Night had begun to fall before Andrew and the demigods took a break from looking for Percy. Andrew, Jason,Travis, Clarisse, Connor, and Leo sat down at the front line's camp. Thalia and Nico were restless. None of the demigods felt right in this place.
Nico followed Thalia as she weaved through the men on the ground by fires drinking away. Andrew had agreed that they should take shifts and Thalia had volunteered right away. Nico couldn't find anything better to do.
Thalia spotted one of Percy's companions, a man with long brown hair and beard, sharpening his long sword, staring off into space. She saw another one, the redheaded dwarf. Thalia turned to Nico. "I think we should split up." She said. Nico nodded.
"I'll go right, you go left." She said before taking off right. When she was out of sight, Nico grumbled. "What if I wanted to go right?"
Thalia looked behind tents and trees. She still had not found anything. Percy couldn't have gone ahead of everyone else. Thalia sighed and made her way back to the rest of the group. She stopped when she had walked past a large stone and heard voices.
Thalia snuck behind the rock. She looked over it.
A tall man with long, straight, blonde hair and a woman with long, straight black hair spoke in hushed whispers. It sounded like some foreign language. They might've been arguing, but Thalia want paying attention to what they were saying anymore.
She tried to focus in on the woman's face through the dark. Thalia moved behind another rock that was closer. She looked closely. Same regal features, light tan skin, light eyes. Percy.
She didn't waste time when running back to the demigods to tell them. She explained to Andrew quickly qmd drug him to the rock. She pointed to the spot Percy was in, but when Andrew and Thalia looked again, no one was there. Not Percy or the man.
With their heads hanging low, Thalia and Andrew made their way back to their tents. Andrew joined the boys and Thalia joined Clarisse and Eowyn. She pulled the wool blanket over herself and drifted into a light sleep, not knowing when they were finally going to get Percy back or how they were going to get back home.
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ELROND strode gracefully through one of Rivendell's many gardens, turning the pages of a lore novel. Elrond had been thinking of his children. They were making terrible decisions, Arwen and Elysium. Arwen was determined to remain in Rivendell for the heir of Islidur, she was going to die. Elysium went on a quest, that she will not return from. He was not doing a good job at being a-
Elrond suddenly stopped and froze. He dropped the book. The world around him felt slow, drawn out. His vision blurred and then darkened. His visions started.
He was outside. It was dark, apart from the glowing torches lined to the lake where his children played in for years. Elrond looked back. Elves carried a large box. They carefully walked down the steps leading to the lake. Elrond peered over the top of the box.
It was a body. Elrond's heart hammered in his chest. He felt all the air in his body rush out.
Yellow and pink flowers were laid in her long hair that flowed beside her head. Her eyes were closed. She looked peaceful. Around her head was a circlet of white flowers. She wore a silver dress; her hands lay on her stomach.
Elrond fell to his knees. He watched as his kin carried his daughter down to a little boat. Legolas stood by his daughter's casket. They lowered her body into a small row boat. Aragorn gently pushed it out to see. They watched her sail away. Legolas then shot a flaming arrow onto the rowboat.
And he watched his daughter burn.
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MAXXIE sighed, rubbing his head as he got up from his lying position on the hard ground. He eyed a still unconscious Luke lying on a rock. He stretched his tired legs, while walking over to a very large tree. It seemed like they were in a forest.
There were no leaves on the ground, but blooming yellow flowers. The bark on the trees were a shining silver. Maxxie's eyes flew up the tree. Some of the leaves were golf and some green. These trees were unlike any he had seen before.
By now Luke had come to stand beside him. He examined his surroundings. They seemed fimiliar. Luke racked his brain for memories of this place. Luke concentrated. Faces and voices flashed through his mind.
A calculating blonde man's face.
A cold voice that made his spine tingle.
An illuminated city.
They all seemed so fimiliar; Luke just couldn't put his finger on it. Luke was so caught up in thought, he did not see the arrows pointed at him and Maxxie.
