sasha:
the next morning, percy was moved to cabin 3.
he looked pretty miserable, but i couldn't really blame him. i mean, everyone was acting like he had some rare disease.
nobody mentioned the hellhound to percy's face, but they were certainly talking about it behind his back. the attack had scared everybody. it sent two messages: one, that percy was the son of the sea god; and two, monsters would stop at nothing to kill him. and the camp borders weren't going to stop them.
the campers steered clear of percy as much as possible. except me. in my eyes, percy hadn't done anything other than make me dislike him. which was always the case, so i didn't need to treat him any differently.
cabin eleven were too nervous to have sword class with percy after what he'd done to the ares folk in the woods, so sword fighting became two-on-one - percy, luke, and me. luke pushed percy harder than ever. it was quite funny to see him getting all bruised up.
annabeth still taught percy greek in the mornings, along with me teaching him latin. annabeth was getting a bit distracted though. everytime the son of poseidon opened his mouth she would scowl at him. for a reason that's irrelevant to either of them, i think. but annabeth idolises athena, so her mum's rivalries are her rivalries.
even clarisse kept her distance, though her venomous looks made it clear she had percy as number 1 on her hitlist.
that night, i had a bad dream. not my worst, but bad.
i was running along a beach in a storm. this time, there was a city behind me. not new york. the sprawl was different: buildings spread farther apart, palm trees and low hills in the distance. something told me where i was in the back of my mind, but i couldn't quite reach it.
about a hundred yards down the surf, two men were fighting. they looked like the kind of wrestlers you see on tv, muscular, with beards and long hair. they both wore flowing greek tunics, one trimmed in blue, the other in green. they grappled with each other. wrestled, kicked and head-butted. every time they connected, lightning flashed, the sky grew darker, and the wind rose.
i had to stop them. i didn't know why. but the harder i ran the more the wind blew me back, until i was running in place, my heels digging uselessly in the sand.
over the roar of the storm, i could hear the blue-robed one yelling at the green-robed one, give it back! give it back! like a whinging little toddler, fighting over a toy.
the waves got bigger, crashing into the beach, spraying me with salt.
i yelled, stop it! a golden flash of lightning crashed down as i screamed, stop fighting!
the ground shook. laughter came from somewhere under the earth, and a voice so deep and evil it turned my blood to ice.
come down, little hero, the voice crooned. come down!
the sand split beneath me, opening up a crevice straight down to the centre of the earth. my feet slipped, and darkness swallowed me whole.
i woke up, sure i was falling.
i was still in my bed in cabin 7. my body told me it was morning. the empty beds were also a clue. but no light shone in through the ceiling window. outside, the sky was dark, and thunder rolled across the hills. a storm was brewing.
i hadn't dreamed that.
i didn't have any activities that morning but i couldn't get back to sleep again - not after that gods-awful dream. i swung my legs out from under my covers. they were soft, white linen, with stitched patterns i'd embroidered on it. a cheery sun, cute flowers - stuff a young child would design when stuck with arts and crafts as her only activity. i grabbed my guitar - also decorated, painted with a swirling sun, a manta ray and a turtle, a few flowers dotted around - and sat back down on my bed, one leg crossed over the other.
i began strumming chords quietly, playing whatever notes came to me. c major, a minor, f major, c major. a beautiful melody flowed out of the instrument. i hummed along, adding another tone and harmonising with the song.
i sat there for a while - letting the music take control and overflow. the unnamed song filled the room.
it was a sweet tune, but it had a melancholy undertone - almost bittersweet. i wondered where it came from - wondered where i had drawn those emotions from, plucked those notes and chords from.
i heard a clopping sound at the door, a hoof knocking on the threshold.
i paused my playing. the silence was overpowering.
"come in?" i wondered who else would be awake at this time. how much of my song had they heard?
grover trotted inside, looking worried. "mr. d wants to see you."
"why?" i got up from my sitting position and placed my guitar back in its stand.
"...you'd better just come."
