THE HEARTH'S HEART Chapter 4
A/N:- So, again… I'm just saying this again… the events in the middle are the same as the book and I'm picking the story from after the prophecy has been announced and just before the quest has started! Percy has been claimed by Poseidon upon reaching the camp and Hestia has made it public that Percy is her champion. Anyway! On with the chapter! Enjoy! Oh, and also… the people in the quest are Zoe, Bianca, Paige, Percy, Thalia, and Phoebe. Which, I know contradicts the book, but it's fanfiction!
Answers to reviews:-
Guest:- Yes, Erin is Sally's sister, and we'll get glimpses of the hunters' history with Percy a few chapters later! Thanks for reading!
Pjofan1000:- Yes, he will be in the prophecy, and thank you! Here is Chapter four!
Anything is true here, there's a little change in the prophecy, so, I'll be dropping it down below!
Six shall go west to the goddess in chains
One shall be lost in the land without rain
The bane of Olympus shows the trail
Campers and Hunters combined prevail
The Hearth will either save or destroy
The Sea shall wash away the ploy
The Titan's curse must one withstand
And one shall perish by a parent's hand.
Percy sighed as he walked towards the Poseidon Cabin after some talks with Chiron. The prophecy was the only thing that was roaming in his head, rent-free.
The quest members had been chosen, and he was one of them. This was not supposed to happen. And, this was the first prophecy that foretold so many deaths.
And the hearth will either save or destroy?
What was that supposed to mean? And what was the ploy that the sea would wash away? Was Paige going to do something?
He sighed, shaking his head when he felt a tug on his shirt as he turned around.
Nico Di Angelo was standing there.
"What's the matter, Neeks?" He asked, crouching down to his level. "Can't sleep?"
Nico shook his head and said. "I want you to promise something, Percy."
"Anything."
"Will you please, please, please protect my sister?" Nico asked a hopeful expression in his eyes.
Percy's face immediately dropped as he knew the deed would be next to impossible. "Now, that's a pretty big thing to promise, Neeks, especially when—"
"Promise?"
Percy sighed, not wanting to crush the hopes of this little child. "I promise that I will try my best, I really promise."
Immediately, Nico's expression turned happy as he exclaimed, "YAY!"
-TIME-SKIP-
"All right, everyone. Get in the van!" Zoe said, causing Percy to snort.
"No offense, but you sound like a psychotic kidnapper," He muttered, chuckling under his breath, causing the rest to snicker.
He could feel the anger rolling off the huntress but she said nothing and just jumped into the driver's seat, much to the son of Poseidon's shock.
"Well, guess we found ourselves a new part-time job if this monster hunting ever comes to an end!"
Soon everyone was in and the van pulled away from the camp, chugging through the border and down the main road. The last thing they could see was Chiron, his eyes closed, muttering something to the heavens.
Percy just kept wondering what he might have said.
They drove for several hours and miles, straight, Zoe refusing to stop for anything. The only one that really complained was Paige who constantly squirmed in her seat, uncomfortably.
It was understandable as, being a child of the sea, she liked open places, and this closed metal box which humans called a van was pretty much causing claustrophobia.
Added to this was the speed of a madman with which the huntress was driving.
Finally, after some time Paige asked, "How do you even have a driving license?"
"We don't." Came Zoe's immediate reply as they broke the red light, almost knocking some of the pedestrians down.
"Zoe," Percy said, hesitantly. "I think you should slow down."
But the huntress was a stubborn one.
Soon, the demigods grew alarmed as the van's tires began to skid and the metal body started to groan, on the verge of breaking down.
"Zoe!" The son of Poseidon exclaimed and then closed Bianca's ears with his hands. "Fucking slow down! We all understand the urgency of the situation, Zoe. But you cannot just kill all of us in the process!"
The Huntress conceded reluctantly, muttering something along the lines of 'Fucking Babies are scared of speed.'
Soon, with a slowed-down speed, they crossed the Potomac River and reached Central Washington as Zoe parked the car at the curb.
"You know, I need to use the washroom," Phoebe muttered and jumped out of the door, following Bianca inside the Museum of Air and Space.
"Well, I guess we should go as well, you know, to check out and learn some history?" Thalia suggested as Percy and Paige nodded and Zoe just replied with a "Whatever."
The girls soon reunited and sat down in a café as Percy and his sister grabbed a burger from the counter and darted off to explore the museum.
Paige had taken the fact that she had a brother very comfortably. It was almost a breath of relief, that she wasn't alone to be the prophecy child.
And Percy, well, being the 'eager-to-meet-his-sister' kind of person, showered her with gifts. Fourteen, to be precise. He had explained that it was one for every birthday of her life and that the first eight were from Poseidon himself.
A hair clip that transformed into a knife. A conch shell. A bracelet that turned into a trident. A pair of vambraces, matching to Percy's that stayed as bracelets when not used. A pair of celestial bronze knuckles with sharp pointed corals fitted on them. A pair of sais, again similar to Percy's. War hammers, sabers, tonfas, a spear, a book on oceans, a guide to using the weapons, a firestone gem, and, Paige's favorite, The Heart Of The Ocean.
"Too much?" Percy had asked when he'd seen that the entire Poseidon cabin was full.
"Yeah."
The two siblings were now roaming around, admiring the different marvels of history, Percy suddenly noticed a familiar face walking towards a place.
Dr. Thorn.
Seeing him, He nudged Paige and pointed to the Manticore.
"What the hell is he doing here?" She whispered.
"I have no fucking idea," Percy replied and then added after a small pause. "Wanna follow him?"
