Apparently, I'm Dead

Chapter Twenty-Four

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.

I may not be able to update next week, but we'll see.

Anyways, on with the chapter!

ALEX

I snort at my sister's expression. She glares at me, and I just smile innocently.

Percy crouches down to pick up the feather. It's the same color as his hair, black and glossy. He strokes it almost reverently. "We're two thirds done," he says, his voice hushed. "We're almost there." His eyes are wide, staring down at the precious object in his hands.

I pluck the feather out of his hands, handing it to Magnus. "He's keeping the hair, so why not let him keep the feather?" I explain to Percy, who's looking at me like I just killed a puppy.

He huffs. "Fine." His face is screwed in a pout, but his eyes are gleaming, so I know he's joking.

Magnus sticks his tongue out at Percy. "I'm responsible," he taunts, "Alex trusts me!" He blows a raspberry. I roll my eyes. Idiot boyfriend.

Sam seems to be on the same wavelength as me. She smacks Magnus on the back of the head. He yelps. She grabs the feather out of his hand at the same time that she sneaks the hairs out of his pocket. "I'll keep these. You are too immature to handle anything, much less something that can save the world" she groans.

"And you are?" Magnus retorts.

"Mmm," I think out loud. "Yeah, I think I'd trust her with the fate of the world. Unless she's around Amir," I tease, nudging my sister, whose face is now bright red.

"Who is Amir?" Percy muses. "I've heard some stuff about him, but I don't know much."

I throw a wicked smirk at Sam. "Amir is-"

Sam shoves me to the side. I fall to the ground, cackling. "Amir is my..." She blushes furiously. "My betrothed," she finishes, after a pause where Percy looks impatient.

The Greek's eyes widen. "Your- your betrothed?" he splutters. "What the Hades?"

Sam sighs. She's explained it so many times, I think she has it down to a science. "It's a good match, and Jid and Bibi, my grandparents, do care about who I end up with for the rest of my life. It's not random, it's not wrong, and it's completely fine."

Percy still looks skeptical, but he seems prepared to be okay with it as long as Sam is as well. "And you love him?" he asks.

Sam turns even redder, and I stare in fascination. I have never seen that shade of red on a human before. But she nods. "Yes, I do."

Percy smiles. "That's what I thought. You know, given how much you blushed every single time someone said his name."

Sam changes the subject. "The next ingredient," she says pointedly, "is a leaf from Yggdrasil. Now, I don't know if anyone else noticed, but those things are very large. How are we going to get it back to the ship?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Percy sighs. "Things never go right when you plan them. Let's go." He begins to walk out of the room, turns back to us, and rolls his eyes. "I don't know how to get around," he mutters sheepishly.

I smirk at his obvious self-consciousness, then stride up to him and jostle him with my shoulder. "Hey, I don't know where we're going either. Sam does, though." I turn around and shout back, "SAM! Where are we going?"

Sam and Magnus come up next to us, then Sam walks ahead to lead us to Yggdrasil. She moves through Asgard quickly, since she knows where she's going. When she comes to a glowing plant and points at it, Percy cocks his head. "Here?"

"Yup."

"Alright." He slashes his sword up from the tip of the plant. Smoke billows from the glowing hole in reality. When it clears, Percy stumbles back. "Why- why am I so tired?" he pants, as if he just ran a marathon.

Realization filters into Sam's eyes. "You've been opening the entrance to Yggdrasil too often. You need to let someone else do it next time."

Percy shrugs. "Okay," he agrees easily. Then he steps into the hole, disappearing into the blurry portal.

I follow in after Magnus, and Sam comes in behind me. The World Tree stretches into the sky and down to the ground, disappearing as my half mortal eyes can't comprehend the size anymore. Everyone is standing and staring up the tree, in awe of its gargantuan size.

"I know I said this before," Percy whispers, "but this is truly beautiful." I do notice that he avoids looking down, presumably because, as he's explained, sons of Poseidon do not do well in the air.

"So, how are we going to get a leaf?" I ask, after I've had my fill of staring at Yggdrasil. "Like I said before, the leaves are huge!"

Percy's eyes sparkle. "Let me go out on a limb here and say that we don't need the whole leaf, only part of it. A whole leaf seems excessive."

Magnus groans. "No! Stop it with the puns!"

I smirk. "I think you're barking up the right tree. I don't think we need the whole leaf, so it should be easier. Just a piece we can carry should be fine."

"Agh!" Magnus falls to his knees dramatically. "No! My ears!"

Sam sighs. "Guys. Don't tease him so much." When Magnus nods enthusiastically, she smiles. "Leaf him alone."

"Sam!" Magnus exclaims. "You too? How could you?" He's laughing out his words.

I feel like laughing too. This feeling of comradery is one I've been missing for a while, since Percy came, actually. He sort of messed up the dynamic of the group, tilted us off-kilter. But he's been absorbed into the smaller clique of Magnus, Sam and I. We enjoy his company, and he's made us more certain of winning when we fight.

And who can blame us? He can control liquids! He is powerful, and he could probably kill a god.

My train of thought is cut off when I hear a rustling of leaves. I touch my garrotte, its familiar shape comforting me, making me feel... not safe, but like I can protect myself.

Everyone else was prepared to arm himself as well. Percy's pen is in his hand, his thumb on the cap so he can flick it off at a moment's notice. Sam's glowing spear has materialized out of nowhere, and Magnus's hand is poised over his pendant.

The disturbance grows louder, the branches shaking more wildly. A shape appears from behind a leaf.

It's Ratatosk. 

I had a lot of fun writing the next chapter. Hehehehehehehe.

Thanks,

ATOTALMUSICALNERD