"o...kay? just let me get dressed."
i moved towards the bathroom at the back of the cabin, confused. "-just."
i turned back around to look at the satyr. "it's about percy."
a tense silence filled the cabin. we both knew this couldn't be anything good.
i gave grover a small nod, telling him i understood, and went to get changed quickly. i brushed my teeth and changed into one of lee's pink floyd tshirts and a pair of grey joggers. i tied my hair into a messy high ponytail and slipped on my superstars.
i looked in the mirror - just to see my mom looking back at me. i was looking more and more like her everyday, except my eyes. everyone thinks I have blue eyes because apollo's my dad, but really, none of my siblings have the same eyes as me.
i had the same eyes as my great-grandma alexandria. i don't know where she got them from, but they were strikingly light blue, flecked with gold - unlike any other eye colour i had seen before.
i took a deep breath before leaving the bathroom and heading out of cabin 7 with grover.
over long island sound, the sky was a swirl of inky-black hues - like someone had grabbed a stick of charcoal and smudged it over the earth. a hazy curtain of rain was coming in our direction. a cold breeze blew through my large tshirt. i shivered.
i wouldn't have worried about an umbrella - it never rained at camp unless chiron wanted it to - but something in the back of my mind told me chiron couldn't control this one.
i mean, this storm was huge.
at the volleyball pit, most of my siblings were playing a morning game against the satyrs. castor and pollux were walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow. everybody was going about their normal business, but they looked tense. they all kept a wary eye on the storm.
grover and i walked up to the front porch of the big house. dionysus sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped hawaiian shirt with his diet coke. classic. chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. they were playing against invisible opponents - two sets of cards hovering in the air.
"ah, sasha," chiron greeted me. "we just need percy now." the centaur nodded at grover - a silent instruction.
"oh," the satyr gasped. "right." he turned around, heading back for the cabins.
i sat down in a chair and got comfortable, one leg bent on the chair to rest my head on one knee, the other dangling. i fiddled with the ends of my hair as we waited apprehensively for grover to bring the son of poseidon.
we waited.
and waited.
finally - a few minutes later - grover made his way to the big house again, this time accompanied by the son of poseidon.
percy looked like he had just rolled out of bed, his hair messier than ever. he gave me a questionable look, a silent question to what was happening. i could only shrug helplessly.
yeah, i had a hunch what was happening, but there was no way i could explain it with a single look. he wasn't annabeth.
"well, well," mr.d said without looking up. "our little celebrity."
the black-haired boy didn't move. i almost snorted at his brooding face. it was definitely his resting face at this point.
"come closer," mr.d said. "and don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old barnacle-beard is your father."
a net of lightning flashed through the grey clouds. thunder shook the windows of the house.
"blah, blah, blah," dionysus said.
chirone feigned interest in his pinochle cards. grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth. bunch of cowards. i, on the other hand, sat forward in my seat, wishing i had a bucket of popcorn.
"if i had my way," dionysus continued, "i would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. we'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. but chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."
"spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, mr.d," chiron put in.
i hid a giggle behind the back of my hand.
"nonsense," dionysus dismissed. "the boy wouldn't feel a thing."
i couldn't hide my laugh this time. percy threw me a glare.
"nevertheless," mr.d ignored me, "i've agreed to restrain myself. i'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."
"mr. d-" chiron warned.
i made a mock scolding face at mr.d from behind the centaurs back - wagging my finger and all. if he had noticed, he certainly didn't acknowledge it. i heard a snigger from over my shoulder though. percy understood.
"oh, all right," dionysus relented. "there's one more option. but it's deadly foolishness." dionysus rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table. "i'm off to olympus for the emergency meeting. if the boy is still here when i get back, i'll turn him into an atlantic bottlenose. do you understand? and perseus jacksn, ,if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what chiron feels you must do."
dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a plastic rectangle. a security pass to olympus.
he snapped his fingers.
the light seemed to fold and bend around him. he became a hologram, then an impression, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.
chiron smiled at percy, but it looked tired and strained. "sit, percy, please. and grover."
they did.
chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use.
