Percy Jackson and the Olympians belong to Rick Riordan. All credit to him.
We hailed a taxi and crammed into the back. It was Annabeth's idea but no one complained or protested.
"Los Angeles please," Annabeth told the driver.
"That's three hundred miles," The driver said through his cigar and mustache. "That you gotta pay up front."
"Do you take casino cards?" Annabeth said, flashing her lotus hotel card.
"Sure. Some are the same as credit cards," He took the green card and swiped it through his machine on the dashboard. The machine rattled and all the lights flashed until the numbers of the machine stopped rolling and an infinity sign popped up on the digital screen. The Drivers cigar fell out of his mouth. "Uh. Where in Los Angeles, your highness."
"Santa Monica pier please," Annabeth said sitting up at the name 'your highness'. "Get us there fast and you can keep the change" I think we'd all agree that Annabeth shouldn't have told him that. Through the length of the Moab desert his speedometer didn't go below ninety-eight.
During the long drive we all had enough time to talk so Percy and I told Grover and Annabeth about our dreams. Annabeth made my dream to be nothing more than a dream to relate to Percy's because I heard about ones with the voice before from him. Percy however told his dream in less detail than he did with me and I found myself to have done the same thing like the Lotus Casino messed with our heads.
"The silent one? The rich one? Both of those are nicknames for Hades," Annabeth offered as Percy came to a blank on what the scary voice's servant called it. I couldn't remember either but I knew it was familiar when I had heard it.
"Maybe but they don't sound right," Percy shrugged.
"I told you I don't think the voice is Hades'," I told the others.
"Well that throne room sure sounds like Hades," Grover said. "That's the way it's usually described."
"Something is wrong. The throne room was the main part that freaked me. And the voice
from the pit, I don't know, it just didn't feel like a god's voice," Percy said.
"I do think that the voice we always hear feels more malicious than Ares has even shown
to be," I said.
"I was thinking...nevermind," Annbath muttered, biting her finger.
"What. What's the matter?" Percy asked.
"It was nothing. It had to be Hades. Maybe he sent this thief, this invisible person, to get
the master bolt and something went wrong."
"Like what?" Grover asked.
"I-I don't know," Annabeth said, a little more frustrated. "But if he stole Zeus's symbol of
power from Olymupus and the gods were hunting him, I mean, a lot of things could go wrong.
This thief might have lost the bolt or left it somewhere. Anyway, he failed to bring it to Hades.
That's what the voice in your dream said right 'I failed'? That would be why the Kindly ones
came after us on the bus. Maybe they thought we had retrieved the bolt." I wasn't sure why but
Annabeth looked pale.
"But if I'd already retrieved the bolt," Percy said, "Why would I be traveling to the
Underworld?"
"To threaten Hades," Grover suggested, "To bribe or threaten him for you mom back." Percy whistled in surprise.
"You have evil thoughts for a goat," I said.
"Why thank you."
"But the thing in the pit said it was waiting for two items," Percy said. "If the master bolt is
one, what's the other?" Grover was shaking his head lost in thought about what it could have
been. Annabeth looked like she knew something but didn't want to say it out loud.
"You have an idea of what's in the pit too, don't you?" I asked Annabeth.
"If it isn't Hades," Percy added.
"Let's not talk about it. If it's not Hades then..." She trailed off. "No. It has to be Hades."
"If you'd tell us what you think it might be then I'm sure I could help put it together.
Somethings been dancing on the tip of my brain and I can't quite put it to thought," I told
Annabeth.
"No," Annabeth shivered while putting her foot down. We kept silent while passing
through wasteland and by a sign that said 'California state line 12 miles'. Hades couldn't have
been the voice speaking to me and Percy. I had no connection to him. I didn't know the voice
personally like I might have know Demeter's or Ares' if they were invisible like Percy said the
the second voice was. The voice had a power to make you feel trapped in time while it bore into
your soul, and sure Ares's aura was scary in the dinner but that voice was more powerful than
his. While we barreled to the underworld in a yellow and black car at ninety-five miles per hour and we were wrong about Hades having the bolt then there would be no time for correction.
