Chapter 7: How a sword is seen

Annabeth's POV

'Couldn't we have just gone for Luke?'

A known quantity.

*Snort*

"Hades has been strangely silent during this whole debacle, along with quite an uptick in extreme phenomena on the west coast, and the prophecy itself-"

Less of an annoyance.

A good fighter.

"-so Lord Hermes, at Lord Dionysus...prodding... has given us some new, and he also thinks that he may somewhat be connected-"

Less of an annoyance.

A good…personality.

*Snort*

"-Then I would advice for you to go to Los Angeles at once. The Greyhounds will have to suffice, but in case do not be afraid to take trains, or even taxis, or even steal a way of transportation."

Less of an annoyance.

Much, much less of an as annoyance.

That's all I could think about while avoiding shouting at the new boy, who was leaning against the table, his grey eyes practically glazed and his white hair starting to cover them, while Chiron was giving us pointers and giving us different maps, some with roads, others with rails, and even some with the numbers and type of monsters found around different areas of the country.

The answer was always "a lot", but it differed from "you can fight" to "you can run" to "you can pray".

It was even in the legend, something surely done by the elevens.

Now, if only the other two would be paying attention, I would be feeling far less annoyed!

*Snort*

And Jackson was snoring!

We were tasked with the greatest, and most important, and most expedite, quest in decades, and my two would be companions weren't taking this seriously!

"So, do you think you will need more explanations?"

Chiron didn't even care about it!

We were going to die, or I would shape them up and not die.

"Shirou will need a lift home, it's on ninety-nin-" came a tired voice from where the sleeping child should be and, quite surprisingly, Jackson was now awake.

"It's not necessary." cut of the snobby voice from the boy, who wasn't even looking at the person who had just talked on his behalf.

"Like hell it's not, you moron." Maybe she could have put it in a more diplomatic way, but yes, he was a moron.

Maybe it would be enough to make her change idea about companions?

"We are on a timetable, we have roughly three weeks before the above-"

"Good idea. Argus will drive you there."

Chiron's voice was like an arrow, and the explosive sigh from the prideful boy was all that was needed to show that it had hit.

Strangely enough, at that.

"You three should have had at least two months of preparation for this quest, not a week. Any kind of doubt need to go and you, Shirou, are the one who has the most doubts right now."

Jackson twitched at that, now ramrod straight, but I just nodded at that.

Chiron had noticed that, though.

"Penelope, remember that prophecies are never what they seem. While your mother may seem to not-"
"She is not dead. I know that. I felt that. She was taken, and the one who has the most control on Tartarus right now is the fucker in the east."

I winced at that, and Chiron quickly looked around, but no one answered.

With a sigh he looked back at us and gave us a last warning, along with giving us a white and gold card:

"This has two thousand dollars in it. It's not usual for quests, but this is also an unusual quest. Pin is 06776. Remember to fight alongside each other and fight to win. We cannot see what would happen the opposite way."

I did almost grimace at that, knowing that the gods, and above all the Thunderer, were that petty.

"And what about the last line? It talks about "understanding defeat", no?"

Jackson's comment did make me grimace, because I myself couldn't wrap my head around that last line.

Along with most of the prophecy.

"You will have to pay attention to your weaknesses, and only then you will win. Remember that, for all of you. This is, after all, a prophecy for the quest, not for the person."

I nodded, Jackson snorted, and the boy didn't answer in any way but a look at the bags we had been given, and already filled with our things.

They weren't big on the outside, but I knew that some sixers and niners had done it together, and so I knew that it could hold anything we would need.

Over it, there were what looked like kiddies leather jackets. The ones which were very bright, two very pink or one very blue, and very ugly.

Jackson moved first, and took the only blue one.

The boy and I took the other two, much to my annoyance, and his annoying aloofness.

Yes, these were among the best armors we had in the camp in such a short order.

They were still ugly as sin.

Comfortable, transpiring, but ugly as sin.

Then there were the weapons; while I had taken the usual equipment and put it inside: the hoplon would be annoying to take out, and the doru would be just as annoying, the aka even more, but my own knife would be, as it always had, what would help me the most.

Jackson, instead, had put in her strange silver shield and lance, alongside a pen that was given by Chiron, and the boy had stressed she should put it in her own pocket.

Then she, after Chiron's and the boy's prodding, removed the pen's cap and a beautiful bronze sword, a xiphos, transformed in her hand, and Chiron gave its name.

Anaklumos, the vortex that submerge and drowns and never let's go.

She had hummed at that, and then quickly passed it to the boy and arrogantly boasted: "I already have a good lance, why should I need one more, even more one who came from him?"

I had wanted to bite her head off for that, but the boy, in something that was almost incredible to see, had talked her into taking the incredible weapon, with words far more direct than he ought to use.

But for what I wanted, for how I wanted to be seen, that was a low price.

I, the new head of the cabin, being gazed at awe by all the campers, an older man with blond, sand like hair and beard, his arm around a young-looking woman with grey eyes looking proudly at me.

