LilNaiad's Fanfiction ;)

Hey fellow demigods! this is my fanfiction! it is like a prolouge to The Lost Hero. sorry if some of the facts dont quite match up, cuz i started writing this before i finished the book! lol ;) hope you enjoy reading it! i aspire to be an author when i grow up, and i hope you agree! PS: it is not done yet, so please check back for more!

- LilNaiad66 17:57, June 3, 2011 (UTC)

Percy Jackson and the ?
CHAPTER 1

I Help The Oracle

Rachel was gasping. She was running franticly through the streets of a city; I could not tell which one. Her freckled face was beaded in sweat, and her legs looking like they were going to give way any moment. She dodged a few parked cars, but other than that, the whole place seemed deserted and grey.

“NO!” she yelled with a crack in her tone; she was being chased. I wanted to reach out and save her, but I felt restrained. Time seemed to move slowly; even the stormy wind in my hair whisked by my face at half the speed. Rachel turned a sharp corner into an alley, and slipped in a puddle of mud. She clutched her left leg, and wailed in pain. I think she had broken it. In desperate attempt to get away from the thing that was stalking her, she dragged her tired body over to the end of the alley. It was closed in with a large brick wall; no way to get over. Rachel gasped when she say the monster’s face, and then regained the courage to speak.

“I know it is you in there! You just have to think!! Don’t do this!” she screamed into the wind, though the monster would not have heard her anyway.

The menace was tall and bulky, wearing a long, shadowy cloak. It pulled a familiar sword out of its sheath and gripped the hilt with such force, it would have frightened Tyson! The monster faltered at first slash, but then seemed to overcome the insecurity that stopped him at first. He made another quick swipe at the frightened Rachel. She let out an ear-piercing scream, and then the picture went black, as if I had fallen un-conscious.

Suddenly, I awoke. I was crumpled on the floor of what seemed to be a stone cavern. I was bleeding heavily from the forehead, which blurred my vision almost completely. As I tried to stand, there was nowhere to run. From every direction, a large, black tunnel hung in the distance. Was this the Labyrinth? It better not be. A sudden force pushed me back down to the ground on my knees; the gravel below cut them even more. I was getting very dizzy now. I brain was throbbing, and my heart pounding in fear.

Right before I blacked-out, I heard and eerie voice of the Oracle of Delphi inside Rachel. It wasn’t Rachel’s normal, happy voice. It was her voice x3, but it sounded like 1000 Rachels were chanting to me from the infinite ends of the tunnels. She began to speak the prophecy I haven’t heard in a long time;

SEVEN HALFBLOODS SHALL ANSWER THE CALL

TO STORM OR FIRE, THE WORLD MUST FALL

AN OATH TO KEEP WITH A FINAL BREATH

AND FOES BEAR ARMS TO THE DOORS OF DEATH

I awoke abruptly to the sound of my cell phone. My sleepy eyes glared over to the wall alarm clock. 2:34am. My phone was sitting on the bedroom dresser across the room, the only light in the room illuminating from it. I rubbed my eyes, threw away the blankets, and groggily trudged over to the dresser. Unlike many other 17 year olds, my phone was kept with me, but not used every second. A demigod using a cell phone is like opening up a monster-fast-food restaurant with the main course; you. When someone calls me on my phone, it must really be an emergency. It got worse when the display said Rachel Elizabeth Dare was calling. It must be bad.

“Hello? Rachel, what’s wrong?” I spoke, half awake. A voice on the other line hesitated slightly, and then burst out in fear.

“Percy? Percy, is that you? Oh, Percy, I need your help!!! I just ~”

“Rachel! Calm down!” I whispered sternly into the phone. My mind was still re-starting, and I was sure that if she started talking, I would been able to register it all.

“Slowly, tell me what the matter is. I was just kind of sleeping…” Rachel did not seem to want to take my advice.

“Percy it’s the….” Her voice trailed off, and it sounded like the phone had been dropped.

“Hey! Rachel! What happened?” again, I heard the prophecy. She repeated it four times, each time getting louder and faster. Oh no, she was having an Oracle moment. Though, I don’t think it was normal for The Oracle to repeat a powerful prophecy more than once. There was another loud thump, and Rachel came back on the phone.