Luke turned around slowly with his hands up. A man with long silver hair and pointed ears smiled at him menacingly.
"Welcome to Lorien, Luke Castellanion."
(A/N: The father's name with the suffix "-ion" [meaning "son"] or "-iel" [meaning "daughter]). EX: Gildor Inglorion is "Gildor, son of Inglor".)
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JASON awoke to a sharp pain in his side and a gruff voice.
"Oi, boy! Up ya get!" The voice said. Jason opened his eyes. The sun blinded him and the pain in his side had stopped, now becoming a dull uncomfortableness. Jason covered the sun with his hand and shakily stood. He glanced around at his friends, also struggling to awake. He, however, did not see the travellers of Rohan.
"Where is everybody?" He asked, groggily grabbing his things. The man, he had come to notice, was a guard. The guard pointed to the horizon. Jason could see the retreating backs on the Rohirman.
"Wonderful," Nico grumbled. "We're in the back again." Jason continued to retrieve his personal belongings and went to help his sister.
It was not long before they were running to catch up with the rest of the travellers. Thalia, Clarisse, and Andrew ran much faster than the rest of the boys, who were lacking behind, still half asleep.
Jason had a feeling that Andrew had a feeling that today they were finally going to catch Percy.
And once that was done, all they had to do was find a way to get back home.
Their quest was almost complete. Next stop: his Piper McLean, Long Island, New York, United States of America, Earth.
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ELYSIUM did not sleep that night and it had surprised her that she did not feel the effects of fatigue. That night she had been arguing with Legolas. She did not enjoy arguing with him. Elysium remembered the arguments they had when they had just met each other. She thought of the time she had first met Legolas.
--flashback--
Elysium's hands were laying lightly behind her, her fathers hand on back, leading her through an unfamiliar city, Mirkwood, her father had said. She had heard of Mirkwood and the Woodland Realm. She used to eavesdrop on her father's gatherings. This was the first time she'd be visiting the city.
It was beautiful, graceful, nothing like Rivendell or Lorien, though. Elysium strode up the steps, carefully so she wouldn't tear the long, silk dress she wore for the occasion.
Elrond led her forward and they had finally reached the throne of the King. An elf sat in it, still as a tree. His long, silver hair sat on his shoulders; a great crown was placed on his head. Another woodland elf stood by his throne, his hand on his sword. He wore a cold facade that matched his ice blue eyes and light, long hair. He regarded Elysium with a scowl. She'd know his face anywhere.
A she-elf, much like her, but with hair like fire stood behind Legolas. The king waved her off, "You may go, Tauriel." He said. Legolas looked at Tauriel as she left. The king gave Elrond and Elysium a cool smile and a slight now. "I am Thranduil, lord of the Woodland Realm. Welcome, Lord Elrond, Lady Elysium."
Elrond and Elysium nodded at him. Legolas stepped forward. Thranduil smiled, sending chills down Elysium's spine. He placed a hand on the his shoulder. "This is my son, Legolas." He bowed, not taking his eyes off the two. "I've heard much about you, Milady." He smiled slyly.
"And I have heard many tales about you, Legolas Greenleaf." Elysium said sadistically. Elrond cleared his throat. Legolas grinned at her menacingly.
--end of flashback--
They had their disagreements. Most of them ended with one of the broken and bloody. In the past they did not always get along. They had fought side by side, silently. They did not get along very well, both of their prides got in the way of that. Elysium doesn't remember what had changed everything. But she's glad it did.
"Scout ahead," Elysium heard Theoden say, breaking her out of her reminiscence. Hama and Gamling, two of the King's men rode ahead of the rest. Hama stared at the cliff above them, seeing something move. He rode out farther, to get a better look at the movement.
"Hama, what is it?" Gamling asked. Hama widened his eyes as a warg and rider rode down the hill and attacked Hama. Gamling pulled his horse back. "Wargs!" He shouted to the king staring down at his old friend's mangled body. With one last look Gamling rode back to the king.
