Charmolypi

Chapter 47

The group were immediately flooded with reporters and police officers. Everyone was throwing questions at the group and were asking them to make a statement.

"All I want," Percy said, choking back tears, "is to see my loving stepfather again. Every time I saw him on TV, calling me a delinquent punk, I knew...somehow...we would be okay. And I know he'll want to reward each and every person in this beautiful city of Los Angeles with a free major appliance from his store. Here's the phone number." The police and reporters were so moved that they passed around the hat and raised money for three tickets on the next plane to New York.

Throughout the flight, Percy and Annabeth kept glancing nervously outside the window of the plane, worried that Zeus would shoot them down any second.

"I don't think Zeus would shoot them down, especially that they have his favorite weapon."

"But Thea's still in the Underworld." Someone answered.

"Poseidon and Athena would go mad if he strikes them down, he wouldn't risk it."

Meanwhile in the Underworld, Thea was sitting with Hades while he had tea.

"Are you sure you don't want to have tea with me?" Hades asked again.

Thea gave him a look. "And be stuck here for all eternity? No thank you."

"Aha so it was true!"

"Pay up, Wood!"

The Lord of the Dead shrugged before looking at the helm that was on the small table beside his seat. "The Jackson boy kept his word." He hummed. "Do you truly think he will be doing the same with you?"

"I honestly don't know" Thea sighed. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Thea spoke again. "He's coming back." She said quietly. "He's healing. The prophecy has started."

"What prophecy?"

"Does that have to do with Annabeth calling Percy 'the other one'?"

Hades tensed, a cold sensation settling over the God's domain. "This is a serious claim you are making, godling."

"It is, but it is also true." Thea answered confidently.

Back in New York, the group had separated. Percy sent Annabeth and Grover home, while he went to deliver the master bolt to Zeus. He went up to the guard at the front desk and said, "Six hundredth floor."

The guard was reading a huge book with a picture of a wizard on the front. He took a while to look up. "No such floor, kiddo."

"I need an audience with Zeus." Percy insisted.

He gave me a vacant smile. "Sorry?"

"You heard me."

"No appointment, no audience, kiddo. Lord Zeus doesn't see anyone unannounced." He told him in a bored tone.

"Oh, I think he'll make an exception." The son of Poseidon slipped off his backpack and unzipped the top.

The guard looked inside at the metal cylinder, not getting what it was for a few seconds. Then his face went pale. "That isn't..."

"Yes, it is," Percy promised. "You want me take it out and-"

"No! No!" He scrambled out of his seat, fumbled around his desk for a key card, then handed it to the boy. "Insert this in the security slot. Make sure nobody else is in the elevator with you."

"Everyone knows what the weapon is."

"How could they not? It's the weapon Zeus used in the Titan war." Bellatrix answered, annoyed.