20. PJTC

I Get a New Enemy for Christmas

The Sons of Apollo Love You!!

Transcript

Tempo: 120.0

SPEAKER_03 0:25

Chapter twenty. I get a new enemy for Christmas.

SPEAKER_01 0:30

Before I left Olympus, I decided to make a few calls. It wasn't easy, but I finally found a quiet fountain in a corner garden and sent an iris message to my brother, Tyson, under the sea. I told him about our adventures and Bass and Bessie. He wanted to hear every detail about the cute baby cow serpent, and I assured him that Annabeth was safe. Finally, I got around to explaining how the shield he'd made me last summer had been damaged in the Manticore attack.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

Yay, Tyson said. That means it was good. It saved your life.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

It sure did, big guy, I said, but now it's ruined. Not ruined, Tyson promised. I will visit and fix it next summer. The idea picked me up instantly. I guess I hadn't realized how much I missed having Tyson around. Seriously? I asked. The let you take time off?

SPEAKER_00 1:39

Yes. I have made two thousand seven hundred and forty one magic swords, Tyson said proudly, showing me the newest blade. The boss says good work. He will let me take the whole summer off. I will visit camp.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

We talked for a while about war preparations and our dad's fight with the old sea gods and all the cool things we could do together next summer. But then Tyson's boss started yelling at him. And he had to get back to work. I dug out my last golden drachma and made one more iris message. Sally Jackson, I said, Upper East Side, Manhattan, the Mishimu. And there was my mom at our kitchen table, laughing and holding hands with her friend, Mr. Blowfish. I felt so embarrassed. I was about to wave my hand through the mist and cut the connection, but before I could, my mom saw me. Her eyes got wide. She let go of Mr. Blowfish's hand real quick. Oh, Paul! You know what? I left my writing journal in the living room. Would you mind getting it for me? Sure, Sally. No problem. He left the room and instantly my mom leaned toward the iris message. Percy, are you alright? I'm uh fine. How's that writing seminar going? She pursed her lips. It's fine, but that's not important. Tell me what's happened. I filled her in as quickly as I could. She sighed with relief when she heard that Annabeth was safe. I knew you could do it, she said. I'm so proud. Yeah, well, I'd better let you get back to your homework. Percy, I Paul and I Mom, are you happy? The question seemed to take her by sur by surprise. She thought for a moment. Yes, I really am Percy. Being around him makes me happy.

SPEAKER_03 4:14

Then it's cool. Seriously, don't worry about me. The funny thing was I meant it. Considering the quest I just had, maybe I should have been worried for my mom. I'd just seen how mean people could be to each other, like Hercules was to Zoe Nightshade, like Luke was to Thalia. I'd met Aphrodite, goddess of love, in person, and her powers had scared me worse than Aries. But seeing my mother laughing and smiling, after all the years she'd suffered with my nasty ex stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, I couldn't help feeling happy for her. You promise not to call him mister Blowfish? She asked. I shrugged. Well, maybe not to his face anyway. Sally, mister Blowfish called, Blowfish called from our living room, you need the green binder or the red one? I'd better go, she told me. See you for Christmas? Are you putting blue candy in my stocking? She smiled. If you're not too old for that, I'm never too old for candy. I'll see you then. She waved her hand across the mist. Her image disappeared and I thought to myself that Thalia had been right so many days ago at Westover Hall. My mom really was pretty cool. Compared to Mount Olympus, Manhattan was quiet Friday before Christmas, but it was early in the morning and hardly anyone was on anyone was on Fifth Avenue. Argus, the many eyed security chief, picked up Annabeth Grover, and me at the Empire State Building and ferried us back to camp through a light snowstorm. The Long Island Expressway was almost deserted. As we trudged up half blood hill to the pine tree where the golden fleece glittered, I half expected to see Thalia there waiting for us, but she wasn't. She was long gone with Artemis and the rest of the hunters, off on their next adventure. Chiron greeted us at the big house with hot chocolate and toasted cheese sandwiches. Grover went off with his Seder friends to spread the word about our strange encounter with the magic of Pan. Within an hour the Satyr were all running around agitated, asking where the nearest espresso bar was. Annabeth and I sat with Chiron and some of the other senior campers, Beckendorf, Selena Beauregard, and the Stoll brothers. Even Clarice from the Aries cabin was there, back from her secretive scouting mission. I knew she must have had a difficult quest because she didn't even try to pulverize me. She had a new scar on her chin, and her dirty blonde hair had been cut short and ragged like someone had attacked her with a pair of safety scissors. I got news, she mumbled uneasily. Bad news. I'll fill you in later, Chiron said with forced cheerfulness. The important thing is you have prevailed, and you saved Annabeth. Annabeth smiled at me gratefully, which made me look away.