"tell me, percy," he said. "what did you make of the hellhound?"
i made a lot of things out of the hellhound. one being, holy fuck, this is it. another being, what in olympus' name was stolen to make a bloody hellhound show up.
percy shifted in his seat. "it scared me," he admitted. "if you hadn't shot it," he said, glancing at me as well, "i'd be dead."
"you'll meet far worse, percy. far worse, before you're done."
"done...with what?" oh boy.
"you're quest, of course. will you accept it."
i glanced at grover to see him crossing his fingers. this was his chance, i realised. he could get his searcher's license and follow his dream. percy looked confused, and i realised something else. why the fuck am i sitting here?
"um, sir," percy said, "you haven't told me what it is yet."
the old centaur grimaced. "well, that's the hard part, the details."
that's the way it always seems, i sighed mentally.
thunder rumbled across the valley. the storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. as far as i could see, the sky and sea were boiling together, smudges of stormy blue and dark grey blurred dissonantly.
the eagle and the horse, i recalled. the two men fighting...
"poseidon and zeus," percy said, saying exactly what i was thinking. "they're fighting over something valuable..."
"something stolen," i finished for him.
chiron and grover exchanged looks.
the centaur sat forward in his wheelchair. "how do you two know that?"
i twisted the ends of her hair, trying to formulate the words but percy spoke first. "the weather since christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. then i talked to sasha and annabeth, and they'd overheard something about a theft. and...i've also been having these dreams."
"i've been having dreams too," i said slowly, narrowing my eyes at percy.
i didn't fancy sharing anything with the boy, much less my dreams. he didn't look too happy about it, either.
"i knew it," grover said.
"hush, satyr," chiron ordered.
"but it is his quest!" grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "it must be!"
"and it could be sasha's, too." chiron cast me a sideways glance, nerves etched into his forehead. i raised an eyebrow at him. i had been here 7 years and never been given a quest, and i didn't really want to change that.
"only the oracle can determine," he said, stroking his bristly beard, as though he had read my thoughts. "nevertheless, yes, you are correct. poseidon and zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries.
they are fighting over something valuable that was stolen.
to be precise: a lightning bolt."
i almost fell out of my chair. a what?
percy laughed nervously. "a what?"
"do not take this lightly," chiron warned. "i'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzig you'd see in a second-grade play. i'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."
my blood sparked in my veins at the sound of the electric power. i could feel my skin start to heat from chiron's words. my hand hovered over heosphoros, instantly relieved of the overwhelming feeling.
"oh." oh? that's all you can say, fish boy?
"zeus's master bolt," chiron said, getting worked up now. "the symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. the first weapon made by the cyclopes for the war against the titans, the bol that sheered the top off mount etna and hurled kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."
"and it's missing?" i was getting more and more confused how i was fitting into all this.
"stolen," chiron said.
"by who?" percy asked.
"by whom," chiron corrected. once a teacher, always a teacher. "by you two."
my mouth fell open. i glanced at percy. his too.
"at least," - chiron held up a hand - "that's what zeus thinks. during the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, zeus and poseidon had an argument. the usual nonsense: 'mother rhea always like you best', 'air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters', et cetera. afterward, zeus realised his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. he immediately blamed poseidon. now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly - it is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. but zeus thinks your father convinced a human hero to take it."
"but i didn't-"
"i would never-"
"patience and listen, children," Chiron said. "Zeus has a good reason to be suspicious. the forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. the only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. Sasha's known about the god's since she was six and has been to Olympus. you two attended the same school for a year, and both of you were in New York over the winter holidays. Percy, you could easily have snuck into Olympus for your father, Sasha as your accomplice. Zeus believes he has found his thieves."
"I barely remember Olympus!" i haven't been since i was eight years old - the last winter i spent at camp before my Aunt Grace deemed it a waste of time.