"The answer is in the Underworld," Annabeth said, leaning to Percy who was looking troubled. "You saw spirits of the dead, Percy. There's only one place that could be. We're doing the right thing." She then tried boosting morale by suggesting plans to get into the land of the dead, but there were to many unknown factors. I was sure Annabeth didn't want to be wrong now rather than being afraid of the truth. Every sudden rip of wind against the westward speeding car sounded like a spirit of the dead.
Near sunset the cab driver dropped us off at the beach in Santa Monica. The sight of the sun low, near the new ocean I'd never seen before was beautiful, but the smell was putrid. There was a carnival and attractions lining the pier, ruining the sight. Palm trees sprouted from middles of streets and sidewalks that had never seen soil untouched and unchanged by people like so many trees now. Dirty homeless men slept in littered sand dunes. Orange tanned surfer men sat on their plastic and plaster boards in the brown blue sea, waiting for a good wave. I did not like LA. We stepped onto the beach shoeless and into the surf.
"What now?" Annabeth asked. If it were not the final day of our quest I would have liked
to stay longer and clean the beach as best as possible, but the quest was a bigger priority than litter. If the gods began a war then the beach would be under the sea and not be able to be cleaned by anything but bottom feeding fish. Percy stepped deeper into the water.
"What are you doing?" I asked him. He didn't say anything back and kept going. To his
knees, waist, chest.
"Percy," Annabeth called after him. "You know how polluted that water is? There is all
types of toxic waste and unhealthy chemicals in there," She kept going. Before she got her final words out Percy was already head deep in the water and out of sight.
"He'll be fine," I said, hoping if it was said out loud it would be true.
"He's the son of the sea god sure, but these beaches are real dirty in every type of way,"
Grover said, running a hand through the muddy sand and pocketing plastic scrapes to throw away.
"If he could fall from the Arch into a river then some poison in his home oceans shouldn't
scratch him right?" I asked, turning to Annabeth. Fidi was watching small blurs of fish in the murky water intently and I took his relaxed nature as a sign of no immediate danger.
"I'm not sure how real early ancient Greeks understood chemicals or if most of them were even discovered yet, but they are no joke," Annabeth said.
"I don't know why they would be a joke if they were so deadly," I said. I really needed a
update on grammar from Annabeth because she and Grover shook their heads.
The sun was setting. I still believed that Percy would be fine but felt dreadfully anxious at the sun falling further and further into the ocean while we were on our quest deadline. Percy soon walked out of the ocean, dry and clutching something. Percy told us what happened and showed us three white pearls. He explained that an ocean spirit said they would bring you out of the Underworld when you stomped on them.
"No gift comes without a price," Annabeth grimaced.
"I got Fidi and my weapons for free," I countered.
"These were free too," Percy said, rolling the pearls in his palm.
"No," Annabeth shook her head. "There is no such thing as a free lunch. It's an ancient
Greek saying that translated pretty well into American. Your price was probably having to fight your way across a continent and put up with this sarcastic serpent," Annabeth turned less pale and patted the damp Fidi at our heels. We turned our backs on the ocean with more anxieties on our back. From the cash from Ares' backpack we took a bus into the west Hollywood part of town. Percy showed the Underworld address slip he had taken from Medusa's emporium. The driver said he had never heard of "DOA Recording studios."
"You remind me of somebody I saw on TV," He said to Percy before he sat back in a seat. "You a child actor or something?"
"Uhhh. I'm a stunt double. For a lot of child actors actually," Percy made up.
"Oh. That explains it," He said. We all thanked him and got off quickly at the next stop.
We wondered for miles in fading light for DOA Recording studios, but everyone we asked seemed to never have heard of it. Twice we ducked into alleys to avoid police cars. After checking a phone book in a nearby phone booth. Percy screeched to a halt in front of a tech appliance store window. TVs inside were playing an interview with somebody Percy had seemed to recognize.
