A gift of the gods || Percy Jackson x My OC

13/Big bathtub

They stood in the shadows of Valencia Boulevard, looking up at gold letters etched in black marble: DOA RECORDING STUDIOS.

Underneath, stencilled on the glass doors: NO
SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.

It was almost midnight, but the lobby was brightly lit and full of people. Behind the security desk sat a tough-looking guard with sunglasses and an earpiece.

Percy turned to his friends. "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 negative?" Percy looks at Theadora who was sat leaning against the wall, still unconscious.

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

He took the pearls out of his pocket, the four milky spheres the Nereid had given him in Santa Monica. They didn't seem like much of a backup in case something went wrong

Annabeth put her hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Percy. You're right, we'll make it. It'll be fine!" She 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?"

He looked at them both, and felt really grateful. Only a few minutes before, he'd almost got them stretched to death on deluxe waterbeds, and now they were trying to be brave for his sake, trying to make me him better.

Theadora had been choked to death for around 5-10 minutes, but lived. Her throat had been more or less purple and the green faded. She was still pale. She coughed in the corner and opened her eyes.

She held her hand up to block the sun and retreated into the shadows. The three stood up looked at her. "Your alive, thank god" Grover bleated

"I don't go out that easily" she said, her voice cracking and followed by a cough.

"Can you walk?" Percy asked as he slipped the pearls into his pocket.

"Yes, I didn't break my legs, Jackson" she stood up and held onto the wall for support. "You guys go, I'll meet you there, be careful."

"You sure" Percy asked and the daughter of death nodded "Bye Angel" he said.

"Wait" she called out, coughing and threw a red rubber ball at Annie. "Take it, you'll need it" she said with a sore throat and disappeared into the shadows.

He turned to the others. "Let's whip some
Underworld butt,"

They walked inside the DOA lobby.
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. There were people sitting on couches, people standing up, people staring out the windows or waiting for the elevator.

Nobody moved, or talked, or did much of anything. Percy could see them all just fine, but if he focused on any one of them in particular, they started looking ... transparent. He could see right through their bodies.

The security guards desk was a raised podium, so they had to look up at him. He 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,

'Your name is Chiron?' Percy asked
He read the name tag, then looked at him in bewilderment. He leaned across the desk. He couldn't see anything in his glasses except his own reflection, but his smile was sweet and cold, like a python's, right before it eats you.