His sister nodded, and they took off, following Thorn to where he was going, occasionally turning around and showing their backs so that the monster couldn't see them.
Finally, the former vice principal crossed the steps and climbed the stairs of the Museum of Natural History. He looked around cautiously and nervously.
Then he reached the door with a big sign called, 'CLOSED FOR PRIVATE EVENT'.
The two demigods slipped in when the Manticore opened the door. Inside, was a big chamber full of mastodons and dinosaur skeletons, with several mortal guards standing next to the door with two monsters, Scythian Dracaenae, standing next to a boy, about 17 or 18 with sandy brown hair, and pale skin and a scar running down the left side of his face.
Paige gasped. "Luke!"
Next to him, sitting down so that the shadows covered him, was another man. All the demigods could see were his knuckles on the gilded arms of his chair, like a throne.
"Well?" asked the man in the chair. His voice was deep and strong like the earth itself was talking. It filled the whole room even though he wasn't yelling.
Dr. Thorn took off his shades. His two-colored eyes, brown and blue, glittered with excitement.
He made a stiff bow, then spoke in his weird French accent: "They are here, General."
"I know that, you fool," boomed the man. "But where?"
"In the rocket museum."
"The Air and Space Museum," Luke corrected irritably.
Dr. Thorn glared at Luke. "As you say, sir."
"How many?" the General demanded.
"Four, General," Thorn said. "The son of Poseidon, the son of Hades, and the girl with the spiky black hair and the—how do you say—punk clothes and the horrible shield."
"Thalia," Luke said. "And three other girls—Hunters. One wears a silver circlet."
"That one I know," the General growled. "Fine, you are dismissed, Thorn. Go, I shall call you once I find another menial task for you."
Thorn looked angry, but just bowed and left from another door.
Seeing all this Paige was alarmed, while Percy was just listening intently.
"How do we deal with the Demigods sir?" Luke asked.
"Oh, don't worry about them, I have a little playmate ready for them. And for the hunters." The general beckoned a soldier forward.
"Do you have them?" He asked the soldier.
"Yes sire." The soldier said and opened his hands, revealing several teeth.
"Good, plant them." The big G said.
The soldier took the sharp white teeth and planted them in the huge heap of soil right in the center of the room.
Percy and Paige watched on nervously, not doing anything to prevent the risk of getting caught.
The soldier brought out a can and watered the teeth, as everyone watched intently. Though, it wasn't water, it was dark red in color.
"Dinosaur teeth—ha! Those foolish mortals don't even know when they have dragon teeth in their possession. And not just any dragon teeth. These come from the ancient Sybaris herself! They shall do nicely." The General said.
Soon the soil bubbled and erupted and a skeletal hand burst out, grabbing at the air.
"Quickly, do you have the scent?"
"Yesssss, lord," one of the snake ladies said.
She took out a sash of silvery fabric, like the kind the Hunters wore.
"Excellent," the General said. "Once my warriors catch its scent, they will pursue its owner relentlessly. Nothing can stop them, no weapons known to half-blood or Hunter. They will tear the Hunters and their allies to shreds. Toss it here!"
Paige wanted to run away now, but Percy grabbed her hand and shook his head.
"We have to inform the others!"
"We run on my signal," Percy whispered back.
As he said that, skeletons erupted from the ground. There were twelve of them, one for each tooth the soldier had planted.
These were growing flesh as everyone watched, turning into men, but men with dull gray skin, yellow eyes, and modern clothes—gray muscle shirts, camo pants, and combat boots.
If you didn't look too closely, you could almost believe they were human, but their flesh was transparent and their bones shimmered underneath, like X-ray images. The General dropped the sash to the skeleton warriors. One of them grabbed it and sniffed it, then passed it to the others.
Seeing that Paige audibly gasped, which unfortunately the General heard.
"An INTRUDER!" He shouted.
"Now!" Percy whisper-shouted and grabbed his sister's hand and dissolved into mist, far away from that god-forsaken place.
They quickly reappeared in front of the café where the girls were eating.
"How'd you do that?!" Paige gasped, trying to stabilize herself.
Percy didn't pay any heed to her and ran towards the other girls.
"We have to Leave NOW!"
"Why? Did something scare you?" Phoebe asked.
"General… Skeleton warriors… Monster…" Percy said.
"WHAT!?" Zoe said, choking on her drink. "That is impossible! You lie."
"Why would I lie? Look, there's no time. Skeleton warriors—"
"What?" Thalia demanded. "How many?"
"Twelve," Paige said, upon catching up with them. "And that's not all. That guy, the General, he said he was sending something, a 'playmate,' to distract you over here. A monster."
Thalia and Bianca exchanged looks.
"Zoe," Phoebe said nervously, "if it is the General—"
"It cannot be!" Zoe snapped. "They must have seen an Iris-message or some other illusion."
"Illusions don't crack marble floors," Paige told her.
Zoe took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
"If they are telling the truth about the skeleton warriors," she said, "we have no time to argue. They are the worst, the most horrible… We must leave now."
"Good idea," Phoebe said. "Let's—"
She was cut off in the middle of the sentence as they heard a growl so loud that it felt like one of the rocket engines was starting up.
Below them, a few adults screamed. A little kid's voice screeched with delight: "Kitty!"
Something enormous bounded up the ramp, the size of a pick-up truck, with silver claws and golden glittering fur.
"Shit," Thalia exclaimed. "The Nemean Lion!"
Bianca, Phoebe, and Zoe readied their bows, which appeared out of nowhere with arrows knocked on the target.
Thalia took out her mace and shield, Paige uncapped Riptide and it transformed into a 3-foot-long celestial bronze sword while Percy just sighed and stretched his arms.
