glances towards Reyna. He sighed. So much for the perfect team Reyna wanted to find.
"Jason," Reyna said. "I would advise laying low. If anyone saw you, it would draw suspicion."
"Alright," Jason replied. He looked at Piper. "If anyone sees me can you..." Frank noticed how hesitant he was to talk about magic. His father, King Zeus, had a reputation for discriminating magic users, sometimes even killing magic beings. He knew how worried he was whenever he found about his gifts. Most were sold as slaves, others threw in the dungeons, some killed on sight if they fought back. Frank somewhat knew how Piper was feeling.
Piper nodded. "Of course, Prince." Jason looked awkward at the word 'prince' but said nothing. He turned to Reyna.
"The best exit we could take is that way." He pointed down a cobbled street, large enough for a parade march. "It's where the merchant wagons come in. It's pretty empty this time of year. Piper, Frank, you ready?" Piper nodded, as did Frank, and Jason gestured us to follow.
Reyna walked several steps in front of the others, Frank staying in pace with Jason, hoping he would take any approaching eyes off of him. Piper stood behind the group, eyes darting around. Only then did Frank how weird the three looked. With Frank and Reyna both heavily armored for battle, Jason with very regal clothes, and a plainly dressed hand-maiden, they probably were the oddest group the town had seen.
Frank glanced at Jason. He noticed how out of character he was acting. The stubborn, proud prince he had seen for his stay at the castle was gone. Frank didn't know what to think. It was as if the minute he stepped out of the castle he began acting more... calm. Collected. Frank shook his head. Whatever it was could wait. He focused on the city.
With what Reyna had told him, this city, and others like it, would be rubble. It would've been terrible, especially seeing the city as, well a city, and not a quest location. High arches led into the different buildings, stone carvings detailing stories and battles, constellations and any other thing you could think of. The clouds were practically gone that day and the sun cast an orange glow on the wet paths, slick from the storm last night.
"If you wanted it so bad, why didn't you get it?" Frank heard someone say. He faced his left, where a boy and girl were talking.
"I already have a sword- a good one at that." The boy looked a bit smug, but with humor in his eyes.
"No, you don't. I've had to save your trousers more time than I can count. You've honestly gotten worse with that sword. You know what? You not buying that sword proves it. Maybe you actually do have seaweed for brains." The boy laughed.
Even with her harsh tone, the girl seemed happy, her smile large. Her blonde hair tumbled down past her shoulders, her gray eyes sparkling. He outfit was one of a man's, Frank noted, a white tunic loose on her feminine frame. A dagger was strapped to her waist. Probably a knight from somewhere in Cardin. Frank looked at the other person. A tall dark haired boy held hands with her. His eyes were a bright sea green, a sword strapped to his waist, even if it was lopsided. The girl caught the eyes of Frank and her grey eyes narrowed, like little storms brewing. Frank didn't notice he stopped until Piper bumped into him. "Sorry," he mumbled, then walked faster to catch up with the group.
Ten minutes of walking later, they met the woods. Thick trees surrounded a gravel path leading into a dark thicket. Reyna kept walking, looking around for a good clearing. Frank walked along with the hand-maiden. "Why'd you come along?" Frank asked.
"Reyna found me after you two bolted from the prince's room. Said something about 'seeing too much'," She sounded almost robotic, as if she was taking her emotions and shoving them into a bottle. He was about to ask about it when Reyna spotted a clearing.
"It's not much, but it shall do," Reyna stated, looking at the pile of twigs and sticks she had collected.
"I'll start the fire," Piper volunteered, sound much happier than earlier.
Frank froze. "F-fire?" Jason looked utterly confused, along with Piper. Reyna did too, for a moment. Until sympathy spread across her face, which was weird, since Frank wasn't used to seeing much of any emotion on her face.
Reyna stepped over to him, gently pulling him down to sit against a tall oak. "It's all right. We'll make sure that you aren't near it."
Jason spoke. "What about fire?"
Reyna stood up again. "Since shapeshifters are such powerful magical beings, a sorceress cursed them long ago. Of course, other things can kill them, but... fire is their number one fatal weakness."
"Oh," Jason said simply. Piper looked mildly annoyed with the princes response, but went to start the fire, as far away from Frank as possible.
"Lady Reyna?" Piper said, in the middle of setting up a few twigs.
