All rights belong to Rick Riordan

Chapter 6

Not so Smooth Sailing

(Percy)

As we boarded the ship I began to realize a problem, it was after watching Hazel walk Arion up the gangplank and then below deck, much to the horses protest at being cooped up below in the hold. When I remembered there was a giant golden feline with us now. If the lioness came aboard, there was no way she would fit below deck and her size meant she would take up a significant portion of the top deck which would be a problem if we got in a fight.

"Annabeth what are we going to do about Nemea?" I asked hoping she had some clue as to where we could store her new pet.

"What do you mean?" She responded rubbing her hand along the lioness's flank.

"Well we can't fit her on the ship; she is bigger than my mum's car and will get in the way if something was to happen." I explained and sure enough the daughter of Athena's head suddenly began to swivel repeatedly between Nemea and the Argo II.

"Perhaps she could run below us like Arion used to?" She proposed uncomfortably realising the quandary we were in.

"That won't work, she is not as fast as him and besides we will be traveling over the mountains. We will be flying as fast as we can and these mountains are probably full of Gaia's servants. I don't doubt she could win but the time wasted doing so would mean she arrived long after us. There would be no point her even trying." I answered to see the others now all aboard the Argo II and Leo heading down below decks towards the engine room.

"So the only choices we have are: To leave her behind or leave ourselves at risk of attack as we travel." She finally replied after thinking the situation through clearly.

"It's alright, we will stop here on the way back and pick her up or perhaps get the gods to bring her back to home." I answered optimistically and reached around Annabeth to stroke the purring lioness.

"I suppose we have no real choi-" Annabeth sentence was interrupted as I made contact with Nemea's head, basking us in golden light before it retreated leaving me holding a golden furball that seemed as shocked as we both were.

"Percy how did you do that?" Annabeth asked looking at the suddenly playful kitten in my arms.

"I honestly have no gods damn idea, I must have reversed the time spell I used before somehow." I answered guessing the only possibility.

"We need to hide her before the others notice what has happened, we don't need to be telling them about your new tricks yet. You saw how Jason reacted when he saw your shield, he is jealous enough of you as it is. All those months at Camp, people kept comparing him to you and saying you were better. Then we went to New Rome, only to find you took his Praetorship after less than a week of arriving, if they found out, so would the gods and we know how Zeus is likely to react.'

"Yeah, but I never really wanted these powers, they were a means to help us get out of there. I don't want to cause trouble and I would never betray Olympus, my gods damn flaw is loyalty. Why doesn't Olympus ever remember that?" I said indignantly as I passed the cub over to Annabeth who hid it under a jacket. Looking down at my tattered shirt I realised the cub had managed to accidentally tear it apart even more. Thank gods I at last had a chance to get some new ones and take a shower.

"I know that, Zeus is just paranoid of others." She said before kissing me unwittingly squashing the cub between us. Causing her to hiss in displeasure not that I was caring as I enjoyed the sensation on my lips.

"We will just tell them that Nemea is traveling overland and will have to meet us at Olympus." Annabeth said after pulling back and making sure the lion cub was hidden under the jacket as we stepped towards the gangplank.

"So what were you cupcakes taking so long about up there about and where is the mangy cat you had with you?" Hedge asked as we entered the mess hall finding everyone but Leo was eating lunch. In Hedge's case a six pack of energy drinks including the cans and packaging.

"Why the hell does it matter to you what we are doing for five minutes outside your supervision? It is not as if we needed you to oversee us for the last two weeks whilst we journeyed through literal hell." I shot back at the satyr angrily.

"Well you listen here punk! Chiron put me on here to watch you little kids and make sure nothing funny happened or I get to knock you into line." He blustered pulling out his bat to emphasize the statement. To which I couldn't help but laugh at the fact. Out of all the monsters, Titans, Giants and even gods I had defeated over the years this satyr thought he could defeat me with a baseball bat.

"I tell you what Hedge, you stay out of my way and I won't tell Grover how much of an idiot you are. I doubt you want to annoy one of the council, so how about you shut up and stay out of my personal life". I snapped back at the short satyr who seemed to be turning a delightful shade of red before leaping off the bench at me.

Two things happened very quickly, the first was him hitting me around the face with the bat to which I made no sign of having felt it. The second was everyone else leaping of their own seats to restrain the goat only to be too late. As I simply loosened my shield of my back and swung it lightly at him knocking him across the room and causing a dent in the far wall.

