Hello! I decided to update because... IT'S EXACTLY 2 MONTHS UNTIL THE MARK OF ATHENA COMES OUT!!! I stayed up till midnight and then did a little happy dance. I'm excited! Anyways, this chapter has different languauges, so go to Google translater to understand them. It took FOREVER to do the languages. Please enjoy!
Chapter 19
Percy
“You could have told us,” Jason said, shaking his head. “Gods, Annabeth, I’m sorry.”
Everyone except for Piper sat on the couch. Percy had just finished explaining the Mark of Athena to everyone. Annabeth sometimes cried out in pain because of the battle at Camp Half-Blood. Her whole arm was glowing silver now.
“It’s a curse,” Hazel remarked sadly. “Just like me.” She was holding a ruby in her hand. Like Annabeth, she had just explained her curse.
Leo shook his head. “We’re all bad luck. We’re all dangerous. We all have secrets. We all have powers. In our own way, we’re all cursed.” He closed his eyes. “I hate this.”
Frank was quiet. He hadn’t been speaking lately. He stared at the moon through the window before studying the stars.
“We need each other,” Percy said. “We need to watch each other. We have to save each other from what will destroy us.”
Silence fell over the six. Percy felt comfortable, because it wasn’t like they didn’t know what to say, more like they didn’t have anything to say.
A scream shattered the silence like glass breaking. Everyone was on their feet at once and running down the hall. Jason ripped open the door to Piper’s room, where she was sitting up and covering her face, muffling her screams.
“Nightmare,” she sputtered out, panting. “It was bad.” She kept shaking her head like she was trying to shake off the dream. “I was in chains. Porphyrion said if you guys didn’t come I would join Nico di Angelo somewhere inside. I don’t know!” She put her head in her hands and began to sob.
Percy shook his head hastily. “We can’t dwell on this.”
Nobody even looked in his direction. He sighed before going to his room. He went under the covers. There were still some cries from Annabeth about her wrist, but with no more purpose to be awake, he fell asleep and dreamed of a silver giant smiling at him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He woke up to the light streaming in his window. He stumbled out of bed and walked to the kitchen he smelled breakfast.
Leo and Hazel were making breakfast. Percy saw pancakes, sausages, French toast, and pastries.
“Wow,” Percy said, stunned. “You’re good cooks.”
Hazel handed him a plate overflowing with food. “We decided that we’re going after Gration today. We need to rest and eat up.”
Percy’s stomach growled. He sat down and began to devour the food. A few seconds later, Annabeth walked out of the kitchen with a raised eyebrow.
“Pig,” she chortled, sitting down and eating… well, like a girl.
Everyone came out after that. Piper seemed to forget her nightmare, because she was joking around with Annabeth and Hazel. They were saying jokes only the girls seemed to know.
“Beauty Queen, are you ready to become pretty again?” Leo asked, laughing.
“Vous êtes sérieux immature, Leo,” Piper said in French. “Parfois, je hais vos tripes,” she finished, smiling because she made no mistakes.
Leo choked on his food. “What did you just say, Beauty Queen?”
“You are seriously immature, Leo. Sometimes I hate your guts,” Piper said with a grin. “I wanted to tell you in French so your fragile heart wouldn’t break.”
“Reina de belleza, a veces yo también te odio,” Leo spat in Spanish. “Eres más malo que soy,” he said smugly.
“Eh bien, je ne vous comprends pas, et vous ne pouvez pas me comprendre,” Piper growled.
“Te odio, el gaitero.” Leo snarled.
“Tais-toi, Leo. Jason serait dégoûté si il a découvert ce que je disais,” Piper said with a scowl. “Mais je n'ai aucune idée de ce que vous dites,” she finished.
“Hold up,” Jason said, confused. “What on earth are you saying? And how can you understand each other?”
“We can’t,” Piper and Leo interjected at the same time before they both began to crack up.
“Stop being idiots,” Hazel scolded, standing up. “I’m getting ready. Piper, please dress in something nice.”
Scowling, Piper threw away her trash and stormed to her room.
“She’s in a bad mood,” Hazel remarked. “I understood some of her speech. She really doesn’t like Leo right now.”
Piper came back outside in regular clothes. “I’m not fighting in a dress,” she insisted. “I did it once. Worst fight ever, if I may say so myself.”
Annabeth and Hazel stared at each other and sighed. They must have surrendered because Piper grinned.
Percy went to his room and got the things he needed. A small baggie of ambrosia was a must. And Riptide, but that was always in his pocket. What else to take? He looked around his room and found nothing. With a sigh, he walked out of the room.
Everyone looked ready for a fight. They had their weapons ready and simple clothes. Annabeth had a bag over her shoulder with everything the seven needed in a fight.
All eyes were on Piper. Her changing unfocused and she was very still.
To Annabeth, Percy whispered, “Why are we looking at her?”
“Her dreams from Gaea,” she replied. “She has the answers.”
Piper’s eyes focused. “It has to be around eleven or midnight. That’s all I know.” She blushed, obviously not liking the attention. “Someone can lead the way.”
