Hello there, gods, half-bloods and friends, welcome to the next chapter of The God Hunter.
Been a bit busy the past month, and I'm a bit tired. So enjoy your chapter while I work on something else for next week.
"Hey Hera, if you could see me now, arms spread wide on the starboard bow. Gonna fly this boat to the moon somehow. Like Kevin Garnett, anything is possible!" Matt sang as he stood behind the wheel of the Queen Anne's Revenge, a pirate hat on top his platinum blonde hair.
Though he didn't had to steer as the ship responded to Percy's every command.
Speaking of Percy, he was standing next to Matt and the two friends seemed to actually enjoy themselves after everything that had happened.
"Yeah, never thought I'd be on a boat. It's a big blue watery road, Poseidon look at me!" Percy sang, "Never thought I'd see the day, when a big boat coming my way. Believe me when I say, I fucked a mermaid."
"I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat. Everybody look at me 'cause I'm sailing on a boat." Percy and Matt sang together, "I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat! Take a good hard look at the mothertrucking' boat!"
"Why are you two so happy!?" Annabeth shouted, who's face had turned a color of guacamole, "And where did you get that hat?"
"Because Percy's alive! And I got to be a pirate." Matt said before pointing to his hat, "Found it in the captains cabin."
"While I'm happy to be reunited with you guys." Percy said turning serious, "We need to talk."
"Yeah, we should." Matt said as he leaned on the wheel, "Like how are you alive."
The group sat down on the deck, Percy began to explain what had happen to him after the destruction of the CSS Birmingham.
Percy's entire body was in pain as he washed up on a beach with white sand. He had found himself on a beach one would see in advertisements for expensive summer vacations to Hawaii. Palm trees decorated the edge of the beach, leading to a jungle.
But as he was about to slip away into blackness, he thought he felt the white sand move, as if parting by bare feet.
"Oh, dear." a female British accented voice said.
Mustering the strength to turn his head, he saw a pair of deep green eyes looking down at him and framed by a few locks of ashen hair.
"Kid, are you alright?" the woman said concerned, kneeling next to him, "Don't go passing out..."
The last thing Percy remembered was the woman calling out for help before he was swallowed by darkness.
Percy blinked, he wasn't laying on the beach anymore, he laid on his back in what was possibly the comfy bed he had ever laid in. Sitting up he was laying in a queen sized bed, covered in white blankets and pillows.
The room itself looked like something out of a five-star hotel room, lots of space and nicely decorations that went well with the clean white room. The window opposite of the door gave a magnificent view of the ocean. Percy had been so mesmerized that he hadn't noticed the door opening.
"Ah, good. Your awake."
Turning to the door, he saw it was the woman he had seen right before he had passed out. But this time he got a better look at her, and on first impression she looked like someone very graceful but not someone you should cross.
She had the most vivid green eyes which was accented greatly by her long ashen hair held up in a messy bun. On her left cheek, she had a large rugged scar. She was wearing a white dress shirt and tan short pants, she looked like a fashion model on summer vacation. If the model had a body covered with scars which showed experience in battle.
"How are you feeling?" she said speaking with a soft British accent voice, pulling up a seat next to the bed.
"I feel fine. No better, great even." Percy said, feeling completely revitalized, "Thank you."
"It was nothing." she said, "If you feel up for it, my husband is making supper. After that we can help you back on your quest."
This put Percy on edge immediately, though when he would think about it, the fact there was a vacation home in the middle of the Sea of Monsters was enough cause for concern.
"No need to look so surprised. It's the only reason a half-blood would enter the Sea of Monsters." the woman said as she stood up, "While it's smart to be weary, nothing on this island will harm you. You have my vow. I swear it on... What was your people saying again? Ah, yes! I swear it on the River Styx."
"Fine." Percy said as he got out of bed, "Did anyone else wash up?"
"Not that I sensed." the woman said as she gestured for him to follow, "Oh, by the way, my name is Ciri."
Percy followed Ciri and he thought this place would be featured in one of those reality TV shows about the rich and famous.
