AN: This chapter was an annoying one for me. In fact the last few have been annoying, as this story arc is beginning to drag a little, which I think is in part down to my poor pacing. A part of my wants to push on to the climax, so I can move onto the wider story and the more exciting stuff.
That, and I've also noticed during a rereading that there are a number of typos, continuity errors, and silly grammatical errors that I've missed during my proofreading. This makes me think that I should either try and recruit a beta reader or means that I will need to spend some time going back through the story re-editing and correcting the stupid mistakes I've made. The mistakes are minor and easily missed, but they are noticeable and annoying all the same.
Either way, here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it, and as always please leave a comment of a review etc. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to PM me.
Another thing while I am at it, is this. I am a part of a discord group, the Emerald Library, there's tons of others there, plenty of writers, admittedly mainly PJO, but other stuff too, including a growing number of writers. Feel free to pop along and say hi, I'm always happy to chat about the stuff I am writing. So if you fancy it please do to join by sticking this: discord .gg / elibrary into discord, with no spaces, or using the link on my bio.
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Thanks for reading and please do leave a review. That or feel free to PM, I am usually much better at answering those!
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson.
Betaed by Arch_Angel and Silver
( - )
Chapter 14
( - )
(Last Time)
There was no one there.
"H-hello…?" She stuttered, wiping away the tears from her eyes with the back of her hands.
"Hello," A voice replied from the darkness, only for the sound of it to then be completely drowned out by a fast moving avalanche of bronze and machinery, as with a loud explosion and a snarling squeal of broken metal, Talos fell. His falling colossal form cast the entire area around her into shadow, even as she turned and looked up at her oncoming doom. He was going to land right on top of her.
Looking up at the falling giant, Bianca could only scream as everything went black.
( - )
(With Thalia)
"One shall be taken in the land without rain."
That line from the prophecy was stuck in Thalia's head as she drove.
She just couldn't stop thinking about it.
Nor could she stop thinking about the irrevocable fact that Bianca was gone.
She was dead.
Killed by sheer bad luck.
Thalia bit her lip.
In the end, she had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, that was all there was to it.
They'd succeeded in taking down the prototype Talos through a mixture of fire, lightning, and teamwork.
It had been a thing of beauty.
But any satisfaction she might've felt at the time had long since faded.
They hadn't even found a body. Not that she had held out much hope about finding one, considering she was buried somewhere beneath several tons of bronze.
She took a deep breath at that thought.
None of them were to blame, but at the same time, all of them were.
Unlike Bianca, the four of them had experience in fighting. They were all trained, tested, and blooded. Zoe and Phoebe more so than Percy and herself, but still, they all knew what they were doing. Just as they knew both their own strengths and their limitations.
Bianca didn't have that experience.
No, she had been a newbie to the demigod world in every sense of the word. She'd just been a young, innocent girl out of her depths.
In hindsight, one of them should have stuck with her and kept her safe during the fight.
But instead, they'd allowed themselves to be split up as they focused on weaving around Talos' clumsy attacks. All while counterattacking as best as they could.
They had all gotten so drawn into the fight that they'd forgotten about the fifth member of the quest. They hadn't thought about how she would handle a fight of that scale. Whether she would have been able to adapt to the rapidly changing circumstances.
The thought of it wracked her with guilt.
A part of her blamed Zoe and Phoebe for bringing her along in the first place.
She didn't even have a week of experience as a demigod and yet had been brought along on a dangerous, high-stakes quest.
It was beyond stupid.
They would have been better off bringing Theo along.
For all that the son of Poseidon was a bit of an idiot at times, he was still a skilled, experienced, and powerful fighter.
The same could be said for every other camper, huntress, and even Grover.
Anyone of them would have been a better choice than Bianca, and yet Zoe had brought her along all the same.
Thalia gripped the steering wheel harder.
It was unfair to lay all the blame for Bianca's death at Zoe's feet, despite her being the leader of the quest.
After all, Percy, Phoebe, and herself were also at least partly responsible.
They should have spoken up at the time and refused to allow Bianca to come.
That, or they should have paid closer attention to her during the fight.