“it…it keeps happening. The Oracle, it won’t stop repeating the prophecy! What do I do?” She desperately moaned into the phone I thought for a minute, while trying to wake myself up. Even when I had gone through so much myself, I did not know how to fix this. But I did know one person that would be wise enough to help.

“Ok, well, we will have to ask Chiron. The Oracle must be trying to warn us of the beginning of the prophecy.” I spoke softly.

I was still thinking of telling her about my vivid dream, but I did not need to add to it. Rachel was frightened enough. Sadly, so was I.

It was now I year after Kronos was defeated. 1 year after me, Annabeth, Grover, Camp Half-Blood, and most importantly, Luke Castellan, saved the world from Typhon and a horrible fate. After it was all over, Rachel hi-jacked my Pegasus, Blackjack, and made him take her back to camp. There, the old mummy from the Big House attic transferred the Spirit of Delphi inside Rachel. When she spoke the first prophecy, we never thought it would happen for another decade or two. But it may have been closer than we predicted.

“OK, Rachel? Are you still at Clarion?” I asked. Clarion was a ladies finishing school Rachel had promised her Father she would attend. She had now been there just over a year, so I had not seen her lately. I heard her let out a quiet “umm-humm”. I then got an idea.

“Meet me at the pier. We have to go to Camp Half Blood.”

CHAPTER 2

Me And The Sea

I quickly got dressed, and grabbed everything I needed. I dug through my closet and found my old backpack that I got from Ares on my first quest. When I opened it, my Minotaur horn sat at the bottom. That was a reminder from my first battle, when that stupid bull took my mom to the Underworld. I shook off the thought, and continued packing. My cell phone, a few squares of ambrosia, a canteen of nectar, and Riptide. I always kept Riptide under my pillow (in pen form, of course), in case a Nemian Lion decided to jump through my window, and maul my face. You never know, right?

I told Rachel to meet me at the pier at 6:00 sharp, so we could get away before Manhattan officially awoke. I knew if we asked Chiron, he would help us. I was just about to step out the door of our New York apartment, when I thought of my mom and my step dad, Paul Blofis. If they woke up and I was not there, they would freak out; especially mom. Back in the small kitchen laid mom’s blue notepad and pen. Then, I scrawled out a little note to re-assure her;

Hey mom. Rachel is in trouble.

I left to see what is wrong-

Wait. I couldn’t say that. I crumpled up the paper, and started again.

Good morning mom. I am off to camp for a while.

I borrowed Paul’s car. Be back soon.

Don’t worry. I will Iris-Message you later.

Love Percy

That seemed decent enough to me, so I left the note on the kitchen counter, grabbed the keys to Paul’s new green Prius, and locked the apartment door behind me. I had only gotten my driver’s license a few weeks ago, so at least I knew how to put it in reverse. The early morning sun was just peeking up over the city of New York: it was October 21st. the 1st day of autumn.

The crisp air was still dewy. I drove past the Empire State building (aka: Olympus), and down Broadway. I looked down at my watch. I read 5:45am. Rachel’s school was only 8 blocks away from the pier. She probably would have leaped out the window using her artist aprons tied together to make a rope. Typical Rachel. I could now see the salty ocean horizon. The sea breeze was in my face, and it made me feel powerful. I could feel the presence of my Father, Poseidon, God of the Seas. It had been 5 full years since I had been claimed by my father. Since, I have rescued Zeus’ Master Bolt, retrieved the Golden Fleece, returned Atlas to the weight of the sky, navigated and survived the Labyrinth, and defeated Kronos. A normal Percy life. The past year has been quiet. No monsters, no dreams since this morning. Now that I thought, my father had not been sending me messages, either. Something weird might be happening on Olympus. That was another thing I could ask Chiron.

The pier was gloomy, as the sun-tinted fog hovered over the area. I parked the Prius next to the dock, and solemnly walked out onto the rickety board walk. The air from the Atlantic Ocean was cool, so I quickly stopped to zip up my hoodie. As I neared the edge of the pier, I glared down into the murky water of the Hudson River. Suddenly, a little girl appeared in the waves. She had a little blue face that was framed in short, choppy brown hair. The Naiad smiled and winked at me, then disappeared back into the murk. She must have been able to tell who my father was.

