AN: Hey all! Excited to post this new chapter for ya'll. I've been super busy as I had midterms this weekend, but I really wanted to get this out. Our first interactions with Lyra, my first OC I've ever tried to create. Also, more Rachel because I love her. As always, comments and feedback are always appreciated. Feel free to take a guess as to what ya'll think is gonna happen.
Robotdocter: If you ever get a historical hankering, there's a lot to be found when it comes to Greek history. I won't go too far in depth, but Bronze age Greece is really interesting if you're into that sort of thing.
Kaidrin Uzumaki: I'm glad to hear it! Apologies I went to a semiweekly schedule, but it was the only way to maintain the quality
Ginocide02: Thank you so much! This is probably the kindest review I've ever gotten(and I love them all). I wanted it to feel real, so I'm glad I'm succeeding. I hope you like this chapter just the same. If you want to check out my other work, I have an AO3 account by the same name. I only have one other ongoing fic and admittedly the quality is a little lower (I actually wrote the entire first book before I started on this, so it's a little rough around the edges, but it actually gave me a lot of the ideas that animate this particular story). If I get the time, I'll probably crosspost it to here as well, but as of now, Percy Jackson: The Art of War, is solely on AO3.
Jojo "Perlia" Jesus: Glad you like the concept and thanks for reading! Always nice when the Perlia OG comments and is enjoying.
"So let me get this straight." Rachel said. "You guys are immortal and you serve the goddess Artemis."
"Yes," Zoe nodded.
"And she's been captured."
"Yes."
"And it would be really bad if we didn't get her back because…"
Zoe groaned. Percy tried not to laugh at her exasperation. He kind of understood it, but he remembered his first days after learning the truth. He had been just like little Nico, bombarding anyone and everyone who would listen with a barrage of questions. Still, he found it funny to see the immortal Titanness turned private tutor for a clear sighted mortal.
It had been a few hours, and Percy couldn't stop fidgeting. Blackjack was nowhere to be seen, but that was okay. Rachel told them the helicopter would be landing on the helipad soon, but his hands refused to stay put; fiddling with a hole in his jeans, picking at his nails. He had been warned on his first quest that flying would be a death sentence, but right now he didn't really care. Truthfully, he wanted to rip the King of the Gods apart for letting things get this shitty in the first place. Still, the thought of boarding the helicopter when it landed at the dam made his stomach churn.
The harrowing thought of the girls left alone in Luke's clutches threatened to rip apart the dam. Zoe kept shooting him dirty looks whenever the ground would begin to rumble. He couldn't really blame her though. Bringing down the dam would be an absolute disaster.
One of the two Hunters Percy hadn't met yet came over to him. She looked to be about twelve, but the quiet sadness in her eyes betrayed the experience and wisdom of a much older girl. She was short, no taller than 5'2", although the silver shimmering of the Blessing of Artemis made her seem like a giant.
"Hey," she said quietly. Her hands were fidgeting nervously. "Thanks for saving Zoe, and us too. I don't know why we couldn't kill those things."
Percy sighed. He wasn't quite sure if he wanted to explain why the monsters were seemingly vulnerable only to him.
"Do you know where they came from?" He asked.
The Huntress shook her head. "Not exactly, they just showed up when Phoebe ended up tracking us to the Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C."
Percy frowned. He could sense the tether of the skeletal monsters sourcing all the way to the depths of Tartarus itself. He shivered. Just like with the overworld, where the bottom of the sea began to blend in with the Land of the Dead, the depths of the Fields of Punishment began to merge with a hell that no mortal could ever live to relay their experience. It felt unnatural, the merging of realms. As though the forbidden boundaries put in place by the Creator found themselves being tested at every opportunity. The memory of when he had been pulled to the edge the first time still sent chills down his spine.
"And they just followed you all the way here?" Percy asked, snapping out of his thought spiral. "What did they want?"
She shrugged helplessly. "I don't know what they wanted with us, but whatever it was, it doesn't matter anymore." The end of her sentence caught, like she was choking on her own words.
A frown pulled at Percy's mouth. This girl was different from the other Hunters he had met. If she were someone like Zoe or Phoebe, they would've cursed him out and threatened to kill him by now. But the girl in front of him had approached him of her own free will, like he was an equal.
"What's your story?" Percy blurted. "I mean you haven't threatened to kill me yet, and so far you've actually been kinda nice. So why?"
She laughed at his question, as though she found it amusing. "Why would I kill you? Because you're a man? Please." Then, her smile dropped. "There are many within the Hunt who harbor resentment towards men, that much is true. But how unwise would it be for me to feel the same, considering Apollo is my father. He is just as much a man as anyone else." She shuddered, as though she was remembering an unpleasant memory. "I don't blame him for the actions of my mother."
"That's brave, you know." Percy said after a moment, cutting through the tense silence that had formed between them. "Forgiving is the more difficult choice."
"Blame and resentment are not the same." The Huntress pointed out. "I resent the circumstances of my birth, like all demigods. My mother didn't know how to handle the stress. I don't blame my father for needing to follow the rules, even if I wish he could be around more, or change what happened."
