The car moved at high speed toward its destination.
Ikki continued looking out the window, thinking about everything that had happened so far. Normally, he would have been more inclined to joke around or chat with his friends, but his mood was worsening as he recalled his predestined encounter with the girl who had suddenly entered his heart...
He felt a different kind of rejection compared to his first life, where he had been rejected by his fiancée...
As he was thinking about this and dealing with the emotional mess inside of him, the rest of the group was immersed in their own thoughts about the conversation from earlier.
Percy felt like he was missing some simple and crucial information. It was like when he looked at a word he should know, but it didn't make sense because one or two letters were floating out of place. The more he thought about the mission, the more he was sure that confronting Hades was not the real answer.
There was something else going on, something even more dangerous...
The problem was: they were speeding toward the Underworld at one hundred and sixty kilometers per hour, betting that Hades had the Master Bolt. If they arrived there and discovered they were wrong, they wouldn't have time to fix the mistake. The solstice deadline would pass, and the war would begin.
Eventually, the silence was broken. After thinking for a while, Annabeth reassured them by saying, "The answer is in the Underworld. You said you saw the spirits of the dead, Percy. There's only one place where that's possible. We're doing the right thing..."
"Well, Anne is right about something. I don't know if we're doing the right thing or not. But we'll find out when we get to the Underworld..." Ikki commented calmly, resting his elbow on the taxi window and continuing to look outside. His eyes had an inexplicable glow.
Grover and Annabeth were absorbed in his perfect appearance.
Eventually, they snapped out of their stupor and noticed Percy looking at the two of them strangely.
Ikki's words calmed the group a little. He was right, on one hand, they would find out everything as soon as they reached the Underworld, but on the other hand, they weren't sure what they would discover. That was why they were nervous.
Annabeth tried to lift the group's morale by suggesting clever strategies for entering the Land of the Dead. Ikki also came up with a few ideas, not too impressive in his opinion, things he thought of casually. But they were enough to make Athena's daughter feel inferior, though she wouldn't admit it.
It basically turned into a strategic meeting between him and Annabeth. Percy and Grover paid attention at first, but soon started talking among themselves.
The taxi sped westward. Considering the speed, it didn't take them long to reach their destination.
At sunset, the taxi dropped them off at Santa Monica Beach. It looked exactly like the beaches in Los Angeles from the movies, except the smell was worse. There were amusement park carousels along the pier, palm trees on the sidewalks, homeless people sleeping in the dunes, and surfers waiting for the perfect wave.
The four of them walked to the shore. Ikki glanced around curiously.
Once they reached the water's edge, Annabeth looked at Percy and asked, "Now what?"
Percy didn't respond. He was in some sort of strange trance, staring at the water of Santa Monica Beach.
The Pacific was turning golden in the setting sun.
Percy thought about how much time had passed since he had been at Montauk Beach, on the other side of the country, looking at a different sea.
How could there be a god capable of controlling all of that? His science teacher said that two-thirds of the Earth's surface was covered by water. How could he be the son of someone so powerful?
Poseidon's son walked into the surf. His action caught the group by surprise.
"Percy?" Annabeth called. Percy didn't respond. He kept walking. Athena's daughter asked, "What are you doing?"
By then, the water had reached his waist, then his chest.
Annabeth shouted at him, "Do you have any idea how polluted this water is? There are all kinds of toxic things..."
That was when Percy's head submerged.
Seeing him go under, Annabeth stopped. Ikki lightly tapped her shoulder and said, "Have you forgotten he's the son of the God of the Sea? He'll be fine..."
Annabeth felt a little embarrassed, though she also felt relieved. He was right, Percy was Poseidon's son, the water wouldn't harm him in any way.
Ikki looked at the water as if contemplating its depths. He wasn't worried about Percy; he'd be fine.
...
At first, Percy held his breath. It's hard to deliberately inhale water. Eventually, he couldn't hold it anymore. He breathed in.
Indeed, he was able to breathe normally.
Poseidon's son walked down to the sandbars. He shouldn't have been able to see in the dark water, but somehow he could tell where everything was. He could feel the textured, undulating sea floor. He could distinguish starfish colonies dotting the sandbars. He could even see the currents, warm and cold, swirling together.
He felt something brush against his leg. Looking down, he almost jumped out of the water like a missile. Sliding alongside him was a one-and-a-half-meter-long hammerhead shark. But it wasn't attacking, it was just rubbing its nose against him. It was on his heels like a dog.
A bit hesitant, Percy touched its dorsal fin. The shark resisted a little, as if inviting him to hold on tighter. The son of the Sea God then grabbed the fin with both hands.
