Chapter Third: Of Desperate Gods, Intoxicating Flowers, and the Legend of Cleoxene of Corinth, Daughter of Poseidon
Percy climbed out of the river, unaware of how scratched up he was. Thanks to Athena, Grover couldn't read him as well as empathy link sharers usually could. He could use it to communicate, however.
He walked on shore, unaware of the staring eyes of a redhead and the cries of a child.
"Look, mommy, he is completely dry!"
"That's nice, dear."
Rachel Dare was startled, but that wasn't the weirdest thing she had seen. They had traveled west because suddenly a bus near them had exploded by lightning, then plants started growing stupid fast, then they were herded out of the arch by people who her parents thought were adult workers. She knew they were teens, though. She had seen a boy fall from the top of the arch before landing unharmed as the river caught him, then walking out dry half an hour later. He then proceeded to walk up to the newspaper with his face in it and crumple it.
Percy, after crumpling the newspaper, walked straight up to Grover Underwood, tapping him on the shoulder.
"Baaaaa! Blaaa! Ugh, Percy?!"
"Hey G-man."
"I knew it," said Katie, "I knew that the water would save you."
"Why did you take so long," said Grover.
"Sorry. Got a visit from a nereid," he said. Both he and his stepmother knew what he needed to do. "We need to get to the underworld fast."
Denver, Colorado, United States
As Percy sat across from Ares, he felt Grover and Katie exhale in anger.
"Why are you here?" He asked.
"Percy!" Half-whispered Katie.
"S'okay," said Ares, "I like spunk. You see, I need you to be good and fetch my shield from the water park on Delancy."
"Hello? You're a god of war. You can summon it."
"Not this one," said Ares, "it's special."
"And why is that?" Asked Percy.
"Have you ever heard of Cleoxene of Corinth? She was a young daughter of Poseidon, and her mother was a daughter of Aphrodite. She was an embodiment of Corinth. But she killed the son of Zeus, Demetrius the Besieger, and was sent by Zeus on an impossible quest: obtain a branch from the lotus tree. She was stuck in the realm of the lotus eaters, but she left behind, to her sister, a shield. This is that shield."
"Cool. What type of payment do we get?"
"Transportation, punk. I can get you wherever you wanna go—I'm guessing the Underworld."
"Okay," said Percy, placing a hand on Katie's shoulder warningly, "we'll do it."
She looked about to protest but nodded.
"Corner of Delancy, right?"
"Right. I'll see you around, punk."
-Ω-
When Percy rounded the corner, he saw the water park exactly as he remembered.
He pointed out the H to his companions—and Grover promptly fainted.
Using ice spikes to get rid of most of the Cupid statues, he grabbed the shield alone with a flourish at the remaining cameras.
Easy.
The hardest part was staying his natural color when he tripped over trying to give the shield to Katie.
She promptly wrote it down so she could tell the Stolls.
"Lord Ares. Here is your shield. So you owe us transportation."
"Well, well, well. I think—"
"Shut yer trap and get the car."
Ares looked up and glared.
"Watch it, punk. I ain't the god of war for nothing."
"And gods don't dream?" Katie looked at him in warning but he knew now the god would not kill him.
"What the hell…" the god glared at him before snapping his fingers.
"There you go, punk," he said, handing him the backpack. Percy took it.
"I'm not traveling there. Free the animals and get us proper transportation."
"I could just kill you."
"We both know you wouldn't," said Percy smugly.
"Fine. Here you go."
Percy scribbled something on a piece of paper.
"Read this when we are gone."
Ares snapped again and in place of the "Humane Transport" was a Koenigsegg.
"Not street legal, but it will do. Can only fit two people, but you're kids. Drive it yourself."
The god smirked.
Katie decided to drive. As they drove away, Percy watched Ares unfold the piece of paper.
On it was scribbled, "you won't kill me. but your dad has no such qualms."
The god glared murderously at them from the distance.
On Olympus, Hestia and Athena shared a laugh.
"Let's take a stop in Vegas," said Percy.
A long, long, long while later, Percy and Co. Stopped in front of the Lotus Casino.
"Okay, Katie, Grover, this is the land of the Lotus Eaters. Yeah, let that sink in. I apparently have a sister there. So let's go in and remember not to get caught up in this."