"and I've never been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!"
Chiron and Grover glanced nervously at the sky. I followed their eyeline, to notice that the storm clouds weren't parting around camp as they normally did. they were rolling straight over our valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid.
"er, Percy...?" Grover said. "we don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."
"perhaps paranoid," Chiron suggested. "then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. i believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam..." he looked at us as if he actually expected us to remember question thirty-eight. please.
how could anyone accuse me of stealing a god's weapon? okay, sure, connor and travis, and luke, and taught me a few things. but i wasn't nearly that good. only a child of hermes could pull off a heist like that.
"was it about the golden net?" i guessed. "when Poseidon and Hera, and a few other gods, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out again until he promised promised to be a better ruler."
"correct," Chiron said. "and Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. he took great offense at the accusation. the two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. and now, you two have come along - the proverbial last straw."
"but we're just kids!" percy protested. i clenched my fists to keep from exploding. we were all just kids. the fucking gods just didn't care.
"Percy," Grover cut in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, that he's fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you...wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?"
"it's a good thing togas are out of fashion then," I mumbled stubbornly.
"but i didn't- we didn't do anything," Percy said. "Poseidon - my dad - he didn't really have this master bolt, did he?"
Chiron sighed. "most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. but the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. that's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. but your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. now neither god will back down. unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. and do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?"
"bad?"
i rolled my eyes at his answer. "more like outright barbaric."
"imagine the world in chaos," Chiron explained for Percy's benefit. "nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilisation turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight."
percy paled, "outright barbaric."
"And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath. With Sasha following the same fate."
I, too, paled now.
It started to rain.
The volleyball players stopped their game and stared in stunned silence at the sky.
We had brought this storm to Half-Blood Hill. Zeus was punishing my home - the entire camp - because of me and fucking Perseus Achilles Jackson. I could feel my skin starting to heat at my anger, but I was too frozen in fury to touch Heosphoros. I glanced over at Percy. His eyes were a murderous hurricane, his jaw was clenched firmly, and he gripped the arms of the chair so tight his knuckles turned white. yea, seems my anger was matched.
"so we have to find the stupid bolt," I grit out, lightning flashing as I probably offended the Lord of the Sky, "and return it to Zeus."
"What better peace offering," Chiron said, "than to have the son of Poseidon himself return Zeus's property?"
"If Poseidon doesn't have it, then where is it?" Percy asked.
"I believe I know." Chiron's expression was grim. "Part of the prophecy I had years ago...well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."
"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand? And why do I have to lead the quest and not Sasha? She has way more experience."
That almost sounded like a compliment...which I would have accepted wholeheartedly if the boy wasn't trying to dump a quest on me.
"Because you're the son of Poseidon, so Zeus thinks of you as the instigator, and Sasha more as your sidekick. And because if I told you where the bolt was, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."
"uh, Zeus can sod off because I am nobody's sidekick," I argued. "But other than that, I agree." It's true that it would make more of a statement if it was the son of the accused god leading the quest, rather than a daughter of Apollo - who played no part in the current petty conflict.
Chiron turned to Percy. "So do you agree?"
Percy looked at Grover, who nodded encouragingly. Easy enough for him to say. We were the ones Zeus wanted to pulverise.
"All right," Percy said. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin."
"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," Chiron said. "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."
Honestly, Chiron, I think you need an award for best speech of encouragement. Not. More like an award for thickest at communication.
Percy left the table and entered the Big House.
I took a deep breath and touched Heosphoros to relieve some of the heat still lingering under my skin. I chewed my lip as I finally fully processed that I would be going on a quest. Guilt rose through me. This was Annabeth's dream. Her life-long dream. And now I've taken the place that should be hers. I didn't even want to on a quest! ever!
I cleared my throat subtly. "Where does my father stand in all this, Chiron?"
"Apollo is standing against his father, showing his outward support for Poseidon. He didn't appreciate his daughter being accused wrongfully and was even more upset at Zeus for threatening you, his-" Chiron cut off.