They came to the back porch with an outdoor swimming pool along with a short walk to the beach. Along with the black and white beach chairs. He saw a decked out table, where three plates along with crystal glasses and silver eating utensils. In the middle stood a big pan filled with yellow rice, different vegetables and shrimps.
"Ah, just in time." the man at the head of the table said, "Dig in while the paella is still warm."
Ciri walked up to the man, placing a kiss on his mouth but Percy froze in place. For a moment, he thought that at the table was an older version of Matt. But he obviously wasn't, this man looked to be in his late twenties.
On top of his swept back platinum blonde hair he had a pair of black tinted aviator glasses. He was wearing a open white up dress shirt, revealing his chiseled abs. The sleeves where rolled up to his elbows, black swimming short with golden flowers decorating.
While he had the same intense amber eyes as Matt, there was something more behind them. A sense that evoke emotions long hidden, a promise of things he was always scared to admit to another. And power, lots of power.
"Look at the boy, paralyzed in fear." the man said with a British accent, his tone made him sound almost sympathetic to Percy's situation, "You have nothing to fear from me. While it's true I'm not on the best of terms with your dad, I don't have any serious quarrels with him either. And I am sure it's no fault of your own that you washed up on my privet island, even though I warned them.
"I'm sorry..." Percy said, hearing that voice coming from someone looking this much like Matt felt unnatural, "But I have no idea who you are."
"Really? Not a clue?" the man said surprised sharing a glance with his wife before turning back to Percy, "Your dad, Poseidon, didn't warn you about me?"
Percy shook his head.
"Well then, I believe introductions are in order." the man said with just a hint of the theatrical, "Who am I? A friend? Potentially. An adversary? Conceivably. As for my name? Lucifer Lux. How do you do, Perseus Jackson?"
"I'm sorry. Lucifer Lux?" Percy said surprised at the man's first name, "As in the... the Devil. The actual Devil? Like, the mythological biblical one?"
"That's me. Also Satan, Beelzebub, Satanael, old Scratch." Lucifer said with a smile, "Actually, I like that last one in particular and those first two get a bit confusing at times. But yes, I'm the Devil. I basically invented daddy issues. Waged a war then got banished to rule Hell."
As they sat down on the table as the spoon in the pan began to serve them their food, and it seemed the glasses worked similar how they did back at camp.
"Oh, this is weird!" Percy said, "Like I know my dad is the sea god..."
"A sea god, yes. Poseidon seemed to be rather fond of you. He looked really nervous when he thought I knew of you." Lucifer said as they began to eat, "How are the state of affairs back at Camp Half-Blood? It's been some time since I visited, how is Chiron doing these days?"
"He's with his family now." Percy said much to the Devil's surprise, "He's not the camp's activities director anymore."
"Why the bloody hell not? He's trained kids to fight monsters for over three thousand years." Lucifer said sounding offended on Chiron's behalf, "What happened?"
"He got fired." Percy said, "The tree Zeus created from the spirit of his daughter... Do you know of this story?"
"Of little Thalia? Yes, he's aware of it." Ciri said as he gestured with her spoon, "My husband always keeps an eye on children of Zeus and their descendants."
"Why?"
"Because I have a soft spot for them, lovable idiots that they are..." Lucifer said, swirling the amber liquid, "So what's wrong with Thalia's tree?"
"It's been poisoned, something from the Underworld." Percy said, "Some venom never seen before. That's why Chiron was fired, someone had to take the blame. Mr. D had to punish someone."
"Besides himself, of course." Lucifer scoffed, "I have half a mind to march over to that camp and..."
"Darling." Ciri said sternly.
"If I wasn't on holiday. But enough about the incompetence of the Olympians." Lucifer said, "I believe your here on a quest? What am I saying, of course you are. Once you finish your plate, I have a boat ready for you to reunite with your friends."
"There is this saying, 'There is no such thing as a free lunch'." Percy said, "You don't want my soul for your help?"
"What good is a soul to me? My job is to punish the wicked, not corrupting the virtuous. No, no, I deal in favors. I help someone now and in return they owe me a favor I can cash in down the line." Lucifer said with a smirk, "But I admit, you have a point. While I adhere to the right of hospitality, that doesn't mean I don't want you to be gone from my island as quickly as possible. There are many R-rated things I wish to preform with my wife."
