❛011❜
IVY COULD HEAR poker face by lady gaga playing. through her foggy vision she could identify herself to be in... a car? she was in the backseat of a car, a small car. there was the silhouette of a man in the front seat, bobbing his head along with the music and making very intricate hand gestures, but she couldn't recognize who it was.
she tried to sit up, but groaned when the slightest move made her head throb. if she had been kidnapped her attempt of silently escaping was gone. the man looked over his shoulder, his smile so bright and blinding it made ivy wince.
"ah, you're awake!" he said, turning down gaga's voice. he passed her a metal container. "take a bit of nectar and sit upfront, little missy. we've got lots to talk about."
okay, not a kidnapper, ivy thought. at least he isn't if he doesn't pull a hades with her.
with a sip of the godly drink, the daughter of aphrodite instantly felt better. her vision being clear and actually being able to have a grip of her surroundings. the man behind the wheel looked to be about eighteen, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and overall a good-natured vibe. ivy recognized him, mostly from glimpses of him when visiting olympus or rare appearances in demigod dreams. it was apollo.
"lord apollo?" ivy asked, crawling over to the front seat. she realized that they were not travelling on the road but above the sea. and given the luxury of the insides, it wasn't a small car but a sports car.
the god glanced at her with a grin. he pushed a bright yellow button that sat under the radio. apollo turned completely away from the steering wheel, looking at her directly. "you've grown up since i last saw you."
"uh, wha– we're going to crash if you don't drive!"
"don't worry, it's on automatic driving," apollo waved her off. "this is way more exciting than driving anyway!"
ivy didn't know an automatic driving mode even existent. for gods it did, apparently.
"so, um, you saved me from the explosion?" she asked, remembering everything that had happened. "are the others okay? did they make it off the ship? where are we going?"
the daughter of aphrodite found herself thinking about her friends. annbeth, percy, clarisse, gods even tyson. she had never been nice to tyson, even after he proved himself to be trustworthy. tyson had shown kindness and compassion, he wasn't like the monster that had killed her father.
"yes. yes. yes. we are on our way to your friends, but we don't have much time and there are other pressing matters, missy. so let me talk." apollo said, a scolded tone lingered in his voice. the kind a feather would use with a child.
ivy made a face but stayed quiet.
"i've got to explain this real fast– we have about 5 minutes– okay, so, you know your dad? arlo fitzgerald?" apollo said.
"yes, i know my dad. he's dead."
"i know he's dead, i'm a god, i know everything," he said smugly. "but your grandfather? elijah?"
she blinked. "i never knew him but– yeah, i guess. he was a surgeon, i think. why?"
apollo sighed, checking over his clock. "well, you see– not your dad, or your grandfather, but your great great great great great great–"
"get to the point, lord apollo."
"–alright, your many greats grandfather was a son of mine." he linked his fingers on his laps like that should answer the question to human existence.
"i'm sorry. what?"
"uhu," he leaned back against the car door. "those are the news i needed to bring, since i sense your little gift is starting to... develop. it shows up with puberty."
ivy was confused. no, more than confused. bewildered. befuddled. disoriented. she didn't even know what he meant. did that mean that chiron trained an ancestor of hers? and what gift. she didn't have anything more special than a limited edition hermès handbag that tobias gave her as a birthday gift.
"i– i don't have gifts, lord apollo. i only have my charmspeak, if that's what you mean."
he raised an eyebrow, grinning madly. "this is always my favorite part. hold out your hand, mini me." apollo gestured for her to give him her hand.
ivy held up her hand in a vertical position, like she was iron man about to blast somebody in the face. apollo tutted, turning her hand and positioning it vertically with her palm up. he looked from her palm to her face repeatedly, a giddy smile on his face.
"do you feel it?" he asked eagerly.
she waited. "feel what?"
apollo threw his hands up, pouting. "the tingle!"
"i don't feel any tingle!" ivy argued. the brunette was starting to think apollo was crazy.
the god looked at the sea below them, he groaned loudly in annoyance. personally, she didn't see anything, just pure sea.