After some more incessant questioning and more than a few eye rolls, they made their way inside, receiving the infinite money cards.
Percy noticed something he had never before.
He saw three doors, one with a sky blue glowing delta, one with a blood red glowing lambda, and one decorated in Ancient Greek scripts.
"Wait here," he yelled, already leaving behind his two flabbergasted and indignant friends.
He opened the Ancient Greek door, stepped out of a tree, and found himself in an idyllic paradise of an island.
Rhapsodes and mimes performed, while orators and dramatic actors shouted loudly.
Men brawled while women shamelessly flirted.
An apple flew over his head to be caught by a large, amiable looking spartus.
The people looked at him weird.
He bumped into a skinny looking fellow.
"I'm sorry," he said, "but what year is it?"
"Two cycles after the thirteenth Olympiad," said the boy.
"And what is your name?"
"Kleomenes of Pylos, good sir. Now if you would, step aside while I claim that harlot."
He was left revolted and disgusted.
And soon, he found what he was looking for.
A head of long, slightly wavy raven hair and sea green eyes met him.
The girls eyes widened in surprise, as she looked like she had seen a ghost.
"Are you my brother?"
Percy was so taken aback by the instant recognition that he nearly tripped.
"Are you Cleoxene of Corinth?"
"Yes…how are you here, Athanasios?"
He gulped.
"I'm not Athanasios. You are in the realm of the Lotus eaters. From the Age of Heroes. It's probably been twenty five hundred years. The world is vastly changed. Father would be happy to see you."
"Who are you," she said fearfully but defiantly, notching a silver arrow to her bow.
"I'm Perseus Jackson, Son of Poseidon, and with the rest of our undersea family? We're accidental time travelers."
She laughed, and lowered the bow. "Tell me of the world, little brother."
"Well, Kronos is rising—"
"What. The. Hades?"
"Don't use uncles' names like that."
"The Tartarus, then—wait, are you okay?"
"Yeah, hold on, give me a second.."
She held him worriedly. He could get used to having an older sister.
"Sorry. Bad memories."
"What—you've been there?" She said incredulously.
He looked into her eyes, and that was all she needed.
She pulled him into an iron hug and he realized why she was a famed warrior even as a young girl.
Damn. She could hug as tight as Tyson. Must be a sea thing.
"Okay then. How do we leave, little brother?"
"Well, my quest mates are outside here in the modern section. And I have to check on somebody.
"Alright. Let's go."
They made their way to the tree, Cleoxene telling him it was just like Zeus to send a twelve year old on a quest. He reminded her he was twenty five. She smacked his head and told him he'd always be her little brother. He was, of course, grateful in the extreme.
"Katie! Grover! Over here!"
Katie was trying to pry Grover away from the game—the same one as last time— while he shouted 'CHAROS' at the mortal NPC's.
The appearance of Cleoxene shocked him out.
"Is..is that who I think it is?" Stammered Grover.
"Yeah. Guys, this is Cleoxene. I have one more errand to run. Talk to Cleoxene about our time, she's from Ancient Corinth."
"You can call me Cleo, I suppose," she said, giving the same lopsided grin as Percy did, but without the predatory hint he got from Rome and Tartarus.
He ran across to the bar, where a small hand grabbed at him.
He whirled around, face to face with ten year old Niccólo Di Angelo.
"Umm, sorry," said Nico, "I thought I recognized you."
"Nico?"
"Oh thank Thesis herself," said the now little Italian, "what happened?"
"Chronos and Ananke faded, and Kairos and Aeon might have interfered by accident. So…you remember everything?"
"Up to you disappearing to visit Sherbet at the bottom of the Ocean's fifth deepest pit?"
"Mortals say it's the first deepest."
"They will never go much deeper."
Percy sighed. "I'll get you out after this quest, alright Neeks?"
"Got it, cuz."
"Oh, and there is a labyrinth entrance and an Ancient Greek section."
"The tree in the Ancient Greek section—I've been there—is a branch of the actual lotus tree. I think it houses a piece of Kairos, hence the time warp."
"Thanks, Neeks."
"See you in, like, thirty minutes."
Percy ran straight to the Greek section, but stopped.
He saw a tree growing out of the middle of the food court.
He grabbed a branch and dipped.
