Andy
"Andy," Luke studied me from his place in the emperor's box. "Which one are you? I can never remember."
Percy smirked next to me. "I don't know Luke," I replied snarkily. "Are you a hero or a genocidal maniac? I can never remember." Percy's smirk widened.
"And you, Percy Jackson," Luke said. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure of speaking."
'You might have to wait a little longer,' Percy signed. 'Who's your friend there?'
Luke didn't wait for a translation. "Oh, this is Antaeus. He owns this very arena."
"That's right!" The Giant boomed. "We were just negotiating the safe passage of him and his army!"
"Oh?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "What exactly is the price for that?"
Antaeus narrowed his eyes at her, "This one is an Athena spawn. Killing you would be an amazing way to honour my father!"
Percy rolled his eyes. 'What's new?'
"Nonetheless, the price is a duel!" my giant half-brother continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. I guess he can sign. Where the giant had learned that was beyond me.
"A duel?" Luke asked, "Then perhaps a wager?"
"I'm listening, son of Hermes." Luke nodded, though he didn't seem to like being called a son of Hermes.
"I will select a champion from my army to fight one of the demigods." Luke looked us over viciously. "Whoever wins, will be granted safe passage through your arena."
"Those terms are agreeable," Antaeus bellowed. He turned his face to us. It was then that I noticed the monument to Poseidon behind him. It was painted with wave patterns and dozens of skulls lay at the bottom. "Which of you demigods wishes to fight? Upon victory, you and yours will be set free."
Percy stepped forwards and raised his hand before I could react. "Excellent," Luke smiled.
A monstrous guard with the head of a lion and the body of a man stepped toward us and shoved Percy forward. "What is your choice of weapon, demigod." The lion-man asked.
My brother pulled a wooden drumstick from his back pocket and twirled it around in his fingers. After a second, it extended into a long, bronze trident, Cross Current.
Antaeus looked at him and smiled. I gagged a bit, the giant had torn out his teeth and replaced them with barnacles as some discussing tribute to my father. "You are a son of Poseidon as well? This should be interesting." He gestured to the monument behind him, "I am Poseidon's favourite son. I hope you fight well, Brother."
The gate on the opposite side of the arena opened, revealing a boy with an eyepatch. "That's Ethan Nakamura," Annabeth said beside me. "He was in the Hermes cabin. Unclaimed."
Percy and Ethan circled each other for a second. "Begin!" Antaeus bellowed.
The new guy charged immediately. He went for a jab at my brother's face. Without moving his feet, Percy caught the blade between the prongs of his trident and shoved it aside. Before he could pull the blade back, the other end of the weapon slammed into his temple. Ethan crumpled within seconds of the fight starting.
The crowd roared with cheers and applause. "That is not how you play the game," Antaeus growled. "You must look to the judge before you end the fight."
Percy gave our monstrous brother a challenging look. "You fight him then Antaeus!" I shouted before I could stop myself. "How about we see who's really Dad's favourite!"
Line Break
No one was the same after the battle was over. Every cabin but ours had lost someone.
Nico had followed us into the labyrinth for whatever reason, maybe to find Percy. But after the battle, he just... disappeared. I later learned he ran away when he found out that Simon, his friend in the Hermes cabin, had been killed in the fighting. Percy had searched nonstop for hours but to no avail.
It wasn't until I had been at camp for a few days that I realized just how much Percy had taken on in my absence. Between caring for Chris, looking after Nico, taking care of Mrs. O'Leary, worrying about me, pining over Calypso, and preventing Camp from cracking under the pressure, my brother had a lot on his plate, and he shouldered it all silently. I wondered how he did it. It made me proud of him and sad that he hadn't asked for help.
Everyone was off doing their own thing, comforting their cabinmates. I elected to do that same and wandered over to the arena, where I knew Percy would be. Rather than fighting a dummy, he was on the ground, leaning against Mrs. O'Leary. "Hey, brother."
He took my hand when I sat down. It was either for comfort or as an excuse not to have a conversation, probably both. Nonetheless, I squeezed his hand and leaned back on Mrs. O'Leary as well. I noticed he had his notebook in his lap as he scribbled out a drawing. It looked like a teenager with sharp features and light stubble, Telemachus. Always Telemachus.
Eventually, he let go of my hand but took my arm, closing his notebook. 'Rachel seems to like you.'
"What? No, that can't be right!" I protested. "We barely know each other!"
He shrugged. 'I'm just saying, as your overbearing twin, she and Annabeth both like you.'
I groaned. "You know, I'm 14 minutes older than you."
He grinned. 'I'm perfectly happy with not having a world-ending choice over my head. Thank you.'
I grimaced at the reminder. I was older than Percy, which made me the child of the prophecy. I can't believe it had been all this time and I never thought about Percy being a potential prophecy child. I didn't relish the thought. He had enough to deal with already.
'What are you going to do?' He asked me.
"About the girls?"
'No, about the discrimination in our society.' He looked at me blankly. 'Yes, the girls.'
I rolled my eyes. "I don't know, to be honest." I sighed. "I don't think I like Rachel that way. Maybe as a close friend, but not a sibling, and definitely not romantically."
'Good to know I'm held to a higher standard,' He smirked. I glared and shoved him lightly, causing Mrs. O'Leary to exhale loudly. 'But you should tell her that, then. Just make sure you don't mention liking anyone else. That will make her bitter and angry.'
"Duly noted."
'What about Annabeth?'
"I like her," I replied bluntly. "I like her a lot, but I don't know how to tell her because she still likes Luke." He nodded as if he had noticed that as well. "You're going to threaten her, aren't you?"
He shook his head with a smile. 'I already have.' I groaned loudly.
"She kissed me, at Mount Saint Helens," I admitted. His eyes widened. "Gods, it was amazing, even though I almost died. I had to take a second to remember my name."