Then a young man, beautiful, clever and above all brave, his shining blue eyes and his golden hair, his scar only helping making him handsome, and then he asked:

"Annabeth, could you give this to little Penelope?"

Yes, Luke-what?

I snapped out of my reverie, and we had already moved to the hedge of the camp, the Hephestus and the Hermes's cabin continuing to fuss over the boy and Jackson.

My own cabin had already done that, but it was found unneeded to have more.

We of Athena were the wisest, and most logical. I had to be focused.

My frown, and me looking away and biting my cheek showed that.

"Annie? Hey? You there?"

May I be eaten by crows!

"Yes Luke?" I tried to keep my cool, but with my cheeks heating up, and the butterflies in my stomach when I was looking at his eyes, and the noise of bells:

"Could you please give Penelope these?" Then he passed me a pair of winged basketball shoes.

I could feel my heart shriveling up at that, but I did nod, and I did take the shoes.

Then I felt a calloused hand on my hair, and the smile on Luke's face was almost worth it.

Almost.

When she would have accomplished the quest, though…

"Okay! I will do that!"

Later.

When I had given Jackson all the instructions about how to use those.

So I put the shoes, with a lot of care, inside my own bag, which had just enough space for those.

After I had taken out the spares I had put there, in truth.

Still, enough space to put them in, as a daughter of Athena should have, alongside mother's cap.

Then, while Luke continued to fuss my hair, and while my stomach didn't stop to move up and down, an annoying voice came, and asked, annoyance dripping from it like poison: "Are you ready, Chase? Weren't you the one who wanted to do this quest so much?"

The boy almost made me growl at that, and, because the only person I truly cared and wanted to impress was there, I made sure to just nod and hug Luke, who, with a laugh, hugged me back.

Then I followed the boy's back, who was already walking away while Jackson, quite childishly, continued to stay with the Elevens and the Niners, who continued to offer advice, and congratulations, and "get back wells", and to pat her head and give chocolate and some ambrosia and some more drachmas and dollars.

Jackson did then move, following us, something that made me almost appreciate her then and there.

The almost is important, because then she elbowed me and the boy, without adding any word but an huff, and no expression but her smirk, and her eyes almost lighting up.

The boy exhaled loudly from his nose, and started moving a bit faster, making Jackson shake her head and fists, and pout and exhale too.

Most childishly.

Then we arrived beside a car, and beside the car, there was Argus.

Argus, my only savior in that situation, smiled, his many eyes twinkling with mirth, and his many other eyes looking almost…sad.

Almost ashamed.

He helped us taking the bag inside, and helped us get inside, and then he gave Jackson the possibility to choose the song to put on the radio.

She declined, though, and Argus did just start it:

"We now have a surer tally of the damages and casualties that Hurricane Arthur has-"

Immediately he turned it off, some eyes looking at Jackson and then just all avoiding her, while the boy shook his head, and added, his voice almost low enough to make me think that it was just the wind against the car:

"Let's hope they don't try to get amused."

What did he mean?

Well, in any case we had, and above all I had, more things to get concerned about.

One of which was "how do we go east in case things go bad".

Chiron's plan was... good, I knew that. But in case things went bad, we had to have another way to do that.

To win.

So I took the map, kept my headache from being in the car at bay, and went on to work, while Jackson rummaged through her own bag and took out a piece of… blue chocolate?

Blue chocolate.

Alright.

And the boy was just staring out the window, his grey eyes not blinking at the darkened sky, not talking or thinking, his expression not letting anything out, while his lips did twitch sometime, almost disgusted.

Well, I was too due to have to be with him, but Jackson was the one with the important quest, and she wanted him to be there in any case, so I would just have to bear with him.

With those thoughts in my head I continued to do the important things while letting my companions waste their time, the scenery around changing from a forest of trees to forest of concrete, until the car came to a stop, in front of an apartment complex of… East Harlem?

Damnation, it was in between wasn't it?!

Why not a simple line of bordering, it would be simpler.

"Shirou. Go to your family. I will be here with Chase." Jackson ordered, while we took down our luggage and Argus left, a wave and a few eyes being my last farewell before the quest.

The boy just shook his head, and, with a rage inducing tone, he chided: "We have to move, we are on a time lim-"

"We have time. Go say goodbye to your family. Or I will kick your ass and then you will say goodbye to your family."

Jackson didn't let any kind of argument, be it stupid due to coming from the boy mouth, start.

But he continued to try.

"Brat, we don't-"

"Go."

"What if-"

"Go."

"Let me-"

"No. Go in."

So then there we were, waiting awkwardly, still not talking, still not moving, and not even looking at each other.

While I could hear inside some old man crying, and "pay attention", I just continued to read the map.

While I could hear inside some begging, and some "please don't", from an old woman, I continued to read the map.

While I could hear a young woman, maybe thirty or something, fussing his hair and complimenting him-

"Why did you want to come with us? The truth, not just because "you are completely unable to survive by yourself" stuff. The real reason." Jackson spoke up beside me, while people passed in front of us and the busy streets of the city became more and more busy during the morning hours.