Even though Percy didn’t want to, he took the lead. They trekked through the small meadow and through the outskirts out town. Suddenly, Piper cocked her head.
“Run!” she suddenly yelled, putting on a burst of speed that left everyone in the dust. She took the lead and led them down an alley.
“What’s going on?” Annabeth asked, looking shocked.
“Hellhound,” Piper spat out as she turned another alley but instantly stopped. It was a dead end. She cursed in Ancient Greek before taking a battle stance. “Get ready to fight.”
Percy ended up in front with Jason at his side. They were in the same stance and had the same look of anger on their faces.
A hellhound blended from the shadows, along with three others. Their beady red eyes were crazed and angry. All their eyes focused beyond the front line to Piper.
“Wonderful,” she grumbled. “Gaea told all the monsters about me.”
“They won’t get to you,” Jason promised.
The first hellhound lunged. Percy and Jason struck at the same time, both slicing up the big mutt with their blades. The hellhound managed to grab Percy in its mouth, but he managed to wiggle out.
“Hey, look over here, you ugly mutts!” Piper yelled from behind. “Come and get me!” There were a few growls and grunts, but nothing out of the ordinary. Every once in a while, the daughter of Aphrodite yelled commands to the monsters, charmspeaking them to do something. She seemed to be unstoppable.
A chill ran up Percy’s spine when Annabeth passed him. She was furious. She was fighting with so much force that it scared him. She screamed before finishing off the first hellhound single-handedly. The Mark of Athena was terrifying.
Leo was lobbing fireballs at the hellhounds. Like an acrobat, he scaled a dumpster and pounced onto a hellhound’s back before pressing his hands down. The hellhound disintegrated on the spot.
Frank was changing into a bear and ripping another hellhound apart, with the help of Hazel. So there was one left.
Percy knocked the hellhound into the alley wall with a push from his hand. Jason brought down his gladius, and Leo threw fireballs. This hellhound was angry, and the strongest.
“Hey, you beast,” Piper whispered with a smile. “You like getting killed, right?” She held up her dagger.
The hellhound stared at her.
“Yeah,” she murmured. “Don’t move. It won’t hurt that bad. You’ll go to Tartarus and meet a nice hellhound girlfriend. Okay?” She walked up right next to the monster before stabbing her knife into the neck. The hellhound dissolved into dust.
Jason coughed and grinned at Piper. “Nice one, McLean.”
She shrugged. "Eh, I wasn't really trying." She wiped slime off her knife. "I want to go sightseeing."
Annabeth went along with Piper, so Percy and Jason had to follow. They made it in time to catch a tour of the Coliseum. While the girls were completely absorbed in the tour, Percy's ADHD made his thoughts wander elsewhere.
Probably tonight he would face Gration. Some people would get hurt. And Hera had warned that this giant would hurt the seven physically and mentally. Percy was scared silly, despitre the fact he'd faced Alcyoneus and Polybotes before.
Next to him, Jason sighed and kicked the ground. He looked bored out of his mind, but every time he looked at Piper, his face lit up. Percy saw another expression in his blue eyes- fear.
The tour was soon over. Even though Percy hadn't paid attention, he was glad he went. The Coliseum was amazing.
“That was exciting,” Annabeth gushed, taking Percy’s hand. “Oh my Gods, the architecture is amazing!”
“Sure it is,” Percy agreed, really looking at her. Her blond hair was up in a ponytail, and her gray eyes glittered with excitement. Every once in a while, her face reddened when she caught his gaze, but she never seemed to get embarrassed.
“I told the others we would meet them here,” Piper declared. It was a nice little restaurant with outside tables and the sun shining like a spotlight. The other three were already there with a table and everything.
A few minutes later, the steaming plate of pasta was sitting in front of Percy. He would have preferred pizza, but the pasta smelled amazing, so he began to scarf it down.
“This is a nice city,” Hazel said, twirling an emerald in her fingertips. “It’s a little sad we’re probably going to destroy it by the end of our visit.”
Leo, his mouth stuffed with pasta, managed to say, “The Mark of Athena is going to beat us to it.” He swallowed and said, “Man! This is really good pasta!”
Piper tossed up part of her breadstick and caught it in her mouth- something Percy never saw a girl do. She swallowed and grinned. “I can get used to the food.”
Frank was scarfing down his food and nodded. “Man, this is delicious,” he said, whimpering with delight.
Annabeth was quiet as she ate. Her gray eyes focused on something else and she looked down at her bracelet.
“Chiron Iris messaged me,” she said quietly, catching their attention. “Nobody’s dead yet. But Travis Stoll is seriously hurt. So is Drew.” Her eyes flickered to Piper. “But we don’t care about her.”
“What about the Romans?” Jason asked.
“Reyna managed to contact Chiron. She’s coming to stop the army. Then she might take a detour to visit us.” Annabeth reddened. “Jason, she wants you to Iris message her.”
