"Dear heaven, I thought last chapter would be another easy one." Yamato sighed. "And instead we get a depressing talk with serious Grover and a creepy vision for a dream."
"At least Galindo was funny," Lili said.
Behind her, Welf laughed.
"Yeah, who knew dogs could actually talk and could be so mean."
"Well, we already knew about dogs having attitude." Ryuu snuck a glance across the room.
Bete's ears twitched. Turning, he growled at Ryuu.
"Hey! You wanna start something"
Now normally Ryuu wasn't the type of person to talk badly about someone, especially when it's not to their face. But to Bete, she was perfectly fine being rude.
Ryuu didn't like Bete. She never has. This wasn't the first time she's had to put up with Bete, after all. Working at the Hostess of Fertility, she's been forced many times to wait on the Loki Familia's table. And every time, she was forced to listen to his loud laughter and boisterous bragging.
He always found a way to annoy or insult their customers, driving them off before they could even leave a tip for their waiters.
Worst of all, she hated how she knew it was all an act.
She knew that he was looking for a fight. She could tell by how his eyes would flicker across the room every time someone got mad.
And if it was up to her, she'd have given him exactly what he wanted. But luckily for him, Mama Mia doesn't like it when fights dirty her restaurant.
So, she found another way to deal with Bete.
Tilting her chin, Ryuu turned her head, looking away from Bete. Not saying anything, she ignored him completely.
That, she learned, was the best way to deal with people like Bete. To act as if you were better than them, not even worth a second of your time.
And seeing how Finn and Gareth had to physically restrain Bete to his chair, it seemed to be working just fine.
"I think it was funny how Gladiola got Percy to say hello." Haruhime giggled.
"Yeah, man, I was trying so hard not to laugh. It didn't seem right to bring it up right after the vision." Bell winced as he rubbed his side. He had been holding in his laughter so hard that he had started to get cramps near the end.
"I get you. That dream was really messed up." Running his hand through his hair, Welf carefully looked around. Making sure that Hestia wasn't looking at them, Welf leaned forward and whispered to Bell Do you know what was with the Gods and that voice?"
"No, I don't get it." Bell shook his head.
And it wasn't like they could just ask her what was wrong. They've already tried that, but she always brushes them off. Saying that she was fine or that she'd get better.
Bell wished that he could do something to help. But he just didn't know what was wrong. It's like, every time something weird or scary happens in the book, it messes with the Gods.
Thankfully, she was starting to look better again. But this was like the fifth time this had happened. And not just to her; something screwy was happening with the other Gods as well. It was just hitting her and Ouranos the hardest.
Ryuu tapped her finger against her knee.
"Well, if we were affected by Medusa's mind control magic through the book, then it stands to reason that the Gods could be affected by things too."
"Yeah, I guess, but what could affect the Gods but not us?" Welf asked.
"I don't know; the hardest this thing has ever hit them was that voice. Whoever- or whatever that voice is, it's bad news."
Across the room, someone cleared their throat.
"Ehem."
Everyone stopped talking and turned toward the noise. Standing up, Asfi held out the book in her hand. Holding it between her fingers, Asfi looked at it like it was something that she scraped off the bottom of her boot.
Looking around, she asked.
"Who is next?"
Everyone looked around the room. No one was jumping up to be the next one to read. Especially after the last few chapters. Medusa's charm magic and the vision were enough to deter anyone who had been patiently waiting for their turn.
Finally, though, someone volunteered.
"I'd like to take a turn, if that's ok."
Raising her hand, Syr looked towards Mama Mia. Asking for permission. Though in reality, she wasn't really asking. She just wanted to get someone's attention.
Syr felt Freya-sama's eyes on her. She knew that this wasn't what Freya-sama wanted her to do. Since that first night, she'd been given very clear instructions on what to do.
'Stay as Syr, hold off any action that would cause unnecessary suspicion'. That was what her Goddess had commanded her. To hold this facade until this blasted showing was over. Then, when this was all over, they could all go back to the way that things were.
But Syr couldn't do that.
Horn couldn't do that.
Horn…Horn, Horn.
That name felt foreign even in her own mind.
Honestly, it's been so long since she's just had a chance to be a normal human again that she's forgotten what it feels like to call herself by her name again. The name that Freya-sama herself gave her.
Vana Seith. A divine spell allowing her to switch places with her Goddess. Acting as her body double while Freya-sama walked among the masses like a mortal. A spell that forced her to become someone else.
Through this spell, Horn embodied everything that was Freya-sama. Her thoughts, her feelings, the way she talked, the way she walked. With this spell, she became Freya-sama.
Giving up everything that she was to her Goddess so that she, the woman- no, so that the Goddess that saved her could have her happiness.
And Horn was content with that. No, she was happy with that.
She didn't mind the dangers that came with mimicking the mind of a God. Nor did she fear the consequences if they were ever found using this taboo spell.
No, what she came to fear. What she learned to fear, were her emotions. Especially her emotions towards a little rabbit.
Sy-Horn felt her sight briefly wander to a set of kind red orbs under a curtain of soft white clouds, looking at her in concern out of the corner of her eyes. Briefly, they locked eyes, until she forced herself to look back towards Mama Mia's uncertain gaze.