"Luci!" Ciri scolded him.
"What?" he said with a smirk, "It's not like your not thinking the same thing."
"That's not untrue, but there are children at the table." Ciri said.
"I'm thirteen!" Percy protested.
"Like I said, a child." Ciri said, sounding rather like a mother who had heard that argument many times before.
"Well, Perseus Jackson, here's my offer. I will give you a boat to reunite with your friends. There is this particular island where they are heading. It so happens that island has a particular ship I'm looking for." Lucifer said, "You retrieve the ship for me, complete your quest and I will pick it up once your back in the mortal world."
"What about my friends?" Percy said even though he had a million questions, "Matt, Annabeth and Tyson."
"What about them?" Lucifer said as he took a sip from his drink.
"We where on a ship, it exploded, well I was carried off by Scylla, but the others..." Percy said, "How do you even know their alive?"
Lucifer turned to his wife, as she began to focus, "Your brother? A child of Athena and..." Ciri said but the last one puzzled her, "Luci, I'm not familiar with the last one."
The Devil turned his attention away from the table, "Your right, dear. This is a new one. A child of Hera?" he said with a giggle, "That is a surprise."
"They are fine, Percy." Ciri assured him.
"Well that settles it." Lucifer said, "Now enjoy your supper, Perseus Jackson. For it might be your last."
"Is that a threat?" Percy said.
"Just stating the obvious. Your a doom driven hero on a quest to save Camp Half-Blood. Any meal can be your last." Lucifer said, before leaning forward, "Now then, do we have a deal?"
With that, Percy finished up the story with him arriving at Circe's island, where he had spotted Matt and Annabeth running down the docks.
"Wait, hold on." Matt said, "You met the Devil? As in the actual Devil? Like, the mythological biblical one?"
"Yeah, that one." Percy said with a nod.
"Oh... That is not good." Annabeth said shaking her head, "That is really not good. Please, Percy, tell me you didn't take any of his deals."
"Maybe..." Percy muttered, "Why? He seemed like an okay guy."
"Because the Star of Morning is trouble, with a capital T." Annabeth said turning to the blonde, "Matt remember the story I told you? The one about how the gods where forced into an eternal debt."
"Of course." he said with a nod, "The one about Olympus very own Sauron."
"That was him." Annabeth said.
"That's... bad." Matt said wide eyed.
"Very elegantly put, Matt, really." she said holding her head, "Sorry, I'm gonna have a lay down."
With the two alone, the duo watched the horizon as the day gave away to night. More than once, they spotted monsters. A plume of water as tall as a skyscraper spewed into the moonlight. A row of green spines slithered across the waves something maybe a hundred feet long, reptilian.
"Hey Matt." Percy said after they had seen a Nereids.
"Hey Percy." Matt said.
"I need to tell you something." Percy said seriously, "But please don't freak out."
"Must be serious if you waited until Annabeth went... Oh, shit." Matt said, "You made a deal with Lu..."
"Don't say his name." Percy warned, "He knows your location the moment you say his name. He told me so himself."
"Like the saying." Matt said, "Speak of the devil and he shall appear."
Percy shrugged before he continued to talk, "I was scared of him, but not because I was talking to the Devil."
"Then what was it?"
"Because... Because he looked exactly like you, he even acted a lot like you." Percy said, "I think he might be your dad."
"Okay." Matt said with a humorless laugh.
"What are you two talking about?"
It was Annabeth, who had returned from her nap below deck.
"Apparently Percy thinks I'm Damien." Matt said with a roll of his eyes.
"What?" she said.
"Damien from The Omen?... No? " Matt said looking between his two friends, "You two need to watch more movies..."
"You mean... No, that's not possible." Annabeth said, shaking her head, "No, it's... Why would the Devil father a son? With Hera of all gods?"
"I know right?" Matt said, "I mean he is evil incarnate, but even the Devil must have some standards."