I didn't answer at first, but when I turned towards her I could feel her green eyes staring me down, and those made me talk:

"I need to accomplish this quest for my own goal."

Jackson hummed at that, her eyes not leaving mine, and then asked, her voice very sharp:

"Then why not wait another quest? You hate Shirou, and this is dangerous. Overthinking could kill us, ya know."

I could feel myself snarl slightly, but I simply breathed in, then out, remembering how my mother acted in all her stories, and explained:

"I dislike that boy, and I stress that word, because he is not giving his all. He never did. So now we have a dead weight that will overestimate his own abilities, be too weak for the quest, leading us to fail and die!"

I was whispering those words with a great anger, and I could feel my nails piercing the skin my palms while doing that.

Jackson just stared at her for a moment, then, without breaking eye contact, a snort came out.

That snort became a giggle.

Then that giggle became full-blown laughter, so much that Jackson had to hold her own stomach, and bent over, and passerby started looking at us.

It also made me want to throw something at her.

Fortunately, before I could throttle the last daughter of Poseidon, the boy came out, his white hair ruffled, his hand with another bag full of food, and a purple heart just above his left breast pocket, and the only thing I could do was to glower at him and start moving for the Greyhound's stop, my cap at the ready while the other two were fiddling with their strange silver pendants, while kids and morons pointed at the boy and either laughed, or admonished him, or even made photos with that strange new touch phone.

The boy just continued to walk, not even sparing a glance, while subtly touching the medal, and Jackson made sure to glower the kids who did.

And the adults.

The adults were the more scared ones, somehow.

In about forty long minutes, in which I was the one between Jackson's harsh glares and the boy's indifference, we reached the cool, composed and above all tasteful Penn station to get on the ugly, horrible, distasteful and above all uncomfortable greyhound bus.

Which seemed, by the rust with a side of steel on the wheel arches and the smell of dust off, and I mean outside, the bus, alongside the heat radiating from the inside, a relic of the ninety-eighties.

And we would be on this thing, on and off, for at least two days.

We would need to use the ambrosia to avoid dying due to heat.

Naturally, that's if all went well. Hopefully.

It won't, knowing a demigod's luck.

But hopefully, it would.

We took our seats, at the end of the bus, already given thanks to Chiron's foresight and connections, and waited.

Jackson started eating.

I waited.

The boy closed his eyes to sleep.

I waited.

And took out the maps, and the manual of monsters, and my own notes.

And waited.

After five minutes, the engine started and, with a lurch and a whine from the engine, the bus started moving.

I didn't look outside, nor did I listen or watch Jackson poke the boy every minute or so, then we reached the first stop, somewhere in New Jersey.

Nowhere important, as most of the state is, but then, while Jackson slept, the boy suddenly became alerted from his slouched position, his grey eyes darting around while his dark skin became pale, and his breath had started to come out in white puffs, condensing in summer.

"Oi, what's the-"then I hear that.

The sound of bats, and of wings, and of pain and punishments.

I could feel my skin crawling, and I could feel my heart becoming like a drum, and I could remember the sound of a hammer striking against an anvil, just before that lone eye had focused on me.

Then, three old women went on the bus, and the three walked, in a way unlike their age should show.

Instead of slowly, it was like seeing a lion stalk, and instead of feeling calm, or respect, the other passengers made way, and cold sweat came all around.

I put my hat fast, while my companions touched their pendants and I heard something akin to a cloak covering my ears.

The three old women didn't stop moving, though, and continued their stalk, more and more closer.

Until I could hear the shouts of fear, and of pain, and of mercy, from their breath, and they stopped just beside us.

Then, they turned to the boy, and the leader clutched his chin, turning him and making him look at her.

"Ah, so a soul so heavy has escaped our sight. So much bloodshed you did, young one. And I, Alecto, can feel that you were hiding from our judgment."

Then, the boy started shouting, and the other two old ladies took out whips, while transforming into hideous batlike monsters.

"Now you will face it, Shirou Emiya. May your name be finally forgotten while we give you your deserved fate."

Then, and only then, I started feeling the ground shaking.

When the boy fell down, the windows cracked.

And, when the women grabbed him, the whole bus started swaying, and Penelope Atalanta Jackson got up, her silver pendant now resplendent with its own silver light:

"Let him go, or I will fuck you up."

AN

I had, and am having, many problems. Which is why I didn't write anything for a long time.

I apologise for that.

I truly do.

I would like to say that I am better now, but I am really not, we are not, due to personal reasons, which is why I tried to write this chapter.

And also economical.

Which is why I have also created a and P a treon (the site doesn't like the word, it seems) a Ko-Fi page, to (unfortunately) try to monetize this hobby, so to have more possibilities.

P a treon . com (slash) Manram

ko-fi . com (slash) manram

Please don't feel pressured to help, but any donation (because I will not put any kind of incentive, due to this being fanfiction in the end) that you do would be truly helpful.

Also, please review. It's the first chapter in some time, and reviewing is always helpful.

Signed

Manram