That poor fool. Having feelings for a false image, not even knowing that the one that he does- should love was only a few feet away. And poor her for sharing those same feelings.
When Freya-sama and Horn first started this charade, they had no way of knowing just how deep their connection rang. Or how far feelings could linger.
It wasn't until Freya-sama saw that boy on the street that they finally began to realize how deep their connection went. That first feeling of sheer joy at finally finding her destined one. That… love, it nearly burned her.
So unprepared was she for such strong emotion that, at the time, working at the Hostess, she nearly spilled an entire pitcher of wine on a child. Thank Freya-sama that she was able to steady herself and excuse herself to teh back rooms before she blew her cover.
But from then on she knew Freya-sama was in love. And so was she.
It didn't make any sense; Freya-sama loved the boy, not her. And yet she still felt this need, this desire to have him all to herself.
To do away with these - hussies, to remove them from her love sights. To kill them.
Horn pinched her thigh.
Those were not her feelings. Those were all Freya-sama's. But the longer that this went on, the harder it became to distinguish the two of them.
It wasn't this bad before. Back in Orario. Back when everything made sense. When she was allowed to retreat behind the image of her Goddess.
When she used Vana Seith, she at least could use her Goddesses' divine mind to push away these accursed feelings. Keeping them down and away from her core while she did her Goddesses' work.
But here, with only her mortal mind to fall back on. She couldn't. She didn't have the strength to refuse these feelings that weren't hers.
She hated that she wasn't strong enough. Hated that she didn't have the strength of her Goddess. She hated him, and then she hated herself for hating him even though she knew that she shouldn't.
And a small, minuscule part of herself, even hated her Goddess.
When both identities had received invitations to appear in front of the Guild to meet with Ouranos, Freya-sama had felt it better that they appear as themselves, so to speak.
It's happened before. Especially when Freya-sama was to meet with other Gods. Vana Seith was adept at fooling mortal senses, but there was always that chance that some God with just the right Domain could expose them.
That was okay. It had never been a problem before. Horn could last a few hours, pretending to be Syr.
But when it was revealed this was a long-term assignment, she began to grow concerned. Then, during that first reading, as she watched Bell grow excited reading aloud the story of a hero from another world, she noticed her love for him grow.
That, she believed, was when she truly felt her own form of love for him. Not the love of her Goddess seeping through her. But the love she herself had for him.
Watching as his eyes lit up over the boy felling a monster with a glowing sword. Feeling anger at the bull for making him so afraid. Wishing to comfort him over his tears for Percy's plight.
And she felt fear when these feelings grew all on their own. These weren't her feelings, she told herself; they couldn't be.
Freya-sama, her Goddess, her savior, was the one in love with Bell, not her. She could not be one of the ones competing with her. She wouldn't.
How could she? How dare she try to take away one of the only lights in her life? To have her Goddess look at her like she looks at these other women, to know that the same jealousy that she felt would now be aimed at her.
She couldn't let that happen.
She tried speaking to her Goddess that first night. When everyone else had gone to bed, she had pleaded with her, begged her to let her use the spell. To be Freya-sama again and do away with these growing feelings.
Freya-sama just laughed. Told her that it was impossible. Not just with the other Gods, including Ouranos, being this close. But also with The Watcher watching their every move? There was just no way.
Freya-sama didn't know if The Watcher already knew their secret. If the invitation to teh Hostess was just some clever ploy to get them both together or if they really were there to provide food. But she wasn't taking any chances. Especially if those chances meant being found out and getting banished back to Tenkai, away from Bell, her Odr.
No, she wasn't gonna take that chance.
Horn tried to argue that she could do that spell only at night when everyone would be sleeping, but Freya-sama wouldn't listen. She even said it would be funny if Horn developed feelings for Bell.
She was already considering sharing him with Ryuu, her first mortal friend; what was the harm in making room for one more?
Afterward, Freya-sama would not hear another word. Forcing her to return to her room, Freya-sama told her that they were not going to be meeting like this again while they were in this theater. They would keep their distance and pretend not to know each other.
Horn barely slept that night.
Freya-sama didn't understand. She could never have this happy ending that she was envisioning. Even if Freya-sama allowed others to love Bell, she would still feel that same burning jealousy deep down. Horn knew this, cause she felt that same jealousy, burning against her heart right now.
And every hour that she stayed as Syr, the more certain she became. Freya-sama would never let go of her jealousy, and soon that jealousy would turn towards her, or worse, could become hers. She might even begin to feel jealous of Freya-sama herself.
No! She couldn't let that happen.
This might be the only time she has ever gone against Freya-sama's wishes, and she might very well hate her for it. But someday she'll realize that she is doing this all for her.
And the first step, was to get Freya-sama to pay attention to her. Even if Horn had to make a few waves to do it.
If Freya-sama didn't want Syr's image to get messed up, then she would have to perform Vana Seith with her, whether she liked it or not.
"Sure, kid. Don't know why you're asking me, read if ya want." Mama Mia quirked an eyebrow but nodded her head nonetheless.
Syr smiled. "Thanks, Mama."