The terseness in her fake smile betrayed her true feelings. Like every other demigod, she had mixed feelings towards her parents. But despite the fact that she was a complete stranger, she had approached him freely and shared a few uncomfortable truths about her past. Still, he understood how it felt, the desire to share those corrosive feelings with someone who wouldn't treat you differently because you hardly knew them to begin with. At the very least, he could tell her his name.
"My name's Percy. I figured you should know that." Percy said, trying not to cringe at how fake he sounded.
"I know." She smiled. "My name is Lyra."
Percy waited a beat, but when she didn't explain how she knew his name, he asked,
"What do you mean you know? How?"
She shrugged. "I just do. Some children of Apollo are cursed with Prophecy." She said, bitterness lacing her tone. "For many demigods, we get only partial aspects of our parents. I got the Archery and the Prophecy part from my dad."
The cogs in Percy's mind began to turn at her weird phrasing. Cursed? He had delayed his departure just so he could get his hands on the prophecy that animated the quest. How could having the additional knowledge be a curse if it just ended up being some words in a rhyme?
"Curse?" Percy asked. "I would have thought that the extra information would be helpful. Is it not?"
Lyra's eyes bored into him, fathomless blue depths full of both grief and emptiness. "I would think you know better than that. You've been privy to prophecy too."
As the words passed her lips, Percy felt a pit of ice form in his stomach. Whenever his dreams would turn from black and white to color, that usually signaled that he was about to see something important; whether it was concurrent, or yet to happen. Lyra studied him as though she knew everything he was thinking.
"When prophetic visions come to those outside of my fathers Oracle, it often causes problems for those involved." She said it patiently, as though she had explained this a thousand times. "You and I get dreams that are far worse than normal, even by divine standards. That is no accident."
"What kind of problems?" Percy asked..
Lyra shrugged. "It depends on the individual. For example, I used to get debilitating headaches whenever I'd receive any kind of vision, the kind that knocked me out for days. Not really possible to sustain that sort of schedule as a demigod. I'm fortunate the Blessing of Artemis prevents those migraines."
"You wouldn't happen to know what the problem would be for me then?" Percy asked hopefully.
"Nope." She said, popping the p. "But just know, godly knowledge always demands a price."
"That's stupid." Percy grumbled. "I didn't sign up for this."
"And we didn't ask to be born, yet here we are." Lyra shrugged.
For a moment, Percy was astonished at how similar to Chiron Lyra sounded. Of course, she could be a thousand years old, and that would explain it. The parallel felt oddly comforting in his mind, as though the Centaur truly understood how his students felt; perhaps the same feelings he himself had wrestled with at one point in time. Maybe it wasn't merely about the desire to be born, but instead, what someone did once they were that became more important.
"You're wiser than you look." Percy joked, hoping to lighten the mood.
"Well, I am just over three hundred years old, so I'd hope so." Lyra said. "Besides, wisdom comes on you early when you're forced to leave home young."
"What happened?" Percy asked, before quickly adding "if you don't mind telling me."
Lyra inhaled deeply. "Let's just say the Salem witch trials weren't completely crazy." She began. "Yes, most of the women actually executed were innocent, but my mother, she was a truly awful person. She began to hear whisperings in the night, promising her everything she ever wanted. At first it was small things, like urging her to steal, but it quickly escalated. The voice inflamed her worst impulses. Yet, along the way, she got everything she ever truly wanted, at the cost of what she needed."
Lyra's breathing sped up as the words began to spill out. "One night I had an awful, terrible dream. A prophetic dream. It was a warning, the first time my father had ever spoken to me. He told me to run, as my mother would sacrifice me that evening. Yet, like a fool, I stayed. I didn't want to believe him." Tears began to gather in Lyra's eyes. "It wasn't until she ordered me into the wagon that my senses began to tingle." She began to evade my questions and began to mutter things about power, money, and the lost one . Immediately, I knew that I could not deny my dream."
Lyra was shaking now, her voice threatening to break.
"It's okay, you don't need to say anything." Percy rushed to say. "I don't understand it perfectly, but you don't need to make yourself tell me if you don't want to."
Lyra just shot him a watery half-smile. "No, it's okay. This is the first time I've talked about this in years. I need to do this." She took a deep breath and steeled herself. "I stayed in the wagon until we were near the top of a mountain. It was obvious she had planned this, as there were symbols carved on the ground. 12 snakes arranged in a circle, like a throne room. Then I ran. My head ached so badly from the night before, but I knew I just couldn't stop running. I said a prayer, asking my father for protection. Then, as dusk turned to night, Artemis came to me in her moon chariot and asked me to join the Hunters. I said yes, and here I stand before you today."
One moment turned to two, and the silence became palpable in the air. Percy was dumbfounded at her story, completely unsure how to react properly. He didn't want to say the wrong thing and risk upsetting her, not after she had bore her soul to him, but he didn't want to make it seem like he wasn't listening.
"Thank you for telling me." Percy finally said.
