Poseidon's Daughter; A Percy Jackson Fanfiction

The Hesperides' Garden

Y/n's POV

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Thalia demanded.

Zoë glared at her. "I cannot control traffic."

"You both sound like my mother," Percy remarked as Zoe weaved in and out of traffic. Up ahead, the sun was setting as we exited the highway. Here, the roads were way narrower, but Zoe tracked her way through the forest roads and up the hills. "Why does everything smell like cough drops?"

"Eucalyptus," Zoe replied and pointed to the trees. "The stuff koala bears eat. And monsters. They love chewing the leaves. Especially dragons."

"Look," I direct and glance out the front windshield. "There it is. The Mountain of Despair."

"Why do they call it that?" Percy implored.

"After the war between the Titans and the gods, many of the Titans were punished and imprisoned. Kronos was sliced to pieces and thrown into Tartarus. Kronos's right-hand man, the general of his forces, was imprisoned up there, on the summit, just beyond the Garden of the Hesperides," Zoe informed us.

"Um, guys, I don't want to freak you out, but we need to get out of the car. Now," Thalia commanded. Zoe slammed on the brakes, and the convertible spun twice before coming to a stop. I clambered out of the back seat, and thank the gods too. Seconds after we all exited the car, lightning struck the vehicle, and it exploded like a grenade. "One shall perish by a parent's hand. Curse him. He would destroy me? Me?"

"Shhh," Zoe hissed and quieted her. "Do you want to wake Ladon? We're very close. Follow me."

"Hey, Thalia," I murmur and walk next to her as we followed Zoe into the forest. "You know that wasn't Zeus who sent that lightning bolt, right? It was Kronos. He's just trying to make you feel angry at your dad, just like Dr. Thorn tried to manipulate you earlier."

Thalia took a deep breath. "Y/n, I know you're trying to make me feel better, and I appreciate it, but I don't want to talk about that right now."

Just then, the fog cleared, and I saw that we were standing on the side of the mountain. The grass was thicker than it was in the forest, and the road we were standing on was made of dirt. The sunset's reflection against the sea turned it blood read, and ahead of us, the summit of the mountain loomed closer, swirling with storm clouds and power. There was only one path to the top, which was directly in front of us, and it led through a lush meadow of shadows and flowers. We were hear. The garden of twilight. The garden of the Hesperides. If it hadn't been for the ginormous dragon, the garden would've been the most beautiful place I'd ever seen. Well, except for Persephone's garden. But the two were extremely different. Here, the grass shimmered with silvery evening light, and the flowers were colored with every shade you could think of. Stepping stones of black marble led to a large apple tree that glittered with golden fruit.

"The apples of immortality," Thalia recognized. "Hera's wedding gift from Zeus."

"Don't forget about the dragon," I remind her and gesture to the dragon, who was curled up around the tree trunk.

"Maybe he's friendly, like Peleus," Percy suggested.

"Percy, Peleus lets people pet him if they're worthy. People like me. If I were to pet Ladon, I'd get eaten," I mention. "Look how many heads he has! He could take off a different limb with each head."

"Time to face my family," Zoe grumbled and stepped forward. As she did, four figures appeared in front of us. All of them resembled Zoe in some way or another. They were all wearing white Greek chitons that matched well with their caramel skin and silky black hair. These were the Hesperides. "Sisters."

"We do not see any sister," one of the girls spit coldly. "We see three half bloods and a Hunter. All of whom shall soon die." 

"You've got it wrong. Nobody is going to die," Percy disagreed. 

"Perseus Jackson," one of them muttered. 

"Yes," mused another. "I do not see why he is a threat." 

"Who said I was a threat?" Percy pushed. 

The first Hesperid pointed behind her towards the top of the mountain. "They fear thee. They fear all of thee. But they are unhappy that no one has not yet killed thee. We actually placed bets. I thought Thalia would have killed thee by now." 

"I bet Y/n would do it," another piped in.

"Okay, um, Percy can be annoying at times, and he is definitely overprotective, but he's my brother. I love him more than I'd like to admit," I confess.

"Aw," Percy cooed. "Thanks, Y/n. That means a lot. I turtley love you too."

"And now I want to take it all back," I claim.

"Yeah, it's tempting," Thalia agreed. "But no thanks. He's my friend." 

"There are no friends here, daughter of Zeus," one girl disagreed. "Only enemies. Go back." 

"Not without Annabeth. And Artemis," I add. "We must approach the mountain." 

"You know he will kill all of thee. You are no match for him," a Hesperid stated.

"Artemis must be freed," Zoë insisted. "Let us pass." 

The girl shook her head. "You have no rights here any more. We have only to raise our voices and Ladon will wake." 

"He will not hurt me," Zoë noted. 

"No? And what about thy so-called friends?" a Hesperid quizzed.

Then Zoe did something I didn't expect.

"Ladon! Wake!" Zoe shouted. The dragon stirred, it's skin glittering in the sunlight. The Hesperides all scattering, leaving us alone with the dragon. Ladon sat up, all hundred heads whipping around with tongues flickering out of the multiple mouths. Zoe took a step forward and raised her arm, much to Thalia's dismay.

"Zoe, don't," Thalia warned. "You're not a Hesperid any more. He'll kill you." 

"Ladon is trained to protect the tree. Skirt round the edges of the garden and go up the mountain," Zoe instructed. "As long as I am a bigger threat, he should ignore thee." 

"Should?" I repeat. "That's not exactly reassuring. It's actually not reassuring at all. Not even a little bit."

"It is the only way," Zoe pushed. "Even the four of us together cannot fight him." 

Ladon opened his mouth, and the sound of a hundred heads hissing at once sent a shiver down my spine. That was before his breath hit me. The odor was like acid. The scent alone from this far away made my eyes burn. While I wanted to stand my ground and fight, I knew that I couldn't. Thalia, Percy, and I followed Zoe's instructions, with Thalia going left and Percy and I going right. We were halfway out of the garden when things went wrong. Ladon's mood shifted, and he lunged at Zoe, who barely made it out of the way. The dragon snapped at her side again, and Zoe cried out in pain. Somehow, she made it towards us, and together, the four of us sprinted up the side of the mountain. Ladon didn't even try to follow us, and the Hesperides resumed their song from the shadows behind us. It sounded beautiful at first, but the tune soon changed, and it became clear what the song was. It was like a soundtrack you'd hear at a funeral.