Then, to everyone's confusion, and one Goddess's heavy gaze, Syr skipped over to Asfi. Grasping the book, she skipped back, the entire time pointedly not looking at either Bell or her Goddess.
Horn smirked to herself. How was that? Syr would never skip like that. She bet everyone's image of Syr was crumbling by the second. No longer was she the cool, innocent girl that always smiled. Now she was the grown woman who skipped like a little girl.
Well, just wait, because there's more in store after that.
Once she was back in her seat, she cracked open the book to the next chapter and started reading.
"Chapter 14 I fall to my death."
"What the hell? We just started," Tiona shouted, flopping back onto her fluffy bag chair.
Hephaestus sighed. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she tried to stave off the headache already forming.
"What the hell is wrong with this kid? Can't he cross a country without almost dying?" She asked.
"I think he's just cursed." Tsubaki snorted.
Off to the side, Hermes laughed.
"He better be cause if this is a blessing, I don't want to know what a curse would be."
We spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain. You know how that old song goes. No monsters showed their ugly mugs, but still, Percy didn't relax.
"Interesting." Hephaestus muttered. Her eyes turned calculating as boxes on wheels flew past open fields. "When they mentioned getting on this train, I assumed it would be like their 'cars'. But instead it's something much simpler."
Finn perked up.
"Simple how, Hephaestus-sama?"
"In the way that I can see our world incorporating this technology without any trouble."
"Really?" Finn turned to a new page in his notebook. A new piece of technology that could be introduced to their world could be a game changer. Especially if the things that he envisioned could be implemented.
"Well, this train seems to be mainly some form of engine burning a fuel to push along these boxes on this rail. The rails themselves aren't that complex. We use the same things for mining. And that engine, like I said the other day, is something that is already being developed by Athena. So yes, if I can float this idea over to the correct people, give it a few years and we might have our own trains all over Genkia."
Hermes snorted as he muttered under his breath.
"That's if there's no attacks from monsters."
He wasn't too optimistic about this new form of transportation. Sure, it looked all fancy and new. But most people in the cities didn't know what he knew. Surface-level monsters were still a big problem, and the further out you went, the more dangerous it became. No one with any amount of brain would ever invest in building this.
Forget about the amount of money needed to actually develop this train. The amount of money you would need to not only lay the tracks but to also hire Adventures to protect the workers would be astronomical.
And, not only that, but you would still need to hire some kind of permanent force to continue protecting this train and all of its passengers.
It was impossible. A giant waste of money.
But…
Hermes smirked as he tilted his hat over his eyes. He wasn't about to be the one raining on their parade. If they wanted to waste their money on this foolhardy venture, then be his guest. They'd have to hire someone to scout locations to lay tracks, as well as ferry messages between worksites.
And there was only one Familia that they'd hire to do that.
Percy tried to keep his head down. The day they boarded the train, newspapers with his picture were floating around. In it, it showed him getting off the Greyhound bus. I had a wild look in my eyes. My sword was a metallic blur in my hands. It might've been a baseball bat or a lacrosse stick.
"How the hell did they see a stick when there's obviously a sword?" Welf asked.
"It must be the Mist again. Remember, Welf-sama?"Lili said.
"Yeah, but it even covers his sword?"
"I assume the Mist obscures all things mystical, including celestial bronze," Hestia said.
The picture's caption read: Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of his mother two weeks ago, is shown here fleeing from the bus where he accosted several elderly female passengers. The bus exploded on an east New Jersey roadside shortly after Jackson fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe the boy may be traveling with two teenage accomplices. His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his capture.
May growled.
"They're making him out to be some sort of criminal."
"And that ugly bastard isn't helping." Luniore tightened her fist. Oh, if only that sack of lard was right in front of him. She'd show him exactly what a Level 4 Adventurer could do.
"Not Helping!? Nya! That disgusting waste of curdled milk is actively trying to get his stepson arrested." Anya roared as she swiped her hand like a paw.
"Calling him his stepson somehow makes it worse. Like, he's supposed to care about him a little, right?" Lefiya asked.
"If not for that, then at least care cause he's another human being Nya," Chloe muttered.
"Heh, that fat bastard would have to be human in the first place." May snorted.
That's fine; Percy didn't care. He just amused himself by watching the passing scenes through the window. Once, I spotted a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows at the ready, as they hunted lunch. The little boy centaur, who was the size of a second-grader on a pony, caught my eye and waved.
"Look, more centaurs." Haruhime tugged on Yamato's arm, pointing.
"You think these are the ones that Chiron-sama was talking about?" Lili wondered.
"I don't know, they don't seem that wild." Bell tilted his head.
Loki rolled her eyes.
"That posh horse probably thinks everyone that doesn't live in some fancy house is wild." She should know. Most Gods up in Tenkia felt the same way about Gods with Lesser Domains.
So what if her Domain was Trickery? That doesn't mean she couldn't throw hands just as well as the Gods of Death or Life.
Another time, toward evening, I saw something huge moving through the woods. I could've sworn it was a lion, except that lions don't live wild in America, and this thing was the size of a Hummer. Its fur glinted gold in the evening light. Then it leaped through the trees and was gone.
