I was sitting next to a sleeping Annabeth a few minutes later. I looked up to see Grover fiddling with his reed pipes, but he wasn't playing it. I figured he didn't want to wake up Annabeth.
I kicked an empty Coke can away from my feet as I looked around the clearing. Chip packets and soda cans littered the forest floor. After seeing the God of Wild Places fade into nothing, I had learned to appreciate nature more. Seeing evidence of people being careless made me sad, and I didn't like being sad.
'Get some sleep, man,' I said softly. 'I'll wake you if there's trouble.'
Grover nodded mournfully, 'This makes me sad, Percy'
'Hmm?' I hummed distractedly. I had heard a twig snap in the distance but it was probably nothing.
'All the litter, pollution, people not caring about nature,' he sighed. 'This is a terrible time to be a satyr.'
'No it's not,' I said, trying to cheer up my best friend. 'Look, just because Pan is missing doesn't mean that being a satyr is a bad thing.'
'How do you know about Pan?' Grover suddenly asked as he sat up straighter.
'Uh, I heard about it from another satyr at camp.' I lied. Why couldn't I just keep all this information inside of me? I was going to get killed because of this.
Grover sighed again and leaned back against the trunk of the tree, 'So you know about the search?'
I nodded.
'So you know about the searcher's license?' he said almost dejectedly.
'Yeah.'
'Do you think I would find-do you think I would get my searcher's license?' Grover asked hopefully.
I had caught his slip up, of course. He wanted to be the one to find Pan. All satyrs did. What Grover didn't know was that he was actually going to be the one to find the missing god.
'You'll get your searcher's license, Grover,' I reassured him. 'You'll be the one to find Pan. I know it.'
Grover responded with a small scoff, 'I doubt that.'
He didn't know how wrong he was.
There was a brief moment of silence between us. It was pleasantly peaceful but Grover was the one to break the silence.
'Hey, Percy?' I hummed in response. 'Do you remember what the Fu-Kindly Ones said?'
'Yeah, they weren't after me,' I looked up ar Grover. 'They were saying 'Where is it?'. Last I checked, I'm not an object.'
Grover nodded, 'That's what I'm saying. They're looking for something. Not you. The question is, what are they looking for?'
I don't know.' I shrugged. I decided that the knowledge of Hades' missing Helm should be kept from them for now. Hades hadn't informed the Olympians for a reason.
'One more question,' he asked timidly. 'Why did you send Medusa's head to Olympus?'
'Just wanted to annoy the gods.' I replied smirking. I couldn't mess with the Fates for sending me down this road so I might as well mess with the gods.
'You're going to get yourself killed, man,' Grover warned. 'The gods wouldn't let this slide just because you're a kid. They've killed people for something far less.'
'Whatever.'
Even in the darkness, I could see Grover staring at me before shaking his head.
'You get some sleep, Percy,' Grover said as he lifted his reed pipes to his lips. 'I'll take first watch instead.'
'Grover-' I tried to protest but he had already started playing his reed pipes. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep my eyes open. Before I knew it, my consciousness had drifted into yet another dream.
I found myself in front of a dark pit. An endless blackness seemed to span out in front of me, a bottomless hole that nobody was meant to even go near. Even if I had only been here in person once, it was one time too many.
Anybody would remember standing at the edge of the Underworld. Directly in front of the entrance to Tartarus itself.
I could see grey creatures made out of mist - the spirits of the dead - trying to get me to back away from the pit. I wanted to let them help me but I wasn't in control of my body. I wanted to scream at myself for walking forwards but my body walked right to the edge of the cliff without my consent.
I looked down at the darkness holding my breath. My toes were hanging over the cliff and my body just wouldn't back up. One slip was all it would take for me to enter the home of all monsters. Even though it was just a dream, I was still scared.
A cold feeling rose up all around me, chilling me to the bone. The spirits hissed and floated backwards as if the mere presence of something agitated them. A soft but somehow booming laughter arose from the pit.
The little hero, the amused voice of Kronos echoed inside my head. Too weak, too young, but perhaps you will do.