I felt touched, I hadn't realised my father cared that much. He had become more distant compared to when I was younger, but that was probably just because he was uncomfortable being a father to a teenage girl. Or because he blamed me. That's always a possibility-- hold up.
"His what?" I asked. I had just realised that Chiron had paused mid-sentence.
"What?" Chiron pretended as though he had no idea what he was talking about. Sneaky little gaslighter. "Well, anyways," he continued, "your father claims it's 'totally not cool, dude', and is siding with Poseidon.
yeah, that sounds more like my dad.
My mind drifted back to Annabeth. shit, she was going to hate me.
"Chiron," I started frantically. "What about Annabeth? She's always wanted to go on a quest. And now-"
"-She's going on a quest with her best friend." The air shimmered beside me and Annabeth appeared with a satisfied look on her face.
I whipped my head to Chiron to confirm - before I got my hopes up. He was smiling fondly at us, and nodded kindly.
I jumped up and threw my arms around my best-friend. "oh, thank fuck. I don't think I'd manage to keep Percy alive without you." I heard Chiron mutter, "language", from somewhere behind us - he went ignored. Annabeth pulled herself out of my arms, chuckling.
"More like you wouldn't manage to keep from killing him," she laughed.
"Uh, so not true. I have brilliant self-restraint," I crossed my arms. Well, maybe it was a bit true.
We all turned towards the house as we heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Percy was coming down. Without another sound, Annabeth shoved her Yankees cap back on, disappearing from sight. I sat back down, trying not to fidget in anticipation.
"Well?" Chiron asked.
Percy slumped into a chair at the table. "She said I would retrieve what was stole."
Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of his Diet Coke can. "That's great!"
"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important."
I stayed quiet, listening intently for the prophecy.
"She...she said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."
"I knew it," Grover said.
I held my tongue, but I knew Percy was leaving some bits out. That wasn't the complete prophecy - I just knew there was more.
Chiron didn't look satisfied either. "Anything else?"
Percy hesitated for a moment. "No," he said. He's lying. "That's about it."
Why was he lying? How bad could the prophecy be?
Chiron studied the black-haired boy. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."
"Okay. So where do I go?" Percy asked, clearly trying to change the subject. "Who's this god in the west?"
"Ah, think, Percy," Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"
"Somebody else who wants to take over?" he guessed.
"Yes, quite. Someone who harbours a grudge, who has been unhappy with a lot of his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."
I thought back to my dreams, the evil voice who spoke from under the ground.
"Hades," Percy said.
But, that didn't make sense. Hades always appeared on his throne...
"I don't-" I spoke up. "I don't think it is. It's just...I can't explain it. But I'm sure."
"Sasha, the Lord of the Dead is the only possibility," Chiron argued.
A scrap of aluminium dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh-what?"
I was only half registering the conversation. I racked my brain, trying to figure out who the voice could be, who the god was. Usually I knew this stuff. Being a child of Apollo, we were able to decipher prophecies, and premonitions, and dreams easier than most. But...it felt almost blocked off now. Like someone was purposely preventing me from using these powers. I was stuck.
"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminded. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."
"Yes, but- but Hades hates all heroes," Grover protested.
"yeah," I agreed. "Especially, if he has found out Percy is a son of Poseidon."
"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continued. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill this young half-blood begore he can take on the quest."
"Great," Percy muttered. "That's two major gods who want to kill me. High score."
"But a quest to..." Grover swallowed. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year."
"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motived perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."
My stomach twisted, and my skin began to prickle. I was getting blamed for something I didn't do, and now it's up to us kids to fix it. Once a-fucking-gain, the gods have found a way to dump all their mistakes onto us demigods.
Grover was trembling. He's started eating pinochle cards like potato chips.
I felt bad for Grover. I wanted Grover to get his searcher's license, to achieve his dreams to set out for Pan and be the first satyr to succeed. But to do that, he needed to complete a quest. And this one was to the Underworld. Satyrs - and all nature spirits pretty much - hate underground. And the Underworld is under-underground.
