Some Other World

They Call It Breaking The News Because Someone's Heart Breaks Too

I didn't know how else to do it, so I convinced Maggie to ride out with me to where Anareem and I had found the portal. We landed in a larger clearing and began to trek through the woods to the smaller one.

"Okay, what's going on here?" Maggie asked as she stepped over a fallen tree branch. "Why won't you tell me specifics?"

"Honestly? I'm not sure how to say it." I admitted. "You'll understand soon."

Somehow, our timing was perfect. Maggie and I had just stepped into the little clearing when a cloud of blue and green smoke began to churn its way into existence in the middle.

"Percy!" Thalia's face lit up as the portal opened. Jordan was with her again, along with a blonde girl that I vaguely recognized. They were both holding what I realized was one of my swim sweatshirts.

"Okay, lets start with this." I held up my hand. "How long has it been?"

Thalia shrugged, glancing at Jordan. "A week? A little more?"

I sighed and nodded. "Hades, that's bad. Alright...."

"Percy, what is this? What's going on?" Maggie was frowning deeply.

"It's a portal back to Earth... we can't go through it, but we can communicate." I explained slowly.

"Why can't we go through."

There was a stick on the ground near my foot. I picked it up and tossed it into the portal... where it promptly turned to a pile of sawdust. Thalia made a face.

"I'd rather not have seaweed bits all over me, thanks."

I rolled my eyes at her, then turned back to Maggie. "There's another issue as well... I discovered this portal today. They discovered it a week ago."

She frowned again, starting to make a connection.

"Maggie, what year were you banished?" I finally asked gently.

"1983," she answered weakly.

We all stood in silence for a few minutes, taking this in.

"Thirty-three years." Thalia finally said quietly. Maggie flinched at her words, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Maggie... I'm so sorry-"

"No. It's fine." She shook her head. I could see tears welling in her eyes. "I'm fine."

"You're not, but that's okay.... please look at me."

She looked up, lower lip trembling.

"I'm going to get you back home. I swear on my life." I told her seriously. "I swear on the Styx-" a faint rumble from Thalia's end of the portal, "I swear on whatever gods here are the gods of promise-keeping. I'm getting you back to Earth somehow."

Maggie nodded, wiping her eyes as a few tears began to fall. I offered her a hug but she just shook her head and walked over to the other edge of the clearing.

I let her have her time, turning back to Thalia.

"Alright, Seaweed Brain. Answer my question." She finally said.

"What question?"

"What was that thing behind you last week? Or before. Whatever."

I frowned for a moment, trying to remember what she was talking about.

"Oh! That was Anareem. My dragon."

"You've got a dragon?"

"Yes but thats not important right now-"

"How could that not be important right now?" Thalia demanded. She got her answer when the blonde helping keep the portal open suddenly swayed on her feet.

I shook my head. "Thalia listen, I need you to do me a favor."

"Okay, shoot."

"I've got a list of names here. Fourteen demigods of varying ages and times. All of them were sent here, like Maggie and I, and they kept a record because they were going to try and figure out how to get back and confront the gods.

"I need you to look into the names and see if you can find anything about what they did, why they were banished, anyone they may have known that could be helpful."

Thalia nodded. "Let me see the list."

I pulled the crumpled notebook paper from my pocket and she pulled out a phone from hers.

"You're not supposed to have one of those."

"Bite me."

I rolled my eyes. "You know, sometimes I forget that you're older than me. You look and act like a fifteen year old."

Maggie giggled weakly from over where she was standing, hugging herself and staring at the grass.

"Shut up and hold that up as flat as possible so I can take a photo." Thalia rolled her eyes.

I did as I was told, then nodded to her and the two ladies. "Start trying different places with these portals too. We're with an army right now and I don't want to have to take days getting back here to talk to you. If people see you though just close it."

"You got it." She nodded.

I sighed, watching the portal begin to fizzle out.

"Stay safe, Percy." Thalia added before the connection disappeared completely.

"No promises." I muttered to empty air, smiling wryly.

[A/N and here's the math plot point kids!

Also I'm setting this story in like, 2015 bc I can]