Lyra just nodded. "I've only ever told bits and pieces before. I'm a rarity among the Hunters. Most of them are victims of male abuse, which gives rise to their general attitudes. Usually, most of them find my story hard to believe." She looked down, fiddling with her hands.
"Well, for what it's worth. I believe you." Percy said. "I've got a pretty good knack at knowing when someone's lying."
"Of course you do." Lyra said, the previous tension from earlier now dissipated. "I know Apollo isn't your dad, although that's almost a shame because you seem like you'd be a cool sibling, but the spirit of prophecy runs through you."
"I still don't buy the whole 'spirit of prophecy' thing though." Percy scowled. "I'm not Apollo's son and that's clearly his thing."
"The gods are eternal Percy Jackson." Lyra said, looking through him with those large, knowing eyes. "And so are the prophecies. Apollo does not create them. They were written from the foundation of the world."
Percy shuddered, a chill snaking up his spine. He hated when people older than him started speaking in weird religious terms that made it sound like the world was ending.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Percy said. "But I suppose it isn't going to get me anywhere asking how you know all this?"
Lyra just shot him a wicked grin. "Like the ancient historians said. It was revealed to me in a dream."
"So let's run through this one more time." Rachel said.
Zoe groaned from the other side of the table. The helicopter they were flying in was small, but it was large enough for a small dinner table to be placed in the back. At the head sat Rachel, because it was essentially hers. At the other side was Zoe, trying once again to explain the simplistics of how the Greek mythological world worked. Percy wasn't convinced of Rachel's ignorance, as he could have sworn after one of her questions she had winked at him. Considering their first interaction was based on her pretending to be scared witless, it wouldn't be out of the question for her to be messing with Zoe. Secretly, it was an endeavor Percy was willing to support.
Despite his satisfaction at Zoe's irritation, he couldn't shake the figure that had been influencing Lyra's mother. No matter how he tried to justify it as some crazy lady, the sinking pit in his stomach told him that it was a real being with real intentions. The scarier part was, he felt like he may get to meet it one day. He just hoped the price for prophecy didn't end up being his life.
The speed at which the helicopter was flying was pretty impressive. It was already dusk, but that was okay. He wouldn't have gotten there any faster if he had taken Blackjack anyway. The only worry he had would be if the horrific tortures that Luke had come up with had broken the girls. He was fairly certain they were alive, but Thorn's comment about there only being tortures that could be inflicted on those with a body kept slithering menacingly throughout his mind. He had the backup of the Hunters now, but truthfully, he didn't really care about Artemis. Loathe as he was to admit it, Aphrodite was right. If he had to make the choice between leaving one of them behind? If it came down to Thalia or Artemis, he'd leave Artemis in a heartbeat.
It was the quiet moments like this that truly began to drive him crazy. The potential thoughts of Thalia's screams threatened to eat away at him if he didn't do something immediately. Even the worst tortures that Mr. D had thrown at him didn't hurt nearly as bad. He could take pain on himself, but standing powerless as she was forced to endure was a fate worse than death.
Just a few more hours, Thals, He told himself as he caught the last rays of sunlight disappearing over the mountains. He knew she couldn't, but in his heart he found himself hoping that she could hear him some way. I'm coming to save you and Annabeth. Even if I have to use the Hunters to do it. Still, as he thought through potential escape plans over and over, the math simply didn't work out. At the very least, the Titan Atlas would be a nearly impossible obstacle to overcome, even with an entire battalion of demigods. Plus, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't just kill the girls if they didn't cooperate. Especially when that was the preferred course of action for Atlas.
"Thou art spiraling."
Zoe's voice shocked Percy out of his inner monologue. Not just because of the voice, but the fact that Zoe Nightshade had talked to him willingly, and not just as a threat to kill him for 'disrespect.'
"Am not." Percy huffed, although there wasn't any bite behind his words.
Zoe's melancholic eyes betrayed her seriousness. "Thou art worried about your friends, yes?"
Percy nodded.
Zoe sighed, like she couldn't believe what she was about to do. "Do not mistake this offer for fondness, Jackson, but I think our interests are aligned." She took a deep breath. "I'll let you join this quest, even as a forbidden one. You did save my life, and at the very least it's the honorable thing to do." Then, she looked at the ground in an uncharacteristic show of emotion. "Plus, we need a fifth member, and you're at least mildly less irritating than that mortal girl over there. At the very least, my weapons work on you should I need to kill you."
To be honest, Percy was tempted to say no. After all, Zoe had earned no love from him. But as he ran through solo rescue missions in his mind, all of them had the same problem. The Titan Atlas. He could take out a nearly infinite number of foot-soldier monsters, but he had only fought one god before, and it took a miracle for him to win the first time.
"I don't think we have any other choice." Percy relented. "Then, as soon as this quest is over, we can never see each other again. Deal?"
For the first time, Zoe smiled. "It would be too soon." She held out her hand and Percy shook it. It felt weird to have a truce with her, but he would take it.
As he shook it, he could feel the tension in her fingers and wrists. He had been expecting the effortless fluidity typically exemplified by divine beings, but instead, her hands felt just like his. Her jaw, despite relaxing, still looked tense. The Huntress in front of him looked completely different from the first time he encountered her. Not that he relished in her grief, but it helped her seem more human, instead of a mindless slave in the cult of Artemis.
