HEY GUYS! Sorry about the long Hiatus. Things have been...hectic to say the least.
Here's the psych fact of the day: Being in love is biochemically the same as having a severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Okay, not to offend anyone, but I find this really funny. I've researched this before and apparently the chemicals that are produced in your brain when your in love, play the same role in love as they do in a person who has OCD. They obsess over the person they love to the point where it frustrates them when they aren't with them.
It's a little scary just thinking about it, but I can't help but laugh. I don't know why people have to obsess over others. It's just so- I don't understand it. It's not that I don't believe in love or anything. It's just that, it's not necessary for people to constantly think about the person they love, ya know?
This is my unit in English class, so that's why I thought this was relevant. ANYWAY! Y'ALL READY FOR THE CHAPTER? Yeah, me too! Let's go!
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Percy Jackson's P.O.V (First Person)
When Nico said that he knew where the first piece was, I have to say, I had conflicted feelings. I didn't know whether or not I should have been happy the quest would start soon. If we started, the prophecy would come true, and I'd lose more people. I didn't want that, but I knew that prophecies couldn't be avoided - no matter what.
I sighed, "Where is it then?"
Everyone stared at him in silence, and he fidgeted. Will gave him a smile, but that didn't seem to reassure him any more. Nico ran a hand through his hair, "It's with my dad."
I raised an eyebrow, "Why would he-"
Nico sent me a chilling look, "When the pieces were scattered, one of them made it's way to the Underworld. I don't know how it got there or how my dad found it, so don't ask. All I know is where the piece is being kept."
Tony looked like he wanted to say something, but he just stood there, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. I chuckled, "Careful, Stark. You don't wanna catch flies."
He glared at me but kept his mouth shut. Natasha narrowed her eyes at Nico, "Okay, so who's going to retrieve it?"
"Me." Nico and I said, immediately. We stared at each other, and I gave him a sad smile, "I'll do it, cuz. It's fine."
He rolled his eyes, "Not in the mood for that, Jackson. Besides, if you spend half your time getting the first piece, you won't have enough time to get the rest. I can shadow-travel in and out."
"Oh no you can't," Will said, standing up, "You are not allowed to shadow-travel. You could seriously die. Like, turn into shadows, die. You passed out for half and hour last time. You're getting better, but you can't take the risk without me being there."
I nodded along with Will, "He's right. I can heal myself using water. You have no way of healing yourself except for ambrosia and nectar."
Clint watched us talk and finally decided to say something, "Why don't you both go?"
Everyone in the meeting room turned to him and he shrugged, "I'm just saying. Nico, has the upper-hand underground, and Percy knows how to defend himself better than anyone else in this room. He can protect Nico until they get the piece and Percy could, I don't know, water travel outta there? Do you have water travel?"
I nodded, "Vapor travel. It's essentially the same thing." Clint nodded, and I grinned at Nico, "Whaddya say, cuz? Guys night out?"
Jason jumped up, feigning a look of betrayal, "Without moi? You wouldn't dare."
Nico rolled his eyes at Jason, "I'm up for it. As long as you don't get yourself killed."
Thalia, who was sitting quietly and sharpening her arrows, "If you two think I'm letting you go alone, think again."
I smirked at her, "Are you going to miss us?"
She snorted, "I'm not afraid to say yeah. Besides, after one-way shadow-traveling, Nico's going to pass out. Someone has to fight monsters while the other carries him."
I laughed. Nico stomped his foot, "This is my fault now? C'mon, you guys! I can handle myself! Ghost King, here."
Thalia mock pouted, "Aw, is wittle ghost baby cwanky? It's okay. You'll sleep later anyway."
Nico huffed and crossed his arms, blowing a stray hair off his face, "I hate you guys."
I clapped once, "That's settled. We'll get the piece quickly. The shadow and vapor traveling should make it quick. What happens after that though..."