Mr. Lion roared again, showcasing its shining and gleaming fangs, which were sure to pierce through actual steel.
"Distract the beast." Zoe said.
"Until when?" Percy asked.
"Until I think of a way to kill it, NOW FUCKING RUN!" Zoe said and they all charged at the one thing that could kill them all, like insane maniacs, but at the end of the day, that's what they all were!
Insane maniacs charging in the face of danger.
Paige rolled to the left, while Percy rolled to the right, giving the hunters free space to shoot.
Zoe and Bianca were climbing up the Apollo capsule to gain more height, while Phoebe shot arrows at the beast from the ground level, trying to pierce the impenetrable hide as all arrows inevitably shattered harmlessly off the invincible pelt of the lion.
Thalia stepped in between and shoved Aegis in the Nemean Lion's face pushing it back.
The lion roared loudly as Percy sprinted forward and then turned to the right. Paige was running towards the beast with Riptide in her hands.
She slashed at it with the magical sword, but it just deflected harmlessly of the impenetrable pelt of the lion. The lion slashed at he with its claws, but just before they could make contact with the skin, a huge force pushed the monster to the side.
Everyone looked surprised and turned in the opposite direction to see the son of Poseidon operating a crane with a metal ball, while it didn't do anything, it was enough force to push the Nemean Lion off balance, making it fall down and before it could come up, a silver arrow sprouted out of its eyeball.
Zoe had wasted no time in nocking an arrow and shooting it straight into the gooey nastiness of the lion's eye as the monster screamed in pain, losing its grip on the staircase and tumbled back on the tiled floor, lying still as everyone held their breaths.
"Is it dead?" Paige asked, meekly.
But, of course, the big cat had to prove this pesky human wrong. With an enraged howl, it got back up to its feet, roaring loudly.
"Shit!" Paige exclaimed loudly as they jumped to the sides to avoid the frantic flailing of the lion's paws in anger.
"You had to ask!" Thalia exclaimed as she threw her shield, Captain America style at the monster's nose, which rebound and came back.
"Bad kitty!" Percy shouted as he grabbed a big globe from the side exhibit and threw it straight at the lion's face, both actions making it even more furious.
"I don't really think you guys should've done that," Bianca said lightly, as she nocked another arrow and let go of it.
"Well, I shouldn't have done a lot of things," Percy said, dodging the big blue ball that was coming back at him. "But still, here I am."
Saying that the son of Poseidon foolishly ran toward the lion, dodging some of the attacks by the monster's paws as he grabbed the fur on its legs and started climbing up.
"What the fuck are thou doing, Percy?" Zoe asked as the son of Poseidon held a spear in his hand that seemed to appear out of thin air.
Percy's grip wasn't going to hold on forever, but he thrust his spear into the lion's good eye, making the monster roar out loud.
The son of Poseidon held on to the mane and swung using it, as he flipped in the air and…
"Eat me!" He said as he dived into the lion's mouth and everyone's eyes widened.
The monster struggled for a moment before it stood, it's mouth slowly opening and inside, Percy Jackson was seen, holding the roof of the mouth open with his bare hands.
Zoe took the signal and raised her bow, and in an instant, the lion's mouth was full of silver arrows.
The Nemean Lion thrashed wildly and fell, taking the son of Poseidon with it. And then it was still.
Zoe led the hunters as they ran down to the spot where a mass of brownish, gold fur was lying. But as they watched, it turned to pure gold. The golden form, now nothing more than mere dust, blew away harmlessly in the breeze, leaving a glimmering pelt on the floor.
Frantically, Paige started looking for her brother, searching the entire area.
Nothing moved.
They stopped at the edge of the blanket-sized pelt as they looked for any signs of anything living under the lion's skin and fallen rocks.
"He was a great guy," Thalia said, a little sadness seeping into her voice. "I'm going to miss him."
"Wait," Zoe said as she stared intently at the pelt for a few seconds before she gasped. "It moved!"
Everyone turned around on their heels, looking at the skin incredulously. Sure enough, it was moving.
Soon, a voice came from beneath the pelt. "Wake me up when September ends."
Thalia snorted as she walked forward, grabbing the lion's skin and pulling it back. "It's December, kelp head."
"Did you really have to choose that nickname, Sparky?" Percy asked as he groaned, sitting up.
Paige quickly ran towards him, followed by Zoe and Bianca, and finally Phoebe.
"Percy! Are you okay?" Paige asked.
"I have a killer headache, man," Percy groaned as he massaged his temples. "Please let me sleep for a while?"
Zoe shook her head. "A headache comes and goes. Are thou really injured?"
"I told you I have a headache," Percy said, louder. "Does that count as an injury?"
Zoe shook her head as she placed her hand on the demigod's chest, making him wince.
"You really are a bad liar," Bianca said as she grabbed the lieutenant her hunting knife.
"All right maybe, I am hurt?" Percy said deliriously as he lay back as Zoe cut the demigod's shirt, careful not to slice his skin open, revealing the mess of his chest.
"Shit," Phoebe exclaimed as she saw the body of the kid. The skin of the demigod's chest was pretty tan, littered with a few white lines. But tracing from his right collarbone, over his heart to his shoulder was the worst wound she had seen.
"Just throw a little water on it," Percy said, gesturing to the seven-inch-long wound from which scarlet syrup and a green sticky liquid was oozing out. "I'll be fine."
Thalia just looked at him incredulously as Phoebe supplied fresh white bandages to the lieutenant.
Zoe took out a canteen of nectar from her magical huntress pouch and poured the magical liquid on the entire length of the injury as the son of Poseidon groaned.
