cymophobia | percy jackson

𝑥𝑖𝑥

If Ash were on her game, maybe she would have realized that the hotel was a little too nice. Maybe she would have noticed that the people around them were all wearing different eras of clothing, or maybe she would have sensed that none of them had death dates. But something was making her incredibly at ease. So at ease that she could barely keep her eyes open to take a shower and get changed. Maybe she would have been suspicious of the fact that the shower had all her usual products, or that the comfy sweater and pants she found were exactly her size and style.

Maybe she could have stopped her friends from spending the next five days playing games if she hadn't fallen dead asleep.

Percy broke out of the Lotus Hotel and Casino's spell first. He found Annabeth and Grover but could not for the life of him find Ash. The three were beginning to panic when Annabeth realized something.

"Oh my gods," she said, and directed them towards the elevator. "She's probably still in our room."

"What? Why?" Percy asked as the girl jabbed the right button.

"Her father's the god of peaceful death. If everyone here is just... staying forever having the time of their lives, wouldn't that be, like, the most peaceful death possible? Or... non-death?" She shook her head. "The point is, this is like Thanatos kid heaven. Ash passed out immediately when we got here, right? She probably hasn't even woken up."

Annabeth was right. Ash was right where they last left her, sprawled out on one of the king beds. They tried everything they could to get her up, but the most they got out of her was mumbling. "Mmm... so comfy... warm..."

Finally, Annabeth hoisted the sleeping demigod onto Percy's back and they literally carried her out of the building. She was just coming to when they realized that there was one day left until the summer solstice. One day to complete their quest.

₪₪₪

It took a good hour before Ash was fully awake and caught up to speed on what happened. By that time they were a third of the way to Santa Monica; the driver thought Annabeth was some kind of princess and was pushing 100 to get them there as fast as possible. Ash had a hard time keeping a straight face every time he called her "Your Highness."

For the rest of the drive, Ash and Percy compared dreams. During her little nap, Ash had also dreamt of the voice in the pit, information that was very worrying to Annabeth and Grover. They went back and forth for a while debating on who the voice could be, Ash knowing that it wasn't Hades, Annabeth and Grover insisting otherwise. Ash could tell that Annabeth didn't even believe what she was saying. She'd gone pale a while back and kept muttering "It has to be Hades. It has to be."

They all felt like they were missing one simple, critical piece of information. By this point Ash was convinced they wouldn't find what they were looking for in the Underworld. The problem was, none of them had any other ideas and they were quickly running out of time.

"Either way, the answer is there," Annabeth asserted. "You saw the spirits of the dead, Percy. There's only one place that could be. We're doing the right thing."

Ash wasn't so sure about that.

They reached Santa Monica beach at sunset. Percy led them right down to the edge of the surf.

"What now?" Annabeth asked.

Percy didn't respond. He just stepped into the water.

"What are you doing?"

He was in up to his chest now.

"You know how polluted that water is?" Annabeth called after him.

"It'll take years off your life, Percy," Ash added.

Did he listen? No. Soon, his black hair had disappeared under the water, leaving the three others to take a seat on the sand. Ash and Grover played an intense round of Chopsticks while they waited, Annabeth telling Ash how many fingers to hold up so she didn't have to count (true friendship right there).

After 20-odd minutes, Percy resurfaced perfectly dry. He told them what had happened with the Nereid and showed them the three shimmering pearls he'd received.

Annabeth grimaced. "No gift comes without a price."

"They were free?" Percy said in confusion.

"No." She shook her head. "'There is no such thing as a free lunch.' That's an ancient Greek saying. There will be a price. You wait."

On that happy note, they turned their backs on the sea.

Ash knew where DOA Recording Studios was in theory, but technically she'd never been there. She had a free pass to travel to the Underworld whenever and from wherever she wanted. So when they got off the bus in West Hollywood, she mostly let her instincts take over, like some weird death homing radar.

Of course this meant they ran into some issues. Percy almost got recognized; they passed several storefronts playing either footage of his stepdad, Gabe, or newsreels of themselves. They took a few wrong turns and twice had to duck into alleys to avoid cop cars. It was in one of those alleys that they got held up by a gang of kids.

Ash couldn't help but scoff and roll her eyes. It was a bunch of white kids in expensive clothes, daddy's boys playing at being bad. But Percy, like an idiot, confronted them because they cat-called Annabeth. Cue the four of them taking refuge in a nearby store, sorry, waterbed palace.

"Think we lost them?" Grover panted, peeking out from behind the deluxe king-sized waterbed he was hiding behind.

"Lost who?" A voice boomed.

They all jumped.

Standing behind them was a guy who looked like a lizard-person in a leisure suit.

"I'm Crusty," he introduced with a tartar-yellow smile.

"Don't," Annabeth hissed at Percy and Ash, knowing what both of them were thinking.

"Sorry to barge in," Percy told him. "We were just, um, browsing."

"I like your chains," Ash blurted out.

"Ah, why thank you. Say, wanna check out a water bed?"