It had been 5 minutes now. Where was Rachel? I slumped over the railing on the pier, and let my eyes absorb the ocean and beyond. I could just make out my own face reflecting in the waves. But wait, what was that? I squinted slightly in attempt to see what was creating a shine. It looked like a large CD, with inscriptions around the rim. Of course the object looked distorted because of the water, but something called to me in my head: that item was important.

I was just about ready to jump in a retrieve it, when a cold hand grasped my shoulder. I panicked, grabbed Riptide out of my pocket, and slashed as fast as I could. Behind me, Rachel Elizabeth Dare leaped backwards, and fell on her butt.

“Again! Seriously?? Good thing I am a mortal, or I would be a kabob by now!” Rachel yelled.

I clicked Riptide and placed it back in my pocket, mortified. Riptide was specially crafted of Celestial Bronze, which was the only substance that would not hurt mortals. The blade would merely pass straight through them like a knife through warm butter.

“Oops, sorry Rachel. You OK?” I asked again in sympathy, holding out my hand to help her up.

She rejected my help, and stumbled up, rubbing her backside. She then lifted a disgusted eyebrow at me and mumbled something like “the boardwalk could have at least been made of pillows….”

“Has it happened again on your way here?” I questioned. Rachel looked at me with fear in her eyes, and gulped.

“Yeah, twice…” her voice trailed, and her stare drifted towards a docked boat. “Once when I was leaving Clarion, and in front of some creepy guy on 33rd street. I think he was drunk, so I bet he had seen weirder things than that!” she said softly. A small smile appeared on both of our faces. She was trying to lighten the mood, but it only worked for a moment.

“So, Percy, how are we getting to Camp Half-Blood?” Rachel said, breaking the awkward silence.

Crap. I had not thought of that one. I pondered for a second, and then I remembered.

“I will call Blackjack; as long as you don’t try to steal him again.” I suggested.

Rachel knit her eyebrows in a silent way of saying: ‘I’m not stupid!’ I chuckled, then closed my eyes and thought hard. You see, my father, Poseidon, also created horses. I could talk to them, and summon them with only a thought. Oh, the cool perks of being a demigod! In only a few minutes, Blackjack, and either one of his friends, Guido and Porkpie, would come swooping down from the sky and whisk us away to camp.

As we waited, Rachel and I had a short catch-up conversation. Rachel really dreaded attending Clarion, but if she had not made that promise to her father, she would not have come to NY to assist us in the battle against Kronos. I told about 3rd year at Goode Academy, and how I had not seen any empousas since! Then I remembered the object in the water.

“Hey, can you excuse me for a second?” I asked. Rachel nodded, and seemed a little surprised when I dove over the edge of the railing.

CHAPTER 3

Blackjack Has a Crash Landing

The salty water was refreshing; that morning boost I needed. A few colourful fish swam by, but darted away when they noticed me. I told them not to fear me, but they were already gone. It made me upset how completely disgusting the merge of the Hudson and East River was. Bits of trash and gunk shifted past my face. What was worse was that all of the water from the rivers was flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. One word: ew.

Directly below me, sat the disc. It was wedged between a few ocean rocks, so it took me a second to wriggle it free. When I held it in both hands, it looked to have the full diameter of my forearm. That’s big! I cautiously ran my fingers over the inscriptions on the rim. They looked to be symbols in Greek; reading “Hephaestus Bunker 9”. I had no idea what that meant, but I could bring it to Nyssa, the new head counsellor of Cabin 9.

Last year, right when the fight against Kronos was beginning, Charlie Bekendorf and I were on a mission to bomb the Titan’s base; a ship called the Princess Andromeda. Sadly, Charlie never made it out. After we had a shroud-burning for him, Nyssa was honoured to take over a head counsellor. I re-surfaced to find Rachel sitting with her feet dangling over the edge of the railing.

“..And why exactly did you suddenly jump into the water?” she questioned, arms folded across her chest; a grimace on her freckled face.

I held up the disk in my right hand. Rachel helped me out of the water, and lucky for me, I was still dry. That was another grant I got from being Poseidon’s son. I could dive into the water whenever I wanted; breathe underwater, and choose weather I wanted to come out wet or dry.

“What is it?” Rachel gasped in wonder. I handed her the disc. It must have weighed between 25-30 lbs, so when Rachel got a grip on it, she faltered for balance. Once she got a look at it, she also ran her fingers over the symbols.

