The Forgotten Olympian |BOOK 1| PJO X HP | Alexandra Marine

Chapter 60 - Piper - Pre-War Prep, Part 2

"Gaia is lying," I said. "She intends to destroy the upper world, not give it to anyone." 

Kekrops bared his fangs. "Then we will be no worse off than we were under the treacherous gods!" 

He raised his staff, but I launched into another verse of 'Summertime'. The snake king's arms went limp. His eyes glassed over. I sang a few more lines, then risked another question: 

"The giants' defences, the underground passage to the Acropolis – how much of what you told us is true?" 

"All of it," Kekrops said. "The Acropolis is heavily defended, just as I described. Any approach aboveground would be impossible." 

"So you could guide us through your tunnels," I said. "That's also true?" 

Kekrops frowned. "Yes..." 

"And if you ordered your people not to attack us, they would obey?" 

"Yes, but..." Kekrops shuddered. "Yes, they would obey. Three of you at most could go without attracting the attention of the giants." 

Annabeth's eyes darkened. "Piper, we'd be crazy to try it. He'll kill us at the first opportunity." 

"Yes," the snake king agreed. "Only this girl's music controls me. I hate it. Please, sing some more."

I gave him another verse. Leo got into the act. He picked up a couple of spoons and made them do high kicks on the tabletop until Hazel slapped his arm. 

"I should go," Hazel said, "if it's underground." 

"Never," Kekrops said. "A child of the Underworld? My people would find your presence revolting. No charming music would keep them from slaying you." 

Hazel swallowed. "Or I could stay here." 

"Me and Percy," Annabeth suggested. 

"Um..." Percy raised his hand. "Just gonna throw this out here again. That's exactly what Gaia wants – you and me, our blood watering the stones, et cetera." 

"I know." Annabeth's expression was grim. "But it's the most logical choice. The oldest shrines on the Acropolis are dedicated to Poseidon and Athena. Kekrops, wouldn't that mask our approach?" 

"Yes," the snake king admitted. "Your... your scent would be difficult to discern. The ruins always radiate the power of those two gods." 

"And me," I said at the end of her song. "You'll need me to keep our friend here in line." 

Jason squeezed my hand. "I still hate the idea of splitting up." 

"But it's our best shot," Frank said. "The three of them sneak in and disable the onagers, cause a distraction. Then the rest of us fly in with ballistae blazing." 

"Yes," Kekrops said, "that plan could work. If I do not kill you first." 

"I've got an idea," Annabeth said. "Frank, Hazel, Leo... let's talk. Piper, can you keep our friend musically incapacitated?" 

I started a different song: 'Happy Trails', a silly tune dad used to sing whenever we left Oklahoma to return to L.A. Annabeth, Leo, Frank and Hazel left to talk strategy. 

"Well." Percy rose and offered his hand to Jason. "Until we meet again at the Acropolis, bro. I'll be the one killing giants." 

Dad used to say that being in the airport didn't count as visiting a city. 

I felt the same way about sewers. 

From the port to the Acropolis, I didn't see anything of Athens except dark, putrid tunnels. The snake men led us through an iron storm grate at the docks, straight into their underground lair, which smelled of rotting fish, mould and snakeskin. 

The atmosphere made it hard to sing about summertime and cotton and easy living, but I kept it up. If I stopped for longer than a minute or two, Kekrops and his guards started hissing and looking angry. 

"I don't like this place," Annabeth murmured. "Reminds me of when I was underneath Rome." 

Kekrops hissed with laughter. "Our domain is much older. Much, much older." 

Annabeth slipped her hand into Percy's, which made me feel downhearted. I wished Jason was there. Heck, I'd even settle for Leo... though maybe I wouldn't have held his hand. Leo's hands tended to burst into flames when he was nervous. My voice echoed through the tunnels. As we travelled further into the lair, more snake people gathered to hear. 

Soon we had a procession following behind us– dozens of gemini all swaying and slithering. I'd lived up to granddad's prediction. I had learned the song of the snakes – which turned out to be a George Gershwin number from 1935. 

So far I had even kept the snake king from biting, just like in the old Cherokee story. The only problem with that legend: the warrior who learned the snake song had to sacrifice his wife for the power. I didn't want to sacrifice anyone. 

The vial of physician's cure was still wrapped in its chamois cloth, tucked in my belt pouch. I hadn't had time to consult with Jason and Leo before I left. I just had to hope we would all be reunited on the hilltop before anyone needed the cure. 

If one of them died and I couldn't reach them... Just keep singing, I told myself. 

We passed through crude stone chambers littered with bones. More and more snake people joined the procession. Slithering behind me, they sounded like an army of football players shuffling with sandpaper on their cleats. I wondered how many gemini lived down here. Hundreds, maybe thousands. I heard my own heartbeat echoing through the corridors, getting louder and louder the deeper they went. Then I realized the persistent boom ba-boom was all around us, resonating through the stone and the air. 

"I wake." A woman's voice, as clear as my singing.

Annabeth froze. "Oh, that's not good."

"It's like Tartarus," Percy said, his voice edgy. "You remember... his heartbeat. When he appeared–"

"Don't," Annabeth said. "Just don't."

"Sorry." In the light of his sword, Percy's face was like a large firefly – a hovering, momentary smudge of brightness in the dark.

The voice of Gaia spoke again, louder: At last.

My singing wavered. Fear washed over me, as it had in the Spartan temple. But the gods Phobos and Deimos were old friends to me now. I let the fear burn inside me like fuel, making my voice even stronger. I sang for the snake people, for my friends' safety. Why not for Gaia, too?

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