"What the hell was that?" Gareth sat forward. A twitch had gone down his spine.
They had only seen it for a second. But that passing glimpse sent his reflexes into overdrive. Whatever that was, it was tough. Something that would probably give even him a little trouble.
A few feet over Ottar was also staring at the image plastered on the wall. It was hard to see, but he could still make out a hint of its body through the brush. A lion, a large one. With Golden fur.
Ever so slightly, a grin crept along the corners of his lips. Even he could tell such a beast wouldn't be so easy to kill as the rabble he'd fought. Something so powerful, so beautiful, would make a fine pelt for his Goddess.
"I don't know, but it gave me the shivers." Tione rubbed her arms. Scooting closer to Finn just a tad.
"Ais, are you ok?" Lefiya placed a hand on Ais arm. She was shaking… it was starting to worry her.
"Fine…just hate seeing monsters," Ais grit out. These showings have been harder on her than most, in a different way.
It was taking everything she had just to stay in her seat and not shoot across the room and slam into the wall. Clawing with all her might to kill something that was not even here.
Never before had she seen so many monsters so close and not been able to do anything about it. It was… difficult, but she'd be fine.
"Well, at least it's not attacking them." Tsubaki kept her eye on the woods, half expecting whatever it was to jump back out. But it never came.
"That's one thing, I guess," Hephastus muttered. Her mind was still occupied by that flash of pelt. That fur…it was the most durable thing she had ever seen on the mortal plane, and yet, more delicate than it appeared. That dichotomy clung to her mind even as the scene changed.
Since they could only afford one room, they were forced to take shifts sleeping on teh opposite seat. Right now it was Grover's turn. Percy had never known how much Grover tossed in his sleep until he was forced to hide his goat feet when his shoes fell off
"This train is really looking more and more interesting." Finn continued to write in his notebook
"I'll say, transportation where you don't have to worry about driving or staying awake. If we had something like that, we could transport supplies and people all across the world within days." Gareth said.
"Huh, now that I'm thinking about it, why don't we have some kind of tracks for the Dungeon? People already compare it to mining; why not go all the way and install carts and tracks?" Tione asked
"Cause, unless it's in a safe area, the Dungeon will consume anything not part of itself over time."
"So," Annabeth asked me, once we'd gotten Grover's sneaker readjusted. "Who wants your help?"At first Percy didn't want to say, but in teh end he explained to her his dream. "That doesn't sound like Hades. He always appears on a black throne, and he never laughs." "He offered my mother in trade. Who else could do that?" "I guess . . . if he meant, 'Help me rise from the Underworld.' If he wants war with the Olympians. But why ask you to bring him the master bolt if he already has it?"
"Eh, it's not like she's wrong." Hermes shrugged.
"I don't think I've ever seen that sad sack smile. Not even to one of my jokes." Loki said.
"Guys, be nice, he's not that bad." Hestia cried.
"I'm more interested in what Annabeth is saying," Freya said.
Annabeth made sure to look Percy dead in the eyes. "Percy, you can't barter with Hades. You know that, right? He's deceitful, heartless, and greedy. I don't care if his Kindly Ones weren't as aggressive this time—"
"Hades is not like that!" Hestia said firmly. She hated this. Hades was her friend. And she was one of his only ones, just because people thought bad things about Gods of Death, they all stayed away from them.
And now here she was, having to listen to the same thing that she's heard thousands of times from other Gods. And she hates it.
"Hestia-sama, remember it's a different Hades." Bell tried to calm Hestia down.
"I know- it's…It's just I know him. He is not how they are making him out to be, I'm sure of it." Hestia wiped a tear away from her eye.
"Well, they can't make that kind of naive decision to just trust someone. There will be a war, chibi, within a week, if I might add, if they don't get thunder clouds stupid bolt back." Loki frowned.
"You mean you've run into them before?" Her hand crept up to her necklace. She fingered a glazed white bead painted with the image of a pine tree, one of her clay end-of-summer tokens. "Let's just say I've got no love for the Lord of the Dead. You can't be tempted to make a deal for your mom." "What would you do if it was your dad?" "That's easy," she said. "I'd leave him to rot." "You're not serious?" Annabeth's gray eyes fixed on me. She wore the same expression she'd worn in the woods at camp, the moment she drew her sword against the hellhound. "My dad's resented me since the day I was born, Percy," she said. "He never wanted a baby.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THESE PEOPLE?!" Hestia screamed. Standing up, her pigtails started rising as a red aura surrounded her. "DON'T THEY LOVE THEIR CHILDREN AT ALL!"
First they badmouthed her friend, and now she hears this garbage. What was with this world that it felt the need to spit on her Domain?
"Hestia-sama, calm down." Lili tried to hold onto her Goddess, but she was too strong.
"Yeah, I'm sure Grover had some nice parents."Beside her, Welf was sweating as he held up his hands.
"That is if they aren't all dead from searching for their missing God," Bete snorted.
Creak~Creak
Hestia slowly turned her head towards Bete. Her eyes glowed a dark blood red.
A cold shiver went down Bete's back. Sweat poured from his head as he stared into Hestia's dark eyes.
"W-What?" Bete tried to put on a strong face. "What a-are you l-looking at?"