If they had, then she would still be alive today.
She gritted her teeth at that thought, guilt swirling about in her gut.
Yet another death that could have been avoided, if only she had spoken up at the time. If only she had acted differently in the moment.
The only positive she could draw from what had happened was that Bianca had no family waiting back at Camp Half-Blood for her to break the news to. As dark and callous as it sounded, that made it easier to swallow her death in some ways.
Letting out an audible sigh, Thalia returned her attention to the road.
Not long after they had escaped the dump, they found a tow truck, one that was so old it might've been thrown away itself. But even so, the engine started, and it had a full tank of gas. Which made it ideal for their purposes.
None of the others had raised any complaints about stealing it.
Not that she was all that surprised.
Zoe and Phoebe were so disconnected from mortals and the wider world. That they probably didn't see a problem with stealing a truck from some hapless mortal.
Percy, meanwhile, was so mercenary that she was a little surprised he hadn't been the one to suggest stealing it in the first place.
It was odd really to think that she was now probably the most responsible. And the most morally conscious member of the quest now that Bianca had been taken from them.
She never thought that she of all people would be the voice of reason.
Glancing sideways at that thought, Thalia glanced at Percy who was riding shotgun.
He looked tired and pensive.
He didn't look all that upset or devastated by what had happened. At the same time, he was quieter and more reflective than she was used to from the usually prickly demigod.
A glance in the front mirror showed Zoe and Phoebe looking equally tired and introspective.
The atmosphere in the trick was thick and tense.
Of the four of them, she was probably the least stunned by what had happened.
Which, considering the company she was currently keeping, was odd, to say the least.
For all that Bianca had been a member of the Hunters of Artemis; she had only been a member for a few days. Nowhere near long enough for Zoe or Phoebe to have made strong bonds with her. On top of this, considering their age and the dangers their group were regularly engaged in. She would have thought that the two Hunters would have been used to their sisters dying by now. She hadn't expected Bianca's death, as harsh and brutal as it was, to have hit them so hard.
The same could be said for Percy.
He'd never struck her as a sentimental or an emotional person.
Instead, he'd always come across as a cold, ruthless bastard. Friendly, and a bit funny and charming at times, yes. But still, he was a person with the emotional range of a teaspoon all the same. But yet he'd been acting quite quiet and reserved since Bianca had died. It was a little disconcerting.
"I know we killed most of the spartoi, but there are probably still some out there. They'll probably have reinforcements too," Thalia spoke up. Breaking the tense, almost oppressive, silence. They'd been sitting in silence for too long now, it was beginning to take its toll on her. "I think it'll be best if we keep moving and drive through the night."
"We can take turns," Percy said after a moment, his tone stiff. "I can't say I'm that great at driving, but even I can keep us going in a straight line."
Thalia glanced out at the horizon.
They were driving through a vast, empty desert.
There was only one road in sight, the one they were on, and from what she could see the road was straight for as far as the eye could see.
"I will help too," Zoe nodded. "But for now, we should keep heading west."
"We'll need to stop for food at some point, though." Percy cut in, his dark eyes flicking up to look at the lightening sky; dawn would soon be upon them. "We've been doing a lot of fighting and traveling and haven't had a proper meal in a while. I'm not sure about you lot, but my energy levels are flagging."
Thalia heard her stomach gurgle in response.
He had a point.
They were all tired and hungry. They hadn't rested or eaten properly in days. If they carried on as they were, then by the time they arrived, none of them would be in any fit state to save Artemis.
"Don't you have anything in your handbag?" Thalia replied.
"It's a satchel," Percy replied tiredly before he shook his head. "I've got a lot of gear, gold, weapons, money, and some camping stuff if we need it, but no food. Perishables don't tend to keep well in my bag, and my stores of canned food were running low a few days back. Before I even met you lot, and surprisingly, in the few days since I've not had much time to visit a store…"
"It was just a question, no need to be a dick about it," Thalia shot back, her brow furrowing slightly at his attitude.
She could understand why he might be feeling a little tired and snappish, but she wasn't going to let him take out his frustrations on her.