"I'm sorry about Bianca." Percy said before quickly slapping his hand over his mouth.
He had been expecting a retort, some tears, or maybe even a terse silence, but instead, Zoe just sighed, as though she was trying to process the inevitable truth.
"One day thou shalt understand." Her voice was filled with deep regret. "It is my only hope that the day is not soon."
Percy felt that chill run up his spine again. He had already nearly lost his mother once. Then it was Grover, and now it was Annabeth and Thalia. How long could he continue to be lucky? Two alone cannot be saved. The haunting line slithered through his mind, taunting him. Alone. Percy felt awful about it, but for a brief moment, he hoped Bianca could be counted as one. That meant, in the worst case scenario, he'd at least get one of the girls back.
"I have hunted for millennia with my Lady, yet my eyes and ears remain shut." Zoe said. "It was my own foolishness that got Bianca killed. I wanted to train her. So she could learn. I was arrogant."
The tug-of-war began in his head. Of course, he kind of wanted to know what happened. Nico especially deserved to know. On the other, Zoe looked like she wanted to be done with the conversation, and he understood that too.
"I know you want the story." Zoe said solemnly. "The answer is no."
"He deserves to know." Percy shot back.
"It would crush the poor boy." She said, "When soldiers fall, the message is relayed simply, without detail. The families do not need to know of the suffering in the final moments. All he needs to know is that she is gone. Resting a hero's death in the valley of Elysium."
Percy bit back his retort. Would he have wanted to know if his mother had died after suffering horrific tortures? As it stood now, he was nearly going insane learning more about Annabeth and Thalia's predicament. The fact the answer wasn't an immediate yes gave him all the clarity he needed.
"Fine." Percy said. "I understand. I'm sorry for asking."
At his relenting, Zoe relaxed, like she had been expecting for the issue to be litigated again.
"Thank you." She said. "It doesn't get any easier. It never has."
"Never again, right?"
She shot him a small smile, although whether it was because he referenced their earlier agreement, or had given her an implicit promise of success, he wasn't entirely sure. "That's right, never again." She looked over at Lyra, who was now playing cards with Rachel. "Lyra seems to like you. That's a first.' She frowned. "Her instincts are usually immaculate, so I don't know why she'd choose you."
"She has good taste." Percy protested.
Zoe shrugged. "As long as she keeps that she-devil occupied, I don't really care what she does."
"I mean, Rachel is giving us a helicopter ride, so she can't be THAT bad." Percy reasoned.
"Aw, thanks for the compliment!" Rachel shouted from across the helicopter. "Glad to know you think I'm wonderful."
"I didn't go that far." Percy protested.
Rachel pouted. "Well that's not fair. And here I was just about to give you my number."
Percy was about to tell her that he didn't even have a phone before Zoe's laughter filled the helicopter.
"Just like I said, a she-devil." Even the immortal Huntress couldn't stop the small smile from crossing her face.
The tension that had been hanging in the air finally dissipated, and Percy felt like he could breathe again. At the very least, it was nice to have some quest companions, even if they were annoying. The suffocating feeling of always turning around, having to watch your own back? He didn't realize how awful it was until it was finally gone.
The fact they didn't arrive until after sunset made Percy want to tear his hair out. The dark cliffs of the Mountain of Despair were taunting him agonizingly. They called out to him, daring him to scale the cliffs. Yet Zoe said entry was impossible at any other time except sunset. Considering she used to be one of the Hesperides, and that she wanted entry nearly as badly as he did, Percy had no reason to doubt her honesty, but that didn't make the tantalizing option any less appealing.
Every time he closed his eyes he felt like he could hear their screams. The whistling of the wind taunted him, as though it knew of his suffering. He wasn't sure if the silence was any better.
"Time to set up camp." Zoe announced, breaking Percy out of his thoughtful stupor. "There's nothing we can do until tomorrow's sunset."
Percy frowned. He wasn't great at math, but he did know two things for sure; he wasn't a Hunter, and he wasn't a girl.
"I'll just…go somewhere else. I'll meet you guys in the morning." Percy announced, awkwardly backing away from where the girls were circling up. He didn't want to act like a child and wait around to be told what to do.
"That's okay. I have a house here. You can stay with me." Rachel popped up next to him and slung her arm around his shoulder. "Besides. I think Zoe would kill me if I stayed with them."
Zoe huffed, but didn't deny it.
Percy's stomach churned. There was a weird feeling in his stomach. Growing up, all of his sleepovers had been with his male friends, so being invited to a girl's house to spend the night felt like intruding.
"I mean. I don't know…" Percy trailed off. "I can always find something."
"Oh, nonsense." Rachel said, waving him off. "I won't get in trouble or anything if that's what you're worried about. My parents don't even visit this house anyway."
Shit. He hadn't even thought of that. On the one hand, spending a night alone with a relatively attractive girl would have been the dream of most high school boys. On the other, he wasn't entirely sure that would be appropriate. He began to fidget with his hands.