The others froze in shock at the force of the blow and watched fearfully as I walked towards the fallen satyr, only to grab him by the throat and lift him until he was level with my face. Despite the dizzy look in his eyes I watched him slowly focus on my face as well as saw the flash of gold in my eyes and I could see him gulp in fear.

"So how about it then, you stay the hell out of my way and I won't break your ego anymore." I stated to the panic stricken satyr who nodded and fell to the floor as I released him and he hurriedly crawled away and left the room.

I turned to look at the others who had backed up in fear away from me. I swiftly cooled down and sat down at a bench before summoning some food and blue coke. I looked up to see Annabeth enter the room through the door Hedge had just fled through. She quickly studied everyone's faces and the satyr sized dent in the bronze wall and quickly deduced what had happened but not the cause.

"Percy what happened in here?" She asked sitting down in front of me.

"The silly goat kept asking stupid questions and attacked me, so I put the idiot in his place. Our job is hard enough without that fool making our lives harder."' I stated simply watching the others sit back down and begin to whisper amongst themselves.

"Okay I know he can be a serious pain, but we are meant to be working together not fighting amongst ourselves. The others are going to think you went unhinged in Tartarus and will not trust you as much if you keep up this cold behaviour." She said whilst summoning a massive plate of mixed grill but not actually eating any of it.

"Now I am going back to my room if you want to join me or are you happy to sit here with the others staring at you, because if I don't hurry there won't be much of a room left. If Nemea continues to scratch everything in protest at being locked up." She said as she stood up and grabbed the plate.

"Don't suppose I was feeling hungry anyway." I muttered as I followed her out of the room.

The inside of Annabeth's room was a mess, Nemea seemed to have reverted back to the mentality of a kitten as well by the looks of things. She seemed to have tried to sharpen her ridiculously sharp claws on the bed frame but had accomplished nothing but creating great gouges in the wood. As we entered we could see her bundled up inside Annabeth's duvet, only her golden head poking out with an almost innocent look on its face.

"How long were you gone?" I asked Annabeth.

"Less than ten minutes, I went to check on Leo and our course to Olympus first before coming to the mess hall to grab some food and find you." She answered scratching the back of her neck whilst surveying the mess.

"How could she do this in ten minutes? It looks like someone fought a war in here with a Titan." I stated almost in awe at the carnage something so small could create so quickly.

Annabeth looked around the room until she noticed Daedalus's laptop open with three long claw marks down the screen and across the keyboard, most of which were now missing. The sight left Annabeth almost in tears so I decided to pick it up and take a look at it.

"Percy leave it alone, I will see if my mum can fix it when we get back." She stated sadly but I was feeling a strange sensation as I studied the damage to the room. I was seeing the room as it used to look not as it was now and I began to focus on the old image in my mind. As I did so I could feel a strange pull in my gut, similarly to whenever I would draw water from a source. I began to feel light-headed but was unable to stop whatever I was doing until I fainted.

(Annabeth)

I couldn't believe it when we had reached my room it was a complete mess, it seemed Nemea had gone out of her way to destroy everything. Most I knew was just cosmetic damage but the sight of my laptop ruined, was too much as Percy picked it up I could only hope my mother could save the information stored within it. After all it contained all the plans and blueprints I had designed as well as Daedalus's own designs.

As I looked away from the ruined laptop and back towards Percy he seemed to have his eyes closed concentrating on something intently. When suddenly his eyes opened and revealed his eyes had turned completely gold and the whole room began to glow with golden light, until it became so bright I was unable to see anymore, forcing me to close my eyes.

I opened them when I heard a heavy thump on the floor and looked to see the glow had gone. What I saw before me was unbelievable the room as it had been before I left, completely intact all the damage had been repaired. The gouges everywhere were gone, the bed was made with a equally startled Nemea sitting on it looking around in amazement. The laptop was on the desk in the corner still working with the screensaver active. Which surprised me because Percy was just holding it, I thought only to turn around and find him passed out on the floor. His face was resting on the deck drooling. I guessed that explained the sound of something hitting the deck, thankfully with us now being nigh on indestructible the risk of him having injured was minimal to zero.

I decided to get some ambrosia out of my emergency bag before waking him by pouring a glass of water over his head. Now on anyone else I knew this would have been mean but Percy seemed to instantly awaken as a result suddenly sitting upright and looking around before focusing on me.