I could feel my heart beating abnormally fast. My breathing was rapid.
They have misled you, boy, he said. Barter with me. I will give you what you want.
Suddenly, a floating image of my mother appeared in front of me, just out of reach from where I was standing at the edge of the cliff. It seemed cruel that she had to stay frozen at a moment of pain, like the Minotaur himself still had her in his grip.
I could finally move again. I stepped away from the chasm, trying to fight the force that seemed to be pulling me in.
Help me rise, boy, Kronos' voice boomed. Bring me the bolt. Strike a blow against the treacherous gods!
The force pulling against me was almost unbearable now. I had to continuously move backwards but I would still be standing in one spot. The spirits behind me grew even more restless.
Wake! their voices seemed to be lost in the imaginary wind. Wake!
My eyes snapped open. The first thing I saw was the blinding light shining into my eyes. I raised my hand to block out the sun as I sat up slowly. Blinking a few times, I waited until my eyes adjusted to the surprisingly bright light before I studied my surroundings.
I was still dreaming. I was laying on the ground in a bed of grass, nothing but trees and more grass spanning miles around me. To my left was a road devoid of cars. A few feet down the road were two figures.
I was back in New Jersey.
I watched as Ares disarmed Luke with a simple flick of his sword. Luke tried to get up but he was met by Ares' swordpoint resting against his chest.
'I don't think so, demigod,' Ares snarled as he ripped the backpack off Luke's shoulders. 'You're coming to Olympus with me.'
I stood up and watched as Luke gulped, his face as pale as a sheet of paper. He opened his mouth to say something but he hesitated. I was waiting for Ares to teleport away but Luke started speaking.
'Why are you taking me in?'
Ares paused and frowned, 'You stole my father's master bolt. For that, you must die.'
'But what happens if it isn't returned?' Luke said with more confidence, a weird gleam in his blue eyes. 'There will be war.'
'And why would I want that?' Ares snarled again. His knuckles were white from clenching the sword so hard.
'You are Ares, the God of War,' Luke was on a roll now. 'If you don't return the bolt, war will break out among the council. Not only will the gods fight, but all of Western Civilisation will erupt into chaos. Isn't that what you want?'
'No...' Ares replied but he sounded hesitant. His sword was lowered from Luke's chest.
'That is what you want,' this time, Ares didn't deny it. 'You want war because it feeds your power. You want war because that is who you are. This war will make you as powerful as your father.'
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Here was Luke goading Ares into helping him and Kronos start the biggest war that will ever happen. A memory struck me. Didn't Luke say something about manipulating Ares? Was I watching this exact moment?
A maniacal shine in Ares' eyes began to show. Before I could see his reply, I was thrown out of the dream and I sat up gasping.
'Well,' a muffled voice said as I tried to get the dream out of my head. 'The zombie lives.'
I blinked my eyes to clear my vision. When I could properly see again, I saw Annabeth handing me a breakfast bar.
'Here, eat this,' she tossed the bar into my lap. 'While you're at it, say hi to Grover's new friend.'
I ripped open the packet and looked over to where Grover was sitting only to see a pink poodle.
That's right. A pink poodle.
'What the...' I rubbed my eyes. I didn't remember a pink poodle on this quest.
'Percy, this is Gladiola,' Grover introduced. 'Gladiola, Percy.'
'Her name is Gladiola?' I asked sceptically. 'Uh...hi, Gladiola.'
Gladiola yipped happily.
'What is she here for?' I asked between bites of my glorious breakfast bar. 'No offence, of course.'
'I came upon her this morning,' Grover explained as he packed his backpack. 'She just wanted to know about our quest and other stuff.'
For some reason, I looked the poodle in the eye. Her eyes seemed to bore through me, which I didn't think was possible for anything other than a monster. After a few seconds, she seemed to nod at me, as if she understood something.
'We should be on our way soon,' Annabeth reminded us. 'According to Gladiola, there is an Amtrack station half a mile away. The train leaves at noon so we better hurry.'
Gladiola looked at me one last time before she barked at Grover and started walking away, to do whatever poodles do.