The chunk of breadstick in Piper’s hand exploded. Everyone coughed wildly as the dust flew everywhere.
“Are you jealous much, Beauty Queen?” Leo asked.
“No,” Piper growled. “Slap yourself, Leo.”
Leo smacked himself, and then grumbled, “That hurt.”
She gave him a dazzling smile in response. “Thanks.” She went back to eating, every once in a while tossing up a breadstick and always catching it in her mouth.
The silence was comfortable as the demigods finished their meal. A waitress came over, and luckily she spoke French.
Piper smiled and charmspoke, “Nous aimerions que notre projet de loi, s'il vous plaît.”
The waitress handed over the leather booklet with the price inside. Piper whistled and pulled out her wad of cash. She put in the right amount and set down the booklet.
Leo threw his arms around Piper. “What would we do without you, Beauty Queen?”
“Lâchez-moi avant de te tuer, Valdez,” she muttered. He took away his arms. “Ah, the powers of French,” she said cheerfully.
After they paid, they walked to the Arch of Constantine. They found some benches and sat down. They talked and joked around. They told some secrets and stories of their past. At one time, Leo stood up and began to dance around while explaining a story. When Piper told her stories, she was into using hand gestures. At one point she got agitated, so she waved her arms around.
Night fell over them. It got cold, but Annabeth took out the backpack and handed the jackets out. The temperature dropped, and so did their moods.
“That’s how Percy got the Golden Fleece,” Annabeth said, ending his story about his second quest. Everyone except for Annabeth was stunned.
“Perseus Jackson, I swear, you are crazy,” Piper muttered. She grinned and shoved her hands in her snowboarding jacket pockets.
“I had help,” Percy complained. “I couldn’t have done it without my friends.”
The tourists began to leave. The night got even colder. When nobody was outside, Leo lit a fire on his hand and the demigods huddled together.
The moon was out, creating an eerie feeling to the Arch of Constantine. Percy got the chills, and he squeezed Annabeth’s hand for comfort. Her gray eyes were full of fear, and Percy realized this was the first giant she would ever face. He held her hand tighter.
Deep in Percy’s mind, he heard Gaea whisper sleepily. Foolish demigods, you cannot defeat me. While you fight my son Gration, the mortals will be asleep because of me. I hope you’re happy for what you have done.
A cold wind brushed at Percy’s face softly. It sent shivers down his spine. The stars seemed to dim ever so slightly, making the fire in Leo’s hand grow brighter and warmer. A sickly wind passed over the cobblestone streets again, and it was smelled like laundry detergent. The air was warm. There was a faint sound of a lullaby crooning in the wind.
“Percy!” Annabeth exclaimed, snapping her fingers in front of his face. “Snap out of it! Please!”
He jerked and nearly fell off the bench. He felt groggy and sleepy. “What happened? Ah, that was like the Morpheus cabin.”
“Gaea’s putting us to sleep,” Hazel whispered, her voice soft just like the lullaby in the wind. “It’s starting.”
Leo’s fire was out, and his hair was smoking. Wisps of gray smoke were rising from his curly hair, and Piper was flapping away the smoke, coughing.
“Should we be ready?” Jason asked, getting out his gladius.
“I’m not,” Annabeth offered cheerfully, though her face was filled with doubt. “Let’s go.” She stood up.
The seven walked around the giant arch… and again, and again, and again. Pretty soon, they got tired of pacing, so they took out their weapons and did various things. Jason and Piper stood on the top, scanning the stars. Hazel and Leo stood under the arch, getting warmed by a fire. Frank shuffled with his arrows. Percy held Annabeth close, wanting to shield her away from the fight.
There was a gasp from up on the arch. Jason suddenly landed hard on his feet with Piper gripping his arm tightly. They both jumped away from each other before taking battle stances, their eyes crazed.
Immediately, Percy held out Riptide in front of him. Annabeth unsheathed her knife and her arm starting to glitter silver. Hazel held out her spatha, Leo lit a huge hammer on fire, and Frank notched an arrow in his bow.
The silver giant sauntered towards them. He was thirty feet tall with a long knife and a massive shield. His hair was black, and his crystal blue eyes studied the demigods in front of him. He smiled, revealing pearly white teeth with two fangs sparkling.
“Ah, I see Hera’s plan worked,” Gration growled, sounding a little amused. “Greek and Roman demigods will never work.” He focused on someone deep in the group. “Oh, there is the mighty Piper McLean! My mother has told me much about you.”
Cliffy! Please don't kill me!!! *hides behind Leo*
Leo: Uh... while you're back there, can you give me a disclaimer?
Me: No.
Leo: *sigh* Fine. Megan is just a creepy fan girl, so Rick Riordan owns us.
Me: First of all, I'm not creepy! AND YOU ADMITTED IT! HA!
Disclaimers are so funny. I hope you enjoyed this!
If you get this question right, you get a dedication!: Who is the eldest giant? (Hint: He has been defeated already)
Good luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!
Leo: THIS ISN'T HUNGER GAMES!!!