The shark took off, pulling Percy along. It dragged him down to the depths, into the darkness, and dropped him by the edge of the ocean, where the sandbar fell into a vast abyss. It was like standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon at midnight, not being able to see much but knowing the void was right there.
The surface shimmered about fifty meters above. Percy was a little surprised. He knew he should've been crushed by the pressure, but on the other hand, he didn't need to breathe either. He wondered if there was a limit to how far he could go and whether it was possible to descend straight to the bottom of the Pacific.
Then, he saw something glowing in the darkness below, growing larger and brighter as it came up toward him. A woman's voice, like his mother's, called:
"Percy Jackson..."
As she got closer, her form became clearer. She had long black hair and wore a green silk dress. Light flickered around her, and her eyes were so disturbingly beautiful that Percy barely noticed the seahorse the size of a horse she was riding.
She dismounted. The seahorse and the hammerhead shark swam away quickly, starting a game that looked like hide and seek. The underwater lady smiled at the boy.
"You've come a long way, Percy Jackson. Very well!"
Percy wasn't sure what to do, so he bowed and said, "You're the woman who spoke to me in the Mississippi River..."
"Yes, child. I am a nereid, a spirit of the sea. It wasn't easy to appear so far upstream, but the naiads, my cousins from the freshwater, helped sustain my life force. They honor Lord Poseidon, though they don't serve in his court..."
The Nereid spoke melodiously.
"And... do you serve in Poseidon's court?" Percy asked, curious.
"Many years have passed since a child of the sea god was born. We watch him with great interest..." She nodded and said.
Suddenly, Percy remembered the faces in the waves near Montauk Beach when he was little, reflections of smiling women. Like so many strange things in his life, he had never thought much about it.
"If my father is so interested in me..." Percy said bitterly, "why isn't he here? Why doesn't he speak to me?"
A cold current rose from the depths.
"Don't judge the Lord of the Sea so harshly. He is about to fight an unwanted war. He has much to occupy his time. Also, he is forbidden from helping you directly. The gods cannot show such favoritism..." said the Nereid with a furrowed brow.
"Even with his own children?" Percy asked, a little hurt and confused.
"Especially with them. The gods can only act through indirect influence. That is why I give you a warning, and a gift." She extended her open hand, and four white pearls glowed.
"I know of your journey to Hades' domain. Few mortals have done this and survived: Orpheus, who had great musical talent; Hercules, who was defeated by his friend, he had great strength; Houdini, who could escape even from the depths of Tartarus. Do you have those talents?"
She couldn't help but ask at the end of her words.
Percy didn't know what to say, so he answered, "Uh... no, ma'am..."
"Oh, but you have something, Percy. You possess gifts that you are just beginning to discover. The oracles have foretold a great and extraordinary future for you, as long as you survive to adulthood. Poseidon will not allow you to die before your time. So take these pearls, and when you're in trouble, crush one beneath your feet..."
"What will happen?" Percy asked, pocketing the pearls.
"It depends on the trouble. But remember: what belongs to the sea will always return to the sea," said the Nereid wisely.
"And the warning?"
Her eyes shone with green light. She said confidently, "Do what your heart tells you, or you'll lose everything. Hades feeds on doubt and hopelessness. He will deceive you if he can, make you doubt your own judgment. Once you're in his domain, Hades will never let you leave willingly. Keep the faith. Good luck, Percy Jackson..."
She called her seahorse and rode off into the void.
"Goodbye, young hero. You must listen to your heart..." she shouted, her voice disappearing into the depths.
She turned into a glowing green dot and then vanished.
Percy wanted to follow her into the dark depths. He wanted to see Poseidon's court. But he looked up at the twilight, which was turning into night on the surface.
His friends were waiting. They had little time. He took a deep breath and surged upward toward the surf.
...
Ikki, Annabeth, and Grover waited for Percy to return. While they waited, they talked about simple things.
It didn't take long for Percy to come back. When he reached the beach, his clothes dried instantly.
Percy told them everything that had happened and showed them the pearls.
Annabeth made a face. She said, "No gift comes without a price..."
"They were free..." Percy said, not understanding why Annabeth said that.
"I think Anne didn't mean that. She was talking about how there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. There's always a price. Right?" Ikki said calmly, looking at Athena's daughter when he asked this question.
"Yes, exactly. You'll know what I mean, Percy. Just wait," Annabeth confirmed, casting a sidelong glance at Percy as she warned him.
The group turned their backs on the sea and continued their journey. They took the bus to West Hollywood with the money Ikki had brought from the camp. Percy showed the driver the receipt with the address of the Underworld he had gotten from Aunt Eme's Garden Gnome Emporium, but the driver had never heard of the M.A.C. Studios — Dead on Arrival.