As he ran towards Cleo, he saw the branch glowing a warm gold.
It was indeed the aura of Kairos, an ancient Protogenos of Time born from the shell of the cosmic egg that housed Chronos and he was raised by Phanes, Thesis, Ophion and Eurynome.
He could stop Chronos and Ananke from fading if he could capture the Lotus tree—but it could be connected to Yggdrasil, or some machination of The Morrigán/Moirai/Parcae/Annunaki/Horae/Norns. Bad idea to mess with pantheons.
He almost ran past his sister and friends, but stopped in time to shout, "Let's get the hell out of Dodge City, folks!"
"Percy," panted Grover, "how are we gonna escape in the Koenigsegg?"
"Easy. Watch this."
He ran straight at the bellhop whose eyes widened at the sight of the branch.
Before the man could say a word, an arrow was through inside skull from Cleo's bow.
He grabbed an extra two cards and they ran straight out.
"What—a metallic jungle," said Cleoxene.
"Right. This is the City of Las Vegas, and we are, unfortunately, almost late. One day before the deadline. We have twenty hours or so."
The early morning clouds gave way to the light of the moon.
"This is not Boiotia, or the Ionian?"
"This is Las Vegas, Nevada, North America, thousands of leagues away from Greece."
Katie pointed at a man in a very nice taxi.
"The cards."
"Right," said Percy.
He saw the man, and recognized him.
It was Jacob, a chauffeur for Dare Enterprises.
"Ahh. Jacob," he said.
The man eyed him suspiciously.
"I believe you are to give us a ride to Santa Monica."
"Sir."
He gave the man the platinum credit card, and the man's eyes widened before handing it back to him.
"Err,your uhh, highness? I'll go there as fast as you can say Hades.
"What language is this?" Said Cleo.
"I'll explain later," said Percy.
"You're Greek?" Said the man in surprise.
"Yes," he said, realizing the man had said Hades.
"I'm a Greek Polytheist myself, although I believe other gods exist."
"Oh. Well, in that case, Perseus Jackson, Son of Poseidon, Cleoxene of Corinth, Daughter of Poseidon, Katie Gardener, Daughter of Demeter, and Grover Underwood, your friendly Satyr who's trying to earn a license to search for Pan."
Saying so he lifted the most from the mortals' eyes.
"Grover, take your cap off."
The satyr did so, and Percy promptly dunked his head in water.
His little horns stuck out.
"I feel…like I suddenly have 10/10 vision. Why?"
Percy combined about the mist and the flame moving.
Cleoxene explained the realm of the Lotus eaters and her heritage and legacy.
Jacob took them to Santa Monica at ninety miles an hour on a seventy five carpool lane for most of the time.
Percy and Katie explained even more, and they even saw a hellhound posing as a big rig.
When Percy explained his quest, thunder boomed.
"Oh cut it out, thunderthighs, I'll get your bolt back.
Thunder boomed even louder.
"I swear on the Styx I had nothing to do with it being taken!"
A different thunder boomed and the sky lightened up.
The subconscious sound of the ocean roaring subsided as well.
"Wait, is that the weather? Because the almighty Olympians have seen fit to take their sacred quarrel to the mortal realm?" Asked Jacob.
"No big quarrel, just a preschool argument," said Percy. "Also, you won't be cleared after after you drop us off. You'll have to focus to see things. They won't attack you usually."
They made it to Santa Monica, and Rhode and Kymopoleia were thee to greet him.
Grover stood in awe on the beach as the four siblings talked casually—except for Cleoxene, who was extremely nervous.
They welcomed her as one of their own.
Finally, Kym said, "you guys are technically late. So skip Procrustes and head straight to D.O.A. Recording Studios in LA."
With their goodbyes, Percy Jackson was on the final stretch of his first quest.
AN: Don't ask why TLT is only seven thousand words. The Sea of Monsters actual story might be short, because there will be a shit ton of Big Three kid action. Extra quests, hunts, and undersea action. More drawn out thoughts and reactions, real action. Also, check out my Perzoë one shot and The Rise Of Sparta: Blood Red Dawn. Yes, Dawn for a reason. Yes, the allusions to Blood Red Lambda in the story are on purpose. Yes, I am now almost positive it is Percy/Eos.
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