Welcome to Greek meets Roman! I will try to revise and edit as much as possible. Disclaimer: The characters and places you know belong to Rick Riordan, everything else is mine.
READ THIS! This is the same situation as Chapters 7 and 8. I feel the part I wrote is too long for only one chapter, so I'm dividing it into two. I made sure these two chapters have about the same amount of words. I edited and published this chapter first, and then I'm going to edit the Chapter 12 part, then I'll publish that.
The next chapter will arrive before the 25th. And thank you all for sticking by and reading this even though I didn't update at all in December. Chapter 11, officially in double-digits. Yes! Happy New Year: 2021!
Thanks for all the followers, favorites, and reviews!
Lou Ellen POV
Cleveland, Ohio
Where are we supposed to go? Where is Erato's painting?
We left the clearing and the park, called the Cleveland Metroparks Lakefront. The museum was probably far away. Should we ask someone where the painting was? That would be kinda intrusive and offensive.
"Do you want to ask someone where Erato's painting is?" I asked.
Jake looked at me like I was dumb. "I mean, yeah. We can't use any Google Maps or technology. Let's ask that man over there." Jake replied, pointing to a middle-aged man in a blazer across the path.
We walked over to him and asked, "Hi, sir. Do you know where you can find the painting of the muse Erato?" Jake asked in a British accent. What? When could he be so polite and posh? We all had surprises.
"Hello! I think I know what you're talking about." the man replied. "The Museum of Art owns a collection on Greek Mythology. The painting is there. I think the museum owns all of the artist's works on Greek mythology. We're proud of our museums, especially the Hall of Fame."
"Thank you! We're fans of the Greek myths, especially about the muses. The painting was first on our list."
"The Cleveland Museum of Art is a 10 minute drive from here. And when you're done, go check out the Hall of Fame."
"We'll do that. Have a nice day!" I finished.
I sighed in relief. We only had to find a map of the city, and then we were going to find the museum! Then I could cure Annabeth!
"Let's find a map of Cleveland," I told Jake.
He nodded, and we looked for any leftover maps strewn on the ground.I started digging through a trash can. People throw away so much useful stuff when they don't need them. At CHB, Chiron taught us that trash cans contain a lot of information!
I heard a shout from Jake. "Lou, I found one! Come here!"
I ran towards Jake, who showed me a map, partly stained by coffee. Yes!
The museum was directly south of where we were, the Cleveland Metroparks Lakefront. One road connected us and the museum, running through a long park. But my dyslexia stopped me from being able to read it. "Do you know what the road's called?"
Jake squinted at the text. "It's called Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The road looks at least three miles long. That's a two-hour round trip by foot. We don't have that much time!"
This was something that worried me too. Cities are big, extremely big. Manhattan is 13 miles long, even if it doesn't seem like it! Walking can't get you everywhere you need to go in a short time. We needed public transit, but we didn't have resources for that, so the only option was to steal a car.
I whispered to Jake, "Let's steal a car to go to the museum."
Jake's eyes widened in surprise before whisper-screaming, "That is so unethical, Lou! You want to steal someone's car? How crazy are you?!"
"Jake, their car will be used to save the world," I emphasized. "If anything, they should be thankful that we're using their car to prevent the end of the world. It's a great honor."
"That makes no fucking sense at all! This is just only to cure Annabeth from her coma; she's not even dying!"
I glared back at him. "It's Annabeth you're talking about. You know, the architect of Olympus. She's the mastermind that will negotiate with the Romans. We're going to need her later on."
"If Annabeth's so important, then I'll go back to Percy and help him guard him. You can do this, no, try to do this, without me. I'm not going to result in someone losing $20,000!"
He started walking in the direction of the clearing. Was he really going to stop this over stealing a car? He was so fucking unreasonable! But I needed Jake to steal the painting.
"Fine, Jake. Once we're done with the quest, we'll leave the car where we found it. Happy?"
Jake laughed bitterly and sighed. "Okay. I guess this is more important than a stolen car. But we're going to put it back where it was once we finished. Got it?"
I waved my hand and gestured to the available cars at our disposal. "Sure. Now choose a car, son of Hephaestus."
He squinted at the different cars on the road for a minute, and chose a white Chevrolet Impala. "Why did you choose that one?" I asked. Jake shrugged. "I don't know. It just felt right, you know?" I shrugged back, and we walked towards the car.
An unspoken agreement between us said that Jake was going to be the driver. I tried to open the passenger door, but it was locked, of course. I walked over to Jake to ask him to fix that, but I noticed him doing something weird.