"Sorry," Percy said grudgingly, after a moment.
His attention was no longer on her but on an object in his hands.
Glancing at it, she could see that it was a small, grey figurine.
A charm maybe?
Or a keepsake?
She hadn't thought that he was that sentimental, nor had she seen the figurine before.
Letting out a grunt, Thalia pushed her curiosity to one side as she instead gave him a curt nod before returning her gaze to the road ahead.
( - )
(With Percy)
In the end, their borrowed tow truck ran out of gas at the edge of a river canyon. This was just as well because the road dead-ended there too.
"Great. What now?" Thalia demanded loudly, as she got out and slammed the door.
Immediately, one of the tires blew.
Cracking his neck as he too got out of the truck, Percy scanned the horizon.
There wasn't much to see except desert in all directions. The occasional clump of barren mountains plopped here and there in the distance. The canyon was the only thing interesting. The river itself wasn't very big, maybe fifty yards across. Green water with a few rapids, but it carved a huge scar out of the desert all the same.
"I can't see a proper path," He said as he scanned the area. Momentarily alighting on what looked like an unforgiving goat path before moving on. "I think our best bet would be to walk upstream and find one."
"If you say so," Thalia shrugged, her lips twitching slightly as she eyed the edge of the canyon. Before without another word she headed off upstream, her stride very confident as she quickly set the pace.
Glancing at Zoe and Phoebe, both of whom had been pretty quiet for the last few hours, Percy gave them a nod and followed Thalia. The two huntresses followed after him.
Sticking his hand into his coat pocket as he walked. Percy couldn't help but absentmindedly trace his fingers along the twisted figurine he had picked up at the scrapyard.
Of all the things he had seen in the dump, this one was the one that had most stood out to him. Though that was perhaps because of the irony of the figurine being of Hades.
Honestly, he wasn't sure.
What he did know though was that he felt guilty despite himself.
Bianca wasn't dead, or at least he didn't think she was. He couldn't be sure at the moment, or at least not until he made contact with Alecto. But as far as he was aware he was ninety-nine percent sure that she was alive and well. Currently happily reuniting with her brother and father in the Underworld.
Which meant that he'd surely done a good thing by helping to reunite a family.
More than that, he'd fulfilled his contract - which was a big deal for him as he always kept his promises - and would soon be getting a reward.
He should be happy.
But for some reason, he wasn't.
Instead, he just felt guilty, and he wasn't sure why?
Nobody had died, and the quest to save Artemis hadn't been all that inconvenienced either.
Realistically, Bianca had been dead weight, and despite his better judgment even after he'd fulfilled his mission, he'd remained with the party.
This meant they were as strong as they were before, stronger even, as they didn't have to wait on Bianca anymore.
Despite that, though, he still felt bad.
Which, he supposed, was maybe the reason he had stuck around.
That, or it might be for the inevitable reward he had waiting for him in the West.
He hadn't quite decided yet.
Glancing up at that sun at that thought, Percy took a moment to bask in the warmth of the sun and let it wash his worries away. He'd always felt better during the day, and stronger too, as he naturally absorbed the sun's radiation. Storing what he could for the moment, and releasing the rest as he walked.
Everything was better in the light of day.
Smiling at that thought, Percy allowed many of his concerns to drift away as he instead focused on the here and now. As they followed the river for about half a mile before coming to a slope that led down to the water.
On the shore of the river was a canoe rental operation that was closed for the season. Not that that stopped them from breaking the padlock on one of the huts and taking two canoes anyway.
"We need to go upstream," Zoe said, her tone calm and steady as she settled herself in the front of one of the canoes, with Phoebe joining her.
Nodding, he and Thalia got into the other one.
Pushing off from the shore, they then proceeded to paddle up the river. Making faster progress than they would have had they walked.
From just a glance, he could see that the terrain at the shores was getting progressively wilder as they went.
Not that the going was all that easy in the canoes, as they ended up having to fight against the current as they paddled.
Grunting as he used his oar to power forward, Percy almost missed his next stroke when he suddenly saw a couple of naiads staring at him from the water.