Loki and her children scooted away from Bete.
"H-Hey, where are you guys- AAAHHH!"
Rolling her eyes, Horn put the book in front of her face. Barely getting it up as Hestia leaped from her seat and flew across the room to tackle Bete. Disappearing behind the sofa as they went down.
"GET OFF OF ME, YOU CRAZY GREMLIN!"
"GYAAAHH!"
Everyone stared at the sofa, too scared to get up. Ignoring the screams, Horn kept reading.
Annabeth told him how she was delivered from Olympus in a golden basket by the God of the West Wind. "But my Father always talked about my arrival as if it were the most inconvenient thing that had ever happened to him. When I was five, he got married and totally forgot about Athena. He got a 'regular' mortal wife, and had two 'regular' mortal kids, and tried to pretend I didn't exist." I stared out the train window.
"Haa, it's sad to say, but for most bastards, that kind of treatment is all too common." Riveria sighed.
"Bastards? You think demigods are bastards?" Tiona asked angrily. She hated being called a bastard. People tried to call her and her sister that when the first left the other Amazons, making fun of her because neither of them knew who their father was.
"Unless their Godly parent married their mortal lover." Loki shrugged.
"Hmph, better change that to certain. No God I've ever known has ever stayed with a mortal." Asfi looked over at Hermes
"Asfi, could you please stop staring at me? I think my head is starting to smoke."
"Anyway, while the Alf Royal forest doesn't much childbirth out of wedlock, there have been the odd one out. And while, generally, it is the man leaving the child with the woman, the child usually experiences the same thing. A treatment of disgust and ridicule mixed in, all the while their parents try to move on from their perceived mistake." Riviera shook her head.
She didn't like it any better than the next one. But even as their princess, she could not change how they saw these unfortunate children. It's just something that she's had to learn to live with.
"It shouldn't be like that." Tiona frowned, crossing her arms.
The lights of a sleeping town were drifting by. I wanted to make Annabeth feel better, but I didn't know how.
"Sometimes, boy, there's nothing that you can do." Mama Mia said.
"Just being there is enough, I say." May said.
Percy tried to tell Annabeth about his mom and Gabe, but that didn't seem to change anything. He asked her about how she ran away from home. "How old were you?" "Same age as when I started camp. Seven." "But . . . you couldn't have gotten all the way to Half-Blood Hill by yourself." "Not alone, no. Athena watched over me, guided me toward help. I made a couple of unexpected friends who took care of me, for a short time, anyway." I wanted to ask what happened, but Annabeth seemed lost in sad memories.
"Seven, she felt so unloved and unwanted that she ran away from home at seven." Hestia looked aghast.
"I know that many kids set off to become adventurers at a young age, but even I think seven is too young," Ryuu said.
"That's even younger than I was when I came to Orario," Bell said, shocked.
"Is that odd? I joined Loki at seven." Ais tilted her head.
Loki sat straighter as everyone turned towards her with judgmental eyes. Nervously waving her arms, she tried to calm everyone down.
"Hold on, hold on. Yes, Ais, you joined at seven, but I didn't allow you to go into the dungeon until you had at least a year of training under Riveria."
On the second day on the train we passed the Mississippi River into St. Louis. Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway Arch, which looked to me like a huge shopping bag handle stuck on the city. "I want to do that," she sighed. "What?" I asked. "Build something like that. You ever see the Parthenon, Percy?" "Only in pictures." "Someday, I'm going to see it in person. I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever. Something that'll last a thousand years."
"That's an admirable goal." Tsubaki nodded.
"Especially for one so young." Hephaestus agreed. While their Familia didn't do much architecture compared to others, she could still admire mortals when they choose to create instead of destroy.
I laughed. "You? An architect?" I don't know why, but I found it funny. Just the idea of Annabeth trying to sit quietly and draw all day. Her cheeks flushed. "Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention." I watched the churning brown water of the Mississippi below. "Sorry," Annabeth said. "That was mean."
"It's like putting two rival Familias together on one expedition," Tione said.
"It's even worse cause their Gods are their actual parents." Tiona replied.
"Worse, how many times have these kids actually seen any of their parents? I know Percy hasn't. They have this 'pride' in their parents, enough to get into fights and potentially screw up a massive quest, and yet these same Gods don't give a rat's ass about their kids." Gareth frowned.
"No, I don't think it's like that at all." Finn shook his head.
"What you can clearly-"
"I can see that they are arguing. Arguing out of habit, as if they've known each other for years. You can tell by the way that Percy stops and thinks every time he talks to the girl. Doesn't he know why he says the things he says? Now, on one hand, it might just be because he's a stupid boy and she's a smart girl, but on the other hand-."
"You think because of their parents that they're arguing?"
"I think that they carry a little bit more than just bits of Godly blood inside of them."
"Can't we work together a little?" I pleaded. "I mean, didn't Athena and Poseidon ever cooperate?" Annabeth had to think about it. "I guess . . . the chariot," she said tentatively. "My mom invented it, but Poseidon created horses out of the crests of waves. So they had to work together to make it complete." "Then we can cooperate, too. Right?" We rode into the city, Annabeth watching as the Arch disappeared behind a hotel. "I suppose," she said at last.