Rachel pouted. "Pleaseeeeee." Then, she pointed towards the Hunters. "Unless you'd rather stay with them."
Percy took a deep breath. There wasn't anything he could do anyway. Plus, considering Rachel had a private helicopter, the mansion probably meant he wouldn't need to sleep in the same bed or anything. Hell, he could probably sleep on a different floor altogether.
"You drive a hard bargain." He said, flashing Rachel a sheepish smile. "Last I checked, you won't try to shoot me with an arrow, right?"
"Only if you want me to." She said with a wink.
Despite his best efforts, Percy blushed.
"Are you two lovebirds done?" Zoe groaned. "If so, get out of here. Get a room."
Percy wasn't sure he liked the implication of he and Rachel being 'lovebirds,' but before he could figure out how he felt about that particular statement, Rachel grabbed his arm and began dragging him down the street.
Once they were out of earshot, Rachel let out a sigh of relief. "They look really cool and everything, but God. I can't stand them."
Percy smiled. That's exactly how he felt the first time he met them.
"You and me both."
Rachel snorted. "Then why do you travel with them, how did you guys meet?"
Looking up at the mountains, Percy's heart twisted. He was so close. The cliff mountain was close enough that the wind could have carried him up. Instead, the night sky taunted him, reminding him that he was utterly powerless to save his friends. He tried to bite back the feeling of dread. Briefly, the thought of lying about everything crossed his mind. After all, it's not like he'd really see Rachel again. Yet the harder he tried to think of something, the more his mind began to race in circles.
"That bad, huh?" Rachel cut in. "You don't need to tell me if you don't want to. I don't really know the intricacies of godly politics."
"You could say that," Percy slumped a bit, defeated. "Life just keeps throwing me pitches I could never hope to hit, but if I don't, then really bad things will happen."
Rachel placed a soft hand on his toned arm. "I get that, but I figured you didn't just come along for Zoe. I for sure wouldn't."
Percy laughed. "Well, it's a bit complicated."
"Where do you usually go to relax?" Rachel asked suddenly. "You don't seem like the artsy type. That's how I usually unwind."
"Er…" Percy was caught off guard by the sudden question. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I can hear the gears turning in your head and your heart beating out of your chest." Rachel said. "There's nothing we can do until tomorrow night. So we might as well relax until then, right? I know I don't deal with godly stuff, but even us normal mortals get nervous."
Percy took a deep breath. Maybe Rachel was right. Sure, Thalia's pleading for him refused to leave his mind, and it probably never would, but maybe just trying to forget for a few hours would be best. After all, he'd need to be well rested if his worst suspicions were true. The fatigue and worry of the day began to seep into his bones. His worry-fueled adrenaline that had been powering him ever since he woke up from his shadow-travel escapade felt like it was finally slowing, leaving him nothing but tired muscles and aching joints in its place.
"The sea." He said. "My dad's…well, it's complicated, but just know that I like being in and near water."
"Perfect." Rachel chirped, dragging him along. "Let's head down to the beach. We can walk along the shore to get to my house."
Percy searched his mind, looking for any semblance of that itching that Aphrodite was so fond of. After all, he wanted to do anything he could to prevent Thalia from joining the Hunters, and at the very least, he felt like Aphrodite was sincere in her desire to help him. Instead, he found silence, as though he was being given free reign to find his own path. In a way, it was nice to be free from the prompting of the gods, but on the other, he didn't want to accidentally mess something up.
The walk was nice, and the beach looked even more beautiful at night, providing a perfect spot to sit down at the edge of the water. The only thing was that the moon looked less silver than usual. Instead, the normally vibrant rays felt subdued, as though they were grieving.
"Just one more day." Percy promised the moon. "We'll get her back."
"Artemis, right?" Rachel asked.
Percy nodded. "Yeah, I figure we should probably rescue her."
"I still don't think that was the only reason you decided to come here." Rachel remarked. "What else could have made you come."
The soft collisions of the waves felt calming, a rocking sensation that quelled the edges of the sea of his emotions. Here, on the beach, he felt like he was home. Sure, his father was a bit of a mystery, but nothing could compare to the security he felt when at sea. The words of Poseidon lingered in his mind. You are a true son of the sea god. The Greek version of his father was always a bit crass in his words, but lack of eloquence only made the truths stick that much deeper.
"My friends were captured." Percy said. "I need to get them back."
"Tell me about them." Rachel said, her green eyes boring into Percy's.
He jumped slightly, startled by her sudden eagerness. "It's a long story." He warned.
Rachel mimed checking a fake watch on her wrist. "We've got time."
Percy sighed, sensing that he wasn't getting out of this. Sure, he could run off into the ocean, but she had given him a ride to San Francisco, and offered him a place to sleep tonight. Plus, she was the only person around who didn't seem to hate his guts. Maybe he could finally order the chaotic cacophony of worries in his mind.
"One of them was Annabeth." Percy said. "She's probably my closest friend." He wasn't entirely sure how he wanted to describe her, but if he stopped the train of thoughts now, he'd never get it started again. "She's got blonde hair and gray eyes. She's the only one who kept me in line on my first two quests."