SPEAKER_01 7:18

For some strange reason, I found myself thinking about Hoover Dam and the odd mortal girl I'd run into there. Rachel Elizabeth Dare. I didn't know why, but her annoying comments kept coming back to me. Do you always kill people when they blow their nose? I was only alive because so many people had helped me. Even a random mortal girl like that. I'd never been explained to her. I never even explained to her who I was. Luke is alive, I said. Annabeth was right. Annabeth sat up. How do you know? I tried not to feel annoyed by her interest. I told her what my dad had said about the princess Andromata. Well, Annabeth shifted uncomfortably in her chair. If the final battle doesn't come when Percy is 16, at least we have two more years to figure something out. I had a feeling that when she said figure something out, she meant get Luke to change his ways, which annoyed me even more. Chiron's expression was gloomy. Sitting by the fire in his wheelchair, he looked really old. I mean, he was really old, but he usually didn't look it. Two years may seem like a long time, he said, but it is the blink of an eye. I still hope you are not the child of the prophecy, Percy. But if you are, then the second Titan war is almost upon us. Kronos' first strike will be here. How do you know? I asked. Why would he care about camp? Because the gods use heroes as their tools, Chiron said simply. Destroy the tools, and the gods will be crippled. Luke's forces will come here. Mortal, demigod, monstrous. We must be prepared. Clarice's news may give us a clue as to how they will attack. But there was a knock on the door, and Nico D'Angelo came huffing into the parlor, his cheeks bright red from the cold. He was smiling, but he looked around anxiously. Hey! Where where's my sister? Dead silence. I stared at Chiron. I couldn't believe nobody had told him yet. And then I realized why. They'd been waiting for us to appear to tell Nico in person. That was the last thing I wanted to do, but I owed it to Bianca. Hey Nico, I got up from my comfortable chair. Let's take a walk. Okay. We need to talk. He took the news in silence, which somehow made it worse. I kept talking, trying to explain how it had happened, how Bianca had sacrificed herself to save the quest, but I felt like I was only making things worse. She wanted you to have this. I brought out the little god figurine Bianca had found in the junkyard. Nico held it in his palm and stared at it. We were standing at the dining pavilion just where we'd last spoken before I went on the quest. The wind was bitter cold, even with the camp's magical weather protection. Snow fell lightly against the marble steps. I figured outside the camp borders there must be a blizzard happening. You promised you'd protect her, Nico said. He might as well have stabbed me with a rusty dagger. It would have hurt less than reminding me of my promise.

SPEAKER_03 11:41

Nico, I said, I tried. But Bianca gave herself up to save the rest of us. I told her not to, but she You promised. He glared at me, his eyes rimmed with red. He closed his small fist around the god statue. I shouldn't have trusted you his voice broke. You lied to me. My nightmares were right. Wait, what nightmares? He flung the god statue to the ground and it clattered across the icy marble. I hate you. She might be alive, I said desperately. I don't know for sure. She's dead. He closed his eyes. His whole body trembled with rage. I should have known it earlier. She's in the fields of Asphodel, standing before the judges right now, being evaluated. I can feel it. What do you mean you can feel it? Before he could answer, I heard a new sound behind me, a hissing, clattering noise I recognized all too well. I drew my sword and Nico gasped. I whirled and found myself facing four skeleton warriors. They grinned fleshless grins and advanced with swords drawn. I wasn't sure how they'd made it inside the camp, but it didn't matter. I'd never get help in time. You're trying to kill me, Nico screamed. You brought these these things? No! I mean, yes, they followed me, but no! Nico, run! They can't be destroyed. I don't trust you. The first skeleton charged. I knocked aside its blade, but the other three kept coming. I sliced one in half but immediately began to knit back together. I knocked another's head off, but it just kept fighting. Run, Nico, I yelled. Get help! No! He pressed his hands to his ears. I couldn't fight four at once. Not if they wouldn't die. I slashed, whirled, blocked, jabbed, but they kept advancing. It was only a matter of seconds before the zombies overpowered me. No, Nico shouted louder. Go away! The ground rumbled beneath me. The skeletons froze. I rolled out of the way just as a crack opened at the feet of the four warriors. The ground ripped apart like a snapping mouth. Flames erupted from the fissure and the earth swallowed the skeletons in one loud. Silence. In the place where the skeletons had stood, a twenty foot long scar wove across the marble floor of the pavilion. Otherwise there was no sign of the warriors. Awestruck I looked at Nico. How did you go away? he yelled. I hate you. I wish you were dead. The ground didn't swallow me up, but Nico ran down the steps, heading toward the woods. I started to follow but slipped and fell to the icy steps. When I got up, I noticed what I'd slipped on. I picked up the god statue Bianca had retrieved from the junkyard for Nico. The only statue he didn't have, she'd said. A last gift from his sister.