"Shit!" Percy cursed, his paddle skimming the water as he tried to avoid smacking one of the naiads in the face. This in turn caused him to instead splash Thalia, much to the daughter of Zeus's irritation.
"The hell!" Thalia scowled, "What was that for!?"
Zoe and Phoebe looked over at them curiously.
"Sorry," Percy muttered, his gaze still on the naiads.
He'd never seen one before, or not that he knew of anyway.
But despite that, he still knew what they were the moment he caught sight of them.
They were attractive and scantily dressed but otherwise looked like regular teenage girls. The kind one might see in any mall, except for the fact that they were underwater.
"Hey," Percy said, continuing to eye them cautiously.
He'd never had much contact with nature spirits before. Not he had ever really had any cause too, after all, he was mainly stuck to cities and built-up areas. The only time he left those areas was when he was hunting for a specific monster. Or accomplishing a specific mission for a client, and those missions very rarely led him into the wilds. The only nature spirits he had seen were those he had spotted from afar at Camp Half-Blood. That and the satyrs he came across when he was either scavenging or working.
In response to his greeting, the naiads practically quivered in excitement. Their eyes gleamed as they quickly swam to the surface. Their hands, which he could now see had a tint of blue to them, clutching onto the edge of the canoe, steadying it as they surfaced.
"What the-!" Thalia shouted, lurching back in surprise at their emergence.
Zoe meanwhile cursed in ancient Greek at the sight of them.
"I'm heartened to see that you're still alive, my lord!" One of the Naiads, a pretty, red-haired naiad with big blue eyes, and a green gossamer-like swimsuit purred, her gaze on Percy.
"My lord?" Percy asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.
Thalia, Phoebe, and Zoe looked equally confused.
"You do not remember?" The other naiad said, her large sea-green eyes wide in surprise as she tilted her head to one side. "Or maybe you're not fully awoken yet?"
"No wait, he is mortal." The red-haired naiad replied, her gaze still fixed on Percy as she gave him a coy smile. "A son maybe? If he is, then the mistress won't be happy, not at all. Sporting is fine, but procreating with a mortal, oh she will not be happy about that?"
"But his aura, his presence?" The green-eyed naiad questioned, looking at the other naiad before turning back at Percy, her eyes gleamed as she bit her lip. "It's been a very long time, but I still remember his burning presence."
"Maybe," The red-haired one replied with a shrug, her gaze once again on Percy. Though now her blue eyes were narrowed as she inspected his features. As if looking for something that only she knew should be there. "The likeness is almost exact, but he doesn't act the same, and the way he carries himself…?"
"Should we tell the mistress anyway?" The other naiad hummed in response.
"Our lady won't be happy, no matter what. But I think for now it would be best not to disturb her." The redhead responded nervously.
"Agreed, what she doesn't know won't hurt her." The green-eyed girl nodded, biting her lip. Her gaze was back on Percy.
"But no matter what, she'll definitely end up hurting him." The redhead giggled. "She was not happy when he disappeared, and she'll be even more unhappy to find out he sired a son with another."
"Can you blame him, though? I mean, when is she ever happy?" The other naiad tittered for a moment. Before freezing as she instead looked around nervously.
"Don't worry she's asleep, and even if she wasn't. She's leagues away from here," The other naiad waved her friend away nonchalantly.
"True," The other one giggled.
"What? I don't… what are you two talking about?" Percy finally put his thoughts into words. Cutting through their bizarre conversation as he looked between the two of them.
He had no clue what the two naiads were talking about. But whatever it was, they had referenced his father. Whoever that might be, and seemed to know exactly who he was, or at the very least had a very good idea as to who he was.
"I'm sure you'll find out eventually," The red-haired naiad replied with a tinkling laugh. "One way or another you'll 'see' the truth eventually, his sires usually do in the end."
"Namia, don't be such a bitch," The green-eyed naiad splashed her laughing friend. Her eyes gleamed with amusement as she looked back at Percy. "But she is right. There is no point in worrying about it now. The truth will come to light at some point in the future. When it does…, well she'll either kill you or keep you for her own…, and honestly, I don't know which one would be worse."