"we're almost there, i'll have to visit you in your dreams to teach you once you figure it out. the best advice i can give you is make it your own."
ivy sighed exasperatedly. "that's lovely, if i knew what i was making my own."
apollo smiled knowingly. "don't worry, it's always getting the jump start that does it."
"and what is an example of a jump start?" she asked.
the god clapped his hands, looking to have won the biggest bingo game to an old grandma. once again he looked out to the sea. "something just like this."
before ivy could even ask or register what he was saying, apollo reached behind her to the passenger car door. he opened it and pushed it as far as he could and said, "remember the tingle!"
he pushed her off of the car.
ivy screamed as she free fell into the sea, watching as the red sports car got further away. she did not feeling any fucking tingle.
percy stood in front of c.c.'s mirrored wall, c.c. standing behind him said, "you see, percy... to unlock your potential, you'll need serious help. the first step is admitting that you're not happy the way you are."
he hated thinking about his appearance – like zits that would pop out every now and then, or the fact that his two front teeth weren't perfectly even, or that his hair never stayed down straight.
c.c.'s voice brought all of these things to mind, as if she were passing him under a microscope. and his clothes weren't cool either– percy felt a pang in his heart and his throat tightened just thinking about clothes. entirely because it made him think of ivy.
after the explosion, annabeth didn't find ivy like she did him. they didn't know if she was alive, or somehow made it to a lifeboat. even worse, they were now at a spa. every turn he took he was reminded of how ivy would love this place. he didn't know where tyson was either, and he felt his missing presence heavy on his heart, too. although percy couldn't figure out why each loss caused a different kind of heartache.
shaking his head out of depressing thought, he found it difficult to find anything good in himself.
"there, there," c.c. consoled. "how about we try... this."
she snapped her fingers and a sky-blue curtain rolled down over the mirror. it shimmered like the fabric on her loom.
"what do you see?" c.c. asked.
percy looked at the blue cloth, not sure what she meant. "i don't –"
then it changed colors. he saw myself – a reflection, but not a reflection. shimmering there on the cloth was a cooler version of percy jackson – with just the right clothes, a confident smile on his face. his teeth were straight. no blemishes on his face. more athletic, all the workout he has been putting time into actually coming to fruition. maybe a couple of centimeters taller. it was him, without the faults. at the back of his head, he wondered if ivy would like him like this.
"whoa," he managed.
"do you want that?" c.c. asked. "or shall i try a different –"
"no," percy said. "that's... that's amazing. can you really –"
"i can give you a full makeover," c.c. promised.
"what's the catch?" he said. "i have to like... eat a special diet?"
"oh, it's quite easy," c.c. said. "plenty of fresh fruit, a mild exercise programme, and of course... this."
she stepped over to her wet bar and filled a glass with water. then she ripped open a drink-mix packet and poured in some red powder. the mixture began to glow. when it faded, the drink looked just like a strawberry milkshake.
"one of these, substituted for a regular meal," c.c. said. "i guarantee you'll see results immediately."
"how is that possible?"
she laughed. "why question it? i mean, don't you want the perfect you right away?"
something nagged at the back of his mind, a voice that sounded eerily like ivy's. "why are there no guys at this spa?"
"oh, but there are," c.c. assured him. "you'll meet them quite soon. just try the mixture. you'll see."
percy looked at the blue tapestry, at the reflection of him, but not him.
"now, percy," c.c. chided. "the hardest part of the makeover process is giving up control. you have to decide: do you want to trust your judgement about what you should be, or my judgement?"
his throat felt dry. he heard himself say, "your judgement."
c.c. smiled and handed percy the glass. he lifted it to his lips.
it tasted just like it looked – like a strawberry milkshake. almost immediately a warm feeling spread through his gut: pleasant at first, then painfully hot, searing, as if the mixture were coming to a boil inside him.
percy doubled over and dropped the cup. "what have you... what's happening?"