I decided then and there that I would help Grover get that license no matter what.
"Look, if we know it's Hades," Percy told Chiron, "why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads."
"Suspecting and knowing are not the same," Chiron said. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades - and I imagine Poseidon does - they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"
"You're saying Percy's being used," I said. It wasn't a question.
"I'm saying its no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. he needs you."
Percy looked at Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?" His eyes flickered to me, as though asking me as well.
Honestly? I think I have, I just hoped - and I mean really fucking hoped - that I was wrong.
"I had my suspicions," Chiron answered. "As I said...I've spoken to the Oracle, too."
I got the feeling the centaur was referring to the Great Prophecy. I knew it well - it was engraved in my mind - and I knew how terrifying it sounded, how much pressure it put on a kid.
"So let me get this straight," Percy said. "We're supposed to go to the Underworld and confront the Lor of the Dead."
"Check," Chiron said.
"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."
"Check."
"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."
"That's about right."
I groaned and banged my head down on the table. Grover had moved onto the deck of cards and gulped down the ace of hearts.
"Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" the satyr asked weakly.
Despite the tense atmosphere, I couldn't help my huffed laugh.
"You don't have to go," Percy told him. "I can't ask that of you."
"Oh..." He shifted his hooves. "NO...it's just that satyrs ad underground places...well..."
I gave him an encouraging smile. I knew how brave he was, even if he didn't.
He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminium bits off his T-shirt. "You saved my life, Percy. If...if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."
I was so relieved I could have tackled Grover to the ground in a hug, but I didn't think he would have appreciated that too much. I settled for grinning widely at him. He returned it, though a bit shakier.
"All the way, G-man," Percy fist-bumped the satyr. He looked between Chiron and me. "So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west."
"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west," Chiron explained. "It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America."
"Where?"
Chiron and I shared a look of surprise. The answer seemed obvious enough, at least to us. "Los Angeles," I answered. "Where else would the entrance to the Underworld be nowadays?"
"oh, naturally," Percy said, rolling his eyes. "So we just get on a plane-"
"No!" Grover and I yelped.
"Percy, what are you thinking?" Grover chastised. "Have you ever been on a plane in your life?"
The son of Poseidon shook his head, his ears tinting red in embarrassment.
"Obviously he hasn't, or he wouldn't be sitting her right now," I muttered, rolling my eyes.
"Percy, think. You are the son of the Sea God," Chiron explained. "Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."
Overhead, lightning crackled and thunder boomed. A bit dramatic, don't you think?
"Okay," Percy said, deliberately avoiding looking up at the storm. "So, I'll travel overland."
"That's right," Chiron said. "Three companions may accompany you. Sasha is one. Grover is the second. The third has already volunteered, if you will accept her help."
"Gee," Percy said, mocking surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?"
The air shimmered behind Chiron.
I smiled slightly as Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.
"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain," she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I can help keep you from messing up. or keep Sasha from accidentally slashing you through or something."
"You have no faith in me," I pouted in feigned hurt.
Annabeth shrugged. "Plus, wherever Sasha goes, I go."
"Yeah, seaweed brain. It's a two-for-one deal. Can't have one without the other," I teased.
"If you say so," Percy rolled his eyes. "I'm guessing you've brewed a terrific plan with wise girl here. Right, princess?"
I felt a blush threatening to colour my cheeks. Fuck. Perseus had called me that before, what makes now any different?
I narrowed my eyes at the son of Poseidon. "Do you want our help or not."
"A foursome," he resigned. "That'll work."
"Excellent," Chiro said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."
Lightning flashed - a brilliant blue streaking through the grey clouds. Rain poured down on the meadows which were never supposed to have violent weather.
"No time to waste," Chiron said. "I think you should all get packing."
another chapter down!
what do we think about the 1st person perspective? i might keep with it and see how i feel.
ignore me switching up whether i want to use caps or not x
anyways.