"It burns!" Percy exclaimed like a devil-possessed child screams when faced with holy water, as the huntress took out a needle from the pocket and started stitching the wound together after the bleeding had stopped enough.
Percy raised an arm up as Thalia and Paige pulled him up.
"Don't move much now," Zoe said as she broke off a piece of Ambrosia and fed it into Percy's mouth.
Percy nodded weakly as Phoebe handed him the pelt of the Nemean Lion as Paige and Thalia were looking at it in awe.
"Here, take it, it's yours."
"I don't want it," Percy said, nonchalantly, as he limped off to a water dispenser that had somehow survived the fight.
"It's a spoil of war, it's rightfully thine," Zoe said.
"Didn't kill it," Percy said and poured the entire tumbler of water on himself. "You guys did."
"Need I remind you that it was your plan that killed it?" Bianca said, while Paige and Thalia were looming over the pelt, touching it to see how smooth it was.
"Fine," Percy said as he drained another water jug and picked up the skin, surprised to see how light it was. "It's not really my style."
"I think it's better if I do this." Percy took the coat and draped it over Paige, who's eyes widened, but then she smiled.
"This is your fifteenth gift, in advance!"
"You gave such a valuable pelt to someone else?" Zoe asked as she sheathed her knife.
"Well, I don't really like it, last I checked, Heracles had it, and he was pretty much of a jerk," Percy said as he cracked his back. "Besides, those two has been fangirling over it for the last ten minutes. One of them should have it."
"Thank you!" Paige said, while Zoe smiled a little bit, which went unnoticed, just as she hoped.
"Well, hate to break the mood but," Phoebe said, pointing in the opposite direction. "We need to go."
Through the glass walls of the museum, they could see a group of men walking across the lawn. Gray men in gray camouflage outfits. "The Spartus!" Hector said.
"Go," Percy said, emptying yet another glass of water. "They will be hunting you Zoe, I'll distract them."
"No," Bianca said firmly, grabbing his hand. "You are injured, you should rest, we will take care of them."
Percy tried and shook his head but after seeing the girls' stern looks of disapproval, Percy sighed. "Fine then, let's go."
-TIME-SKIP-
Zoe was driving the van to which Percy had transported them.
How that transportation took place, you ask?
Well, it included fire. Yes, that's all the explanation you get, because Zoe didn't understand, and she thus was in no state to explain.
Suddenly, they saw a big black helicopter, just like the one they had seen in the Westover Hall, their guns armed and ready.
"They know the van! We have to leave it and find another mode of transport!" Paige said franticly.
"There!" Bianca said. "That parking lot!"
"We'll be trapped," Zoe said.
"Trust me," Bianca said.
Zoe sighed and reluctantly shot across two lanes of traffic and into a mall parking lot on the south bank of the river.
Soon, they left the van and followed Bianca down some steps, but not before Thalia sent a few sparks up the vehicle's fuel tank.
"Subway entrance," Bianca said as they ran forward. "Let's go south. Alexandria."
"Anything," Thalia agreed.
As soon as they got into the subway, they saw the only train leaving.
"Well, fuck that! There goes the train!" Phoebe said.
"What should we do now?" Paige asked as she rubbed her hands together to generate warmth.
"Wait," Percy said who had been redoing his bandages with a spare roll from Phoebe's magical huntress pouch, unfazed by the cold.
"Fuck," Bianca said as her teeth chattered as she wrapped herself in her huntress blanket.
It was freezing cold, with piles and heaps of snow everywhere. It was a kind of a railway yard, without any other passenger trains, just freight trains, that didn't look like they had traveled in years.
After walking some distance, they finally saw a light, a sign of humans. They all ran towards it, to find out that it was in fact a fire crackling.
Sitting around it was a homeless man, who wore a torn jacket over another one, with several holes patched and a beanie over his head, with tufts of blond sandy hair coming out from beneath. He donned Christmas socks, with black boots. His eyes however were sapphire in color and were sparkling, and his name tag read 'Fred.'
Seeing the demigods, Fred gave them a toothless grin, and his teeth, the remaining ones, were as bright as the sun.
"You guys look a little roughed up! Do you want to get warmed up?" He asked.
"Uh… Y-Y-Y-Y-e-a-aah—h, s-ur-e." Thalia said, and they all huddled around the fire with Fred.
When Percy looked back, he saw that Bianca's and Thalia's teeth were chattering, and Paige was shivering badly. Zoe and Phoebe seemed to have no objections to the freezing temperatures.
"This is great!" Bianca said, her shivering gone down a little.
"Yeah! My feet were freezing, but now it's better!" Thalia said.
"You know," the homeless man said, "you're never completely without friends."
His expression seemed kind. "You kids need a train going west?"
"Yes, sir," Percy said, putting two and two together as he looked at him with wide eyes. "You know of any?"
The man noticed and winked as he pointed with one greasy hand.
Suddenly there was a freight train, gleaming and free of snow. It was one of those automobile-carrier trains, with steel mesh curtains and a triple-deck of cars inside. The side of the freight train said SUN WEST LINE.
Percy just gave him a look that said, 'Bruh, really?'
To which Fred just nodded with a smile.
"That's… convenient," Thalia said. "Thanks, uh…"
She turned to the homeless guy, but he was gone, nowhere to be seen. The environment had returned to cold and freezing as if he'd taken the flames with him.
An hour later they were all rumbling west.
Zoe and Bianca were crashed out in a Lexus on the top deck. Paige was playing 'formula-1 car driver' behind the wheel of a Lamborghini and Thalia had configured the radio in a black Mercedes SLK so she could pick up the alt-rock stations from D.C. Phoebe the huntress was relaxing comfortably in a BMW 8 series convertible.
