Prodigiosum | PJO Genderbend - ✓

XI - ανναβετη

Without the leader of the quest, we had no idea how to continue the quest at all.

"How many lines have been completed?" Leo suddenly asked as we silently reached the Tiber in Rome.

"Eight shall find the hidden entrance. One shall sacrifice to gain admittance," Piper hesitantly replied, her eyes darting around at the Italians all around.

For some reason, Jason was sweating.

"So we just scout Italy for Circe's lair?" Jason asked, eyes flashing with unnecessary concern, "Or do we have any other clues?"

"Percy?" a familiar voice said, and when we found out who it was, I had never felt so relieved.

"Grover!" Percy cheered and gave Grover Underwood, one of the first people we had a quest with, a high-five. I did the same.

"Percy!" Another voice shouted, and Percy was given an enormous hug by his brother Tyson. "Wait. You are not Percy."

Percy gave Tyson a pained look at that comment. "Blame Circe! Dad's been changed, too!"

"Daddy is also a girl?"

"Yes! And now we need your help to get us—" I jabbed him in the shoulder when I saw a rough surface with a hastily engraved 'C' on it about three metres away.

"We're here?" Leo asked curiously, and Piper looked as if she was fighting the mortal urge to strangle the guy until her fingers burned.

Peering closer at the symbol, I wondered why Circe would make everything so easy for us, but when Hazel went over to examine the thing, it glowed serpent green.

The glow disappeared before flaring serpent green again, then another one flaring about meters away, until we had a dozen 'C' stones illuminating the path.

"Oh my gods," Frank called from behind, and I nodded slowly.

I stepped forward, touching the rough chunk of glowing rock, but yelping as a pain zing!ed up to my chest. I looked back at the group and shook my head.

They frowned in disappointment that we had located the entrance wrongly, but Grover stepped up and examined the slab.

His curly hair was not enough the hide his growing goat horns, and he had probably trashed his rasta cap already, but he looked so matured and determined that I could feel Percy's regret and guilt for ignoring him and talking to Jason more.

Of course, that included my own regret.

The satyr touched his palm to the chunk, closed his eyes, and muttered something in Ancient Greek. The serpent green glow faded, before flashing bright and throwing him back.

Luckily, Percy was there to catch him, because who knows what might have happened if the poor guy landed hard.

Apparently the passers-by didn't see what was happening because the Mist is amazing like that.

Instantly the 'C' stones buried themselves deep into the earth, making the ground shake until there was a gigantic hole with stone stairs leading down into a deep chasm that momentarily smelled of foul odor before it produced the horrible scent of detergent.

Then that smell, too, faded away.

I turned back to thank Grover and Tyson for their sudden appearance and small help, but they had disappeared to gods know where like they were just mirages designed to distract us.

Percy followed his natural ADHD impulse and immediately marched his way down into the chasm, forcing us along since he was the main demigod in two Great Prophecies and we figured he would serve at least some sort of help and clues to find Nico.

Something told me this was only the beginning of the crap that would happen.

===

And... Cut!

So yeah. Tiff is back with a chapter of Prodigiosum! I didn't leave y'all hanging for a year. (That was about eight months I'm so sorry but I will make sure I don't leave y'all alone again) My writing style had to change so the transition will be very sudden since it was altered upon entering the alternate universe of Parallel so uh yeah...

This is really short, isn't it?

But I promised I would update Prodigiosum, didn't I? So I tried my best!

-F-E-A-R-L-E-S-S-  you've been waiting for it, you're welcome

Tiffy out!