It wasn't long until we were sitting in the berths in the sleeping carriages. I looked to my left to see Grover fast asleep in his seat, his body buried by comfortable-looking blankets. I reached towards him and repositioned his head so he wouldn't sleep with an awkwardly bent neck.
'That's nice of you,' Annabeth whispered. 'Wouldn't want him to break his neck.'
'Yeah.'
An awkward silence enveloped us. I was staring out the window of the Amtrak train, watching the trees and the occasional wild beast fly by. Riptide was between my fingers, being twirled absentmindedly as I thought about my situation.
'So,' Annabeth broke the silence. 'Who wants your help?'
'What?'
'You were speaking in your sleep,' Annabeth rolled her eyes. 'You were mumbling "I won't help you". So who wants your help.'
I tried not to hesitate, 'I'm not sure. It could be Hades.'
I prayed to my uncle apologising. Hades didn't get the respect he deserved and I found that out the hard way. I guess I owed it to him not to insult him as much as I did other gods.
'And what did you dream about?' Annabeth continued. 'Demigods usually dream of important things. It could be a warning.'
I explained my dream to a frowning Annabeth with as little detail as possible. I didn't want to reveal to her that our enemy was actually Kronos. Knowing her, if I revealed too much information, she would figure it out in a heartbeat.
'That doesn't sound like Hades,' she mumbled. 'And that pit...'
'There were spirits of the undead,' I interrupted her thought process. 'Only Hades has control over the dead, right?'
'I guess...' Annabeth relented before turning to me seriously. 'Even if it isn't Hades, you can't be tempted into making that trade for your mum.'
'Why not?' I replied defensively and without thinking, I continued. 'What would you do if it was your dad?'
I regretted those words as soon as they escaped my mouth. This Annabeth didn't have the best relationship with her dad. Back in my time, they had made up but this younger version of Annabeth still hated her father for neglecting her. I watched slapping myself mentally as Annabeth's face darkened almost instantly.
'That's easy. I'd leave him to rot.' the words that came out of Annabeth's mouth contained so much venom, I would be scared if I didn't know Annabeth so well. I didn't realise how much Annabeth hated her father for ignoring her, for disregarding her just because he didn't ask for her.
I decided to leave the topic alone. It was undoubtedly a sour topic for her and I made a promise to myself to help Annabeth rebuild the relationship with her father as soon as possible.
It was our second day on the Amtrak train. Annabeth and I were getting restless and Grover was getting bored. I cursed my ADHD as I walked up the aisle for the millionth time in the past hour.
Soon enough, we approached St Louis. Annabeth pulled me over to the window to see the Gateway Arch sticking out of the ground in all its glory. The train started pulling up to the train stop and the somewhat soothing voice of the intercom announced a three-hour break before it would depart again. All the other passengers were already getting up stretching.
'I need some food.' Grover stated suddenly as he chewed on a Coca Cola can.
'And I need to see the Arch,' Annabeth said excitedly as she powerwalked to the open train doors. 'You guys coming?'
'Yeah, let's go.' I replied before Grover could say anything. I shot him a look and watched as he sighed and followed us out the doors.
We walked the mile to the Arch and waited in line to go to the very top. Grover was sniffing the air nervously and Annabeth was spouting random facts about the Arch that annoyed not only us but everyone else in line.
'Monsters again?' I whispered to Grover as I swept the floor with my eyes, hoping to not see a certain chubby lady with a chihuahua.
'I don't know,' he replied frustrated. 'Underground always smells like monsters.'
It wasn't long until we were finally inside the elevator with a familiar fat lady. The chihuahua kept growling at me as I kept a tight grip on my pen. Neither Annabeth nor Grover seemed to think anything of the lady and her dog but I knew the truth.
'No parents?' she asked kindly but I could tell it was an act.
'Not exactly.' I murmured just as Annabeth said, 'They're below.'
'Oh, the poor darlings,' the fat lady replied looking straight at me. I forced a smile and looked away but her stare seemed to burn through my skull.