'I didn't know that, but I don't need a description.' I laughed.
"Percy Jackson," Mr. D interrupted. "Walk with me."
I looked at him in confusion. He shrugged and followed the god of wine away.
I looked at Mrs. O'Leary, "I guess it's just us, hey girl?" The hellhound continued resting, but her tail thumped against the ground. It made a sound not unlike a battering ram. I smiled lightly, "I don't mind. We make a mighty pair."
Line Break
Christmas in the Underworld was not what I had in mind for my time off. It had been a typical day up until that point. Percy and I were walking around the city, talking about various things. Eventually, we came to Central Park, only to find Nico di Angelo and Thalia Grace in the middle of a scuffle.
Behind Thalia, was a golden deer. Behind the son of Hades, was none other than Mrs. O'Leary. Nico didn't look good. It was the first time I had seen him since the Battle of the Labyrinth. He was skinny, pale, his hair had grown out, and his eyes were sunken.
The deer was relaxing in the snow, looking positively bored as Thalia chased Mrs. O'Leary around the clearing. Nico was doing his best to keep her away. The hellhound saw Percy and me and bounded over, tackling my brother to the ground. Quintus had entrusted her to the both of us, but I wasn't afraid to admit he was her favourite.
"Percy?" Nico asked, "Andy?" Thalia froze, just before the pommel of her dagger collided with my cousin's temple.
"Hey, guys." I waved. Percy managed to get Mrs. O'Leary off of himself and stood, now covered in hellhound slobber. I snickered quietly at the image. He glowered at me.
"What are you guys doing here?" Thalia asked in confusion. "And why is Percy petting a hellhound?"
I rolled my eyes, "Long story short, I live right over there." I pointed in the general direction of my apartment complex. "I guess you haven't met Mrs. O'Leary?" She shook her head.
'Belonged to Daedelus,' Percy signed. 'Now she's in my care.'
Thalia nodded, but she still looked confused. I didn't notice until later that no one had translated for her.
Suddenly, the ground opened up and swallowed us.
Line Break
"Damn it, Percy!" I groaned as I helped my brother to his feet. "Stop doing that!"
He raised an eyebrow. 'Stop doing what?'
"You know what!" I rolled my eyes. "Stopping the flow of the Lethe so we can get across? You are poisoned!"
"Well, I thought it was cool," Nico stated.
I glared at him, "Not helping, Nico."
He gulped, "On second thought, maybe you shouldn't do that again."
"Your sister is right, Perce." Thalia made sure the bandages on Percy's chest were still intact. "The more you move, the more these start coming undone."
I female voice sounded from nearby. Looking at the voice, I saw a woman with long, dark hair and the same blue eyes as Thalia. She lounged in a chair, holding a wine glass and wearing nothing but a pink bathrobe.
"My, my, dear Thalia," the lady drawled. "It seems you have learned to be kind after all."
"M-mom?" the daughter or Zeus choked.
"Thalia, that isn't your mother," Nico said. He looked at the woman cautiously. "That is Mellinoe, the goddess of ghosts."
"Silence, boy," Mellinoe said. "Allow me to speak with my daughter.
"W-what do you want?" Thalia was perpetually stuck in the form of a fifteen-year-old girl, but at the moment she looked to be about seven or eight.
"Thalia," the goddess made a sad expression at her. "Why did you abandon me when I needed you? You ran away, you left me alone."
"No," Thalia said shakily. "You abandoned me."
Mellinoe growled, and suddenly her appearance changed. She was now a woman in a white dress. Her dark hair was tied back and her neck was adorned with a string of pearls. "Nico," she said. "Where have you been? I haunt the world in grief, wondering about you and your sister."
"You look like my mother, I think." Nico looked at her blankly. "But I don't remember her, so you may as well change again."
Mellinoe shrugged, "My lord Hades would have me punished if I fooled you anyways." Then her form changed again.
Standing before us was not a middle-aged woman. It was a younger girl, maybe 12, with curly brown hair and ratty clothes. Her face was flecked with dirt, and she was nursing a cut on her thigh. She seemed to be barely standing, but her face didn't seem pained. She looked at my brother with a small smile. She had dark skin and joy shined in her eyes. "Hey, Percy." Her voice was quiet and mischievous. It was a little bit like the Hermes Kids, but she didn't have the sharp features that they tended to have.
My brother was frozen in shock and horror as he stared at the girl. "Percy?" I asked. He looked like he has de-aged about 4 years. He appeared to be about 11.
The girl laughed lightly, "Yeah, you never did talk," she said. Percy flinched when she smiled at him. "You taught me sign language, but it wasn't much use. Your hands always shook."
"Percy," I grabbed my brother's shoulders. "I don't know who that is, but she isn't real. Okay? Mellinoe is messing with your head."
Percy shrugged my hands off. He turned to glare at the girl, but tears were streaming down his face freely. Y-y-you're n-not re-real. True to the girl's words, Percy's hands shook violently as he stared her down. In sign language, you could usually consider this to be stuttering or stammering.
The girl's face turned sour. For the first time, I saw Mellinoe's true form. she was pale, with jet-black hair and obsidian-coloured eyes. She was beautiful, in the way that an actress was beautiful. Pretty in their own right, but their appearance was fabricated. Artificial. "You have many ghosts, daughter of Poseidon," she studied me. "Lacy Florence, Zoe Nightshade, and Lee Fletcher, to name a few."
"I've made my peace with them," I said.
"Clearly," she drawled. "I know of that which you seek, but you are too late. A deal has been struck."
"What deal?" Thalia demanded.
Mellinoe smirked, "This one." The goddess disappeared into a puff of smoke. Standing in her place, holding a long, Stygian Iron sword, was Iapetus.