Riptide by Annabeth Chase

Chapter Eleven: Gateway Arch

(The Lightning Thief pg 195-218, and some dialogue from episodes 4 and 5 of the tv show, also it's totally possible the the water reached out and grabbed Percy like it does in the show but if that happened literally none of them would have known about it)

Considering how action packed the first 12 hours of our quest were, the next 48 hours were surprisingly uneventful. Grover had found a poodle that we were able to return to its owners for a reward and we purchased train tickets with the money. We rode the train going west and slept off and on. Trying to keep our heads down while remaining alert enough to be ready if something attacked or one of the gods decided to blow up the train.

Percy and Grover both mumbled in their sleep and Percy drooled a lot. While I was on 'guard' duty, towards the end of the second day Percy was whimpering and I was able make out that he was saying, "No, no I won't help you, I won't do it." Then Grover kicked Percy hard and woke him up, losing his shoe in the process.

Once we had sorted that out, I asked, "So ... who wants your help?"

"What do you mean?" He responded looking a little confused.

"When you were asleep just now, you mumbled, 'I won't help you.' Who were you dreaming about?"

He didn't answer right away but eventually he sighed, "I've been dreaming that I'm standing next to this deep pit. Something is down there, and it wants me to help it rise from the pit. He's laughing evilly and asks me to bring him the master bolt. Whoever is down there even offered to trade my help for my mother."

He sounded scared and what he told me just made me feel even more sure we were missing something major.

"That doesn't sound like Hades," I told Percy. "Hades usually appears on a black throne, and he doesn't laugh."

"But he offered my mother in trade, who else could do that?"

"I guess ... if he meant, 'Help me rise from the Underworld.' If he wants war with the Olympians. But why ask you to bring him the master bolt if he already has it?" I asked without really expecting an answer.

The more I thought about it the less certain I was that Hades had stolen the master bolt. And if Hades didn't have the master bolt, where was it? If he did have the bolt, what had the Furies been looking for and who was asking Percy for help through his dreams? Who else would be able to offer Percy's mom in trade? I had way too many questions and not nearly enough answers, but I did know one thing ...

"Percy, you can't barter with Hades. You know that right? He's deceitful, heartless, and greedy. I don't care if his Kindly Ones weren't as aggressive this time —"

"This time?" He cut me off. "You mean you've run into them before?"

I thought about the last time I had met the Furies, when we had lost Thalia. "Let's just say I have no love for the Lord of the Dead. You can't be tempted to make a deal for your mom."

I knew it was harsh, he cared about his mom a lot, but we had enough problems without Percy losing track of our main goal.

"What would you do if it was your dad?" He asked.

"That's easy, I'd leave him to rot," I shot back, thinking that Percy probably should have mentioned someone else if he wanted me to actually understand how he was feeling.

"You're not serious?" He looked at me like I was heartless which made me a little angry. People always assumed that family was going to be there for you. Like just because he was my dad, love was guaranteed.

"My dad's resented me since the day I was born, Percy. He never wanted a baby. When he got me, he asked Athena to take me back and raise me on Olympus because he was too busy with his work. She wasn't happy about that. She told him heroes had to be raised by their mortal parent."