Percy himself was lying in a Dodge Viper which was completely black in color with orange highlights.
They all were munching on sandwiches and chicken, something that Percy had summoned with the snap of his fingers.
Now, Paige was talking with Thalia while munching on a burger and Percy sighed.
He took his first bite and suddenly, he heard a really cheerful "HEY THERE!"
Percy turned around to see Fred, not looking homeless at all anymore, He was wearing a hot red leather jacket over a bright yellow sweatshirt. His sandy blond hairs were free of the beanie, and completely black sunglasses covered his eyes.
"Hey, Apollo," Percy said. "Tone the brightness down a little."
"Shhhh!" Apollo said with a finger on his mouth, but his lips were curled up into a smile. "I'm incognito right now! So call me Fred only."
"But why are you here?"
"Eh, my sister was kidnapped, don't you think I should atleast make sure that the people going to save my sis are safe!"
"Oh, Thanks then. Anyway, do you know where Artemis is being held?"
Fred's cheerful demeanor darkened.
"I know a lot, and I see a lot. But even I don't know that. She's… clouded from me. I don't like it."
"And Annabeth?"
He frowned. "Oh, you mean that girl they lost? Hmm. I don't know."
"What about the monster Artemis was seeking?" Percy asked. "Do you know what it is?"
"No," Apollo said. "But there is one who might. If you haven't yet found the monster when you reach San Francisco, seek out Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. He has a long memory and a sharp eye. He has the gift of knowledge sometimes kept obscure from my Oracle."
Percy was about to ask something, but…
"Ah, look at the time! I have to run. I doubt I can risk helping you again, Percy, but remember what I said! Get some sleep! And when you return, I expect a good haiku about your journey!"
Percy nodded and said, "Bye Fred!"
Apollo waved his hand, and then vanished in a golden flash of light.
Percy just sighed and reclined back on his seat and fell asleep.
When he did, he immediately slipped into a dream.
In his dream, he was somebody else, wearing an old-fashioned Greek tunic, which was a little too breezy downstairs, and laced leather sandals.
The Nemean Lion's skin, which he was pretty sure he had given to Paige, was wrapped around his back like a cape. He was running somewhere, being pulled along by a girl who was tightly gripping his hand.
"Hurry!" she said. It was too dark to see her face clearly, but he could hear the fear in her voice. "He will find us!" It was nighttime. A million stars blazed above.
They were running through tall grass, and the scent of a thousand different flowers made the air intoxicating. It was a beautiful garden, and yet the girl was leading Percy through it, as if they both were about to die.
"I'm not afraid," He tried to tell her.
"You should be!" she said, pulling Percy along.
She had long dark hair braided down her back. Her silk robes glowed faintly in the starlight.
They raced up the side of the hill. She pulled Percy behind a thorn bush and they collapsed, both breathing heavily.
He didn't know why the girl was scared. The garden seemed peaceful, without any sign of danger. And Percy felt strong, Stronger than ever before.
"There is no need to run," He told her. "I have bested a thousand monsters with my bare hands."
"Not this one," the girl said. "Ladon is too strong. You must go around, up the mountain to my father. It is the only way." The hurt in her voice was surprising. She was really concerned.
"I don't trust your father," Percy said, in a stronger voice.
"You should not," the girl agreed. "You will have to trick him. But you cannot take the prize directly. You will die."
Percy chuckled. "Then why don't you help me, pretty one?"
"I… I am afraid. Ladon will stop me. My sisters, if they found out… they would disown me."
"Then there's nothing for it." He stood up, rubbing his hands together.
"Wait.'" the girl said. She seemed to be agonizing over a decision.
Then, her fingers trembling, she reached up and plucked a long white brooch from her hair. "If you must fight, take this. My mother, Pleione, gave it to me. She was a daughter of the ocean, and the ocean's power is within it. My immortal power."
The girl breathed on the pin and it glowed faintly. It gleamed in the starlight like polished abalone.
"Take it," she said. "And make of it a weapon."
Percy laughed.
"A hairpin? How will this slay Ladon, pretty one?"
"It may not," she admitted. "But it is all I can offer, if you insist on being stubborn."
The girl's voice softened his heart and he reached down and took the hairpin. As he did, it grew longer and heavier in his hand, until he held a familiar bronze sword, it was Paige's sword, Riptide!
"Well balanced," Percy said.
"Though I usually prefer to use my bare hands. What shall I name this blade?"
"Anaklusmos," the girl said sadly. "The current that takes one by surprise. And before you know it, you have been swept out to sea."
Before Percy could thank her, there was a trampling sound in the grass, a hiss like air escaping a tire, and the girl said, "Too late! He is here!"
-DREAM-ENDED-
"AAHH!" Percy woke up screaming, he was totally drenched in sweat from head to toe.
He sighed and placed his hand on his face, wiping away the liquid as he breathed heavily.
Zoe's sword. She had given it to someone, someone who held the Nemean Lion's skin. Someone who had to go to deal with Zoe's father and Ladon.
Heracles.
Just then the door opened and Paige's face came in view.
"Hey, Perce, Morning! The train stopped, let's go!"
"Oh, fine, I am coming," Percy said with a smile.
Percy shook off the drowsiness and followed behind his sister.
Outside were snowy mountains with Pine Trees, and the red sun rising in between of them. They'd arrived on the outskirts of a little ski town nestled in the mountains. The sign said 'WELCOME TO CLOUDCROFT, NEW MEXICO.' The air was cold and thin.