"Hegatoria!" Namia giggled, her blue-tinted cheeks flushing a dark blue.
Percy scowled at their less than helpful answers, his eyes burning as his temper flared.
In response, the two naiads looked worried for a moment. Only for that worry to quickly fade away into nervous giggling as they pushed back from the canoe.
"They're just messing with you, Percy." Thalia sighed, "It's what they do. The ones at camp do the same to Theo."
"Only I'm not the son of Poseidon," Percy muttered, his eyes narrowing as he scowled at the still giggling naiads. "So why are they acting as if they know me?"
Clicking her tongue, Thalia ignored him as she instead looked at the naiads. "We're heading upstream. Do you think you could—"
She didn't even get a chance to finish her question before the two girls laughed again. She threw Percy one more doe-eyed look. Then dove underwater, with each naiad choosing a canoe as they then began to push them up the river.
"I hate naiads," Zoe grumbled.
Personally, Percy could understand her dislike. They might be hot, but they were fucking annoying too.
In response to Zoe's comment, a stream of water squirted up from the back of the boat and hit Zoe in the face.
"She-devils!" Zoe went for her bow.
"Easy there, they're just playing." Thalia raised her hands, her lips twitching as she visibly fought off a smile.
"Cursed water spirits," Zoe grumbled, her gaze lingering on the spirits for a moment before flicking over to Percy. "Why did they call you lord, Perseus?"
"I don't know," Percy shrugged, his brow furrowing as he looked back at the smirking naiad pushing his canoe. "Maybe they were just messing with us?"
"Hmm," Zoe hummed.
She didn't look convinced.
But then again, neither was he.
"They could have been. But it didn't seem that way. They seemed to recognize you?" Phoebe cut in, her eyes narrowed. "They also spoke of their mistress knowing you?"
"I'm not sure where from, I've never met a nature spirit before today." Percy shot back irritably. "As for their mistress… well, I've met a couple of goddesses. None with any relation to the sea or water… who would their mistress even be anyway?"
"A daughter of Poseidon or Oceanus probably, or maybe a river goddess or a powerful nymph," Zoe shrugged, her tone curious. "Not that that would narrow it down…"
"Hmm, yes, but they said you looked like your father? But from what you've said, your father is a mortal? So if that's true, how would they know who he was?" Phoebe scowled.
"How should I know, I never met the fucker." Percy growled, his hands clenched into fists.
"Leave it, Phoebe," Zoe spoke up, her gaze on him. Her dark eyes locked with his own. Eyes that he once again noticed were eerily similar to his own in both shape and colour.
Frowning, Percy looked away from his companions and instead looked ahead as they sped up the river. The cliffs loom up on either side of them.
The naiads might be helping them now, but even so, he couldn't help but feel frustrated by what they had said. That odd conversation had raised many questions that he desperately wanted the answer to. Not that he expected to receive many of those anytime soon.
( - )
Sitting back in his canoe as they raced up the river, Percy made a few token attempts to speak to the naiads. Only for him to get nowhere as the two girls either giggled at his questions or answered in riddles.
Neither of them seemed willing to dish on the details. For all he wanted to force them to talk he wasn't in the position to do so. Both because they were currently helping them out right now. Also because of the current company he was keeping. Somehow he didn't think either Thalia, Zoe, or Phoebe would approve of him strong-arming the two girls. Into giving him proper answers to his questions.
Which ended up making for a very frustrating trip.
Fortunately, he didn't have to deal with the naiads for long, as after about half an hour they slowed to a halt. After looking ahead he could see why.
This was as far as the two irritating naiads were able to take them. From this point onwards, the river was blocked by a dam the size of a football stadium.
"It's the Hoover Dam," Thalia said, answering his questions before he could even ask them. "And dam is it huge."
Percy sent her a sideways look.
Thalia sent him a smirk in response.
Rolling his eyes, he went back to looking up at the huge curve of concrete that loomed between the cliffs. From where he was, he could clearly see people walking along the top of the dam.
Tearing his eyes away from the man-made marvel of human engineering, Percy turned to watch as the naiads left with a cheery wave to him and a glower at the Hoover Dam. By the looks of it, neither of them particularly liked the dam.