His hand, which was touching the handle, was emitting a yellow light into the door. After a couple seconds, I could hear the click of an unlocked door. Jake opened the door, which shocked me. He could do that? How?
He sat down on the seat and unlocked all the doors with a car button. Jake smiled at me, waving towards the passenger seat. "Go on, then." I blushed, and opened the door and got inside.
"How can you do that? That was so useful." Jake replied, "It's a child of Hephaestus power. I can open or seal any non-magical lock. It's cool." I was taken aback by his uncaring reaction, but he must have been bored all the time from people being awed by his power.
I realized that we didn't have the key to the car, which completely derailed our plans. "Ugh, we don't have the key! What should we do?" Jake looked at the keyhole intently, putting his index and middle finger on it. "I may have a solution," he said.
I was confused, but decided to let him do his thing. His two fingers circled the hole, emitting yellow light like before. Jake joined all his fingers on that hand after a while, somehow making the engine start for a second. He pulled away his fingers from it, and with it got out a key.
A key? How could he do that? The key looked very authentic, and I looked at Jake in shock. "Wow! Is that a child of Hephaestus power too?" He blushed. "Let's first see if the key actually works." He inserted the key in the hole, and the engine rumbled to life. The car turned on!
"It's also one of the powers I have," he explained. "My fingers can feel locks and the type of key needed. I can create a replica of any key needed, even though it takes a lot of concentration."
"That is so cool!" I gushed. Jake smiled and replied, "It is a great power to have. But now, we have to go to the museum. I'm driving, so you'll have to be the navigator." I became serious, and got the map out. Jake started driving on the MLK drive with me helping him.
Luckily, Jake was 16 and actually knew how to drive, so we weren't going to get into a car accident. Can you imagine if two demigods died while driving? It would be so embarrassing! Like, most of us die from monster attacks, which is still better. Dying from a car, a mortal's design? Now you know how I would feel, readers.
After some time, we arrived at the museum entrance. The whole drive took 15 minutes due to the heavy traffic. Surprisingly, the parking deck wasn't crowded, so parking was easy. When we entered the museum, the visit didn't cost anything! Well, that was great (no sarcasm).
I took two maps of the museum from a display and gave one to Jake, trying to figure out where the painting was. However, the map only showed the different sections, not the artworks themselves. That meant, now it's time to 'ask a stranger where this thing is'!
Before it was a businessman, now it would be someone else. Jake noticed a museum guide at the art store, so we went to her for our question. "Excuse me ma'am, do you know where we can find the painting of the muse Erato?"
The guide turned around and smiled brightly at my question. Oh my Styx, she was attractive! She had gorgeous, luscious brown hair, the bluest captivating eyes, the perfect, spotless skin, the sharpest nose and cheekbones. She looked like a goddess of love or beauty, but she could only be a mortal. Wait, was she Aphrodite? The goddess is known for being disguised and meddling in quests. Hopefully not. (AN: Are these my own preferences?)
Okay, I was getting off track there. The point is, nobody could not fall for her. Even me, who is very straight, can tell she's probably as beautiful, if not more, than the goddess Aphrodite. Okay, The guide is definitely Aphrodite. Nobody else could be that attractive and meet with us, of all people.
Her eyes twinkled as she answered, "Well, the painting, officially called Erato, Muse of Lyrical Poetry, is located in the Modern European Painting and Sculpture. Its section is the French Neoclassical Painting & Sculpture." I flushed in embarrassment over not knowing the proper name, but checked the map, finding the department.
"May I ask, why do you want to look at that painting specifically? Not many youths nowadays care about art and museums, and certainly not about this painting of muses." I looked at Jake, and he shrugged.
"Well, we've been assigned at school to write a paper on a painting in Greek mythology and what they represent, and we chose this one," Jake made up. "Yeah, we think the muses are such cool people, especially Erato," I finished.
Her face brightened up even more, if that was even possible. "Well, at least some youngsters are interested in art, even if it's for school. Erato is my favorite muse too, you know?" I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she didn't press for more.
"Well, go on. Admire the painting and finish your paper!" She exclaimed in a cheerful voice. We both slowly walked towards the section, because you're never going to pass up a chance to admire art in a museum.
What we didn't notice was the guide whispering this into a security guard, "Keep an eye on the two kids." He nodded, and started to follow us. "Almost nobody would go to a museum just for a school report, and I can smell demigod and monster on them," she whispered to herself once the guard was out of earshot.