"Smelly Gabe," Percy whispered. The greasy and ill bodies man across from the well
dressed and groomed interviewer woman was Percy's step-father. I had expected him to look
like any other person who you could brush off as being not kind but this man looked exactly like
Percy's descriptions. You could tell he wasn't tall when he was sitting down with his horrible
posture at his poker table Percy said he never left in the middle of the interview. He had stubble
that had been brushed recently but was still dirty. His clothes were thrown together as
stained khaki shorts, a striped purple button up, and black socks in brown sandals. A young blonde woman was sitting near him patting his hand sympathetically.
"Honestly Mrs.Walters," Gabe said with a sappy tear on his face. "If it weren't for Sugar
here, my grief counselor, I'd be a wreck."
"He already looks like one," I giggled, elbowing the scowling Percy. Grover and
Annabeth didn't look like my reaction was the proper one for this apparently touchy subject. I backed away from the dark haired boy instead.
"My step-son took everything I cared about. My wife, my Camaro. I'm sorry. I have
trouble talking about it."
"There you have it America," The Walters woman turned to the camera. "A man torn
apart. An adolescent boy with serious issues. Let me show you again the last known photo of this troubled young fugitive, taken a week ago in Denver."
"The diner," Grover gasped. There was a grainy photo of me and Grover trying to hide
Percy from the line of view but him and Annabeth still showing over our shoulders with Ares next to us.
"Who are the other children in this photo?" Mrs.Walters asked dramatically. "Who is the
man with them? Is Percy Jackson a delinquent, a terrorist, or perhaps a brainwashed victim of a frightening new cult? When we come back, we'll chat with a leading child psychologist. Stay tuned America."
"Come on," Grover said. We swept Percy away before he could punch the appliance
store window.
It kept getting darker and suspicious looking characters came out to the streets, which Fidi bared his teeth to whoever wandered too close. I wasn't worried about any single mortal on the streets with us, seeing as we were trained to fight bigger threats than them daily but I wanted to get to the Underworld quickly. I knew that two of us had to stay behind there and that was the cost Annabeth must have been talking about but I said nothing to not strain the others more who must have known and make our task harder. We kept our calm stride past different types of criminals and thieves who eyed Fidi and us, trying to decide if we were worth the trouble.
"Hey you," A voice from a dark alley called to us. Fidi whipped around fast, in a
crouching position. I stopped and walked into Percy who was already facing the alley. A group of kids had circled us. All white, dressed in expensive clothes, and showing mean faces. Percy already had Riptide in hand but I stopped him from uncapping it. I walked up to the biggest one who had spoken.
"Yes?" I asked him. He looked confused as I stared into his basic brown eyes. I was several inches shorter than him but he still looked put off.
"Run your pockets," He said, holding out a hand, back into his bad boy facade.
"My pockets can't run," I said, confused by what he was saying.
"Are you slow? Give us what you've got on you or you're gonna have trouble," He said snapping, waving to his other half dozen friends who were all my height or taller. I had understood him now, so I chuckled.
"You know. In my old town I was something of a peacekeeper and I don't like your attitude. We've got somewhere to be and I don't wanna have to pick designer clothing out of my dogs teeth," I said, nodding my head to Fidi who was staring down a particularly heavy boy.
"You're like 13," The boss chuckled, "Were you the crossing guard back in your elementary school?" His gang all laughed. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover had their backs to each other as they stared at their own muggers.
"Fine. We have backpacks but those aren't yours to take. Me and my friend with the black hair over there do have these two nice pens and flashlights we could show you," I looked at Percy and nodded. I took out Fanos quickly and elongated it into a sword and heard the ring of Riptide behind me. Nothing but whimpers and yelps came from the boys as they scattered back to dark alleys. We all checked on each other and kept walking, lost.
Soon we heard a woman scream after about ten minutes of wandering. We ran to see the commotion and found the same boys huddled around with a spare high heel struggling against the wall.
"Hey!" Percy yelled as he uncapped Riptide again and slashed at one of the boys legs. The boy turned around shocked and recognized us. His face turned from shock to anger and he swung at Percy who ducked and ran back with us.
"Our celestial bronze does nothing," Annabeth said. "Run!" She and Grover were already turning tail with Percy joining as the boss came at us with a knife.