"don't worry, percy," c.c. said. "the pain will pass. look! as i promised. immediate results."
something was fucking wrong.
the curtain dropped away, and in the mirror percy saw his hands shrivelling, curling, growing long delicate claws. fur sprouted on his face, under his shirt, in every uncomfortable place you can imagine. his teeth felt too heavy in his mouth. his clothes were getting too big, or c.c. was getting too tall – no, he was shrinking.
in one awful flash, percy sank into a cavern of dark cloth. he was buried in his own shirt. he tried to run but hands grabbed him – hands as big as he was. he tried to scream for help, but all that came out of his mouth was, "reeet, reeet, reeet!"
the giant hands squeezed him around the middle, lifting percy into the air. he struggled and kicked with legs and arms that seemed much too stubby, and then he was staring, horrified, into the enormous face of c.c.
"perfect!" her voice boomed. percy squirmed in alarm, but she only tightened her grip around his furry belly. "see, percy? you've unlocked your true self!"
she held him up to the mirror, and what percy saw made him scream in terror, "reeet, reeet, reeet!" there was c.c., beautiful and smiling, holding a fluffy, bucktoothed creature with tiny claws and white-and-orange fur. when percy twisted, so did the furry critter in the mirror. he was... he was...
"a guinea pig," c.c. said. "lovely, aren't you? men are pigs, percy jackson. i used to turn them into real pigs, but they were so smelly and large and difficult to keep. not much different than they were before, really. guinea pigs are much more convenient! now come, and meet the other men."
"reeet!" he protested, trying to scratch her, but c.c. squeezed him so tight percy almost blacked out.
"none of that, little one," she scolded, "or i'll feed you to the owls. go into the cage like a good little pet. tomorrow, if you behave, you'll be on your way. there is always a classroom in need of a new guinea pig."
his mind was racing as fast as his tiny little heart. percy needed to get back to his clothes, which were lying in a heap on the floor. if he could do that, he could get riptide out of his pocket and... and what? he couldn't uncap the pen. even if he did, he couldn't hold the sword.
percy squirmed helplessly as c.c. brought him over to the guinea pig cage and opened the wire door.
"meet my discipline problems, percy," she warned. "they'll never make good classroom pets, but they might teach you some manners. most of them have been in this cage for three hundred years. if you don't want to stay with them permanently, i'd suggest you –"
annabeth's voice called, "miss c.c.?"
c.c. cursed in ancient greek. she plopped percy into the cage and closed the door. he squealed and clawed at the bars, but it was no good. he watched as c.c. hurriedly kicked his clothes under the loom just as annabeth came in.
she was wearing a sleeveless silk dress like c.c.'s, only white. her blonde hair was newly washed and combed and braided with gold, like ivy did it a few times at camp. she was also wearing makeup, which percy never thought annabeth would be caught dead in, she had never allowed ivy to give her a make over before. she looked good, but there was also something totally wrong about it. it just wasn't annabeth.
she looked around the room and frowned. "where's percy?"
percy squealed up a storm, but she didn't seem to hear him.
c.c. smiled. "he's having one of our treatments, my dear. not to worry. you look wonderful! what did you think of your tour?"
annabeth's eyes brightened. "your library is amazing!"
"yes, indeed," c.c. said. "the best knowledge of the past three millennia. anything you want to study, anything you want to be, my dear."
"an architect?"
"pah!" c.c. said. "you, my dear, have the makings of a sorceress. like me."
annabeth took a step back. "a sorceress?"
"yes, my dear." c.c. held up her hand. a flame appeared in her palm and danced across her fingertips. "my mother is hecate, the goddess of magic. i know a daughter of athena when i see one. we are not so different, you and i. we both seek knowledge. we both admire greatness. neither of us needs to stand in the shadow of men."
"i– i don't understand."
again, percy squealed his best, trying to get annabeth's attention, but she either couldn't hear me or didn't think the noises were important. meanwhile, the other guinea pigs were emerging from their hutch to check him out. he didn't think it was possible for guinea pigs to look mean, but these did. there were half a dozen, with dirty fur and cracked teeth and beady red eyes. they were covered with shavings and smelled like they really had been in here for three hundred years, without getting their cage cleaned.
"stay with me," c.c. was telling annabeth. "study with me. you can join our staff, become a sorceress, learn to bend others to your will. you will become immortal!"