It was a long walk to the French Neoclassical Painting & Sculpture section, not gonna lie. We could have taken less time by not looking at every fourth artwork; we definitely should have taken less time because Annabeth was in a coma, but can you blame us? ADHD makes us interested in some weird things.
I looked across the French Neoclassical room, finding artwork created by Charles Meynier. A painting on four muses and even one of the god Apollo. Polyhymnia, Clio, Calliope, and Erato. The muse of erotic poetry. AKA romance and smut.
But, we didn't have time to fawn over them, I needed to figure out a way to make sure the alarm wouldn't go off when we removed Erato's painting.
Jake was reading the description next to the painting. What was he doing? We didn't have time to read descriptions!
I quickly grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. "Jake, we don't have time to read the description!"
Jake held his hands up and smiled cheekily. "Relax, Lou! Sometimes, you have to focus on the small details to understand the big picture."
I rolled my eyes. "We have to remove the painting, duplicate it, and then put the duplicate back on the wall. That's it. There's no need to understand the big picture or to read your 'description'," I air-quoted.
Jake groaned. "Fine. But shouldn't we duplicate it while it's still on the wall instead of taking it off and then putting it back on? It would be way easier."
The duplication would become too messy if done while the painting was still on the wall. "Well, Mr. Smarty Pants, the dust from the spell will stay on the painting for 30 seconds. And the duplicate appears right above the painting. Gravity still exists! That would attract the security guards and monsters.
Jake raised an eyebrow at me and scoffed. "Relax, Lou. Not everyone knows magic like you do."
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. I know what I'm doing. Could you deactivate the security system when I remove the painting?"
Jake nodded and prodded around the wall behind the painting. After a half-minute, he gave me a thumbs up. Hopefully the system was actually disabled!
What I did not expect was that the painting would be that massive. It was ginormous, over a 100 feet tall! I could not pull this off without help, namely Jake's help.
He said, "You have to do it. I can't lift it. If I stop touching the system, the alarm will go off."
Fuck! What could I do? I could make myself stronger for a minute, but that would rapidly deplete my energy, which would be super unlucky if anyone decided to attack us.
Maybe this could work. I held up the bottom of the painting and asked Jake, "Could you remove the top of the painting from the wall?"
Jake nodded, and used his free left hand to lift up the top. Now that the painting was free, I shimmied my hands up to the middle of it, allowing Jake to release his hold.
Okay, it was incredibly heavy. I quickly dropped the painting on the ground. Gently, of course! Jake released his hand from the wall, and no alarm sounded... yet. Great! Time for phase two of the plan.
Now, I had to replicate the painting. Then, the duplicate would go back on the wall because the duplicate may not have the hidden remedy under the paint. Finally, I would wash off the paint to find the message that would cure Annabeth.
I got the needed ingredients out of my bag. And, I did not have the last two needed. I was the epitome of unpreparedness. The first one was just needed to prevent the painting from vibrating crazily during the spell. Jake could hold the painting down.
However, the second ingredient was essential to making the duplicate as similar as possible as the original painting. The ingredient was glass. I asked Jake, "Do you have a way to get glass?" Jake raised an eyebrow. "It's one of the ingredients for the spell."
"I don't have any glass, but there is a window over there," replied Jake, pointing toward a window.
"You want me to break it?" I asked incredulously. That would alert the whole museum!
Jake sarcastically shot back, "You were the one talking about stealing people's cars, and now you won't break a window?"
I rolled my eyes. "You're rubbing off on me. Bad influences."
"Fine, I'll break the window." Jake conceded. He sauntered over to the window, as if to punch the window with his bare fists.
PSA: Don't do that! Don't trust what you see in movies, because glass shards can spread everywhere. And I mean everywhere, like eyes. And eyes are precious.
I sighed in relief when he took out a crowbar from his backpack. (And I don't know why he carries a crowbar. Ask him.) I took a deep breath, hoping he would steer clear of danger.
He threw the crowbar at a distance, and rolled to the side quickly.
Clang!
Nothing happened. To the glass, at least. The crowbar had bounced off the window. Of course, the windows in a museum must be super resistant to stop any burglaries or crimes.
Which reminded me, where was the security guard? I looked around and did not see any in this room. There was a security guard here before, and he left just after we got the painting off the wall. But why he didn't prevent us or call security was a mystery. Maybe the Mist covered it up! But the Mist only covered divine energies. We didn't do anything magical to the painting yet! Maybe the painting was already magical!
