One Simple Request

Chapter 1

...

-Three years ago-

Oceanus held his trident to Poseidon's throat. "Yield."

"Never. Atlantis is mine. You will not rule the seas again." Poseidon disappeared and immediately reappeared, his trident locked with Oceanus'.

"Oh Poseidon, always so stubborn and quick to assume. As the mortals say, we all know what happens when you assume..."

"What are you talking about?" Poseidon grunted as he pushed against the titan's weapon, creating some space between them. They kept their tridents lowered as they circled each other in the murky salt water.

"You gods are so self-important and impatient. I'll have my domain back soon. However, my agenda today is a little different than our regular territorial dispute." Oceanus held up his hand. Water began to swirl above his fingers until a smooth globe of water formed, like a crystal ball. "I've distracted you long enough to get a hold of your one and only mortal child."

Poseidon's eyes widened as he looked at the image inside the sphere of water. It showed Percy swimming deep in the ocean, on his way to Atlantis.

"Did you forget? He was going to meet you at your palace today, but I guess the rest of your evening is about to open up." As Oceanus spoke, twelve mermen appeared in the image, surrounding Percy with their weapons pressed into his iron skin. Three of the mermen had their tridents at the small of Percy's back, so he couldn't move without the risk of being skewered. Already his face was contorting in pain as they grazed his Achilles spot.

"What do you want, Oceanus?" The gods of the seas spat the name like a curse.

"Oh nothing too difficult, Poseidon," the titan spat back. "Just one simple request."

...

...

-Present day-

Annabeth's watched beeped as she left the Big House. Midnight. Three years. It had been three years ago, tonight. She sighed as she crossed the empty dining pavilion and quickly wiped the pain from her face before she lightly stepped onto the porch of the Athena cabin. She heard a couple soft snores as she opened the door. She walked to her bunk and stifled a gasp as she realized Malcolm was sitting on her bed.

"Geez, Malcolm, you scared the crap out of me!" Annabeth whispered furiously, putting a hand over her heart.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, just wanted to wait up for you. It's tonight, isn't it?"

Annabeth studied the floor intently. "Yeah, three years," she said softly.

"Well, you know how good we Athena kids are with emotions, but still, I'm here for you if you need to talk, okay?"

"Thanks. I really am okay though. I mean, it's still sad to think about, but I've been working at moving on, for real this time. I haven't gone to look for him in months. I know you guys have said it before, especially Chiron: it's time to let go." Annabeth sat on the bunk beside Malcolm and started to push back her cuticles with her thumbnail. "Even though Nico can't find him in the Underworld, he's still gone. Maybe Nico missed him and he immediately opted for rebirth. Maybe I'll see him in Elysium one day. Either way, it's time to stop living in the past." Annabeth smiled at her brother with sad, resigned eyes.

He mirrored her face as he patted her back gently. "I'm glad to hear it, sis. And the offer to talk is always there."

"Thanks Malc."

Annabeth took off her shoes as Malcolm padded over to his own bunk. After she was ready for bed, she lay on top of her covers, staring at the slats of the bed above her, where she had carved a rough A when she was nine. Why couldn't he just waltz back into camp one day? Maybe if they finally had a real funeral for him, then he'd barge in, right before the end, just like last time. Still, she couldn't spend her whole life this way. If some new clue came up, then she'd happily follow the trail, but she'd already spent too many lonely nights on desperate, dead end leads. It was time for her to let Percy go.

Seaweed Brain, I hope you're alive...and okay.

...

...

He cursed the water. The rain splashed off the asphalt, drumming a staccato on the reeking dumpsters. The young man walked slowly through the river forming between the buildings as water poured down the brick walls and into the dark alleyway. He couldn't remember ever seeing rain this torrential in all of his nineteen years. Like someone was trying to drown the world. Or him. He pulled his hood further around his face as he shivered. His shirt, his hoodie, his leather jacket, and his jeans were all sopping wet and freezing. April, in New York, in the middle of the night, was no time to be caught in a thunderstorm. He sighed as he brushed his dark, dripping hair out of his eyes for the umpteenth time.

Someone or something slammed into one of the dumpsters behind him. He hadn't been worried about being followed in this storm, but maybe one of the more tenacious monsters decided to keep chasing him, despite the weather. He could just make out the outline of a large, humanoid figure down the alley. He figured it was probably a cyclops, larger than Tyson, since they had an affinity for water and wouldn't mind the rain, unlike him, he thought bitterly.

He slowed his steps to let the cyclops get close, reached into his pocket, and uncapped a bronze pen. The three-foot sword that sprang from the pen shone softly, reflecting off the wet pavement. Once the monster was in range, he whipped around and sprang silently towards the lumbering cyclops with a fatal, downward strike to the neck. The cyclops howled in pain as he burst into dust. The unrelenting storm drowned out the noise.

He sighed and shivered again.

Well, that didn't last long... At least I'm not invincible anymore, so there was a little danger. I guess.

He rolled his eyes at his rationalizing. Who was he kidding? He could've fought that guy in his sleep. It wasn't boastful, it was just true. He had always been a little daring, a risk taker. But now, he sought it out. The more danger the better; it was the only way he still felt alive. For that one fleeting moment of uncertainty, the possibility of death, was the only way he could still feel human.

He heard the clock on a bell tower strike midnight. He chuckled darkly to himself. It was this very night, three years ago, that his whole world came crashing down.

...

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imawordbender