Hello, Readers! Here is another chapter for you! Is was planned to have more stuff in it, but I thought that we found a good place to stop for now while still keeping it a good length. (Also, I wanted to get it to you guys on time)
Always remember that your comments are what breathe the life into our stories, so keep them up! We love them!
~CSP2708~
*Dylan_Walts*
| Chapter 7 |
| It's My Quest, Too |
The camp was nothing like he knew it would be, but the general layout was the same, so after his two brothers and the other demigod, Darius, left for their quest, Percy decided to head back to his father's cabin.
It was perfect. Upon entering, he let the salty scent of the sea wash over him, and it filled his nose with a comfortingly familiar burn. The beds were all draped with sheets of various shades of blue, and the curtains that hung at each of the windows were the same. The walls themselves were made of coral, like the current Poseidon cabin back in his own time, and the floor, thank heavens, was made of smooth birch wood to fit the colour scheme. It was delightfully soft against Percy's bare feet as he walked in.
The beds were all singles, not bunk beds like back home, but plain, soft beds with feather mattresses, it appeared. Four of them had personal belongings on and around them, so he assumed they were taken, and let his eyes wander to the six remaining beds in the cabin. They were empty, void of anything identifying, and just waiting to be claimed.
His remaining two brothers, Agenor and Neleus, weren't there, so they must've gone back to the training grounds. With the much-needed silence, Percy laid down for a nap.
***
His dreams were filled with visions of Hera, his father, the giants, and his brothers on their quest. Mostly, however, it focused on the queen of the gods, trapped in a cage of glowing bronze bars. Celestial bronze, most likely. She was slumped in the bottom, more drained than he'd ever seen her before, and shivering in her embroidered white dress as she camouflaged like a graceful swan against the swirling snow.
Percy looked around. He felt a chill run down his spine, not only from the frosty air blowing past him but also from the dark hordes of monsters crowded in clusters around the queen. They cast dark shadows from their campfires, roasting what appeared to be human flesh on spits, but he couldn't be certain.
"Where are you?" he asked, squinting in the distance. He was trying to make out any distinguishable features of the land, maybe an ocean, or city, or shrine, but saw nothing. The mist was too thick as it encompassed them in a cloak of white.
At his words, Hera looked up. "Young demigod," she said, her voice raspier than he'd ever heard.
He approached, slowly, cautiously, as to avoid being spotted - if he even could in this dream - by the monsters or their masters.
He bowed just outside her cage. "My lady," he said, head down.
"No need for that now, in my current state," she replied, lifting her hands which were wrapped in similarly glowing chains. "You must find me. The prophecy is about you, after all."
I looked up, surprised. "How did you know that?"
She just laughed. "You think I couldn't tell that you came out of one of my father's portals before aiding my son in his battle? And of course, my brother not recognizing you as one of his sons, while you most obviously are. It's only clear that you are the one the prophecy speaks of."
"But how do you know of the prophecy, it was only foretold today, and you have been imprisoned."
"Do not underestimate my power, young one. I do not know from which future time you come from but know this: now, we are at the greatest we have ever been. The humans worship us as they should. They offer only the best of their meals as sacrifices, and in return, we give blessings to their fields, and homes, and livestock. Even in this state, I am far more powerful than I look."
"My lady, I'm probably going to wake soon, but my plan is to leave the camp and follow the three on their quest. Where should I be headed? Where are we?"
Hera sighed. "Alas, I do not know, young one. We are at a mountain peak, and on clear nights, I know that we are north, but that is all I can say. We are still in Greece, that much is clear from the power this soil holds, but which of its many peaks we are on, I know not."
Percy felt himself being pulled away, It was just a subtle tug, at the back of his chiton, like someone had grabbed a hold of him. "I'm to leave soon. Be safe, my lady."
"How safe can I be in this wretched place? My life force is waning, though ever so slowly. Hurry to my rescue, young one, and you shall be rewarded."
"I don't do this to be rewarded," Percy admitted. "I've been awarded enough to last a lifetime, and I don't want any more of it."
"Then why do you plan to follow your brothers on their quest? Surely not because it is your prophecy?"
Percy paused for a moment, trying to think of the right words. "I'm doing this because it's right. Because it's what Annabeth would want me to do. Even though you aren't her favourite goddess, she wouldn't leave you here to be held captive by these gruesome creatures."
"Annabeth? Your loved one, I take it?"
A smile graced his lips. "Yes. At least, I hope so. We never got the chance to really talk about how we felt. We shared a single kiss, but only because she thought I was about to die. Then, after that, everything was so crazy..." He paused, thinking of the war against Kronos and his Titan brethren. He shivered.
Suddenly, the tug turned into a harsh yank, and Percy fell back several feet from the goddess. "I will be back, my lady!" he cried before being pulled away from the mountain altogether, thrust into a dark place for a split second, where he heard Kronos' cruel laughter, then he was sitting up, eyes wide. He was back in his cabin, in his bed, with his brothers standing over him.
"Percy?" asked Neleus. "Are you alright? You were having a nightmare."
I shrugged off his hand. "Just a vision. Demigod dreams, you know?"
They looked at me blankly.
"You've never had them?" I asked, confused.