Later in the evening, Matt was standing at the front of the boat, waves crashing against the hull as he was lost in thought.
Matt... Are you alright?
"What? Yeah, just thinking about what Percy said. I know his heart is in the right place, but... It seems far-fetched you know?"
You being the Light Bringer's son? It is a possibility. Honestly, it would explain a lot actually. Think about it, the normal rules, those even the gods must follow, those don't apply to him. Like how the Loom of Faith has no sway over him for example. Just like how Medusa's stare couldn't turn you to stone?
And it was also a known fact that he was very... promiscuous, before he decided to wed a mortal.
"What does promiscuous mean?"
It means he had a lot of sex with different people.
"Oh... But The Devil can't be my dad. It just... It can't."
Would that really be such a bad thing?
"Because it raises too many questions. The most hated being in all of creation would be my dad. I would be the antichrist, probably to be used in some sort of world conquering plot! I don't want anyone controlling me, nobody decides my destiny except me! And worse of all... With Lucifer as my dad and Hera as my mom... Would I... Am I even human?"
The voice in his head was silent as Matt continued to rant inside his head, "You know what else this would mean? If there is a Devil out there, than God with a capital G is real. And if there is some geezer up there in charge of everything, then he's a world heavyweight cunt!"
Okay, lot to unpack there... Did you just call God a curse word?
"Yes, I did. He's got a hard-on for mass murder, giving kids cancer, and his big old answer to the existential cluster feck that is humanity is to nail his own son to a plank." Matt thought, "That is a cunt move, you got to agree with me on that. You know what we should do? Launch a nuke at him, get it over and done with!"
He was slightly taken aback when he heard an unfamiliar sound echoing in his head. While he had heard a few chuckles coming from Asherah here and there, Matt had never heard her go into full blow laughter.
"...Was it something I said?"
Matt, your... Something special. Don't worry too much about your parentage or your humanity. And as sad as it is, there are times a birth parent is a dud. Sometimes the family you choose is better.
"Hey, Matt!"
He turned around to see that Annabeth had walked up to him and was now standing next to him. She had been seemingly called his name a few times.
"Sorry, I was miles away." Matt said with a smile, "You where saying?"
"Wanted to know if your alright." she said.
"What? Yeah, I'm fine." Matt said, trying to sound casual.
"Really? Because it looked like you where trying to choke out your pirate hat."
Matt raised his eyebrows as he hadn't realized he had taken it off during his talk with Asherah, and he had started to crush it in his hands.
"Oh... Yeah, he was bad mouthing you. So I had to teach him a lesson." Matt joked before turning to his hat, "You don't get to call Annabeth a know-it-all! Only I get to call her that! Well, that might be hypocritical but I have that right because she's my friend!"
It was difficult to see in the dark, but Matt could swear he saw a smile on her face. "Seriously Matt... I want to tell you something."
"Is it a big something like how I might be the antichrist?" Matt said.
"No, but it's something you deserve to know." Annabeth said, "The reason why I hate Cyclopes so much... The story about how Thalia really died."
"Oh, so this is serious." Matt said.
"The night Grover was escorting us to camp, he got confused, took some wrong turns." Annabeth said, "The worst wrong turn was into a Cyclops's lair in Brooklyn."
"...There are Cyclopes in Brooklyn?" Matt said, "That explains so much..."
"Tell me about it. Anyway, this Cyclops, he tricked us. He managed to split us up inside this maze of corridors in an old house in Flatbush. And he could sound like anyone, Matt. Just the way Tyson did aboard the Princess Andromeda. He lured us, one at a time. Thalia thought she was running to save Luke. Luke thought he heard me scream for help. And me... I was alone in the dark. I was seven years old. I couldn't even find the exit."
She brushed the hair out of her face. "I remember finding the main room. There were bones all over the floor. And there were Thalia and Luke and Grover, tied up and gagged, hanging from the ceiling like smoked hams. The Cyclops was starting a fire in the middle of the floor. I drew my knife, but he heard me. He turned and smiled. He spoke, and somehow he knew my dad's voice. I guess he just plucked it out of my mind. He said, 'Now, Annabeth, don't you worry. I love you. You can stay here with me. You can stay forever.'"