"I believe it." Rachel said, tucking a red curl behind her ear. "First two quests?"
"Yeah, long story. I had to get my Uncle's lightning bolt back for the first one."
"I'm gonna assume that's Zeus."
"Yeah, that's him." Percy said bitterly. "His royal ass is the reason we're all here, isn't it."
Rachel just shrugged. "You won't find me defending a Monarchy. Unless I'm in charge of course."
Percy laughed. "Yeah, but anyway. We had to get his lightning bolt that he accused me of stealing. My friend Grover, who's a satyr by the way, but he's fine right now, and Annabeth went with me to get it back to stop World War Three."
"Well, considering the earth isn't a pile of rubble, I'd say you succeeded."
Percy nodded. "Yeah. Then after that, I had to go get the Golden Fleece. That's where things get interesting. You see, I started having these dreams…" He trailed off.
"About what?" Rachel said, her eyes shining in the faded moonlight.
"Well, about the other girl who was captured. But I didn't know who she was yet. It's a whole thing. Long story short, she was a tree and I can talk to souls. So I talked to her, nearly every night for two years. She became my best friend."
"Sounds like you're building yourself a harem."
Percy's face turned beet red and he shot a spout of sea water at Rachel, prompting an indignant snort from the latter.
"It's the truth!" She shouted.
"Ha ha," Percy said, lacking enthusiasm. "No thanks. I can barely understand one girl."
"Fair enough." Rachel said, trying to contain her laughter. "Although you owe me new clothes."
"If you're good, I'll dry them off." Percy said. "I can do that, you know."
Rachel just raised an eyebrow. "And if I'm not?"
Percy shrugged his shoulders. "I guess you'll be out of luck."
Rachel frowned at that.
"Anyway, you were telling me about your tree friend." She said, trying and failing to hide the frown that Percy didn't notice anyways.
"Oh yeah, so her name is Thalia and we pretty much just hung out in my dreams. Except she was real, not just a normal figment of my imagination. For once, just once, I had hope." Percy said. His jaw tightened, and the edges of his form began to flicker. "Then, one day, she got sick. Someone poisoned her tree. The one responsible, he's up in that mountain." A faint rumbling under the beach betrayed his feelings despite his best efforts.
"Well fuck that guy." Rachel said, gently rubbing Percy's shoulder. "Not literally of course. I'm gonna guess that's why you needed the Fleece."
"Yeah," Percy agreed. "The Fleece was the only thing that could save her, otherwise she was going to die. So Annabeth and I snuck out. Grover had been captured too, funnily enough he was in the same place as the Fleece. Cue fun adventure and we retrieve it, bring it back, and Thalia's tree is healed."
"Well that sounds great." Rachel said, slowly inching closer. "But you make it sound like that isn't the end."
Percy put his head in his hands. "No, because then the world decided to get all complicated. She vanishes from my dreams for like a month, and for a minute I thought that I was too late. Then one night, she was there, sitting under her tree."
"That would be a good thing though, right?" Rachel quirked a brow. "Your best friend is alive again. Now you can hang out and do whatever without needing to be asleep."
"I wish it was that simple, and it was good for a while…" Percy's voice broke, a brief moment of weightlessness filling him as he thought about when she had donned his hoodie the night of her return. The memory threatened to overwhelm his mind.
"You fought?" Rachel guessed.
Percy nodded.
"All friends do." She reassured him.
Percy stared glumly at his hands. "This one felt different though. The thought of losing her felt like it would tear me apart. You don't understand. The tears in her eyes, the betrayal. It cut me, it made me pray to a God who isn't even there." His voice caught as he mulled over his next words. "The want to cherish someone's heart forever, just so they can be spared from pain, only to realize the game was rigged from the start."
Rachel was silent for a minute, rubbing small circles into Percy's shoulder with her thumb. "I do get it, at least a little," she said. "But for what it's worth. I'm sorry."
Percy took a moment to compose himself. "No, it's okay. I'm the one who should be sorry. We just met today. Now I'm dumping all my emotional junk onto you and that really isn't fair."
Rachel shrugged. "It's easier to share our burdens with people we'll never see again because the yoke feels lighter with distance."
"When did you become a philosopher?" Percy said. "You sound like my centaur mentor."
"Of all the things I've been called, a centaur is definitely not one." Rachel said sternly, although the smallest hint of a smile betrayed her true feelings. "An artist has to think deeply for their art to have meaning. Anybody can paint a mountain, but it takes an artist to paint what the mountain represents."
"Well, to be fair. I probably couldn't paint the mountain." Percy chuckled. "But I see your point."
"Good." Rachel said, nudging his shoulder as they started to walk again. "You didn't strike me as the artsy type anyway. No shame in that."
Percy just shrugged, feeling relaxed for the first time in a while. The tension had dissipated with his words, leaving only a soft hope for the future in its wake. Besides the faint crashing of the waves, it was quiet for several minutes.
"You know there's no one around." Rachel said out of nowhere.
"There hasn't been for a while." Percy agreed. "It's kind of nice."