Ok, why was I obsessing over this? This was irrelevant. Jake tried throwing the crowbar again with more force, but the only result was a clang.
"Jake, I'm going to add some extra energy!" I shouted. "Three, two, one!" I closed my fists and rubbed them together, accumulating some magic and energy between my hands. Open!
This excess magic emitted some power into the window at the same time as Jake's crowbar. Some cracks appeared in the window. Finally!
Jake shouted, "Got it!" He banged the window with the crowbar again. Some shards of glass fell onto the ground, not coming close to either of us. Oof! Jake carefully picked up a few shards, and walked back to me.
I smiled and took two shards. "Thanks!" I combined all the ingredients properly for the spell, and chanted. Bla bla bla. I definitely won't tell you the incantation!
The residue from the chant had to be left on the painting for at least three minutes. This time, I wasn't going to mess up like I did with Annabeth. I heard booming footsteps nearing us, but that wasn't my priority. I poured the residue evenly over the painting. Time to wait!
Someone loudly cleared their throat behind me.
I looked up to see the museum guide we met before and a security guard across from us. The guide's heels echoed throughout the room as she walked in. "Are you stealing, children?" the guide asked with a saccharine smile. "Why did the alarm not sound?"
I looked at Jake frantically, looking for an excuse. This wasn't supposed to happen! "Nothing happened here, miss. We are just admiring the art." Jake replied, taking the path of complete deniability. I faked a smile. Hopefully, the Mist covered the painting up.
The guide glared at us. "Don't fool me. I can see the painting's off the wall. I don't see a way you'll escape."
"What are you talking about?" I answered. "I see the painting on the wall, right?"
"Yeah, it's there." Jake said. We both pointed to the place where the painting was supposed to be. (Gaslighting is a valid way to fulfill a quest.)
"You are lying children! I can see the painting exactly where it is! Call for back-up." The guide told the guard, who took out a walkie-talkie.
Okay, this was going too far. Time to mess up their brain! "Sir, ma'am, the painting of Erato is still on the wall, and two children are admiring this room. Nothing suspicious is happening. How about going back to the museum entrance? I'm sure you need a break." I snapped my fingers, using the Mist.
The guard slowly put the walkie-talkie back in his pocket, eyes glazed. The guide also turned around, seeming to head out of the room.
Bam!
I frantically turned back, just to see the painting's duplicate appearing to the right of the original. The spell worked! I didn't mess anything up!
"Uh oh," warned Jake. I turned around to see the guard and the guide walking towards us predatorily. The guide's eyes were furious, a suffocating energy filling up the room.
"Foolish demigods! You thought that meager Mist would blind me from your nefarious activities? Never! You are stealing a painting of me, and you shall perish for that!" The guide shrieked.
The guide was a deity! Which one? And how would we get the painting out of here? She looked formidable and experienced. She would not be easy to beat. She could also kill us within a minute.
Jake and I got a hammer and dagger out respectively as we got into defensive positions. "Who are you, lady?" Jake asked.
The guide-deity narrowed her eyes. "You don't know who I am, mortals? You do deserve to perish!" She summoned a red staff, wielding it like a sword.
"We would really like to know who is fighting us," I said, trying to de-escalate. "If we survive, I will spread the word of your existence to the demigods so they can worship you."
The goddess calmed down, her staff dropping down. "That does sound nice. People will worship me, give offerings to me, like in the past."
"You have captured my interest, demigods. I shall tell you my name." The guard quickly bowed to her. "I am Erato, goddess of Love. Bow in the face of my power!"
This seemed like the appropriate time for a rumble of thunder, but that didn't happen. After we stood still, the goddess yelled, "I said bow, insolent demigods!" We quickly bowed to her.
The deity was Erato, the muse of love and erotic poetry! She was one of the 9 daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. That made so much sense. How attractive she looked at the art store, why she said Erato was her favorite muse... Even her anger over our actions added up.
"I thought you're only the muse of Love. Aphrodite's the goddess of Love," Jake corrected. What was he doing? Erato's eye twitched, and I could tell she was ticked.
"I am the rightful goddess of Love! Aphrodite is a false goddess, letting love control her actions. She has become blind-sided to the real events! Love should not control you, love should be controlled. Don't you agree, demigods?" She asked.
Recently, Aphrodite was becoming - how should I say it - obsessed with love. She always talked about it. I thought that was normal and expected of a love deity. But it didn't have to be the case.