"Now that's just creepy." Matt said with a shiver, "What did little you do?"
"I stabbed him in the foot." she said.
"That's the Annabeth I know." Matt said approvingly.
"He would've killed me. But I surprised him. It gave me just enough time to run to Thalia and cut the ropes on her hands. She took it from there. We barely got out alive. I still have nightmares, Matt. The way that Cyclops talked in my father's voice. It was his fault we took so long getting to camp. All the monsters who'd been chasing us had time to catch up. That's really why Thalia died. If it hadn't been for that Cyclops, she'd still be alive today."
The two stood on the deck, watching the Hercules constellation rise in the night sky.
"Go below." Annabeth told him at last, "You need some rest."
"Go below? Annabeth, I claimed the captains quarters." Matt said, putting up the hat, "After all, I am Captain Matt Hauer."
Matt fell asleep after a few turns in the Captain's bed before he drifted off into sleep.
Instead of waking up in the Dream version of his house. But instead he found himself in Luke's stateroom aboard the Princess Andromeda. The curtains were open. It was night time outside. The air swirled with shadows.
Kronos's golden sarcophagus glowed faintly, the only source of light in the room.
"Okay..." Matt muttered, "This is new."
A cold laugh came from miles below the ship, "You don't have what it takes, boy. You can't stop me."
"Whatever power you think you have, it won't save you from me." Matt scoffed as he called his sword to his hand.
Ghosts whirled around him like a tornado, making it difficult to move.
Then a girl spoke right next to him, "Well, Cow Eyes?"
Expecting to see Annabeth, the only person who called him that, but the girl wasn't Annabeth. She wore punk-style clothes with silver chains on her wrists. She had spiky black hair, dark eyeliner around her stormy blue eyes, and a spray of freckles across her nose. She looked familiar for some reason.
"If you here to stop Kronos, let's go." Matt said, "If not, get out of my way."
"Good answer." the girl said, she tapped her wrist and her silver chains transformed.
Flattening and expanding into a huge shield. It was silver and bronze, with the monstrous face of Medusa protruding from the center. The girl drew her sword and the two charged on the sarcophagus and the shadowy ghosts.
Percy was shaking him. "Matt, you need to get up."
"I-its Captain Matt." Matt said still half asleep as he sat up in his bed, "Are we under attack?"
"No, we..." Percy said, "Don't go back to sleep!"
Matt had laid back down as he intended to go back to sleep, "Wake me up when we're under attack or we have arrived."
"Matt! It's Annabeth!" Percy said as he continued to shake him, "She has a crazy idea."
"Real shit!?" Matt said sitting up at once, "Crazy idea's are my territory."
"You want to do what!?" Matt said as the trio where up on the deck once he heard Annabeth's plan.
They where approaching the island of the Sirens, being that sang so sweetly their voices enchanted sailors and lured them to their death.
"They say the Sirens sing the truth about what you desire. They tell you things about yourself you didn't even realize. That's what's so enchanting." Annabeth said, "If you survive... you become wiser. I want to hear them. How often will I get that chance?"
"Well..." Matt said with a shrug, "If that's what you want."
"Your okay with this!?" Percy said.
"Not the craziest thing we have ever done." Matt pointed out.
As soon as the rocky coastline of the island came into view, Percy ordered one of the ropes to wrap around Annabeth's waist, tying her to the foremast.
"Don't untie me." she said, "No matter what happens or how much I plead. I'll want to go straight over the edge and drown myself."
"That would give us an alibi." Percy said, "We could get away with it."
"No, assisting in suicide is a crime." Matt said with a frown, "I think..."
"Well aren't you two funny." Annabeth said.
"I know, we are hilarious." Matt said, "Don't worry, we'll keep you save." as Percy handed him two large wads of candle wax.
He kneaded them into earplugs, and stuffed his ears.
The silence was eerie, as they approached the island, jagged rocks loomed out of the fog. Percy willed the Queen Anne's Revenge to skirt around them as if they sailed any closer, those rocks would shred the hull like blender blades.
