𝖇𝖆𝖉 𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉 || ᴘᴊᴏ x ʜᴘ

22 - 𝕳𝖆𝖉𝖊𝖘' 𝖌𝖚𝖆𝖗𝖉 𝖉𝖔𝖌 𝖎𝖘 𝖆 𝖇𝖎𝖌 𝖘𝖔𝖋𝖙𝖎𝖊

Percy, Annabeth and Grover met up with Holly two hours later in front of Mcdonalds, panting and covered in sweat like they'd just ran away from a monster. And after they recounted their story about Procrustes, a guy who tried to stretch out their limbs, all Holly did was laugh.

"You could do with a few more inches, Annie." Holly said, patting Annabeth's blonde head.

"More like you needed it," she scoffs, crossing her arms. "Anyways, did you find the address?"

"You bet," Holly said, plucking the flyer from her pocket and handing it over. "I checked out the place, and it looked like it's the real deal."

"Come on then,"

Holly led them back to Valencia Boulevard, they stood outside for a good few minutes as they formulated a plan to get inside.

Percy turned to his friends before they entered. "Okay. You remember the plan?"

"The plan," Grover gulped. "Yeah, I love the plan."

Annabeth said, "What happens if the plan doesn't work?"

"Don't think negatively."

"Right," she said. "We're entering the Land of the Dead, and I shouldn't think negatively."

"We'll be fine guys," Holly chimed in as Percy took out the four pearls from his pocket and looked at it worriedly. Holly placed a hand on his shoulder, "Right?"

Annabeth sighed after getting a look from Holly, then she placed a hand on Percy's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Percy. You're right, we'll make it. It'll be fine."

Annabeth gave Grover a nudge.

"Oh, right!" he chimed in. "We got this far. We'll find the master bolt and save your mom. No problem."

Percy looked at his three friends, it still feels so surreal that he has friends now. Friends who have his back, friends who are willing to go to the underworld for him. Well, partly for him.

Percy slipped the pearls back in his pocket. "Let's whoop some Underworld butt."

The four half bloods walked inside the DOA lobby.

Holly looked around, taking in the details she hadn't seen or heard before. Muzak played softly on hidden speakers. The carpet and walls were steel grey. Pencil cactuses grew in the corners like skeleton hands. The furniture was black leather, and every seat was taken. The people there barely did anything. Nobody moved, or talked, or did much of anything. But up close, when you stare at them for too long, they start looking transparent.

Thy waltzed up to the security desk, same place since Holly last saw it. The guard behind the desk was tall and elegant, with chocolate-coloured skin and bleached-blond hair shaved military style. He wore tortoiseshell shades and a silk Italian suit that matched his hair. A black rose was pinned to his lapel under a silver name tag.

Percy read the name tag, then looked at him in bewilderment. "Your name is Chiron?"

He leaned across the desk. The kids couldn't see anything in his glasses except their own reflection, but his smile was sweet and cold, like a python, right before it eats you.

"What a precious young lad." He had a strange accent-British, maybe, but not like Holly's accent. It sounded more like English was his second language. "Tell me, mate, do I look like a centaur?"

"N-no."

"Sir," he added smoothly.

"Sir," Percy repeated, sharing a side-eye look with Holly who raised her eyebrows.