Both shook their heads. Wow. The life of a demigod must be great in these times. No dreams, no worry about dyslexia. No worry about hiding your true self from everyone else in your life. Then again, the monsters were a lot stronger, or at least, that's what I assumed, seeing as it was such a big deal whenever someone slew it.
"Anyway, we just in to go to bed. You missed dinner, but seeing as you were tossing and turning, we just wanted to make sure you were okay before turning in for the night," said Aegnor.
"I'm okay, thank you. I might stay up a bit longer. Not tired after that nap, you know? Goodnight."
They both nodded and went to bed, which made Percy's job way easier. As soon as he was sure they were sound asleep, he grabbed a bag and packed a few things - not that he had anything to pack - and snuck out of the cabin, closing the door as softly as he could behind him.
Sneaking out of camp was also way easier than it would've been in modern times because there were no harpies guarding the border, nor was there a dragon guarding a tree that housed the golden fleece, whose glow would light up the entire hill. He easily snuck beyond the border and began heading north to the mountains, as well as following his brothers' trail.
It was no mystery which way they had gone. A trail of monster dust and destruction was left in his brothers' wake. They were heading the right way, at least. However, the monsters they faced seemed scarce, judging by the amount of dust left behind. A hellhound or two here, a dracaena there. If only his quests were that easy. Then again, like he'd thought earlier, maybe, if the gods were more powerful in these days, the monsters were, too. It was, after all, a big deal to be the one to kill the minotaur, as Theseus had, but Percy had done it when he was twelve, and only be some fluke.
His path was quick and without distraction, so by the time he caught up with them, it was just barely midnight. He waited in the bushes just outside their camp, the branches poking into his sides and a burn of protest gathered in his legs from the quick pace then sudden stop. Orion was the only one awake, so he must've been on first or second watch - Percy didn't know when they switched or even if they switched.
He was just lying down to rest, himself, when suddenly, the bushes across the clearing from him rustled. A swarm of monsters - maybe fifteen or twenty - burst forth, and while their numbers weren't that great, they had the element of surprise on their side. Orion, Theseus, and Darius jumped to their feet, weapons at the ready, Orion began firing as fast as he could, but for all his skill, the monsters were faster, and managed to dodge his arrows.
Percy, smiling at the challenge, was about to jump in and help but found that he was preoccupied, himself, as five more monsters came up behind him and attacked. With his blade drawn, he struck and took them down with silent precision. It was only when the five of them - indeed stronger than he remembered - had been felled and turned to dust did he notice that the questers were in a spot of trouble. They must've not been used to fighting an entire group of powerful opponents at once before.
Orion was no longer firing arrows because of the close proximity of the hellhounds around him and was using a sword. While he wasn't half bad, he was neither good at using the blade, but made due as he slashed and blocked, not getting killed, nor landing a strike against the beasts.
Meanwhile, Theseus and Darius, though better with their swordwork, were slowly being outnumbered. Percy charged, Riptide raised above his head and a warcry on his lips. He took the monsters down without hassle, and though they were faster and more resilient than he was used to, a couple of well-placed jabs and strikes put them back where they belonged - Tartarus.
He finished with the twelve monsters just as Orion had finished with his three, and he stood to his full height, panting, next to the three questers, who were staring at him with wide eyes.
"Percy! What are you doing here?" Orion demanded, looking just a little bit annoyed.
"What he means to say is thank you for helping us, brother, but how did you get here and how did you learn to do that?" Theseus budded in.
"This is my quest, too," Percy explained. "You may not believe me, but I'm not from this era. I come from the future, and in the future, the Titan king cursed me to be thrown back and forth throughout time to go on a bunch of quests, I guess. It's my punishment for fighting against him." I went on to fully explain my curse to them, and why I believed that I should travel with them to complete the quest.
"But you know that if you join us now, one of us will not return. Only three may be on a quest at one time and return alive," Orion said.
Percy nodded. "I know. I've experienced similar things in the past. Or... future." He winced. "By the time we've completed our quest, though, I might be dragged into another time, and the problem will be solved for you three."
After that, the four of them continued to head north, Percy had informed the trio about his dream and Hera, which led Theseus to believe that they were to head to the peak of Mount Pindus. It was the only mountain that matched his description - one where monsters would gather. It didn't usually have snow, though, so that detail confused Theseus. How could there be snow? It didn't usually get cold enough up there for the white flakes to form.
Just then, Percy paused. Drawing his sword, he looked around.
"What is it, brother?" Orion asked, raising his bow as well.
"Something isn't right," Percy replied.
He was right. All around them, monsters suddenly burst from the thicket, quickly surrounding their party of four and shattering any hope of getting out alive. The army was larger than even the swarm that had attacked them just yesterday, and this one, by some unlucky twist of fate, had a leader. A giant - Percy couldn't tell which one - strode out on his giant, snake-toed chicken legs. Percy believed that they were meant to be dragon legs, but they look a lot more like chicken legs to him.
"What do we do?" Darius asked, sounding slightly afraid. His sword was trembling in his hand as he looked upon their adversaries.
"We fight our way out," Theseus whispered.
"Are you mad?" he replied.
"No," Percy said. "He's absolutely right. Follow my lead." And with that, Percy raised his sword and charged into the fray.
***
Word Count: 2234
Posted: Saturday, January 5th, 2019
~CSP2708~
*Dylan_Walts*