"That's an interesting story," Ouranos said.
"I guess, though it seems kind of silly that Athena would build a mode of transportation without even figuring out what could drive it," Loki said.
"Yeah…" Hermes narrowed his eyes.
"You don't think-" Asfi whispered to Hermes.
"Shh, let's just leave that for now."
Once the train stopped, Annabeth had them get down to see the Arch. Not wanting to argue, Grover and Percy agreed. During the whole trip, Annabeth kept telling us interesting facts about how the Arch was built, and Grover kept passing me jelly beans, so I was okay. I kept looking around, though, at the other people in line. "You smell anything?" I murmured to Grover. He took his nose out of the jelly-bean bag long enough to sniff.
"Dumb kids, they don't have time for this." Mama Mia tightened her fist.
"Lighten up; this train of theirs stopped. Nothing they can do but wait for it. As long as they get back on the train in time, then it's all good." Lunoire said.
"Yeah, if," Mama Mia said. "If they miss it, then that's who knows how long off of their week deadline. They should have stayed on the train, kept still in their cabin, and waited. It's what I would have done"
Hestia, back from mauling Bete, just shook her head.
"There's no telling what any of us would have done in that situation, especially at that age. Their kids, in a very stressed-out situation, with no backup, no supplies, and no clear strategy to get home. Stakes like that could snap a weaker man, much less three children. If they need to take an hour to unwind, I say let them. Like Annabeth said, it might be their only chance." Hestia looked down sadly.
Percy, for some reason, felt unsafe underground. Thinking about it, he tried to ask Grover about Hades. "Well, Hade—" Grover cleared his throat. "We're in a public place. . . . You mean, our friend downstairs?" "Um, right," I said. "Our friend way downstairs. Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?" "You mean the Helm of Darkness?"
"The Helm of Darkness?" Lefiya asked. She'd never heard that name before.
"Sounds edgy." Tiona laughed.
"Oh, it is." Loki nodded.
Finn looked over at Loki, surprised.
"Does Hades have the same thing in this world?"
"Yes, in fact, it's what Asfi modeled her caps of invisibility after." Hermes laughed.
"Really, Asfi, you've seen that thing?" Bell looked over at Asfi with stars in his eyes.
Coughing into her fist, Asfi felt a little bit uncomfortable with everyone looking at her.
"No, but Hermes- sama has constantly described its looks and effects to me, so I was finally able to make a 'weaker' replica."
"Why would Hermes-" Lefiya tried to ask before Asfi interrupted her.
"Why would you think?" She said with a deadpan gaze.
Annabeth said. "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting." "He was there?" I asked.
"Huh? Why would that be a question? He is an Olympian, right?" Tiona asked.
"I don't know, Percy makes it sound like he's not for some reason." Riviera looked confused. Why would one of the Olympian Gods not be welcomed?
She nodded. "It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus—the darkest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than my invisibility hat, if what I've heard is true. . . ."
"Allowed to visit?" Hestia muttered. She was starting to look concerned. What was going on?
"Let's continue with the story; it might tell us more later," Hephaestus said.
"It allows him to become darkness," Grover confirmed. "He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?" "But then . . . how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?" I asked. Annabeth and Grover exchanged looks. "We don't," Grover said.
"Is Hades's Helm really that strong?" Bell asked, trying to hide his excitement. It sounded like a really cool weapon, but it didn't seem right to say how cool it was when kids were actively being scared about it.
"I-I don't know. He never showed it off or anything." Hestia said, unsure. Hades was someone who didn't particularly like showing off, so she had never asked him about it. But now, hearing how powerful it was, she felt like she should have.
"Honestly, Hades has always been a sort of…Unique guy." Hephaestus tried to explain. "Even among some of the more reclusive Gods, Hades has always been seen as a loner."
"If it wasn't for the bastard always wearing that damn helm everywhere, we wouldn't even know that he had a Symbol of Power." Loki shrugged.
"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better," I said. "Got any blue jelly beans left?"
"Boys," Riveria huffed.
"Hey," Gareth acted offended. "Why worry about things when there is perfectly good food around?" He laughed.
"I wonder what those candies of theirs taste like?" Lefiya muttered.
Near the end of the tour they went up to the highest point of the Arch. Joined in the elevator with this really fat lady and her angry chihuahua. The lady tried talking to them, asking about their parents, but Annabeth deflected away. The Chihuahua growled. The woman said, "Now, now, sonny. Behave." The dog had beady eyes like its owner, intelligent and vicious. I said, "Sonny. Is that his name?" "No," the lady told me. She smiled, as if that cleared everything up.
"Really weird-looking dog." Tione said, feeling uncomfortable just looking at it.
Tiona grunted.
"Weird lady more like it."
Lefiya turned to Ais, her arm shaking again. Worse than ever as she tried to hold on to the hilt of her sword.
"Ais, what's wrong?" Lefiya leaned in and whispered.
"That's not a dog," Ais whispered back.
Lefiya nodded; she could feel what she meant.
"There- there's something off with that lady too."
Finn leaned forward.
"Both of them, it's as if they're covered by…"
"The Mist." Loki realized.
