17. I LEARN GENJUTSU

We got in a cab and told the driver, "Los Angeles, please."

The cabbie chewed his cigar and sized us up. "That's three hundred miles. For that, you gotta pay up front."

"You accept casino debit cards?" Annabeth asked.

He shrugged. "Some of 'em. Same as credit cards. I gotta swipe 'em through first."

Annabeth handed him her green Lotus Cash card.

He looked at it sceptically.

"Swipe it,"

He did.

His meter machine started rattling. The lights flashed. Finally, an infinity symbol came up next to the dollar sign.

The cigar fell out of the driver's mouth. He looked back with wide eyes. "Where to in Los Angeles... uh, Your Highness?"

"The Santa Monica Pier." Annabeth sat up a little straighter. I could tell she liked the "Your Highness" thing. "Get us there fast, and you can keep the change."

On the road, we had plenty of time to talk, and I told Annabeth and Grover about Luke. She had paled considerably at that.

"THERE IS NO WAY LUKE BETRAYED US" She yelled at me reaching for the knife.

I quickly grabbed her hand, forcing her to look into my eyes.

"If you won't believe my words" I said with my Sharingan activating "Let me show you"

FLASHBACK:

"How do you use that eye Genjutsu thing?" Naruto asked his black-haired teammate "It's Kinda broken how you just look at your opponent and then WELCOME TO MY WORLD YOU'RE GONNA HATE IT HERE"

"Please don't say it like that" Sasuke groaned " I guess I could dumb it down for you. I make eye contact with them, think of that as a Tunnel or channel. Then I put my chakra into their body, mainly near their brain to show them whatever I want to. I need to really focus on what I'm going to show though" he concluded, drinking from his bottle of water.

He then turned over in his sleeping bag "Go to sleep Dobe, we're going to need it against the Zetsu army tomorrow"

Naruto snorted "Got that right"

FLASHBACK END

'Who would've thought that a random conversation like that would help me out in this situation'

The world dissolved around us, and we were at the edge of the cliff where I had heard the conversation.

Annabeth gasped, and I could see that she was partially see-through, like a ghost.

Percy Jackson, The dark voice said (Again). Yes, the exchange went well, I see. And he suspects nothing?

Nothing, my lord. He is as ignorant as the rest.

Annabeth gasped.

"It must be fake" she said, shaking her head vigorously, and I could see that she was trembling "There's no way it's Luke"

"Hey, maybe he's being brainwashed or mind-controlled or something" I said, trying to console her "In that case all we gotta do is break him out of it"

She calmed down a bit "Y-Yeah…."

The world around us dissolved again and we were back in the cab.

Grover was staring at us, looking concerned.

"I-I'm sorry for that" Annabeth muttered, looking away.

"Can't blame ya. I'd react like that too if someone I was so close to might be traitor"

'Well, technically I did already react like that, so can't blame her'

"Also, Luke called the voice 'Crooked one' later on in the dream. Who is that?" I asked.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Crooked? Are you sure it wasn't The Silent One or The Rich One? That seems more accurate for Hades."

"Hmm. Maybe I misheard it. I'm gonna sleep for now, that vision thing tired me out"

At sunset, the taxi dropped us at the beach in Santa Monica.

Grover, Annabeth, and I walked down to the edge of the surf.

"What now?" Annabeth asked.

"Now" I said "I go into the water"

I walked into the water.

I kept walking, up to my waist, then my chest.

She called after me, "You know how polluted that water is? There're all kinds of toxic—"

And then I was in the water.

I felt something rub against my leg. Sliding along beside me was a five-foot-long mako shark.

I touched its dorsal fin. It bucked a little, as if inviting me to hold tighter. I grabbed the fin with both hands. It took off, pulling me along.

It deposited me at the edge of the ocean proper, where the sand bank dropped off into a huge chasm

Then I saw something glimmering in the darkness below, growing bigger and brighter as it rose toward me. A woman's voice called: "Percy Jackson."

She had flowing black hair, a dress made of green silk. Light flickered around her, and …..she was on a seahorse.

Well, that's new.

She dismounted. The sea horse and the mako shark whisked off and started playing something that looked like tag. The underwater lady smiled at me. "You've come far, Percy Jackson. Well done."

"Uh, thanks"

"I have a gift for you, from your father" she said, handing him 3 pearls. When you are in need, smash a pearl at your feet."

"And what is that gonna do?"