The roofs of the cabins were heaped with snow, and dirty mounds of it were piled up on the sides of the streets. Tall pine trees loomed over the valley, casting pitch-black shadows, though the morning was sunny.
Paige was freezing by the time they had reached the main street. As they walked, Percy told them about the conversation with Apollo, telling them about the Nereus part.
"First of all, that's great that you got a visit from a god." Paige said.
"That's good about Nereus and all, But keep in mind, that we have to get there first." Thalia said.
They stopped in the middle of town. One could see everything from there: a school, a bunch of tourist stores and cafes, some ski cabins, and a grocery store.
"Great," Thalia said, looking around. "No bus station. No taxis. No car rental. No way out."
"There's a coffee shop!" said Phoebe.
"Yes," Zoe said. "Coffee is good."
"And pastries," Pheoebe said.
Thalia sighed. "Fine. How about you two go get us some food. Paige, Percy, Bianca, and I will check in the grocery store. Maybe they can give us directions."
They agreed to meet back in front of the grocery store in fifteen minutes. Bianca looked a little uncomfortable coming with them, but she did.
Inside the store, they found out a few valuable things about Cloudcroft: there wasn't enough snow for skiing, the grocery store sold rubber rats for a dollar each, and there was no easy way in or out of town unless you had your own car.
"You could call for a taxi from Alamogordo," the clerk said doubtfully. "That's down at the bottom of the mountains, but it would take at least an hour to get here. Cost several hundred dollars."
The clerk looked really lonely, so Percy bought a rubber rat and talked with him about the weather and the snow for a few minutes.
Before heading back, Percy gave him a wad of few thousand dollars and winked.
"Why?" The man asked, bewildered.
"Consider it a gift from god."
Once out, Bianca playfully asked, "How much money do you have, man?"
"About a million time's the wealthiest billionaire's net worth," Percy said nonchalantly as he finished his ice cream.
Paige and Thalia just stared at him open-mouthed.
Soon, they headed back outside and stood on the porch.
"Wonderful," Thalia grumped. "I'm going to walk down the street, see if anybody in the other shops has a suggestion."
"But the clerk said—" Paige was cut in the middle.
"I know," she said. "I'm checking anyway."
"I am going with you!" Paige said franticly and stood up.
Thalia shrugged, and they both went down the street. Bianca and Percy were now standing alone.
"Nice rat," she said.
"Thanks, So… how do you like being a Hunter so far?" Percy asked.
She pursed her lips. "You're not still mad at me for joining, are you?"
"Nah. Long as, you know… you're happy."
"Thanks Percy, being a Hunter is definitely cool. I feel calmer somehow. Everything seems to have slowed down around me. I guess that's the immortality."
Percy glanced at Bianca, she seemed better than before, she glowed in the dark, like the moon, and her silver parka shimmered in the moonlight. Percy suddenly realized that he would soon die and mix with the soil, but Bianca would never age and look like the same powerful 12-year-old.
Just then Zoe and Phoebe returned.
"We have to leave." Zoe said.
"Why what happened?" Percy asked.
"That." Phoebe said, pointing towards 4 spartus coming their way.
"Shit!" Bianca said. "We are only four, how can we fight against four skeletons?"
"Don't worry! You guys are not alone!" Paige said, as she was running up the street with Thalia.
"It's 6 against four now." But just as Thalia said that, four more Spartii came from behind a bush.
They were surrounded, but Percy wondered where the other 6 Spartus were, because he had seen 12 at the Smithsonian.
"We have to get over with this quickly," Zoe said.
The first spartus fired at them, and Percy acted quickly, twisting his ring to bring out his sword, and sliced the bullet cleanly in half.
Bianca shot an arrow at a Skeleton, which burst into flames.
"how did you do that?!" Thalia asked. "Why aren't our attacks working on them?" She asked as she stabbed a skeleton with her spear. The bones unknitted and clattered to the ground, but then just rearranged itself back.
"Yeah, I guess it only works with children of Hades." Bianca said as she shot an arrow into the skull of the spartus Thalia was fighting.
Actually, everyone except for Bianca were having a hard time fighting. They quickly retreated.
"This isn't working, only Bianca is able to kill these things, and she is getting exhausted," Paige said.
"We need to run now," Zoe said.
"And go where?" Percy asked. "They know your scent, so they will follow you until you kill them, and you can't kill them."
"Then what will we do?" Phoebe asked.
"I have an idea!" Percy said.
"Go on." Bianca said.
Percy whistled loudly, like a taxi-cab whistle, and waited.
Everyone looked around confused, even the skeleton warriors, while Percy just smiled.
Soon, the trees behind the spartus rustled, and out came a big monster serpent with legs. Orange like fire, with green eyes.
The creature roared and picked up three skeletons at once and gulped them down. Then it turned towards the half-bloods.
"A drakon!" Zoe exclaimed and nocked an arrow.
"Helen!" Percy said and went near the monster to pet it, as the others watched over in horror. "Oh, how I missed you, girl."
Helen licked Percy's face and snorted.
"You have a drakon named Helen?" Thalia asked.
"And a sea serpent, don't be rude to her. Come on, let's hop on." Percy said, and everyone climbed on the big, friendly, monster. Thalia sat right behind Percy, behind whom sat Paige, behind whom sat Bianca followed by Phoebe and finally Zoe.
"Good, girl, now let's get out of this place, and if you find any bad skeleton, you are free to munch on it." Percy said.
Helen nodded and then bounded off, occasionally eating a few spartii.
They rode on until sunset, Percy wasn't sure how much they had travelled, but the mountains had faded into the distance, and were replaced by miles of flat, dry land. There was nothing there except for a few shrubs and cacti. It was entirely a desert.
