Of Swords and Fire (Percy Jackson/LOTR)

Chapter 7: Stepping into shadows

Aragorn, the king of what once was Gondor, and current king of Arnor, sat heavily down upon his throne. After yet another day of disappointing and what appeared to be a hopeless case of determining who the enemy was over, all he wanted to do was to become a ranger again. The jobs of a king didn't require him to roam about in the wilderness, shooting wild beasts and slaying dark monsters. Being a king didn't require him to be with his kin, or to travel with Gandalf again, or to wander about in the gardens of Elf-cities. He looked to the windows. They were frosted and blurred, with dark shadows lurking about behind them. That is what he felt like. In a fortress, surrounded by his subjects with darkness overwhelming Middle-earth meanwhile.

Why couldn't he go out, and help them? His advisors told him to wait it out, to plan and find out who the enemy was. Wait.... Why couldn't he go out? He shook his head of thought. No, He said. He was sitting dejectedly on his throne, when his door bursted open for the second time, revealing 2 small figures. His face lit up.

_____Percy____

Percy sat close to the fire, roasting a pan of bacon and beans. There were a few dried fish in the bag, but Percy wouldn't touch them. He didn't know if Athena put them in there as a joke or if she was serious about it. The only other thing in there was bacon and beans, plus another can of corn. So he had to have bacon and beans for dinner. He sat roasting the pan over the surprisingly strong fire. He lit the fire first time, which was also surprising, since he never tried the move before and only vaguely knew what to do.

The he thought about Hermes Mcdonalds figure. "Limited edition. This little beauty will bring you all the luck you need." He smiled. Thanks Hermes.

The owl sat itself on a nearby tree, looking sleepily into the night. Percy would consider even thinking the owl was non-threatening, or perhaps (a weeny teeny) cute. He huddled closer to the fire, soaking in it's warmth. The owl sat on the tree branch, shivering slightly (wooden owls can shiver?). Percy thought for a second, and sighed. "Alright, you can come down."

The owl hooted, then still sat on the tree branch, looking stubborn. "Come down!" he said. The owl hooted once again, and then gave him a disapproving stare. It finally flew down from the pine tree and landed on the log furthest away from Percy. He rolled over and tried to sleep on the ground. The cricket chirps and the cool night air made it easier to sleep. Percy nodded away, hoping that demigod dreams don't exist in this world.

______Aragorn_____

"Aragorn!" The two hobbits ran joyfully down the hall. "Merry! Pippin! How have you been?"

"Very good, very good. How have you been?" Merry replied.

"I've – I've been better." Aragorn admitted.

The reunion of the hobbits and the king shook the hall more than anything. The past few months, with Gandalf popping in and out, discussing news and bits of advice to Aragorn. The main advice Gandalf said was: " You think I have been sent here on a hopeless cause? Don't give up!"

The guards reported that Aragorn had been more and more restless, much to the dismay of Queen Evenstar (that was what they called her in the later days). But the hobbits seemed to clear everything off the king's mind. The door opened just as Aragorn was about to say another word. A messenger strode into the room, holding a red, dwarven arrow.

"Erebor?" Said Aragorn, grimly. More dwarves streamed through the door. They were each holding a red arrow. There were 4 dwarves in total. "Ered Luin.... Moria... the Iron Hills."