"That," she said, "depends on the need. But remember: what belongs to the sea will always return to the sea."

"Okay…"

Her eyes flickered with green light. "Hades feeds on doubt and hopelessness. He will trick you if he can, make you mistrust your own judgment. Once you are in his realm, he will never willingly let you leave. Keep faith. Good luck, Percy Jackson."

She summoned her sea horse and rode toward the void.

I kicked upward toward the shore.

When I reached the beach, my clothes dried instantly. I told Grover and Annabeth what had happened, and showed them the pearls.

Annabeth grimaced. "No gift comes without a price."

"You ever heard of Optimism?"

She shook her head. " 'There is no such thing as a free lunch.' That's an ancient Greek saying that translated pretty well into American. There will be a price. You wait."

On that happy thought, we turned our backs on the sea.

We wandered for miles on foot, looking for DOA. Nobody seemed to know where it was. It didn't appear in the phone book.

I stopped in front of an appliance-store window because a television was playing an interview with Gabe talking to Barbara Walters.

A fake tear glistened on his cheek. He was saying, "Honest, Ms. Walters, if it wasn't for Sugar here, my grief counselor, I'd be a wreck. My stepson took everything I cared about. My wife ... my Camaro ... I—I'm sorry. I have trouble talking about it."

"There you have it, America." Barbara Walters turned to the camera. "A man torn apart. An adolescent boy with serious issues. Let me show you, again, the last known photo of this troubled young fugitive, taken a week ago in Denver."

The screen cut to a shot of me, Annabeth, and Grover standing outside the Colorado diner, talking to Ares.

"Who are the other children in this photo?" Barbara Walters asked dramatically. "Who is the man with them? Is Percy Jackson a delinquent, a terrorist, or perhaps the brainwashed victim of a frightening new cult? When we come back, we chat with a leading child psychologist. Stay tuned, America."

"C'mon," Grover told me. He hauled me away before I could die of laughter.

It got dark, and hungry-looking characters started coming out on the streets to play.

We walked past gangbangers, bums, and street hawkers, who looked at us like they were trying to figure if we were worth the trouble of mugging.

As we hurried passed the entrance of an alley, a voice from the darkness said, "Hey, you."

"Not interested" I said before continuing to walk.

"We weren't asking" a voice said behind me before I turned around to see that . A gang of kids had circled us—white kids with expensive clothes and mean faces.

"Oi" I said "Didn't you hear me say 'Not interested'. Now go back to your mansion "

Three of the six held up switchblades while 2 others held up sticks.

"What was that, punk?" the guy who looked like the leader said angrily.

I brought out my pen, but Annabeth grabbed my hand " Not against mortals" she warned.

I sighed but put it back inside " What about my fists?"

"Sure" she shrugged.

And then I beat them up.

Nothing to talk about really: 6 random kids against a Veteran war hero who reincarnated into the body of the son of the Sea God, who was part of the top 3 strongest Olympians.

So yeah, I just punched them a couple of times and dodged a few knife swings and in less than a minute, there were six kids on the ground and one me standing there.

"Well, that was fun" I said, turning around to face my friends.

"That" Annabeth said "Was a waste of time"

We continued strolling through the streets, dealing with thugs at random intervals and generally having a very bad time.

"This sucks" I said for the 15th time as I saw a tuft of yellow blonde hair pass by in front of me.

I stopped.

'Is that…kid me?' I thought to myself as I saw who could only be my past life's 12-year-old self grin at me before turning and starting to walk through alleys

'Well, if that aint a sign I don't know what is'

I grabbed the other two and started following the kid, saying that I had a hunch about where we had to go.

Kid me stopped in front of DOA RECORDING STUDIO before vanishing in thin air.

"Why are we here Percy" Annabeth asked, annoyed and tired.

I pointed at some translucent human outlines walking into the building.

"Those seem like ghosts" I said "Time for the underworld"

I looked at the bulletin board behind Crusty's sales desk. There was an advertisement for Hermes Delivery Service, and another for the All-New Compendium of L.A. Area Monsters—"The only Monstrous Yellow Pages you'll ever need!" Under that, a bright orange flier for DOA Recording Studios, offering commissions for heroes' souls. "We are always looking for new talent!" DOA's address was right underneath with a map.

"Come on," I told my friends.

"Give us a minute," Grover complained. "We were almost stretched to death.'"

"Then you're ready for the Underworld," I said. "It's only a block from here."