At the top of the Arch, the observation deck reminded me of a tin can with carpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. The view was okay, but if there's anything I like less than a confined space, it's a confined space six hundred feet in the air.
"Whoa!" Everyone exclaimed. Looking out of teh Arch thy could see the whole city. The blue river shone in front of them like sapphire.
"It's so tall," Haruhime said in awe.
"It's like looking off the top of Babylon," Horn said, faking a smile on her face.
"How would Syr-sama know? You've never been up there." Lili teased.
"I can guess, can't I?" She pretended to giggle.
In the back, Freya gripped her glass harder.
"Hehehe, she's right. While the view isn't quite the same, it is still beautiful in its own way." Leaning back into her chair, Freya tried to move attention away from Horn.
And to be honest, Horn wasn't wrong. The view from Babylon really was one of a kind. To look out over an entire city and know that you stood above them all was intoxicating.
I was ready to go pretty quick.
"And like always, boys don't care at all." Mama Mia snorted.
When they were ready to go they headed towards the elevators. Unfortunately, there wasn't any room for all three of them. Percy waved Annabeth and Grover on, he'd wait for the next car. Unhappily, they left him. Now the only people left on the observation deck were me, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the fat lady with her Chihuahua.
"Dammit, he's alone with them." Finn bit his thumb. He didn't feel good about this. His thumb was getting all twitchy again.
"What's wrong? It's just an ordinary lady and her dog." Tiona asked.
"Nothing is ordinary about those two." Loki said darkly.
After they left, the dog started to get more and more rabid. Barking at Percy for no reason. The lady tried to calm him down, but after a while she told her son that he could attack. "Um, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?" "Chimera, dear," the fat lady corrected. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make." She rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, I saw that her teeth were fangs. The pupils of her eyes were sideways slits, like a reptile's.
"It's a monster!" Aiz shouted, standing up.
"Both of them." Reveria frowned. This wasn't good, not good at all.
Finn clutched his pencil between his fingers.
"Not just that, she's an intelligent monster. Like Dodds or Medusa. This fight just got a whole lot harder."
"It gets even worse; there are civilians up there." May said.
"Nya, do you think the monsters will care?" Chloe looked worriedly at the little boy hiding behind his mother's legs.
"Maybe, maybe not, but Percy will, which means they will." Mama Mia said.
"Chimera, she called that thing a Chimera. What the hell is a Chimera?" Hermes muttered.
After the fat lady let him off his leash the dog transformed. Turning into a monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a snake. Around its neck was a collar that read: CHIMERA—RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS—IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS—EXT. 954.
"What is that!?" Freya looked disgusted by the monster. It looked like someone was mish-mashing monsters together just for the fun of it.
"It looks-" Ryuu trembled as she stared at the image.
Bell placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Ryuu, what's wrong?"
Ryuu shook her head. "It- That thing… Nothing, I thought it looked familiar is all."
For a second she had thought she was looking at the Juggernaut again. The monster that killed her whole Familia right in front of her eyes. But she was wrong; this thing looked nothing like that monster. And in fact, it actually felt weaker than it.
"Why the hell does a monster have a dog tag?" Tione tilted her head.
"Yeah, makes you think if anyone ever tried calling. You know, before they got eaten." Tiona giggled.
Tione turned towards her sister with a deadpan gaze.
"That's not funny."
"It's a little funny."
I realized I hadn't even uncapped my sword. My hands were numb. I was ten feet away from the Chimera's bloody maw, and I knew that as soon as I moved, the creature would lunge. The snake lady made a hissing noise that might've been laughter. "Be honored, Percy Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"
"Mother of Monsters?" Finn asked as he wrote it down.
"Do you guys know anything about that?" Riveria asked the Gods.
Ouranos shook his head.
"No, every monster have come from only one place, the Dungeon. Birthed directly from the walls. They do not have a mother."
"Hold up, I think we're all glossing over the fact that Zeus is the one who sent her." Welf stood up, holding his hands up.
Hermes rolled his eyes.
"Come on, you can't be seriously believing her, right? She could be lying right now."
"But it's not that far-fetched either. The Gods seem to have a much closer relationship to the monsters of this world than we do ours. We already know that Hades employs these Furies. What's to say that Zeus can't call upon these monsters himself?" Freya twirled her glass of wine around.
"I - but to do that to a child," Hestia asked.
"He's willing to throw the whole world into Chaos just for one weapon. I think it's perfectly within parameters for him." Loki grunted, crossing her arms
I stared at her. All I could think to say was: "Isn't that a kind of anteater?" She howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green with rage.
"Idiot." May sighed.
"Now hold on, maybe he has some kind of idea Nya." Chloe said.
"Yeah, you never know; she might like being named after an animal known ot eat ants." Lunoire giggled.
"I hate it when people say that! I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me. For that, Percy Jackson, my son shall destroy you!"
"Well, look at that, guess she doesn't like it that much after all." Mama Mia laughed.
"Hey, people can be wrong sometimes Nya."Chloe said, pouty
"Not when being wrong can get them killed."
