A BLACK HEART

CLOSED FOR A PRIVATE EVENT!

                              A BLACK HEART Chapter 4
A/N:- So, again... I'm just saying this again... the events in the middle are the same as the book and I'm picking the story from after the prophecy has been announced and just before the quest has started! Anyway! On with the chapter! Enjoy! Oh, and also... the people in the quest are Zoe, Bianca, Hector, Percy, Thalia, and Phoebe. Which, I know contradicts the book, but its fanfiction! Anything is true here!

Percy sighed as he walked towards the Poseidon Cabin after some talks and explanations to Chiron. The prophecy was the only thing that was roaming in his head, rent-free.

The quest members had been chosen, and he was one of them. He cursed himself and cursed fate. He had promised to return with his siblings but look where the rescue mission brought him.

Now, he was fucking stuck in a god-forsaken quest with the hunters and the campers.

As he was walking and thinking about the packing that he would have to do, he stopped suddenly as he felt someone tug at his leg.

When he looked around, he saw his little brother, Nico, and his expression immediately. He had formed a bond with him and had also promised him a lifetime supply of Mythomagic games and figurines.

"What's the matter, Neeks?" He asked, crouching down to his level. "Can't sleep?"

Nico shook his head and said. "I want you to promise something, brother."

"Anything."

"Will you please, please, please protect my... our sister?" Nico asked, a hopeful expression in his eyes.

Percy's face immediately dropped as he knew the deed would be next to impossible. "Now, that's a pretty big thing to promise, Neeks, especially when—"

"Promise?"

Percy sighed, not wanting to crush the hopes of his little brother. "I promise that I would try my best, I really promise."

Immediately, Nico's expression turned happy as he exclaimed, "YAY!"

"You know," Percy said, rummaging his hand in his pocket. "I have something for you."

"What, what?" Nico exclaimed happily, jumping up and down as Percy started laughing.

He brought out an ornately decorated skull-shaped ring from his back pocket and put it in his palm, and immediately his brother's expression changed to one of surprise.

"Woah!" He exclaimed. "What is it?"

"This," Percy said, keeping his hand on Nico's. "Is a gift from my father and me, both. I am leaving it up to you to figure out the hidden mechanisms of this contraption!"

"Thank—" Nico started but then his expression turned confused. "Contra— what?"

Percy laughed and got up, turning around and walking leisurely to the cabin. "Figure that out by yourself too!

-TIME-SKIP-

"All right, everyone. Get in the van!" Zoe said, causing Percy to snort.

"No offense, but you sound like a psychotic kidnapper," He muttered, chuckling under his breath, causing the rest to snicker.

He could feel the anger rolling off the huntress but she said nothing and just jumped into the driver's seat, much to the son of Hades' shock.

"Well, guess we found ourselves a new part-time job if this monster hunting comes to an end!"

Soon everyone was in and the van pulled away from the camp, chugging through the border and down the main road. The last thing they could see was Chiron, his eyes closed, muttering something to the heavens.

Percy just kept wondering what he might have said.

They drove for several hours and miles, straight, Zoe refusing to stop for anything. The only one that really complained was Hector who constantly squirmed in his seat, uncomfortably.

It was understandable as, being a child of the sea, he liked open places, and this closed metal box which humans called a van was pretty much giving him claustrophobia.

Added to this was the speed of a madman with which the huntress was driving. She had been driving at a normal speed for the first few miles, but soon, after the first red-light, she just stepped on the accelerator and increased the vehicle's velocity tremendously.

Finally, after some time Hector asked, "How do you even have a driving license?"

"We don't." Came Zoe's immediate reply as they broke the red light, almost knocking some of the pedestrians down.

"Zoe," Percy said, hesitantly. "I think you should slow down."

But the huntress was a stubborn one.

Soon, the demigods grew alarmed as the van's tires began to skid and the metal body started to groan, on the verge of breaking down.

"ZOE!" The son of Hades exclaimed and then closed Bianca's ears with his hands. "FUCKING SLOW DOWN!"

"What is thy problem?" The irritated huntress asked but the question was answered by Bianca Di Angelo.

"We all understand the urgency of the situation, Zoe. But you cannot just kill all of us in the process!"

The Huntress conceded reluctantly, muttering something along the lines of 'Fucking Babies are scared of speed.'

Soon, with a slowed-down speed, they crossed the Potomac River and reached Central Washington as Zoe parked the car at the curb.

"You know, I need to use the bathroom too," Phoebe muttered and jumped out of the door, following Bianca inside the Museum of Air and Space.

"Well, I guess we should go as well, you know, to check out and learn some history?" Thalia suggested as Percy and Hector nodded and Zoe just replied with a "Whatever."

The girls soon reunited and sat down in a café as Percy and Hector grabbed a burger from the counter and darted off to explore the museum.

As they were roaming around, admiring the different marvels of history, Percy suddenly noticed a familiar face walking towards a place.

Dr. Thorn.

Seeing him, the son of Hades nudged Hector and pointed to the Manticore.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Hector whispered.

"I have no fucking idea," Percy replied and then added after a small pause. "Let's follow him."

Hector nodded, and they took off, following Thorn to where he was going, occasionally turning around and showing their backs so that the monster couldn't see them.

Finally, the former vice principal crossed the steps and climbed the stairs of the Museum of Natural History. He looked around cautiously and nervously.

Then he reached the door with a big sign called, 'CLOSED FOR PRIVATE EVENT'.