"Run. Take Fidi and I'll find you in a second," I said, running opposite from them and right at the boys. I heard protests but a scrabble and fade of feet signaling that they left.
The leader slashed his blade at me and it did connect with my cheek but I didn't slow my pace and just barreled through him to the other boys still robbing the woman. I came crashing down into the closest boy and sent him knocking into the one across from him, both sprawling out on the ground. I turned and backhanded the boy to my right across his stunned face and felt a sickening crack under my knuckles as he slumped to the ground.
The other three boys leaped on top of me to try and drag me to the ground but I stayed on my feet. A sharp pain came screaming into my brain from both my left shoulder and somewhere on the side of my torso. I'd been stabbed and I was not having it. I threw one boy into his boss who had just gotten up and with his weight off I could turn to beat down the other two. I made the effort to knock the wind out of them both and could now see the mugged woman had her handbag torn open and her hair and dress were both in disarray.
"Oh my god," She pointed. "You're hurt!" I had two switchblade knives in my shoulder and between my ribs. They hurt but not more than raking hellhound fangs, so I pulled them out and tossed them far away so the boys wouldn't find them.
I helped the woman up quickly and asked if she had a mobile phone to call the police. She did and I watched her do so while she insisted on an ambulance for me, but she didn't know my wounds probably had already started closing very slowly after I stopped moving so much.
While she turned her back to me to kick one of the unconscious boys I ran off in the direction of where I heard the others run. I was frustrated that I was as lost as ever, but also now hurt and without my friends in a city with both criminals and heavy amounts of litter.
"Fidi," I yelled down an alley. I had started to run from alley to alley shouting for anyone to call back. The last alley I yelled down had the familiar scent of goat. I had caught a whiff of Grover. I tried to follow it but the piled stacks of garbage in some alleys or curbs didn't make it easier.
I soon lost it while getting side tracked to distinguish the air pollution from my group. I ended up at a near dead street with only one building looking open. I went to peer into the other buildings before arriving at the last one but I thought I heard a hiss in the distance. If Fidi was in his normal snake form and hissing then fighting must be going. I needed directions or some point of reference so I went sprinting to the open shop and bursted through the door with a jingle of a bell.
"Welcome to Crusty's WaterBed Palace," A voice boomed from further into the store. "I'll be with you s-" The voice was cut off with a bang and a massive and unmistakable hiss.
"Fidi? Guys?" I yelled over to commotion.
"Dan! Were trapped. Watch out for the beds. They-" Annabeth started yelling but got cut off by something. I took out both Fanos and my tree but kept it as small as it's spearhead and handle of wood and behind me back.
I kept my distance from the beds as best as I could and ran to where the voices had come from. In front of me was the sight of Annabeth strapped down to a water bead while straining against the ropes that were pulling her in two. Grover was in the same predicament but his waterbed was jiggling him while vibrating. A massive leathery man who was at least seven feet tall in a velvet suit with so many silver chains around his neck I couldn't count. The massive man had a hand clamped around the back of Percy's neck.
"Let them go," I demanded, raising my sword.
"Ah a new customer," The ugly man grinned a yellow grin. "I presume you wonderful people all know each other. I could give you all a party discount but only if you get your pet under control in my store," The leathery man threw a finger behind him and I saw Fidi spanned across half a dozen beds with coils pinning him down. Old, rusty, and dull looking saws slowly appearing from the frames of the bed.
"What are you doing with them?" I asked, peering up and across the room to look into the man's thick, dark eyes.
"I just can't stand imperfect measurements. This young lady and young man had already deduced that I am Procrustes. All that aside can I get you fitted for a bed," He waved his hand over several beds.
"Wouldn't you say Procrustes is too hard for business Dan?" Percy asked. I looked at him like he was crazy. He had the same look in his eyes to signal for a plan that I did when we were trapped with Echidna on the Arch. I sized the man up and down and if he could only trap people in the beds instead of fighting then we should have taken him no problem, but I flicked my eyes to those who were trapped and thought he could speed up the process if he wanted.
"You're right. Crusty's way simpler," I agreed.