Using his oar to paddle his canoe to the shore, Percy bit back on several choice remarks he had for the helpful but otherwise irritating naiads, as he instead went back to looking up at the colossal dam in front of them.
"It's seven hundred feet tall, you know, and built in the 1930s," Thalia said idly, as she helped him paddle to the side of the river. "It's the largest construction project in the United States."
"How do you know all that?" Zoe asked, glancing over at Thalia from where she and Phoebe were disembarking from their own canoe.
"Annabeth," Thalia said softly. "She was nuts about monuments."
"To each their own," Percy said, a frown on his face as he sent the river and the naiads lurking within it a last look. Before he started walking away from the riverbank. "Now let's go, we're burning daylight."
"Right," Thalia nodded, tearing her own gaze away from the dam as she followed his lead.
"Hopefully we'll be able to pick up another vehicle from there." Zoe pointed to a huge parking garage next to the top of the dam.
"And some food too," Thalia added.
Zoe and Phoebe glanced at one another, a silent conversation passing between the two of them, before with a sigh, Zoe nodded. "And some food. I'm sure there'll be something up there with food.
Percy nodded; it was the best plan they had.
With that thought in mind, he led the way up to the nearby road. His sharp eyes quickly found a winding path that came up on the east side of the river.
Upon reaching the top of the dam, the others were all worn out and trailing behind him. The first thing that hit him as he submitted was just how cold and windy it was.
On one side of him, he could see a big lake ringed by barren desert mountains. On the other side, the dam steeply dropped down to the river seven hundred feet below. From where he was standing, he could see the water that churned from the dam's vents.
"Come on, there's a snack bar in the visitor center," Thalia said. Leading the way now as she notably stuck to the middle of the path, as far away from the edges of the dam as she could.
"You've been here before?" Percy asked curiously, following her lead.
"Once. To see the guardians." She replied, pointing to the far end of the dam.
Following the direction she was pointing, Percy saw the two big bronze statues that had been carved into the side of the cliff.
"They were dedicated to Zeus when the dam was built," Thalia continued. "A gift from Athena."
Tourists were clustered all around them.
From what he could see, they seemed to be fondling the statues' feet.
"What are they doing?" He asked his brow furrowed.
"Rubbing the toes," Thalia said. "They think it's good luck."
"Why?" Percy asked.
Thalia shrugged in response. "Mortals get crazy ideas. They don't know the statues are sacred to Zeus, but they know there's something special about them."
"Is there anything special about them? You know, aside from them being dedicated to your dad?" Percy asked, curiously.
"Not sure," Thalia shrugged. "And either way, who cares. It's not like he'll be any use to us at the moment anyway."
Raise an eyebrow at her comment, Percy chose not to reply to that loaded comment.
"Enough talk, let us find the dam snack bar," Zoe said. "We need to eat quickly and then be on our way."
"The dam snack bar?" Percy smiled, it was the same joke Thalia had made before. Only from what he could see Zoe was oblivious to what she had just said, which in turn only made it more amusing.
Zoe blinked in response. "Yes. What is funny?"
"They're being idiots," Phoebe cut in, rolling her eyes as she breezed past them. Her expression was grim as she headed into the visitor center. "Ignore them."
"Spoilsports," Thalia muttered.
Percy smiled in response, even as they followed Phoebe's lead.
( - )
Twenty minutes and a quick lunch break later and they were on the road again without any issues. Only now they were driving a sporty, silver Mercedes that quickly ate up the remaining miles between them and California.
Hopefully, their next stop would be San Francisco and Artemis.
( - )
AN: Thanks for reading, and hopefully you enjoyed it and continue to do so. If not then please tell what you didn't like, or what you thought could have been done better? Please leave a review, comment etc. If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to PM me.
Also, I am on a discord with a load of other writers, a bunch of them are PJO writers, so if you fancy popping over to ask questions or offer suggestions about this story, or any of my other ones, or to find new authors you might not have come across yet, please feel free to use the link in my bio.
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you later.
Greed720.
