The Sun and The Sea

The God With Two Faces

Despite being in a room with more space, Finley was still sickly pale. Of course, she was thankful for the cavernous room rather than the tunnels, but she still felt that panic. She still felt like she was back in the basement of her mother's house. She still felt like curling in on herself, crying until the fear went away.

But she didn't.

She's on this quest to help Annabeth. To help stop Kronos. To help stop Luke.

She needed to be strong. She needed to stop herself from crying. She needed to be alright...or at least pretend to be.

She was so caught up in trying to lower her pulse, to keep her fear under control, she didn't realize the man with two faces. She didn't realize the god. She didn't take notice to how each face went against the other, constantly fighting.

Both faces of the god jutted out from the side of his head, staring over his shoulders, making his head wider than the average human. It was, in a way, like a hammerhead shark, but nothing to that extreme. His torse was decorated by a long black overcoat. Shiny shoes were upon his feet as a black top-hat was on his head.

"Well, Annabeth?" the left face began. "Hurry up!"

"Don't mind him," the right face countered. "He's terribly rude. Right this way, miss."

Annabeth's jaw dropped. "Uh...I don't..."

Tyson frowned. "That funny man has two faces."

"The funny man has ears, you know!" the left face scolded. "Now come along, miss."

Finley and Percy shared a glance. They were both too shocked to react. Sure they've met tons of gods and goddesses, but they didn't generally have two faces.

"No, no," the right face said. "This way, miss. Talk to me, please."

The two-faced man regarded Annabeth as best he could out of the corners of his eyes. It was impossible to look at him straight on without focusing on one side or the other.

Behind him were two exits, blocked by wooden doors with huge iron locks. They hadn't been there the group's first time through the room. The two-faced doorman held a silver key, which he kept passing from his left hand to his right hand.

Behind them stood the doorway they'd come through. Or at least it was supposed to be there. Now it was gone.

"The exits are closed," Annabeth stated.

"Really?" Finley said faintly with a sarcastic tone. "I haven't noticed!"

"Where do they lead?" Annabeth asked, ignoring Finley's comment.

"One probably leads the way you wish to go," the right face said encouragingly. "The other leads to certain death."

"I know who you are," she declared.

"Oh, you're a smart one!" The left face sneered. "But do you know which way to choose? I don't have all day."

"Why are you trying to confuse me?" the curly blonde asked.

The right face smiled. "You're in charge now, my dear. All the decisions are on your shoulders. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"I—"

"We know you, Annabeth," the left face said. "We know what you wrestle with every day. We know your indecision. You will have to make your choice sooner or later. And the choice may kill you."

Finley, at first thought, believed it was just a decision between two doors. However, unlike Percy, she knew there was more. She assumed it had something to do with Luke. It almost always did nowadays.