Hector and Percy slipped in when the Manticore opened the door as the son of Hades encased them both in shadows.

Inside, was a big chamber full of mastodons and dinosaur skeletons, with several mortal guards standing next to the door with two monsters, Scythian Dracaenae, standing next to a boy, about 17 or 18 with sandy brown hair, and pale skin and a scar running down the left side of his face.

Hector gasped. "Luke!"

Next to him, sitting down so that the shadows covered him, was another man. All the boys could see were his knuckles on the gilded arms of his chair, like a throne.

"Well?" asked the man in the chair. His voice was deep and strong like the earth itself was talking. It filled the whole room even though he wasn't yelling.

Dr. Thorn took off his shades. His two-colored eyes, brown and blue, glittered with excitement.

He made a stiff bow, then spoke in his weird French accent: "They are here, General."

"I know that, you fool," boomed the man. "But where?"

"In the rocket museum."

"The Air and Space Museum," Luke corrected irritably.

Dr. Thorn glared at Luke. "As you say, sir."

"How many?" the General demanded.

"Four, General," Thorn said. "The son of Poseidon, the son of Hades, and the girl with the spiky black hair and the—how do you say—punk clothes and the horrible shield."

"Thalia," Luke said. "And three other girls—Hunters. One wears a silver circlet."

"That one I know," the General growled. "Fine, you are dismissed Thorn. Go, I shall call you once I find another menial task for you."

Thorn looked angry, but just bowed and left from another door.

Seeing all this Hector was alarmed, while Percy was just listening intently.

"How do we deal with the Demigods sir?" Luke asked.

"Oh, don't worry about them, I have a little playmate ready for them. And for the hunters." The general beckoned a soldier forward.

"Do you have them?" He asked the soldier.

"Yes sire." The soldier said and opened his hands, revealing several teeth.

"Good, plant them." The big G said.

The soldier took the sharp white teeth and planted them in the huge heap of soil right in the center of the room.

Percy and Hector watched on nervously, not doing anything to prevent the risk of getting caught.

The soldier brought out a can and watered the teeth, as everyone watched intently. Though, it wasn't water, it was dark red in color.

"Dinosaur teeth—ha! Those foolish mortals don't even know when they have dragon teeth in their possession. And not just any dragon teeth. These come from the ancient Sybaris herself! They shall do nicely." The General said.

Soon the soil bubbled and erupted and a skeletal hand burst out, grabbing at the air.

"Quickly, do you have the scent?"

"Yesssss, lord," one of the snake ladies said.

She took out a sash of silvery fabric, like the kind the Hunters wore.

"Excellent," the General said. "Once my warriors catch its scent, they will pursue its owner relentlessly. Nothing can stop them, no weapons known to half-blood or Hunter. They will tear the Hunters and their allies to shreds. Toss it here!"

Hector wanted to run away now, but Percy grabbed his hand and shook his head.

"We have to inform the others!" Hector whispered.

"I know, but we have to see what is going to happen. We run on my signal." Percy whispered back as Hector nodded reluctantly.

As he said that, skeletons erupted from the ground. There were twelve of them, one for each tooth the soldier had planted.

These were growing flesh as everyone watched, turning into men, but men with dull gray skin, yellow eyes, and modern clothes—gray muscle shirts, camo pants, and combat boots.

If you didn't look too closely, you could almost believe they were human, but their flesh was transparent and their bones shimmered underneath, like X-ray images.
The General dropped the sash to the skeleton warriors. One of them grabbed it and sniffed it, then passed it to the others.

Seeing that Hector audibly gasped, which unfortunately the General heard.

"An INTRUDER!" He shouted.

"Now!" Percy whisper-shouted and grabbed Hector's hand and dissolved into a shadow, far away from that god-forsaken place.

They quickly reappeared in front of the café where the girls were eating.

"I'm never doing that again!" Hector gasped, trying to stable himself.

Percy didn't pay any heed to him and ran towards the girls.

"We have to Fucking Leave NOW!" Hector said.

"Why? Did something scare you?" Phoebe asked.

"General... Skeleton warriors... Monster..." Percy said.

"WHAT!?" Zoe said, choking on her drink. "That is impossible! You lie."

"Why would we lie? Look, there's no time. Skeleton warriors—"

"What?" Thalia demanded. "How many?"

"Twelve," Hector said. "And that's not all. That guy, the General, he said he was sending something, a 'playmate,' to distract you over here. A monster."

Thalia and Bianca exchanged looks.

"Zoe," Bianca said nervously, "if it is the General—"

"It cannot be!" Zoe snapped. "They must have seen an Iris-message or some other illusion."

"Illusions don't laugh evilly and loudly, making the earth shake," Hector told her.

Zoe took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

"If Percy is telling the truth about the skeleton warriors," she said, "we have no time to argue. They are the worst, the most horrible... We must leave now."

"Good idea," Phoebe said. "Let's—"

She was cut off in the middle of the sentence as they heard a growl so loud that it felt like one of the rocket engines was starting up.

Below them, a few adults screamed. A little kid's voice screeched with delight: "Kitty!"

A/N:- That's it for today! A little long, but I hope you guys enjoyed it! Please leave reviews! Have a nice Day or Night! Bye! Also... KryptonJoyWrites (sorry if I got the name wrong) but... I don't really have any knowledge about Pertemis fics.... And uh.... The ship was already decided... it was going to be a Percy X Reyna... though... I could include Artemis as well! You have given me a great idea and I need to think about it a little! Give me some time! Bye! Have a nice day!