Reyna sighed. "I think we are past the 'lady' and 'sir' and most definitely past 'prince', Piper. You are now part of this quest as much as the rest of us."
Piper nodded. "That's just it. What quest? What are we doing here with you?"
Reyna's expression turned grim. "A friend of mine, Rachel, is a seer. She told me of a quest, a prophecy."
"What prophecy?" Jason asked, sitting next to the small fire Piper had started. Frank nodded, wondering what it could be that bother Reyna so much. He agreed to go with her, even if he didn't know fully know what the quest was. Now, he was curious.
She sighed. "
The sorceress shall awake from her slumber,
Only to be stopped with the magic number.
A demon shall have his final stand,
So that the rest might see land.
One lost in the palace of eternal sand,
Death's ghost one other shall withstand."
Silence. Jason played with it fingers, Piper poked around a burnt twig. Frank broke the silence.
"The sorceress?" He asked.
Reyna pursed her lips. "I don't know who it could be, but I have a feeling that the 'magic number' is us. The thing is, I don't know how many people are needed on the quest."
Frank nodded. "But from what you've told me, Rachel's never wrong. We'll find the others, if Rachel said so. Besides, we don't have a choice. If what you've said about this sorceress is also true, Cardin won't stand a chance."
Jason put his hand up. "Wait a moment. How do you know we're part of this?"
Frank looked down. "The venti that attacked is all the proof needed. It would have never attacked the castle, which is heavily protected, just to get to Reyna and I."
Piper sighed, her eyes tired and worried. "We should get some sleep."
"I'll take first watch," Frank said. The others nodded, laying down and drifting off to sleep.
The first suspicious thing Frank noticed was a loud rustle in front of him. He took the bow from behind his back and notched an arrow.
"Don't shoot!" Screamed a voice. Frank's hand wavered on his bow and he blinked. What?
"Seaweed Brain," a voice muttered. The two stepped out of the shadows. The two from the street earlier stood in front of Frank, the girl shaking her head probably from the boy's battle tactics.
"What, Annabeth?" 'Seaweed Brain' said. "You said that I was useless with this sword. Besides, you said you were suspicious. Not that you were going to fight them."
Annabeth looked at Frank. "Alright. Wanna wake up your comrades?"
After getting up a groggy Jason, and Piper along with Reyna, the six sat in a circle. Reyna was the one to tend the fire, casting a fiery glow on the group.
"You wanna explain why you are in our camp now?" Reyna asked.
"I saw your group in the town earlier. I thought I should investigate," Annabeth said, as if this was a normal occurrence. The woods around them seemed to be a lot livelier. Frank thought it must have been the experience and kindness radiating off the two.
Reyna considered this. She glanced at Frank. "This isn't a coincidence. They were meant to be here. Remember: Rachel's never wrong."
"Woah," the boy, who Frank found out was named Percy said. "Rachel Dare? Rachel the seer?" Reyna nodded.
"A friend of mine. Why?"
Annabeth seemed more into the conversation. "Rachel's the entire reason we came here. She's Percy's old... friend." Annabeth seemed a bit bitter when talking about Rachel, but continued. "She told us we would find a group here, that we would know who they were when we saw them. I guess that is you."
Jason nodded. "That would make the most sense. Reyna?"
Reyna began to tell the of the prophecy and the quest. At the end, they looked at each other. Sharing a silent agreement, they nodded.
"We're in."
Geez, prophecies are hard. That took me FOREVER. But, any guesses on the prophecy crap? Also, I won't have set chapter release schedule, that way I won't be super stressed about getting a chapter out on the right date.
This chapter has been edited for your reading entertainment. (:
I just realized I forgot to do the disclaimer last chapter... Well, here we go. I don't own Percy Jackson because a) I am not an insanely good writer and b) I am not a male named Rick. I only own the plot.
Okay, before you explode at me for saying Jason's dad is Zeus and not Jupiter, it's important to the plot, so chill. Also, There are no gods in this story, so Zeus is not Zeus if you get what I mean. Also, don't freak about Percy's sword/sword skills, that is to also come later.
Honestly, I expected Reyna to be a much more minor character, but I have found I like writing her. So now she's a main character!
I think *hint hint* we might be seeing *hint hint* a certain di Angelo *hint hint* soon... *hint*
Bye!