"What happened? I remember a bright light and my energy draining then I passed out." He asked wearily as I passed him the Ambrosia, watching as he hungrily began to devour it.

"You somehow managed to fixed all the damage and return it to good as new." I explained as he rapidly finished the food.

'No that's not possible, how can I fix something? I didn't think I fixed this so much as rewinded the time in here to before it was damaged." He said after thinking about it and looking around.

"Either way thank you." I leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek as we still sat on the floor. The water rapidly drying or flowing back towards the sink as Percy manipulated it.

"We need to find a way to keep her amused." Percy stated gesturing towards the playful figure rolling on the bed.

'Well we can't put her downstairs in the hold, because my mums statue is filling three quarters of it and Arion's stable is filling the rest and he is not a sharing sort I think. Besides he might mistake her as his next meal." I answered remembering my journey through the ship and seeing my mother's statue that had caused so many problems.

"Wait here I might have something." Percy said before walking across the room to where he had placed all his items as we had entered before coming back with an enormous ball of string.

"Wait Percy is that what I think it is, how did you get it?" I asked as he sat down again. The item in his hands getting the attention of the kitten on the bed that leapt down and slowly approached.

"It was dropped as a spoil when I killed Kampé, she must have reformed with it again as her scimitars are already in the camps attic, besides I destroyed the pair she carried this time, this must have become a new spoil." He replied before tossing the yarn to the kitten who dived on it, her whole body curling around it as they both tumbled and rolled across the floor.

I yawned and realized I had not slept or eaten in two weeks but I didn't feel hungry. However Percy saw my yawn and matched it with one of his own.

"I suppose I am tired too, we better catch some rest tomorrow is going to be a very long day." He said standing up before helping me to my feet and grabbing his things.

"If you need anything just knock I am only next door remember." He said before kissing me again and beginning to leave not before giving Nemea one final look and growling "behave nicely" at the ecstatically playing cub before closing the door.

(Nico)

We had been eating and talking when Percy entered the mess hall about what to expect tomorrow and what had happened today. We had all been expecting a great battle today and instead we had arrived at the end of a one sided slaughter of four against a few thousand and they had barely a scratch amongst them and nothing but a little fatigue. And we had nothing to do but help mop up the survivors and shut the doors.

The others seemed amazed at the ease in which the two had fought together. They had never witnessed Percy and Annabeth in action in Manhattan but even that paled in comparison to the way they had destroyed the enemy horde today. There had been no signs of weakness, only the desire and ability to kill everything in front of them. And then after it was over, I had nearly killed him while trying to save him from the Nemean Lion, only to find out they had tamed it and were both bearing the curse of Achilles. Something I found equally unbelievable. In three thousand years The River Styx had 'blessed' one person and now she had done three times in the space of two years, one of whom had received it twice after losing it the first time.

Them bearing the curse may have helped them survive down there but it didn't explain where Percy had got his new weapons from he had tried to hide it after we got closer in the cavern but he had definitely had a second sword in his hand when we arrived and later had thrown a golden spear at a fleeing hellhound when no one was around. On top of the shield currently slung across his back showing an image of the stars outside I could currently make out the figure of Orion as well as the scorpion in the shown stars. He had passed it off as a spoil of war and we had believed him at the time but I suspected that was not the whole truth.

I continued to eat but watched as Hedge squared up to Percy which would have been funny as Percy was a foot taller than the short satyr. I didn't catch what was said when suddenly Hedge took a swing at Percy with his bat. Only for Percy to shrug the blow off and respond by hitting him with his shield, throwing the older satyr across the deck hard enough to dent the wall. Before grabbing the satyr by his neck and lifting him off the floor with one hand.

After a few more words Percy had dropped the goat. Hedge had stood up uncertainly before making a beeline for the bathroom while holding his pants something I found hilarious but likely left the others afraid. Percy had then silently sat down to eat only to stop when Annabeth entered and they left together shortly after. As they left the room I noticed something strange with Percy's eyes I thought I saw a flash of gold briefly.

"Seriously what the heck was that all about? Within ten minutes of getting back on board Percy tries to hospitalize Hedge." Jason said after making sure he was not within earshot. Funny how the son of Zeus waited until he was unlikely to get any reprisal to comment, lowering my opinion of him further.

"We don't know what they went through down there, it could have been really harrowing." Hazel replied not sounding convinced herself.

"We all know the goat is a pain, but that was a bit of an overreaction." Frank said neutrally sitting beside her.