"This is it, our next stop, Arizona. Or the land without rain." Zoe said, as everybody slipped down from the drakon's back.
Percy quickly summoned a fish for the monster and said, "Go, rest well, bye! We will meet again girl."
Ahead of them was a two-lane road half covered with sand.
On one side of the road was a cluster of buildings too small to be a town: a boarded-up house, a taco shop that looked like it hadn't been open since before Zoe Nightshade was born, and a white stucco post office with a sign that said GILA CLAW, ARIZONA hanging crooked above the door.
Beyond that was a range of hills, but they weren't regular hills. The countryside was way too flat for that. The hills were enormous mounds of old cars, appliances, and other scrap metal. It was a junkyard that seemed to go on forever.
"Whoa," Percy said.
"Something tells me, that this place is no good." Thalia said.
Paige nodded, "This just gives off a bad vibe to me."
"Yes, thou are right." Zoe said.
"Anyway, let's set up camp for tonight, it's getting dark." Phoebe said.
Sure enough, the sun was setting, making the hills of metal look like something on an alien planet.
Zoe, Bianca, and Phoebe produced six sleeping bags and foam mattresses out of their backpacks for them to sleep on.
The night got chilly fast, so Paige and Percy collected old wooden boards from the ruined house, and the latter lit them up to start a campfire.
Pretty soon they were getting ready to sleep in a rundown ghost town in the middle of nowhere.
"The stars are out," Zoe said, as they lay down on their mattresses, Phoebe had already gone to sleep, while the rest were still awake, thinking about what to do.
"Amazing," Bianca said. "I've never actually seen the Milky Way."
"This is nothing," Zoe said, holding a bottle of rum in her hand. "In the old days, there were more. Whole constellations have disappeared because of human light pollution."
"You talk like you're not human," Paige said.
Zoe raised an eyebrow. "I am a Hunter. I care what happens to the wild places of the world. Can the same be said for thee?"
"Well… actually no…"
Zoe wore a 'Duh' expression.
"Should you be drinking rum now?" Percy asked.
"We're different from normal humans. We don't get affected by alcohol. The only thing that is there is the taste, and I love it. Thou want to try?"
"My mom will kill me if I did, and plus, we're not of the legal age to drink," Paige responded.
"Hey, Zoe, remember that time Phoebe made the cartel leader give her all his stash of wine?" Percy asked.
The huntress laughed rarely, but when she did, it was beautiful. "So that all that alcohol didn't get wasted. Wait a minute, we gave you a bottle too then, what'd you do with it?"
"I gave it to Aunt Hestia," Percy said, sighing, his hair tousled as he looked up in the sky.
Just then, they were hit with a blazing light from down the road. The headlights of a car appeared out of nowhere.
Everyone grabbed their sleeping bags and got out of the way as a deathly white limousine slid to a stop in front of them.
The back door of the limo opened right next to Paige and Percy, but before Paige could step away, the point of a sword touched her throat.
Percy quickly placed his leg at the throat of the owner of the sword, who was coming out of the car.
Zoe and Bianca drew their bows, while Phoebe and Thalia brought out their hunting knives and spear.
A man came out, he was a big man with a crew cut, a black leather biker's jacket, black jeans, a white muscle shirt, and combat boots. Wraparound shades hid his eyes, but hollow sockets filled with flames were visible through them. Something about his eyes filled Percy with anger.
"Ares," Paige growled out.
The war god glanced at the rest. "At ease, people."
He snapped his fingers, and everyone's weapons fell to the ground.
"This is a friendly meeting." He dug the point of his blade a little farther under Paige's chin.
"Then why are you treating me so hostilely?"
"Don't worry, of course I'd like to take your head for a trophy, but someone wants to see your friend here. And I never behead my enemies in front of a lady."
"What lady?" Thalia asked.
Ares looked over at her. "Well, well. I heard you were back, little sister." Ares sneered the last part as he lowered his sword and pushed Paige away.
"Thalia Grace," Ares mused. "You're not hanging out with very good company."
"What's your business, Ares?" she said. "Who's in the car?"
Ares smiled. "Oh, I doubt she wants to meet the rest of you. Particularly not them." He jutted his chin toward Zoe and Phoebe, who were standing next to Bianca.
"Why don't you all go get some tacos while you wait? I will only take Percy for a few minutes."
"We will not leave him alone with thee, Lord Ares," Zoe said.
"Besides," Phoebe said, "the taco place is closed."
Ares snapped his fingers again and the lights inside the taqueria suddenly blazed to life. The boards flew off the door and the CLOSED sign flipped to OPEN.
"You were saying, little huntress?"
"Go on," Percy told his friends. "I'll handle this, also, save some tacos for me."
"You heard the boy," Ares said. "He's big and strong. He's got things under control."
Percy got inside the limousine, as the door snapped shut behind him.
Sitting inside, was a woman who was wearing a red satin dress. Her hair was curled in a cascade of ringlets.
Her face was covered in makeup, she had eyes of a seductress, and dazzling white teeth.
She may have been beautiful to many men, but she wasn't really Percy's type.
When Percy actually looked at her again, he saw an obsidian black and brown-eyed demigod, about his age, with completely black hair wearing a black sleeveless turtleneck.
"Ah, there you are, Percy," the goddess said. "I am Aphrodite."
"What do you want?"
"Want," Aphrodite said checking her makeup. "Such a trivial thing, yet a need of many."
"What the fuck do you mean?"
"I mean that everybody wants something," She said and then poked Percy's chest with a well and freshly manicured finger. "Even you."