At first, Annabeth seemed totally normal. Then she got a puzzled look on her face and her eyes widened. She strained against the ropes. Her expression was clear: She had to get out. This was life or death. She seemed so miserable it was hard not to cut her free.
Percy urged the Queen Anne's Revenge to go faster.
Floating in the water were pieces of wood and fiberglass, the wreckage of old ships, even some flotation cushions from airplanes.
Annabeth was pleading with them. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she strained against the ropes, as if they were holding her back from everything she cared about. To take his attention away from her, Matt stared at the island. He wanted to send the biggest fireball towards it and wipe it off the Earth, but he doubted he could put out enough energy for that.
Matt behind you.
He turned around to see Annabeth rush past him and jump overboard. Leaving behind a heap of cut ropes, her bronze knife lay on the deck. Somehow, she'd managed to wriggle it into her hand.
"Oh yeah." Matt said, "I knew we forgot something..."
Annabeth was paddling madly for the island, the waves carrying her straight toward the jagged rocks. She was entranced, swimming toward her death.
Ripping a board from the deck, and not thinking it all through he jumped over the side.
Splashing into the water, with his arms aimed behind him, he rocketed himself forward as he blast two streams of fire out of his fists. Matt jetted between the two rock fangs and found himself in a half-moon-shaped bay. The water was choked with more rocks and ship wreckage and floating mines. The beach was black volcanic sand.
It was there he found Annabeth, she was a strong swimmer as she was almost to the black beach.
Then the mist cleared and Matt could see the Sirens.
They where a flock of vultures the size of people, with dirty black plumage, gray talons, and wrinkled pink necks but with a human head on top of those necks, but the human heads keep changing.
As their mouths moved, their faces morphed into people he knew, his dad, Sally, Grover, Tyson, Chiron. All the people Matt would want to see the most.
But no matter what shape they took, their mouths were greasy and caked with the remnants of old meals. Like vultures, they'd been eating with their faces, and it didn't look like they'd been feasting on Monster Donuts.
Annabeth swam toward them.
Matt sped up as he knew he couldn't let her get to land. Attempting to drag her away the moment his hand wrapped around her arm. The moment they had skin contact, a shock went through his body, and he saw the Sirens the way Annabeth must've been seeing them.
Three people sat on a picnic blanket in Central Park. A feast was spread out before them, one he recognized as Annabeth's dad from photos she'd shown.
An athletic-looking, sandy-haired guy in his forties. He was holding hands with a beautiful woman who looked a lot like Annabeth.
She was dressed casually, in blue jeans and a denim shirt and hiking boots, but something about the woman radiated power. It must be the goddess Athena. Next to them sat a young man...
The whole scene glowed in a warm, buttery light. The three of them were talking and laughing, and when they saw Annabeth, their faces lit up with delight. Annabeth's mom and dad held out their arms invitingly. Luke grinned and gestured for Annabeth to sit next to him, as if he'd never betrayed her, as if he were still her friend.
Behind the trees of Central Park, a city skyline rose. Manhattan, but yet it was not. It had been totally rebuilt from dazzling white marble, bigger and grander than ever, with golden windows and rooftop gardens.
It must be how Manhattan would look like if Annabeth had designed it. She was the architect for a whole new world. She had reunited her parents. She had saved Luke.
This must be what she had always wanted, this was her perfect world.
Matt threw the visions off as he dragged Annabeth back into the surf. He couldn't hear her, but he could tell she was screaming. She tried to slap him in the face, but he ignored it.
Using his free hand to rocket them back, Annabeth pummeled and kicked me, making it hard to concentrate. She thrashed so much they almost collided with a floating mine, before he was thrown off the board.
They went under and Annabeth stopped struggling. Her expression became confused as they where dragged into the depths.
Ten feet, twenty feet as they sank deeper. Matt didn't know what to do as black spot began to form in his vision as they drifted deeper and deeper into the depths before his consciousness gave away.
Air filled Matt's lungs as he felt himself emerging from the water. Water splashed around as he was dropped on the deck of Queen Anne's Revenge.