"You think so too?" Crusty beamed. "Who can pronounce Procrustes these days? Anyone can say Crusty." The man was adorning his biggest grin yet but he hadn't let Percy go or loosen up.
"And the workmanship on these beds," Percy said, running a finger slowly on the frame of a close one.
"Man. I know my trees and woods better than most and can say these are rather stupendous," I said, bobbing my head approvingly. I had heard Annabeth use that work to describe architecture before and I hoped I used that work right.
"That's what I tell my customers every time," Crusty hit his leg with every word. "No one every takes the time to notice or admire. How many built in lava lamp headboards have you seen?"
"Not to many," Percy said.
"None at all," I agreed.
"That's right!" Crusty bellowed.
"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "What are you two doing."
"Don't mind her," Percy told Crusty. "She's impossible." The giant laughed and I made to add on.
"You can't pay her any mind or she'll take the passion or fun out of anything," I said, waving Annabeth off like a fly.
"All my customers are," Crusty said through giggles. "No fun, but also never six-foot. Always complaining about the fitting."
"What do you do when they're longer than six-feet?" Percy asked. He must not have seen the rusty saws that were now finally fully extended over Fidi.
"Oh that happens all the time. It's a simple fix," Custy had let go of Percy and I felt my legs tense to leap, but before I could Crusty reached over a counter. He pulled out a polished and shining two sided brass axe. "I just center that subject as best I can and lob off whatever hangs off either end."
"Ah," Percy gulped. "Sensable."
"Real efficient," I added. I no longer was watching the beds or saws but now Crusty. I hadn't seen him move but he didn't seem like the fastest, but he was sure to be strong with or without the axe.
"I'm so glad to come along a pair of intelligent customers," Fidi had started shifting shades of whatever he could see and spat wave after wave of venom with no target. Annabeth had gone pale and Grover's gurgles sounded like poultry being choked.
"So crusty," Percy said with a quiet and calm voice. "Does this one really have dynamic stabilizers to stop weight motion and shifts," Percy turned his back to all the trapped and to a heart shaped bead. Crusty joined him and had his back completely shown to the rest of us. Crusty dove into a rant about mathematics and technology that I would never understand in a million years, but Percy caught my eye. Percy was waving a hand behind his back to Crusty and trying to make a chopping motion while not slowing in conversation.
"Dan," Grover choked. I held up a finger to quiet him as I tiptoed across the area where I had stopped at the sight of Crusty. I was right behind the massive man and raising my sword before he leapt onto the bed and grinned.
"See. Even works for a biggen like me," Crusty smiled, but then saw me. He tried to lunge at me with the axe still in hand.
"Ergo!" Percy yelled, ensnaring the massive man back down. The axe clattered out of his hand.
"Hey!" Crusty yelled, straining against the ropes.
"Center him just right," Percy said. The ropes shifted and squared the man near perfect in the center but both his head and feet stuck out over the edges.
"No," Crusty yelled, trying to get his smooth salesman voice back. "Wait, this is just a demo." Percy uncapped Riptide and nobbed for me to take the head side.
"A few simple adjustments," I said in a mocking calm.
"You drive a hard bargain," Crusty chuckled. "I'll give you a thirty perecent added discount on any and all floor models."
"I think we should get trimming," Percy rubbed his chin, looking at me. We raised our swords.
"No money down. No interest for six months," We swung our swords. Crusty stopped offering deals.
Percy cut the ropes on Annabeth and Grover while I set Fidi free, stepping over pools of clumping venom. I heard curing and groaning from them but Fidi just gasped on the beds after I cut him loose and broke the saws.
"You don't look any shorter. I want a refund," I whispered to the snake. He thumped me with his massive tail.
"You both could be a little faster next time," Annabeth said loud enough to Percy for me to hear. Percy looked to a board with fliers pinned all over it for Hermes shipping company, fellow monster businesses, and to my unchecked relief a flier for DOA Recording studios. Under the map on the flier was the actual address.
"Come on," Percy said to us.
"Give us a minute," Grover said. "We were almost stretched to death."
"Then you're ready for the Underworld," Percy said.
"It's only a block from here," I added.