Legolas and Aragorn jumped off their horses. Legolas sprinted down the hill. Elysium rode forward and examined the goblin's body. Legolas shouted to Aragorn and Elysium, "A scout!"
"What? What is it?" Theoden called. Elysium flew off her horse and onto one of the approaching wargs. "Warg!" She shouted, firing an arrow into an opening in its skull. She snapped the rider's neck and kicked the body off. "We're under attack!"
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Everyone had begun to panic when word had gone around of the attack of something called wargs. Clarisse pushed the citizens out of the way. The demigods had gotten separated from each other. "Andrew!" She yelled. "Nico!" She searched for a curly blonde head and a pale face. Clarisse growled in agitation, "Screw it." She muttered.
Clarisse grabbed her spear and pushed through the crowd. She ran through and came to an opening. She saw fighting. Not people fighting people, but people fighting very ugly, odd looking monsters. Clarisse had never seen monsters like those.
"What in the hell are those?" She muttered. She shook it off, filing it as a question for a better time. She charged into the mess with a loud battle cry that her father would be proud of.
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Andrew had finally made it to the action just as Clarisse had sprung into battle. Andrew searched the fight for Percy. He knew wherever crisis was, she would be there. His eyes glided over the monsters and men in armor until they had finally reached a figure with long raven hair.
Andrew watched, mesmerized, as Percy fought. She ran beside a wolf looking monster. She grabbed onto something and swung over the side of the wolf thing. She pulled out a bow, which had defiantly surprised him, and shot with skill at the rider.
Percy leaped off the animal and ran to someone, a man, with pointed ears and long, blonde hair. The man picked up one of the shields with a grin and held it up. Percy smiled excitedly and with a running start, she jumped onto the shield, flipping onto a horse, still firing her bow.
She stayed on the horse as it ran around. She fired arrow after arrow at the monsters and mutilated wolves with grace, something that Percy did not have when fighting. In fact, Andrew had never seen anyone fight like that, not even her when she was back home.
Something bumped into him, shaking Andrew out of his trance. Nico clapped a hand on his shoulder with a malicious grin. "Let's go, Andrew. Time to kick some ass." He said, sounding so unlike himself it was kind of scary to him.
He noticed Nico's skin had become darker, more like his Italian heritage. Andrew shook it off and ran after a gleeful son of Hades into battle.
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Elysium laughed as she jumped off the shield Legolas held up, firing her handmade arrows. She landed softly on a horse's back. Elysium looked around for her companions, checking to see if they were still alive. Legolas and Gimli were playing their little game. Aragorn was most likely fighting.
Someone caught her eye. The blonde boy from her visions. He fought alongside his companions. She was so caught up in the boy she did not notice a rider running towards her. It tackled her off her standing position on the horse. She fell, hitting her head on a rock.
Elysium became disoriented. Her vision blurred and wavered. She looked over at the Orc, a knife protruding from its chest. Elysium got up groggily, just in time to hear fimiliar yells. Aragorn.
Elysium immediately went on high alert as she leaped through the field of bodies toward the yelling. Elysium crashed into people, but she did not care. She was feet away from the cliff when Elysium saw her friend fall over it. In a panic, Elysium jumped over. She expected the pain of hitting the rocks beneath her.
Though, she felt nothing. She had just witnessed her dear friend fall over a cliff and into a river full of sharp rocks.
Someone tugged her up with ease and hugged her against his chest tightly, his head resting gently on top of hers.
Elysium could smell him.
He had a distinct sent and warmth.
One that had comforted her in the days of the past and still comforts her now.
Elysium grabbed Legolas tightly, him being the only stable thing she had at the moment.
She could not cry at that time. The tears would not fall. She willed them to. She wanted the pain to come now, so she could be strong later, when she really needed to be.
But they would not fall. They would not fall for her friend.
So, Elysium just held onto her anchor.
Her anchor to reality.