“Hephaestus Bunker 9? What is that supposed to mean?” she asked.

I shrugged in response. “No idea. But I will have to~” THUMP THUMP!!!!

We both turned in surprise, to find Blackjack and one of his buddies with their hooves in the hood of Paul’s car.

''‘HEY BOSS. WHAT CAN I DO YA FOR? OH, ABOUT THE CAR…’ ''

“Again Blackjack? Could you at least watch where you land?!” I threw my hands up in the air.

''‘SORRY, BOSS. THE WIND, YA KNOW?” ''he tried to excuse himself. I rolled my eyes, and tried to change the subject. I leaned to the side around Blackjack, and waved to Porkpie. He whinnied back ‘YA GOT ANY HAY IN THIS JOINT?’  I laughed back, and promised him that I would give him a couple sugar cubes back at Camp if he brought a mortal with him. Porkpie seemed excited and disgusted at the same time. The sun just began to peek up over the Empire State Building.

“Ok, Blackjack? We need to get to Camp.” I said to him while shoving the heavy disc into my backpack. Just then, Rachel tumbled over. She lay at my feet, her eyes shining green, billows of smoke erupting from her mouth. Porkpie must have not seen anything like it, because he reared up on his back legs, and took to the skies in flee. The last thing I heard of him was ''‘CREEPER!! CREEPER!! AHHHH!!’ ''

“Fast.” I demanded Blackjack. He seemed to agree. We let Rachel finish her “Oracle Moment”, and then lugged her up on Blackjack. She remained unconscious, but still stable enough to balance against Blackjack’s neck. I took the spot behind Rachel, and put my arms around her waist to hold her up. In only a few seconds, Blackjack reared, and we took to the city skies. Camp Half-Blood, here we come.

CHAPTER 4

Blackjack flew Rachel and me up through the clouds and beyond. I always loved flying on a Pegasus, but it was always risky. The sky was Zeus’s territory, and I had never been his favourite nephew.

“So, Blackjack. Anything new at camp since the summer?” I asked him, breaking the silence. I wish I could have stayed at camp all year, but I had to see my mom, and try to get an education.

''“NOT A LOT, BOSS. THE HEPHAESTUS CABIN IS BUILDING A HUGE METAL DRAGON, THE ARES CABIN WON THE CHARIOT RACES AGAIN, AND CHIRON GOT THE HARPIES TO MAKE A DEAL WITH THE MONSTERS IN THE FOREST TO HELP WITH DISHES. OH, ANNABETH WANTS ME TO SAY THAT SHE MISSES YOU.” ''Blackjack said, snorting at the mentioning of the Ares cabin.

Annabeth Chase is my best friend and girlfriend for the past year. She is the daughter of Athena, Goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. I haven’t seen her since the last day of camp, August 18th. I missed her so much I couldn’t believe it. Now that I could see Long Island in the distance, I was getting anxious. Suddenly, Rachel snored loudly, and awoke. Her eyes fluttered, and she raised her head off of Blackjack’s neck.

“What….where...Oh my Gods” she exclaimed when she realized where she was. This was only the 3rd time she had flown on a Pegasus, but I think it was still going to take some getting used to. I reassured her, but I swear she looked like she was about to hurl. I don’t think Blackjack would have been too happy. It looks like he just got a coat brush the other day!

“WE’RE HERE, BOSS” Blackjack said. I looked down to see a familiar landscape. The climbing wall with lava flowing down the said, the chariot race track, and more importantly, the cabins. Last year, I had been granted one wish, courtesy of the Gods themselves. I had wished that every one of the Gods and Goddesses were recognized too. Now, each minor God got their own throne in Olympus, and their own cabin at camp. Those gods also had children, and if they ever got to camp, they would not have to stay in the Hermes’ Cabin as “undetermined”. A Hero is a Hero. That is what Ethan Nakamura taught me, and I will never forget it.

“GOING DOWN” Blackjack announced, and we gracefully landed on the west shore.

A few other campers who were either in the archery field or working on their chariots rushed over to greet Rachel and I. A few I did not recognize, but they spoke to me like they have known me for years. Most of the campers looked about 13 or 14, and some even had papers and pens in their hands for an autograph. Ok, that was new…

Chiron, the activities director of the camp, pushed through the crowd to greet me.