The driver looked at Percy closely and said thoughtfully, "You remind me of someone I saw on TV. A child actor, or something like that?"
Percy was caught off guard by this question. He shifted uncomfortably. Ikki, who was beside him, used his illusion and presence ability to alter the driver's perception, making him see his friend as a child actor he knew.
The driver's eyes lit up when he said, "Ah! How did I not recognize you before..."
After Percy gave an autograph, a new experience for him, the group quickly got off at the next stop.
They wandered for miles looking for the M.A.C. No one seemed to know where it was. It wasn't listed in the phone book. They hid twice in alleys to avoid the police.
Percy froze in front of a home appliance store window because a TV was showing an interview with someone who looked very familiar—his stepfather, Gabe Stinky. He was talking to Barbara Walters, looking like a big celebrity. She was interviewing him in their apartment, in the middle of a poker game, and there was a young blonde sitting next to him, petting his hand.
A fake tear sparkled on his cheek as he said, "Honestly, Mrs. Walters, if it weren't for Sweetie, my counselor in sad times, I'd be a wreck. My stepson took everything I had. He's trying to take me down in every possible way. But I keep fighting back. He has his camp, but I have my Sweetie..."
"There it is, America..." said Barbara Walters, turning to the camera. She spoke, "A broken man. A teenage boy with serious problems. Let me now show you the latest photo of this troubled fugitive, taken a week ago in Denver..."
The screen cut to a grainy photo showing Percy, Ikki, Annabeth, and Grover outside a Colorado restaurant, talking to Ares.
"Who are the other kids in this picture...?" Barbara Walters asked dramatically. "Who is the man with them? Is Percy Jackson a delinquent, a terrorist, or a victim of brainwashing by a new, terrifying cult? When we return, we'll talk to a renowned child psychologist. Stay with us, America..."
"Let's go..." Ikki said, patting Percy on the shoulder, just before the son of Poseidon punched a hole through the window of an appliance store.
They continued walking through the big city.
Nightfall came, and famished-looking characters began emerging on the streets, ready to play their parts.
Ikki and Percy were New Yorkers, so they were somewhat used to it.
Though being in Los Angeles was quite different from being in New York. While New York was a big city, it was possible to get anywhere without getting lost. The street patterns and subway made sense. There was a system to how things worked. As long as you weren't stupid, a kid could feel safe there.
Los Angeles was not like that. It was sprawling, chaotic, and difficult to navigate.
The four passed by gangs, vagrants, and street vendors, who sized them up as if deciding whether attacking them would be a good deal.
When they passed the entrance to an alley, a voice called out from the dark:
"Hey, you..."
Like an idiot, Percy stopped.
In seconds, they were surrounded. A gang of boys circled them. Six in total—white boys in expensive clothes with menacing expressions. Rich kids playing tough.
Percy instinctively unscrewed the top of his pen, transforming it into the Riptide sword.
When the sword appeared out of nowhere, they stepped back, but their leader, either very stupid or very brave, kept advancing towards Percy with a spring-loaded knife.
Ikki, who had been standing next to Percy, moved slightly, looking indifferently at the boys.
"If you take another step, you'll all leave here in an ambulance..." Ikki said indifferently.
"What did you say, punk!!..."
The leader shifted his focus to Ikki, face contorted with rage. His gangmates did the same, while Percy, Annabeth, and Grover prepared to fight if necessary.
Ikki merely took a step forward, his eyes fixed on the leader. The only emotion in his pupils was pure indifference. It was as if the leader and his gang were of no significance at all.
Which was true. The gang leader was furious at the boy's audacity.
He approached Ikki and clumsily tried to stab him with his knife.
"I warned you..." Ikki said, grabbing the man and twisting him while focusing behind him. In an instant, lightning gathered in his left hand, and it shot out in bolts that snaked toward the rest of the group.
"Ahhhh!"
Screams echoed in the alley as the gang fell unconscious from the high voltage. Ikki made sure not to kill them, though he was sure some of them would have problems after that, as the lightning fried their neurons and some neurotransmitters that made them move...
Ikki then raised the lightning behind his hand holding the leader and knocked him out as well.
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover were a bit stunned; in an instant, Ikki had handled a group of troublemakers, leaving them unconscious.
"Let's go..." Ikki said, starting to walk, ignoring the fallen human bodies. The three quickly snapped out of their stupor and followed.
Though surprised, it made sense that Ikki could handle all of them so quickly. He was basically the most powerful demigod alive, able to face and defeat a God...
Defeating a group of mortals was child's play.
And they were starting to get used to the surprises Ikki brought.
The three quickly followed their friend.