The Chimera lunged, but Percy dodged to the side. That was all he could do at the moment, dodging when he could and slicing at the thing's feet when he had the chance. He got it to bleed a couple of times, but that was it. That's when the Chimera chose to focus on teh mortals. Percy couldn't let that. Getting in its way, he got its attention, which it then decided to blow fire at him. Blowing up a wall of the Arch and nearly scorched him.
"I knew it," Bete growled. "He's wasting his time worrying about unimportant things, and its about to get him killed."
"Bete! He's trying to save that family." Lefiya tried to defend Percy.
"And it's gonna get him killed. What does he think? They'll be fine after he dies. If he dies, then they all die. At the very least, if he focuses on the fight, he has a chance to win."
We just blowtorched a national monument.
"Phe, he's even caring about that stupid building." Bete angrily waved his arm at the image in disbelief.
Hephaestus sighed.
"Honestly, I wish more of you Adventurers cared more about collateral damage. I know in the dungeon it's not something you have to worry about, but up here we do." She didn't know how many times new orders were put in just to repair parts of the city that other Adventurers messed up.
A few times, even her own stalls were forced to close as fights got too close to Babylon. Truly, if more Adventurers were mindful of where they were, their world would be a better place.
Riptide was now a shining bronze blade in my hands, and as the Chimera turned, I slashed at its neck. That was my fatal mistake. The blade sparked harmlessly off the dog collar.
"He's getting sloppy," Garteh noted. He wasn't as quick on the dodge as he was before. Taking more damage while also giving less as many attacks.
"A few days ago, he never would have made that mistake. His mind is focused on the family and not the fight. He's not thinking right." Finn noted.
I tried to regain my balance, but I was so worried about defending myself against the fiery lion's mouth, I completely forgot about the serpent tail until it whipped around and sank its fangs into my calf. My whole leg was on fire.
"Percy!" Some of the younger kids screamed.
Haruhime had tears running down her face as Yamaot tried to console her. Bell tightened his fists. Poison, that wasn't something that he had a lot of experience with, but he knew it was bad.
"Poison. Dammit, kid." Loki cursed. Of course teh stupid snake head had venom. Why not.
Then Percy lost his balance. His sword tossed out of the hole and into the Mississippi River. In his head he knew that Riptide should return to his pocket, but he didn't know how long that would take, or how close he had to be for it to happen. Or even if the sword had to be a pen before he lost it.
"And now he's lost his weapon." Bete couldn't believe it. After all this hype the kid got for being this big, important Demigod. This was how he lost.
Hephaestus bit her lip. "Chiron should have gone over all of the intricacies of the blade before giving it to him."
"Wouldn't have mattered." Hermes shook his head. "Kid would have still lost it."
"But now what is he going to do?" Hestia asked.
I backed into the hole in the wall. The Chimera advanced, growling, smoke curling from its lips. The snake lady, Echidna, cackled. "They don't make heroes like they used to, eh, son?" The monster growled. It seemed in no hurry to finish me off now that I was beaten. I glanced at the park ranger and the family. The little boy was hiding behind his father's legs. I had to protect these people. I couldn't just . . . die. I tried to think, but my whole body was on fire. My head felt dizzy. I had no sword. I was facing a massive, fire-breathing monster and its mother. And I was scared. There was no place else to go, so I stepped to the edge of the hole. Far, far below, the river glittered.
"What the hell do you mean 'they don't make heroes like they used to'?" Lunoire asked incredulously. "He is a child, you stupid fat monster."
"She's making fun of him. Even as he's dying for people that he doesn't know." Hestia growled. What right did this monster have to judge Percy? He was more of a hero than most adults.
"Wh-why is he getting closer to the edge?" Haruhime whispered through her tears.
"What?" Loki looked up. Her eyes widened.
"He's not-"
If I died, would the monsters go away? Would they leave the humans alone? "If you are the son of Poseidon," Echidna hissed, "you would not fear water. Jump, Percy Jackson. Show me that water will not harm you. Jump and retrieve your sword. Prove your bloodline." Yeah, right, I thought. I'd read somewhere that jumping into water from a couple of stories up was like jumping onto solid asphalt. From here, I'd splatter on impact. The Chimera's mouth glowed red, heating up for another blast. "You have no faith,"
"It's a trick," Finn said. "She wants him to jump"
"The hell do you mean 'Faithless'?" Tiona screamed at Echidna. "Those Gods have done nothing to deserve his faith, so why the hell should he jump?"
"But it might be his only option," Lefiya said, shaking as she watched Percy contemplate jumping to his death. There was no other way, right?
Annabeth and Grover were down below; the mortals couldn't help, and the poison was spreading through his veins. The only thing he could do was jump and hope.
Lefiya just hoped that she left everyone else alone.
Echidna laughed at Percy. Telling him that he was about to die with no one to save. Percy knew that this was his end, but he still hoped that this last gambit would turn up. "Die, faithless one," Echidna rasped, and the Chimera sent a column of flame toward my face. "Father, help me," I prayed. I turned and jumped. My clothes on fire, poison coursing through my veins, I plummeted toward the river.
No one said anything. No one blinked; no one even breathed. They all just watched the black wall as teh image of Percy fell through the air.
They all watched as Percy fell to his death.