"And you know what I want?" Percy asked incredulously. "If you do, please tell me as well."
Aphrodite laughed heartily as Percy just stared at her. "You're funny. Well… right now… the only thing you want is to get off this car. Which… won't be that pleasant, right?"
Percy didn't say anything and just blocked his nose to avoid the scent of perfume entering his nose.
"But the thing you suffer from," The goddess said sadly. "Is a broken heart. And nothing is capable of mending one. Especially when you know that the one whom you loved is gone, forever."
"Shut up, Aphrodite," Percy said and then gasped. "I mean, Lady Aphrodite."
"No worries, my dear Percy," The goddess said sweetly. "You don't need to use such formalities. Let me just tell you one thing. The one you're looking for... may never meet you, or may be right next to you!"
"What?" Percy asked incredulously. "What do you mean?"
"You'll find out soon enough!" Aphrodite said, laughing loudly weirding the son of Poseidon out.
"Oh, ok," Percy said. "Can I go now?"
"Sure, sure! Best of luck!" Aphrodite said. "Just remember, you have the blessing of love over you! Oh, and be careful in my husband's junkyard!"
When the audience with the goddess was over, Percy came out of the Limo.
He waved at Ares and said, "Bye, War God, until next time. I wanted to fight you, but too bad."
"I would love to fight you once too kid, just to wipe the smugness off of you. You got spunk and I like that. But until that, Farewell."
Ares snapped his fingers and the world did a three-sixty, spinning in a cloud of red dust. Percy fell to the ground. When he stood up again, the limousine was gone.
The road, the taco restaurant, the whole town of Gila Claw was gone. Percy's friends were standing in the middle of the junkyard, mountains of scrap metal stretched out in every direction.
"What did she want with you?" Bianca asked, once Percy told them about Aphrodite.
"Oh, uh, not sure," He lied. "She said to be careful in her husband's junkyard and to not to pick anything up."
Zoe narrowed her eyes. "The goddess of love would not make a special trip to tell thee that. Be careful, Perseus. Aphrodite has led many heroes astray."
"For once I agree with Zoe," Thalia said.
"Yes, you can't trust Aphrodite," Phoebe said, yawning, with a taco in her hands.
"What? You think I was having limo sex with her?"
Zoe's expression hadn't changed and Percy groaned.
"I didn't, I swear. Anyway," He said, anxious to change the subject, "how do we get out of here? Oh and also… did you save me some tacos?"
"That way," Zoe said, handing him a paper-wrapped snack. "That is west."
"How can you tell?" Paige asked. In the light of the full moon, everyone was clearly able to see her roll her eyes.
"Ursa Major is in the north," she said, "which means that must be west." She pointed west, then at the northern constellation.
"Oh, yeah, The bear thing."
Zoe looked offended. "Show some respect. It was a fine bear. A worthy opponent."
"You act like it was real."
"Guys," Percy broke in between them. "Look!"
They'd reached the crest of a junk mountain. Piles of metal objects glinted in the moonlight: broken heads of bronze horses, metal legs from human statues, smashed chariots, tons of shields and swords and other weapons, along with more modern stuff, like cars that gleamed gold and silver, refrigerators, washing machines, and computer monitors.
"Whoa," Bianca said. "That stuff… some of it looks like real gold."
"That's probably because it is." Paige said.
"Like Percy said, don't touch anything. This is the junkyard of the gods." Thalia said.
"Junk?" Paige picked up a beautiful crown made of gold, silver, and jewels. It was broken on one side, as if it had been split by an axe. "You call this junk? It's beautiful!" She said, putting it on her head to test it out.
Thalia swatted the crown out of his hands. "I'm serious!"
"Look!" Bianca said. She raced down the hill, tripping over bronze coils and golden plates. She picked up a bow that glowed silver in moonlight. "A Hunter's bow!"
She yelped in surprise as the bow began to shrink, and became a hair clip shaped like a crescent moon. "It's just like Paige's sword!"
Zoe's face was grim, like she knew who owned the bow. "Leave it, Bianca."
"But—"
"It is here for a reason. Anything thrown away in this junkyard must stay in this yard. It is defective. Or cursed."
Bianca reluctantly set the hair clip down.
"I don't like this place," Thalia said. She gripped the shaft of her spear.
"You think we're going to get attacked by killer refrigerators?" Paige asked.
She gave her a hard look.
"Zoe is right, Paige. Things get thrown away here for a reason. Now come on, let's get across the yard." Percy said. "And who knows… killer refrigerators are not uncommon."
They started picking their way through the hills and valleys of junk. The stuff seemed to go on forever, and if it hadn't been for Ursa Major, they would've gotten lost. Because all the hills pretty much looked the same.
Percy found an electric guitar shaped like Apollo's lyre, and Paige found a broken tree made out of metal. It had been chopped to pieces, but some of the branches still had golden birds in them, and they whirred around when she picked the tree up, trying to flap their wings.
Finally, they saw the edge of the junkyard about half a mile ahead of them, the lights of a highway stretching through the desert.
But between the demigods and the road was…
"What is that?" Bianca gasped.
Ahead of her was a hill much bigger and longer than the others. It was like a metal mesa, the length of a football field and as tall as goalposts. At one end of the mesa was a row of ten thick metal columns, wedged tightly together.
Phoebe frowned. "They look like—"
"Toes," Hector completed her sentence.
Bianca nodded. "Really, really large toes."
A/N:- Longer chapters! I hope you liked this chapter! How did you like the fights? Who do you think is going to be lost? Let me know in the reviews below! And yes, that 'Heart of the Ocean' is the one from Titanic. Bye, Have a Nice Day!