"but–"
"you are too intelligent, my dear," c.c. said. "you know better than to trust that silly camp for heroes. how many great female half-blood heroes can you name?"
"um, atalanta, amelia earhart –"
"bah! men get all the glory." c.c. closed her fist and extinguished the magic flame. "the only way to power for women is sorcery. medea, calypso, now there were powerful women! and me, of course. the greatest of all."
"you... c.c.... circe!"
"yes, my dear."
annabeth backed up, and circe laughed. "you need not worry. i mean you no harm."
"what have you done to percy?"
"only helped him realize his true form."
annabeth scanned the room. finally she saw the cage, and percy scratching at the bars, all the other guinea pigs crowding around him. her eyes went wide.
"forget him," circe said. "join me and learn the ways of sorcery."
"but–"
"your friend will be well cared for. he'll be shipped to a wonderful new home on the mainland. the kindergartners will adore him. meanwhile, you will be wise and powerful. you will have all you ever wanted."
annabeth was still staring at percy, but she had a dreamy expression on her face. she looked the same way he had when circe enchanted me into drinking the guinea pig milkshake. he squealed and scratched, trying to warn her to snap out of it, but he was absolutely powerless.
"let me think about it," annabeth murmured. "just ... give me a minute alone. to say goodbye."
"of course, my dear," circe cooed. "one minute. oh... and so you have absolute privacy..." she waved her hand and iron bars slammed down over the windows. she swept out of the room and percy heard the locks on the door click shut behind her.
the dreamy look melted off annabeth's face.
she rushed over to my cage. "all right, which one is you?"
percy squealed, but so did all the other guinea pigs. annabeth looked desperate. she scanned the room and spotted the turn-up of his jeans sticking out from under the loom."yes!"
she rushed over and rummaged through his pockets.
but instead of bringing out riptide, she found the bottle of hermes's multivitamins and started struggling with the cap.
percy wanted to scream at her that this wasn't the time for taking supplements! she had to draw the sword!
she popped a lemon chewable in her mouth just as the door flew open and circe came back in, flanked by two of her business-suited attendants.
"well," circe sighed, "how fast a minute passes. what is your answer, my dear?"
"this," annabeth said, and she drew her bronze knife.
the sorceress stepped back, but her surprise quickly passed. she sneered. "really, little girl, a knife against my magic? is that wise?"
circe looked back at her attendants, who smiled. they raised their hands as if preparing to cast a spell.
run! percy wanted to tell annabeth, but all he could make were rodent noises. the other guinea pigs squealed in terror and scuttled around the cage. he had the urge to panic and hide, too, but he had to think of something! he couldn't stand to lose annabeth the way he'd lost tyson... the way he'd lost ivy.
"what will annabeth's makeover be?" circe mused. "something small and ill-tempered. i know... a shrew!"
blue fire coiled from her fingers curling like serpents around annabeth.
percy watched, horror-struck, but nothing happened. annabeth was still annabeth, only angrier. she leaped forward and stuck the point of her knife against circe's neck. "how about turning me into a panther instead? one that has her claws at your throat!"
"how!" circe yelped.
annabeth held up the bottle of vitamins for the sorceress to see.
circe howled in frustration. "curse hermes and his multivitamins! those are such a fraud! they do nothing for you."
"turn percy back to a human or else!" annabeth said.
"i can't!"
"then you asked for it, bitch."
circe's attendants stepped forward, but their mistress said, "get back! she's immune to magic until that cursed vitamin wears off."
annabeth dragged circe over to the guinea pig cage, knocked the top off, and poured the rest of the vitamins inside.
"no!" circe screamed.
percy was the first to get a vitamin, but all the other guinea pigs scuttled out, too, and checked out this new food.
the first nibble, and percy felt all fiery inside. he gnawed at the vitamin until it stopped looking so huge, and the cage got smaller, and then suddenly, bang! the cage exploded. he was sitting on the floor, a human again – somehow back in my regular clothes, thank the gods – with six other guys who all looked disoriented, blinking and shaking wood shavings out of their hair.