"Mhmm." Rachel agreed. "My shirt is still wet."
He was about to dry it off for her, but when he looked over he froze. Instead of being patient, she had decided to take her shirt off. Underneath was a lime green bra with bows at the top of each cup. Her flat stomach glistened in the moonlight, the last drops of water reflecting off her pale skin.
"Uh…I-I could've just dried it off for you." Percy stammered, frantically looking anywhere but at her.
"I know." Rachel said, winking. "This just seemed like more fun don't you think?"
She took her slender hands and pulled up Percy's shirt, revealing his toned form. Her warm hands felt relaxing on his tense muscles, as though she was drawing it out with her touch. "I'd die just to be able to paint you once."
Percy was struggling for words at this point, so all he could say was, "I don't think dying would be necessary."
Rachel laughed, "No, but I'd be willing to. Just let me admire my specimen for a moment."
Percy closed his eyes, trying to coax himself into enjoying the moment. After all, nearly every high school boy would have loved what was going on. A beautiful girl had just taken her shirt off, revealing herself to him willingly and begging for more. One part of him was telling him to keep going, but it just felt wrong. When he closed his eyes, his mind kept drifting back to the flood of emotions when Aphrodite, looking like adult Thalia, had kissed him on the cheek. The minor flame in the present couldn't compare to the prior inferno of hope.
He barely even noticed as she climbed onto his lap and pushed him back against the damp sand. It wasn't particularly comfortable, but the small granules helped keep him grounded.
"I know we just met," Rachel said. "But I just feel so loose and free around you." She grabbed his hands and put them on the small of her back as she leaned forward, the smooth skin heating Percy's fingertips. "And I really like the way you make me feel."
"I do too." Percy said without thinking. "It was nice to be able to talk like that."
Rachel bit her lip, the warring emotions evident on her face. "Your heart yearns for another doesn't it."
"W-what do you mean?" Percy stammered, the tension suddenly becoming palpable.
"The way you talk about Thalia. You think about her a lot don't you?"
"Well, I don't know…" Percy trailed off, his face becoming beet red at the thought of Thalia on his lap like Rachel was. "Probably just the normal amount."
"Ha!" Rachel began laughing hysterically, flopping onto the sand next to him. "You should see yourself. You are down SO bad." She gasped out between breaths. "If anything, whenever you two finally get together, I should apologize for trying to steal her man."
"W-what do you mean 'finally?'" Percy said. "I don't get it."
"Boys and love." Rachel said like it was perfectly obvious. "Always a treat watching them try to navigate it."
"Wait a minute." Percy protested. "You sound just like Aphrodite."
Rachel's laughing fit became even more pronounced, to the degree that tears began forming in her eyes.
"Wait wait wait," she gasped. "You're telling me, that you met Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and she talked to you about a specific girl, this Thalia girl, and you didn't believe her?"
"Well, uh, I'm just here to rescue her." Percy said, now deciding his shoes looked like a better option than Rachel's hysteria. "I need to save her."
"Uh huh, knight in shining armor and all that?" Rachel asked. "Girls do love that. I'm just saying. It might be your best chance."
"Whatever," Percy grumbled. "I just want to keep her safe is all."
"Mhmm, and you're only a little hot."
"Probably accurate." Percy agreed. "So I win."
Rachel reached over him to grab her shirt, which was now covered in sand. "We can call it a draw if you can clean this for me."
"Deal." Percy said. "Just go soak it. I wasn't joking about being able to dry it off."
Rachel went over to the water and, in a very exaggerated manner, dunked her shirt several times. "Done to your liking, Your Highness?"
"It's your shirt." Percy shrugged before drying it out as she put it back on.
A little nagging feeling tickled the back of his mind. It felt strangely like guilt. This hadn't really been his fault, but it wasn't Rachel's either.
"Look, I'm sorry," Percy said awkwardly. "I don't know how any of this works, but I am sorry it didn't really work out."
Rachel was silent for a moment before responding. "It's okay. It happens sometimes. No hard feelings. You're still welcome to stay at my place. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have tried to move things along so quickly."
"It's all good." Percy replied. An idea popped into his head. "Wanna see some of the ocean? It's better than walking."
"Sure," Rachel agreed. "I'm curious to see what you can do, aqua-man."
He had been expecting a large house right on the coast, but the absolute mammoth in front of him made his jaw drop. It stood at three stories, the black paint highlighting the red trim. The cool ocean splashed on the sand down below, the soft white foam glistening in the moonlight. He had been to both Olympus and the Underworld, and while nothing mortal could truly compete, he thought this house would be the closest mortal equivalent. Maybe if he saw Hades again, he could recommend some more red for his palace. Maybe he'd even throw in some purple if Thalia would join him.
"Bienvenidos." Rachel said. "Mi casa, es tu casa."
She twisted the handle on the door, shining moonlight into the main living area. It looked relatively normal, with the exception of a grand piano by the brick fireplace. The flames of the hearth crackled, warming the room of the relatively ignored house.
"Odd." Rachel said with a shrug. "I didn't turn that on. Can you do weird fire stuff?"