SPEAKER_01 15:04

I stared at it with dread, because now I understood why the face looked familiar. I'd seen it before. It was a statue of Hades, Lord of the Dead. Annabeth and Grover helped me search the woods for hours, but there was no sign of Nico D'Angelo. We have to tell Chiron, Annabeth said, out of breath. No, I said. She and Grover both stared at me. Grover said nervously. What do you mean? No. I was still trying to figure out why I'd said that, but the word spilled out of me. We can't let anyone know. I don't think anyone realizes that Nico is a a son of Hades, Annabeth said. Percy, do you have any idea how serious this is? Even Hades broke the oath? This is horrible. I don't think so, I said. I don't think Hades broke the oath. What? He's their dad, I said, but Bianca and Nico have been out of commission for a long time, since even before World War II. The lotus casino, Grovis Grover said, and he told Annabet about the conversations we'd had with Bianca on the quest. She and Nico were stuck there for decades.

SPEAKER_02 16:58

They were born before the oath was made.

SPEAKER_01 17:04

I nodded. But how did they get out? Annabeth protested. I don't know, I admitted. Bianca said a lawyer came and got them and drove them to Westover Hall. I don't know who that could have been or why. Maybe it's part of this great stirring thing. I don't think Nico understands who he is, but we can't go telling anyone, not even Chiron. If the Olympians find out, it might start them fighting amongst each other again, Annabeth said. That's the last thing we need. Grover looked worried.

SPEAKER_02 17:52

But you can't hide things from the gods. Not forever.

SPEAKER_01 18:00

I don't need forever. I said, just two years. Until I'm 16. Annabeth paled. But Percy, this means the prophecy might not be about you. It might be about Nico. We have to know. I said, I choose the prophecy. It will be about me. Why are you saying that? She cried. You want to be responsible for the whole world? It was the last thing I wanted, but I didn't say that. I knew I had to step up and claim it. I can't let Nico be in any more danger, I said. I owe that much to his sister. I let them both down. I'm not going to let that poor kid suffer anymore.

SPEAKER_02 19:01

The poor kid who hates you and wants to see you dead.

SPEAKER_01 19:08

Grover reminded me. Maybe we can find him, I said. We can convince him it's okay. Hide him someplace safe.

SPEAKER_03 19:20

Annabeth shivered. If Luke gets hold of him, Luke won't, I said. I'll make sure he's got other things to worry about. Namely me. I wasn't sure Chiron believed the story, Annabeth, I and I told him. I think he could tell I was holding something back about Nico's disappearance, but in the end he accepted it. Unfortunately, Nico wasn't the first half blood to disappear. So young, Chiron sighed. His hands on the rail of the front porch. Alas, I hope he was eaten by monsters. Much better than being recruited into the Titan's army. That idea made me really uneasy. I almost changed my mind about telling Chiron, but I didn't. You really think the first attack will be here? Chiron stared at the snow falling on the hills. I could see smoke from the dragon guardian at the pine tree, the glitter of the distant fleece. It will not be until summer, at least, Chiron said. This winter will be hard. The hottest for many centuries. It's best that you go home to the city, Percy. Try to keep your mind on school, and rest. You will need rest. I looked at Annabeth. What about you? Her cheeks flushed. I'm gonna try San Francisco after all. Maybe I can keep an eye on Mount Tam. Make sure the Titans don't try anything else. You'll send an iris message if anything goes wrong. She nodded. But I think Chiron's right. It won't be until the summer. Luke will need time to regain his strength. I didn't like the idea of waiting. Then again next August I would be turning fifteen. So so close to sixteen I didn't want to think about it. All right, I said. Just take care of yourself. And no crazy stunts with a sopwith camel. She smiled tentatively. Deal. And Percy Whatever she was gonna say was interrupted by Grover, who stumbled out of the big house, tripping over tin cans. His face was haggard and pale like he'd seen a spectre. He spoke Grover cried. Calm down, my young Satan, Chiron said, frowning. What is the matter?

SPEAKER_04 21:48

He stammered, and drinking coffee! Lots and lots of coffee! And he spoke in my mind!

SPEAKER_03 22:00

Man Grover wailed. The Lord of the wild himself I heard him I have to I have to find a suitcase Whoa whoa whoa I said what did he say? Grover stared at me.

SPEAKER_04 22:16

Just three words. He said I await you.

SPEAKER_03 22:29

Chapter twenty twenty and the Percy Jackson the Olympians. Book three Book Three The Titan Scares.