'Now, now, sonny,' she tugged at the leash to stop the chihuahua growling at me. 'Behave.'
Now I had another monster staring at me. The chihuahua regarded me with intelligent eyes, more intelligent than it was supposed to be for such a small dog.
I nearly ran out of the elevator when it opened to reveal the observation deck. Even though heights weren't really my thing, it was better than being stuck in a small space with two very dangerous monsters.
I spent the next thirty minutes listening to Annabeth ramble about the observation deck and all the improvements she would make to improve the overall experience of any tourists. The whole time, my eyes were on the fat lady and her dog, who was looking out the window like she was thinking about throwing someone off the Arch.
I was filled with dread when the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes. Annabeth and Grover walked to the elevator as I followed a bit behind them. The fat lady was walking in my direction and I didn't like it.
The elevator doors opened. Annabeth and Grover stepped inside along with two other tourists. Nobody seemed to realise that I wouldn't be able to get on too.
'Wait-' Annabeth started when she realised but I interrupted her.
'Don't worry,' I said forcing a smile. 'I'll see you two at the bottom.'
They hesitantly let the elevator doors shut as I watched it go down the ramp.
I walked towards the windows looking over the city and waited. I needed to wait for them to bring the fight to me so the mortals wouldn't get injured or killed. Soon enough, Echidna and her son the Chimera stepped up beside me.
I was about to whip out my sword but Echidna said something that surprised me.
'Don't do that, demigod. I'm not here to kill you.'
I froze. Did I hear her correctly?
'As much as I want to feed you to my son, I do not want to face the Fates,' she spat bitterly before looking me in the eye, her forked tongue flicking out of her mouth frustrated. 'You are under their protection, I can see that much. Why, I don't know. What I do know is that even I will not want to anger them.'
I was stunned. I didn't have to fight the Chimera. I wouldn't be framed for blowing up the Arch and I wouldn't have to jump off said Arch. This would make the quest so much easier without the mortal police trying to arrest me.
'But know this, demigod,' she glared at me with her beady eyes. 'Is it really worth it to be the pawn to the Fates? You must be important in their plan but are you really important to them?'
I frowned. My feet moved unconsciously towards the returned elevator as I pondered over Echidna's words. Was that why the Fates chose me? Only because I was important to their plans to save the world? Was I expendable to them?
A family of three and I boarded the elevator. Echidna was staring at me from the window, her dog growling at me at the same time. The last thing I saw before the elevator doors closed was Echidna smirking at me, knowing full well she had gotten inside my head.
The ride down the Arch was the slowest elevator ride of my life. It was suffocating inside the small compartment and I was anxious to get out of it as soon as I could. The elevator chimed. The doors opened.
I walked out in a small daze as I looked for Annabeth's blonde hair among the crowd of leaving tourists. Soon enough, I saw a mop of blonde hair making its way towards me. Annabeth and Grover appeared out of the crowd and came to my side.
'Oh my gods, we were so worried,' Annabeth fussed as she looked me over. 'You took forever to come down. We thought something happened.'
I locked eyes with Grover and by the look on his face, I figured he knew something did happen.
'I'm fine,' I said as I pulled my hand gently out of Annabeth's grip. 'Let's get back to the station. The train is about to leave.'
Annabeth looked at her watch and cursed in Ancient Greek, 'You're right. We have to go. The train is leaving in ten minutes!'
A/N: Terribly, terribly sorry for not updating 4 days ago. I feel so bad!
Anyway, here's the seventh chapter of this fanfic. What I do want to address is that we have already passed 300 reads, even though I haven't updated in 8 days. That's great! Thank you all for your wonderful support.
Another thing I want to address is what you guys think of this book so far. I was thinking that it might be too repetitive, having the same events being rewritten in a different way. It might seem a bit boring. I was wondering whether you guys feel the same way. If you do feel that way, please let me know in the comments on how to make this story more engaging and an overall better read for you all.
Other than that, I promise I would try and update in the next 4 days. I don't know if I would be able to and I'm sorry in advance if I can't.
Thanks for reaching this point and enjoy your day!
~Sacai2005