He sat up, completely drenched as he looked around, they had sailed until the island was completely out of sight. No singing. The afternoon was quiet except for the sound of the waves against the hull. The fog had burned away to a blue sky, as if the island of the Sirens had never existed.
Next to him he heard Annabeth gasped and coughed. Her whole body shuddered, but when she looked at Matt, he knew the spell had been broken.
She started to sob, horrible, heartbroken sobbing. She put her head on his shoulder and he held her.
"W-What happened." Matt said confused as he felt a blanket putt around him.
"I don't know." Percy said kneeling next to them, "I saw you and Annabeth go under and then..."
"Then what Percy?" Matt said.
"I'm not sure what I saw." Percy said, "One moment you guys went under, the next I saw a massive shadow with glowing eyes protecting you two and bringing you back close enough to the ship so I could pull you two out."
But Matt didn't know what had happen and he was currently too tired to think about it.
Later in the afternoon, Annabeth sat huddled in a blanket on the forward deck when a well rested Matt approached her.
"You alright, Annabeth?" Matt said but of course she wasn't okay.
"I didn't realize." she murmured, "How powerful the temptation would be."
"Yeah, it must have been very tempting what they showed you." Matt said, "Yeah, I saw everything."
"You did?"
"Yeah, I did." he said, "The rebuilt Manhattan, your parents... And Luke. Must have really gotten to you, what he said back on the Princess Andromeda."
She pulled her blanket around her. "My fatal flaw. That's what the Sirens showed me. My fatal flaw is hubris." she said, "Don't you ever feel like, what if the world really is messed up? What if we could do it all over again from scratch? No more war. Nobody homeless. No more summer reading homework."
"I mean, the West represents a lot of the best things mankind ever did, that's why the fire is still burning. That's why Olympus is still around. But sometimes you just see the bad stuff, you know? And you start thinking the way Luke does: 'If I could tear this all down, I would do it better.' Don't you ever feel that way? Like you could do a better job if you ran the world?"
"Of course, the world would be better off under God Emperor Matt's caring hands." he joked as he puffed out chest, "First thing I do is ban country music, then I will forbid midget golf and then... I'll wipe Canada off the map. They have it too good for too long."
"Well we're lucky hubris isn't your fatal flaw."
"Annabeth, we both know I don't have flaws." Matt said.
"Every hero has one." she pointed out.
"Well I don't." Matt said, "Maybe because I'm not a hero."
"Of course, Edge Lord." she said.
Annabeth hadn't said much about the personal things she would change, like getting her parents back together, or saving Luke.
"So was it worth it?" Matt said as he stood up.
She gazed into the distance, "I'm not sure. But we have to save the camp. If we don't stop Luke..."
She didn't need to finish. If Luke's way of thinking could even tempt Annabeth, there was no telling how many other half-bloods might join him.
"Hey, Percy." Matt said as he walked up to his friend.
"Hey, Matt." Percy said as he stood behind the wheel of the Queen Anne's Revenge.
"You know it's funny." Matt said, "Last year, I was constantly behind the wheel of the RV."
"Good times, I miss the old girl." Percy said, "Shame we couldn't drive her over the ocean."
"I would not have been surprised if she suddenly sprouted floaties so we could drive over the ocean." Matt said with a laugh, "I just wanted to say... Thanks for pulling me and Annabeth out."
"It's no trouble, you would have done the same." Percy said, "Look, I'm sorry about what I said about Lucifer..."
"Oh, careful. Now he can locate us." Matt said, "I know you meant well, but... It's just, with all that has happened to us over the last two years... Having the Devil as your bio dad, it's just not a very pleasant idea."
"Yeah..." he said when his eyes suddenly widened, "Matt!"
Up ahead was another blotch of land, a saddle-shaped island with forested hills and white beaches and green meadows.
"30 degrees, 31 minutes north, 75 degrees, 12 minutes west." Percy said, "We are here, we have reached the home of the Cyclops."
There we go, another chapter, hope you enjoyed. Many thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, favorite, or follows this story.
Next week, I will update a different story.
Take care of yourself, get some rest, drink plenty of water and I will see you people next time.