"no!" circe screamed. "you don't understand! those are the worst!"
one of the men stood up – a huge guy with a long tangled pitch-black beard and teeth the same color. he wore mismatched clothes of wool and leather, knee-length boots, and a floppy felt hat. the other men were dressed more simply – in breeches and stained white shirts. all of them were barefoot.
"argggh!" bellowed the big man. "what's the witch done t'me!"
"no!" circe moaned.
annabeth gasped. "i recognize you! edward teach, son of ares?"
"aye, lass," the big man growled. "though most call me blackbeard! and there's the sorceress what captured us, lads. run her through, and then i mean to find me a big bowl of celery! arggggh!"
circe screamed. she and her attendants ran from the room, chased by the pirates.
annabeth sheathed her knife and glared at percy.
"thanks..." he said sheepishly.
she rolled her eyes and hugged him. "thank the gods you're not a guinea pig. i'm sure ivy would find you much cuter in your human form."
percy hoped his face wasn't as red as it felt at her comment. "what? ivy thinks i'm cute?" he managed to squeak out. for ivy to think he was cute was surprisingly able to boost all the confidence he has lost when being a guinea pig.
annabeth failed to hide her smirk as she undid the golden braids in her hair.
"come on," she said, not answering his question. "we have to get away while circe's distracted."
they ran down the hillside through the terraces, past screaming spa workers and pirates ransacking the resort. blackbeard's men broke the tiki torches for the luau, threw herbal wraps into the swimming pool and kicked over tables of sauna towels.
percy almost felt bad letting the unruly pirates out, but he guessed they deserved something more entertaining than the exercise wheel after being cooped up in a cage for three centuries.
"which ship?" annabeth said as they reached the docks.
he looked around desperately. they couldn't very well take their rowboat. they had to get off the island fast, but what else could they use? a sub? a fighter jet? percy couldn't pilot any of those things. and then he saw it.
"there," he said.
annabeth blinked. "but –"
"i can make it work."
"how?"
percy couldn't explain. he just somehow knew an old sailing vessel was the best bet for him. he grabbed annabeth's arm and pulled her towards the three-mast ship. painted on its prow was the name that he would only decipher later: queen anne's revenge.
"argggh!" blackbeard yelled somewhere behind them. "those scallywags are a-boarding me vessel! get 'em, lads!"
"we'll never get going in time!' Annabeth yelled as they climbed aboard.
percy looked around at the hopeless maze of sail and ropes. the ship was in great condition for a three-hundred-year-old vessel, but it would still take a crew of fifty several hours to get underway. they didn't have several hours. he could see the pirates running down the stairs, waving tiki torches and sticks of celery.
the son of poseidon closed his eyes and concentrated on the waves lapping against the hull, the ocean currents, the winds all around him. suddenly, the right word appeared in his mind. "mizzenmast!' he yelled.
annabeth looked at him like he was nuts, but in the next second, the air was filled with whistling sounds of ropes being snapped taut, canvases unfurling and wooden pulleys creaking.
annabeth ducked as a cable flew over her head and wrapped itself around the bowsprit. "percy, how..."
percy didn't have an answer, but he could feel the ship responding to him as if it were part of his body. he willed the sails to rise as easily as if he were flexing his arm. he willed the rudder to turn.
it would've been cool for ivy to be there, they've always had the kind of dynamic where they showed off at what they excelled, simply to have something to brag about. of course, it had started in a mean way when at yancy academy but once they became friends the showing off became... friendly, sort of. percy just wished she could be there, her felt like a void on his insides.
the queen anne's revenge lurched away from the dock, and by the time the pirates arrived at the water's edge, they were already underway, sailing into the sea of monsters.
then a scream cut through the air, looking up he realized something was falling. no, someone was falling from the middle of the air. percy extended his hand, a tunnel of water catching the person before they could plummet on the ship. he swore to give a whole meal to whoever the god of wishes was, because one of his came true.
a speaks!
insecure percy makes me want to cry.
apollo yeeting ivy off of the car is very in character in my opinion HAHASGHA.also i added percy's pov bc it's fun to see him simp for ivy when even he doesn't realize it:)
thoughts???