"Well someone needs to talk to him because at the moment he is a bit of a wild cannon. Annabeth is not always going to be around to point him in the right direction." Piper said with some hostility.

"Seriously you guys all think this is Percy's fault. He just spent two weeks in what is hell for gods and you are wondering if he changed a little. I was there for a few hours and it scared the hell out of me and my father rules the literal Underworld. So I would say that he was taking it well all things considering." I said defending my cousin. I had once mistakenly blamed Percy for things as well and to this day I was still apologetic over it.

"Well then you go tell him that were not his enemy and find out what his problem is." Jason spat at me and I began to realize how jealous of Percy he was, I could see it in his eyes. He was someone who was used to being all-powerful and important. Yet next to Percy he must have felt insignificant, I guess it must run in the family to want to be above everyone else.

"Fine I will, because I am not afraid to ask someone what their problem is, rather than talking about them behind there back." I responded angrily before leaving towards Percy's room without another word from any of them. I was just about to knock on his cabin door only to find him leaving Annabeth's, with his hands full of items I had not seen before. Including a strange golden baton with flame patterns on it, his new shield and a new watch on his wrist that seemed to move like a whirlpool of gold and silver.

He seemed to be struggling to close her door with the stuff in his hands before turning around and catching sight of me. Whilst he was stood there looking back at me like a deer caught in headlights, I took the initiative and opened the door for him and stood back to allow him through. As he passed by I was shocked to see that his eyes were now different, he still had the old sea green iris's but his pupils had changed. Rather than black like a normal persons they were now completely gold. As he walked in and dumped his stuff on the bed, I remained in the doorway in shock still staring at him.

"What's the matter Nico you are standing with your mouth open. You need to be careful or you will start to catch flies." Percy joked causing me to close my mouth.

"I just wanted to ask you if you were ok with everything that happened down there. You seemed a little on edge back there." I asked hoping to distract him but I continued to stare at his eyes, they were just not natural.

"Yeah it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be, we stuck to the outskirts avoiding everything if possible but having the blessing helped a lot."

"What blessing." I asked confused.

"Oh I meant the Curse of Achilles; I got stuck in an argument with Lady Styx who informed that it was not a curse so much as a blessing although, I now have all these stupid rules to follow." He explained with a sigh sitting back heavily on the bed.

"What rules did she give you? They can't be good and I can't help but ask as it is so distracting now. Why are your eyes gold?" I asked my curiosity getting the better of me.

"Fine I will tell you but you have to swear on the Styx to never tell anyone unless I or Annabeth do."

"Sure, I swear on the Styx to not tell anyone." I repeated quickly.

"Well it began when we met our grandfather …." He began to explain and before long my jaw was proverbially on the floor.

"So you are telling me that Kronos made you his replacement and you are a Titan now and that when you beat other Titans. You acquired their symbols of power as well." I asked amazed at the story he had just told me.

"Yeah I have Kronos's sword Backbiter but it is now called Maelstrom, Krios's Shield and Hyperion's Spear but I still haven't named them yet." He said as he took out each of the items. I leaped forward to grab one only to find that the shield would not budge no matter how hard I tried to move it.

"What the hell why can't I lift it?" I asked straining before finally letting go out of breath.

"Well technically they are symbols of power and so I guess they only answer to me. I think that the Titan ones have an anti-theft system built into them. If only Zeus had the same one and then Luke would never have been able to get his Master Bolt." Percy said with a smile.

"Dude that is so cool, at this rate you will have your own Mythomagic card you will be unbeatable." I said in childish amazement of my cousin who was still awfully chilled out about the whole affair.

"Honestly at the moment I have bigger things to worry about than trading cards. First we have to deal with Gaia and the Gigantes and then I have to break the news to Olympus, Zeus is going to lay an egg when he finds out." He stated with a sigh which I had to nod in agreement to and admit, he was going to have a whole host of problems on his hands after this was over… If we survived that was.

"Anyway Nico, I need to get to sleep I am about two weeks overdue in the sleep department and tomorrow is going to be a long day." Which I agreed and said goodnight and left as I walked back to my own room I couldn't help but think how awesome my cousin is. He had all that responsibility and pressure on him and his only problem was he had beaten up a Satyr that had attacked him first. 'The others were fools to think they couldn't trust him in the coming battle.' I thought to myself bitterly as I went to bed.

After all for better or for worse tomorrow's battle could be our last.