Percy racked his brain, but even his unusually broad set of abilities seemed limited to water and soil. "Nah, I'm kind of antithetical to fire actually."
He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a flash of a nine-year-old girl tending the flames. It felt motherly. As though the usually destructive fire instead enveloped him like a heated blanket, ready to comfort him for the upcoming task.
"Come with me." Rachel said. "We've got lots of rooms here, but I'll show you the best one."
"Oh right," Percy said. Truthfully, he hadn't really considered the thought. He had expected to crash somewhere on the street just a couple hours before, and now he was getting privileged to a luxury suite by a girl he had half-dumped.
They climbed the stairs, the spiral staircase along the wall curling into the opening. The wooden stairs creaked with the black handrail. Uncomfortable silence filled the air. Percy had so many things he wanted to say, mostly ranging between 'thank you,' and 'I'm sorry.' Still, it didn't feel right. He had done everything he could, and he knew if he actually went through it, Rachel wouldn't be the first girl on his mind. She guided him to the end of the hall to the master bedroom and opened the door.
The bed was nearly as big as Percy's dorm room at Yancy. The black bedframe connected to the ceiling, giving the room the impression that it belonged to a royal. Technically, Percy was a royal of multiple houses, but the more he thought about that fact, the more it made him squirm. The red sheets matched the aesthetic of the exterior. Annabeth would probably be able to tell him more, if she ever got the chance to see it. Percy's heart was wrenched. Briefly, he considered just running again. Maybe he could fight his way through anyway. If he had to fight the Hesperides, it wouldn't be his first immortal duel.
The shadows began to call, urging him to join them. We can take you to her, they said. Just trust us. Percy shook his head. Even if that were true and he could hold on to his physical form, he could already hear the pained screams coming from the tempting shadows. He took a shaky breath. Tomorrow. He just needed the girls to survive one more day.
"Well, you know the drill, although I'd recommend the bed." Rachel said, cutting into the silence. She pointed down the hall the other direction "Second door on the left if you need anything." Then, she shot him one more wink. "I know it's a long shot, but if you change your mind, I wouldn't complain." Then, her smile dropped. "Are you gonna be okay? You seem a little shaky."
Percy hadn't even noticed his uneven breathing. "Yeah," he said. "Just a long day."
Rachel looked at him skeptically, but this time she didn't press. Instead, she just gave him a playful hit to the arm. "Thank you for tonight. I know it was a little awkward, but I still had a great time." Then, she darted down the hall into her room, leaving Percy alone in the bedroom with the shadows.
Join us, they screeched. Let us take you to her. You can save her. Percy pulled the pillow over his ears. They'd go away, they always did. He couldn't give into their pressure. They'd tear him apart. You know we're right. They protested. We can take you there. Just give in. Let yourself melt away.
"No," Percy murmured. "I'm not going with you."
It will be your fault you know. They argued. Two alone cannot be saved. Your inaction will kill her.
"Shut up," he protested
Yet, despite his earnest pleadings, he wondered if they were right. If he had left just a few hours earlier, Thalia could be safe in his arms. Annabeth too. Instead, he was spending the night in a rich girl's house while the girls were being tortured next to him. What if he truly was useless?
Your body will be ours. They begged. All flesh turns to shadow, what makes you think you'll be any different?
The back of Percy's mind began to itch, and for the first time, he was grateful for it. It added variety to the cacophony as he stumbled around looking for a light switch. Instead, he found himself at his backpack that he had unceremoniously left in the middle of the room. He realized he had no trouble navigating. If anything, the darkness seemed to have enhanced his sight, or at least his sense of direction.
He unzipped it, trying to find the source of the itching. He frantically tried everything, including the little bit of remaining money Chiron had sent him, but the itching only grew more incessant to counter the voices. Percy sighed. That left only two options of what it could be. The two hoodies he packed, one of which was for Thalia, and one of which the memories were too painful to bear alone. As his hand drifted towards them, the itching ceased, leaving a sense of calm in its place.
Percy shivered. The cool air of the coast had seeped into the room, dropping the temperature. He sighed. It was now or never. He took his blue hoodie, the one that Thalia had discarded the night after her return to the land of the living, and pulled it over his head. He could've sworn he could smell traces of her still on it, the faint smell of ozone that accompanied her parentage.
His chest tightened, the flood of bittersweet memories overwhelming him. He'd see her again. He had to. Still, it felt like something was missing, the other part of the set. His eyes turned to Thalia's Green Day hoodie, the one he had been saving to give to her once he saw her again. The tightness spread to his throat at the thought he might never get to give it to her.
P.S. Please…just stay safe. The last line of the note added another trickle to the flood. He had to, for her. The shadows could help save her, but they would devour him in the process, or at the very least sap his energy such that he would likely end up in the same cell. He needed to learn control first. Once she was back, he could pay a visit to Hades to help learn how to use his tools. The shadows began to quiet, becoming little more than a contemptuous murmur. He took a shaky breath, desperately trying to dissipate the whirlwind of confusing emotions. So, he decided he'd take the second hoodie in the set. It would make a nice extra blanket anyway.