Nico nodded, "Yeah. There's still a lot of the prophecy that hasn't happened. Like people falling into the Pit or going insane. Or even us saving them because we aren't the same without them. Or even the traitor being found."
I raised an eyebrow, "Is it safe to say that I'm confused?"
Annabeth, who was standing next to me, facepalmed, "Just when you were starting to sound smart, Seaweed Brain."
I grinned, "Not in the slightest, Wise Girl."
She sighed, "The prophecy said that if we don't fully regain the people who fall into the Pit or the people who go insane, we'll never be whole again. Then, there's the part of someone from the enemy's side being on our side and spying on us."
I nodded, kind of understanding what she meant. I looked at Nico, "So, what now?"
Nico shook his head, "The idea of the big three going into the Underworld together is extremely dangerous. We don't know if we can deal with the power. Since we're all Greek demigods, our power is stronger than the Roman demigods. We're more raw and uncut. We'll attract too many monsters, and that could cost us our lives."
"We can't bring the Avengers with us," Thalia said, eyeing Tony like he was a three year old stinky sock that had never been washed.
I rubbed the back of my neck, "Actually...that seems like the best thing to do. And before you-"
Thalia glared at me, "What?! No way am I travelling with that many boys and one girl. If you think I'm going to-"
I cut her off, "Calm down, and hear me out! Look, these guys are trained pretty well in the arts of combat. They can fight and now that they have Celestial weapons, they can protect us while we retrieve the piece."
She didn't back down her glare, "And what if something happens to them Perce? You won't be able to protect them. Just like everyone else. You can't save everyone Percy."
I don't know why that hurt, but I felt empty. My lips stretched into a thin line, but Thalia still looked mad. But that's when I saw the slightest hint of fear in her eyes. I backed down immediately before saying, "Half the Avengers are coming with us. End of discussion."
I turned to Annabeth, "You, the rest of the Seven, and the remaining Avengers finish building the Argo 3, and wait for our signal. Once we tell you where the next piece is, you'll head out. We'll meet you on the ship using vapor travel."
Annabeth nodded, "We'll start right away. And you guys should too. We don't know what might happen down there...or if the parts of about Tartarus will come true."
I curled my fist, "I'm not letting anyone fall. Trust me."
Turning to the rest of the people in the meeting room, I took a deep breath, "The rest of you. You're in charge of training the campers harder than ever, securing the camp borders, and making back up plan after back up plan for the war. Make sure every camper is equipped with proper weapons. This war is probably going to happen near Olympus again, so we need to make sure we have more than one way to keep the mortals safe. Got it?"
Everyone nodded in unison and I looked to the Avengers, "Nat, Clint, Steve, and Loki. You're coming with my cousins and I. The rest of you are in charge of getting the Argo 3, and training."
I looked to my cousins, "We need to do this quickly. No detours. No delays. Getting the rest of the pieces will take a long time, no doubt about it. Nico, any chance you know how many pieces there are?"
He thought about it, "Six, I think. But there could be more. My guess is that when we get one piece, it'll lead us to next and it keeps going like that until we find all of them. When they're all located, they should piece back together by themselves. Ya know?"
I nodded, "We'll get some sort of clarity once we have the first piece."
I looked at Chiron, signaling that the meeting should be wrapped up. He cleared his throat, "Alright then, children. We have much to do. Let's hope we prevail in this upcoming war. May the gods ever be in our favor."
Piper snorted, "Yeah right," she mumbled.
With that, we all went our separate ways. The Avengers went to their respective cabins to pack as Nico, Thalia, and I did the same. I really didn't have a good feeling about this quest. My stomach was churning, and I felt...anxious. Something bad was going to happen. I just didn't what yet.
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Hey guys! Again, sorry about not updating for so long. Things have been hectic. It's the last few months of school, and the teachers are giving more homework than ever. On top of that, I have other stories to update. I'm trying to get chapters up as quickly as I can. I hope that's alright.
Well, other than that, thanks for reading! I'll see you all soon!