The answer to Erato's questions was easy. Either side with Erato, who was right in front of me, or Aphrodite, a goddess who doesn't even know I exist. Erato was much more of a threat right now than Aphrodite. (No offense!)
"I agree," I replied. "Of course, Lady Erato. Nobody should fall to the whims of love, even the ones overlooking it," Jake followed me, agreeing with Erato.
"Thank you, half-bloods. Now, what was I doing?" Unfortunately, her anger resurfaced. "Right, I have to kill you now. Get ready to die, half-bloods!" Erato picked up her staff, advancing towards us threateningly.
"Lady Erato, do you need to kill us?" I pleaded. "You can have the duplicate painting. We just need the original."
She frowned and answered, "Well, the ancient laws dictate that a deity can do whatever they want to the mortal if they steal a weapon of power. And I won't let you go. I never condone stealing. Except if you steal someone's heart."
I stepped away from the painting, which was apparently Erato's weapon of power. How did that make sense?
"But this isn't really your painting; it's from Charles Meynier," Jake brought up. "And don't gods have multiple weapons of power, like the donkey with Hephaestus? That would be a lot of mortal deaths."
"No, that is the symbol of power. We can't kill mortals if they steal the symbol of power. Most of you would be killed if we could. Now isn't that funny?" Erato laughed, prompting the guard to laugh too.
Not funny, Erato. We humans do not like to die. Gods have a big difference in their sense of humor. Who jokes about death?
Erato grunted. "Most minor gods don't have a recognized weapon of power, since that would require a vote from the Olympic council, and they are too busy to deal with all of us. All 400+ of us. This staff is supposed to be my weapon of power, but fate recognized this painting as the weapon.
I was angry at first, since this was created by a mortal, but now I quite like it. Charles Meynier loved the Greek gods, and created paintings of my sisters and I. Fanatics of the gods: the highest of the low. At least now I have a weapon of power, instead of nothing. That's how it is for many minor gods." Erato twirled her staff.
"Was Charles Meynier a demigod?" I asked. That could be a big twist!
"Sadly, he wasn't one. That would have been nice, though. But he is my favorite mortal. An honorary child of mine." Erato sighed, wielding her staff again. "Now, I will kill you. I'm sorry half-bloods, but it is the law."
This was not going to end peacefully. And both of us possibly can't defeat Erato, a goddess! While she is a deity of love, she looked really skilled with that staff and battle. And I wasn't skilled in close combat!
"Wait wait!" I pleaded. "If you let us go, we'll build a shrine for you at camp. Demigods at Camp Half-Blood will worship you as the true goddess of Love, not Aphrodite! I could even convince Annabeth to build a cabin for you!"
The goddess hesitated, clearly thinking over her options. She was not going to agree over my plan, so a surprise attack's our best option. Jake and I can't subdue Erato, but we can sure as Hades distract her for long enough so we can leave the museum, unharmed, with an intact painting.
Time for battle with a goddess!
Here is the Eleventh Chapter of Greek meets Roman! Here's a cliffhanger for you guys. But, I'll update in a couple days!
Summary: Lou Ellen and Jake steal a car to get to the Cleveland Museum of Art. They arrive and duplicate the painting of Erato. The magic attracts a museum guide they've met before, who reveals herself as the muse Erato. The attempts to defuse the situation fail, so Lou comes up with a crazy plan to escape.
Jake and Lou don't really see Annabeth as a friend, more like a companion on a quest. They see her for her actions and accomplishments, but not for her personality. Maybe they'll change their stances.
I chose a Chevrolet Impala for basically no reason. I wanted a sedan, and I like the models of Chevy cars, so I chose this. If there are any mistakes from the car and/or the route to CMA, please comment to let me know.
The painting of Erato is gigantic. GIGANTIC. The CMA says its dimensions are 273 by 176 cm (107.5 by 69.3 in.) With that height, it also must be super heavy. That's why Lou needed Jake for help.
I'm sorry if I made any mistakes on the museum's layout. I have never visited the CMA or Cleveland, so most of my information was taken from the Internet. If you've been to the CMA, comment on how it truly looks!
What is Lou's plan to evade Erato? How will the two evade Erato, a goddess, and museum guards? Will Jake be able to adapt and go along with Lou's plan? How will they bring the painting out of the museum? Are any monsters attacking Percy and overwhelming him?
Cleveland and the Greeks will be wrapped up in Chapter 12. Chapter 13 and 14 will focus on the Romans and their next destination.
Have a great day and let's all Mystify!