The Owl and the Trident- A Percy Jackson Fanfic

Bill Casts the Fishook of Destiny

When the world stopped acting like an overenthusiastic carousel, the first thing I noticed was a bright light.

I know right now you're probably thinking "wow, that's really cliche of him" but I'm not talking about that kind of light. What I mean is that when I opened my eyes I was staring into the sun.

The second thing I noticed was that the light didn't hurt my eyes. I looked away and my vision was totally fine. Truth be told, I still didn't feel much of anything physical. I couldn't feel the sun's warmth even though I could see heat waves rising from the pavement around me. I couldn't feel the breeze that made the fallen leaves around me swirl in the air.

All I did feel was Annabeth's hand in mine. It was definitely a good feeling. Knowing she was with me snapped me out of the haze I had sunk into and I felt my demigod instincts return to me. The most important of all such instincts ran through my head.

When in doubt, ask Annabeth.
"You wouldn't happen to have any idea where we are, would you?"

She rolled her eyes at me. "Really, Seaweed brain?"

Uh oh, I thought. What did I miss this time. I searched our surroundings to figure out what she had seen that I hadn't.

We were in the middle of an empty street in what appeared to be midafternoon. The buildings were all pretty normal, except for the one right in front of us.

It looked a bit like a castle or one of the cathedrals Annabeth was always showing me pictures of. The building was definitely over a hundred years old but, judging from the glass rectangle above one wing and the sky bridge connecting two tiers in the middle, not everything was original. Still, I was no closer to figuring out where we were.

"Alright," I sighed. "I give up." She grinned and pointed over a nearby roof to a flag fluttering not far off. Now, I'm not an expert at state flags but I remembered enough from my US History class to recognize the distinctive starred pattern of the Texas flag.

She laughed at me then. I was glad to hear it. The sound reminded me if simpler times. I leaned down to kiss her but stopped when I felt it.

By this point I was getting sick of weird feelings. This one was like an anchor in my stomach, pulling me towards the castle looking building. I could tell Annabeth felt it too judging by the raised eyebrow she was sporting.

"Any objections to seeing where it leads us?"

I smirked in response. "Nah, let's just follow the invisible fishook of destiny into the strange and mysterious building."

With nothing better in mind, we followed the tugging sensation wherever it lead us. We eventually found ourselves surrounded by Ancient Greek artifacts. The room was filled with tourists who ignored us, even after I accidently walked through a mom pushing a stroller. Annabeth watched her silently until the woman disappeared. The woman never looked back.

"So, we really are dead then," Annabeth sighed softly.

That's when I heard a short of hissing sound, not unlike a leaky tire. It took me longer than I'd like to admit to realize it was a young man going "psst!" from behind a Roman vase.

Annabeth and I exchanged bemused glances before gliding over to join him amid the pottery.

The man was wearing dark sunglasses and a Dallas Cowboys baseball cap, but he was still easy to recognize.

"Apollo," I stated. The god in question pressed a single finger to my lips in an anxious silencing gesture.

"Shh! I'm undercover! Call me Bill." As he removed his finger and leaned over a display case, I tried not to laugh at the reminder of the last time Apollo, sorry Bill, was "incognito".

Annabeth tilted her head. "Of all places, sir, why Texas?"

Apollo's face lit up. "Welcome," he declared throwing out his arms, "to the San Antonio Museum of Art!"

The way he said it, I got the sense that I was supposed to be impressed. So, I tried not to look too confused. Annabeth also looked puzzled so that was something I suppose.

"I've read about this place," she responded. "They have one of the largest collections of Ancient Mediterranean art in the country. Is that why we're here?"

Apollo chuckled. "Dionysus told me about this place about a century or so ago. It wasn't a museum then, but rather something a little closer to his own heart. Anyway, to answer your question, I brought you two here because this is one of the few cities my father and both my uncles avoid whenever possible." I guess he realized his explanation left something to be desired because he went on. "Jackson, our fathers both had sons leading the defense of the Alamo who were killed by troops led by a son of Hades. Our uncle, Hades, avoids the state whenever possible. He still blames his brothers for his son's capture and defeat."

I nodded. It seemed a little strange to avoid a city because of something that happened over a century ago. But, if my experiences with the Olympians had taught me anything, it was that my family loved to dwell in the past.

"So, what's with all the secrecy?" Apollo looked back up from a depiction on a vase of Heracles fighting the Nemean Lion. Now the god was laughing at me.

"I love demigods. You guys always get right to the point." His smile slowly faded. "I know you guys were betrayed. Everyone else thinks what happened was some kind of accident but I know better. When Dionysus called me, after Hestia collapsed... Well I knew something was wrong. She only has her fits when something is really wrong. I haven't seen her this upset in centuries. A simple ambush or even a revenge killing of a demigod leaders wouldn't interfere with her domain on such a scale. Something big is at play here. Something that could destroy the hearth, the safety of our home, and the other gods aren't ready for this."

He smirked like he planned on saying something clever. "So, demigods...
Let's make a deal."

A/N looks like I actually forgot to write an author's note with dedication question when I first published this so here it come. You guys know the drill...

      Where do the four demigods and magicians meet up in "The Crown of Ptolemy" by Rick Riordan?

I promise I'm still somewhat active on wattpad and I'll work on the next chapter as soon as I finish with the next chapter of my story, Revealed.