The Child of the Dead Sea (a Percy Jackson fanfic)

2. A Ride Home

ANNABETH

I gasp when we hit the water. It is freezing. Percy soon wrapped us in an air bubble under the water and we started floating to the surface. Looking up i could see the train had stopped in the center of a bridge that was at least a mile long but i couldn't see the end of it.

Our bubble was about to breach the surface when a hand wrapped around my ankle causing Percy to lose concentration which caused our bubble to pop and both of us were pulled down to the floor of the lake. I couldn't breath. Just as i was about to grasp for Percy, a set of hands pulled me to them. At first i fought but i still couldn't breathe and i was losing air fast. Spots started to play on my vision but i could see a new bubble of air forming around me and the person holding my waist. As soon as the bubble formed, I gasped in air hungrily as the spots came faster.

As the spots faded, I realized that Kate was holding me up. I pushed away from her and Percy pulled me to him protectively. Kate rolled her eyes at us then motioned for us to follow as she walked along the lake bottom, moving the air bubble with her, almost forcing us to follow.

After about five minutes of walking a small cave could be made out of the sheer walls of the cliff that bordered the lake. Without hesitation Kate walked in. I exchanged a look with Percy and we followed her.

About ten feet into the tunnel, the ceiling rose and a staircase rose into it. We followed Kate up. Soon the stairs breached the surface of the water and branched ended on a landing with three tunnels branching off. Kate waited for us at the top then headed down the middle tunnel, with the two of us following.

"Stay close, this maze can confuse even the most experienced navigators." She spoke.

We went down twisting turns and many tunnels that i didn't know how she kept up with them. After the fourth left, i got lost, I'll admit. At this point i wished we had Hazel with us.

We soon came to a tunnel that ended in a dead end. Kate walked up to it and drew a knife from one of her bracelets. She drove the knife into the stone and it seemed to melt through it. She ripped it out and the stone grinded against the wall as it opened revealing a large room inside.

We walked in and it took my breath away. The ceiling was high and domed. The walls were dark gray marble with swirls of deep blue, that were painted with murals of whales, fish, and a city which reminded me of the legends of Atlantis. One side of the room had a small pond of water with schools of fish darting in it with a small waterfall feeding it. The other side had shelves carved into the wall where jars of water and packages of food sat. The rest of the room had a kitchen, dining area, living area, and even a bed. The source of light in the room came from luminescent stones embedded into the walls that blended with the paintings. It was beautiful.

"How did you find this place?" I asked.

"I helped out an old man who showed it to me. He made me promise to keep this place hidden and safe. He said it was built by children of Poseidon, meant to be a safe place for demigods who remained loyal to Olympus. I spent some time here a few years ago." She said. Kate walked over to the side of the bed. She reached under and pulled out an old box. She opened it and pulled out a leather pouch then emptied the contents into her hand and slipped it into her pocket. "We'll stay here for a few hours until it's dark. Then we'll leave and arrive at camp by morning."

"Is there a bathroom here?" I asked feeling a little uneasy, and maybe a little sick. After that strange train ride, and almost drowning, i kept feeling like my stomach was full of sea water. Kate nodded and walked over to wall under a picture of a seahorse. She pushed a stone and the wall slid open to reveal a white wooden door. "Through there. The door locks if you turn the lock on the knob." I thanked her and walked in, locking the door.