Percy Jackson:The Mountain Climbers

18th April: Percy

06:40 A.M. - Icefall, Serac Zone.

"How far now?" I shouted over the wind to Aaron.

Aaron looked at his watch. "We're not far now - just another three hundred feet! Just keep going!"

Jason groaned. "Three hundred? I could fly up this thing faster than climbing it!"

"Jason it's not that bad," Nico shouted, though he was shaking from the cold.

The weather started to pick up after the last twelve minutes. The snow literally ploughed into our faces, and I was afraid that we would all go snow blind from it. I heard once before that Jon Krakauer himself suffered from it from his time on Everest - it renders the person almost completely blind.

"Just keep going!" I screamed over the roaring winds, making my way slowly across the snow. 

We came to a ledge that was almost six metres high - without hesitating, I jumped up and swung my axe high. It just about reached the edge and I hung there. I reached up with my free hand and started hauling myself onto solid ground. Well, when I say ground, I meant more snow and ice which was starting to really irritate me.

For once, I just wished it was just one bare mountain without the snow and blocks of ice and that it was sunny. I just...wished Annabeth was here, supporting me in person. For once after being here for no more than a couple weeks, I was just tempted to say "Fuck it," and go home to her and the baby. 

Now that I mentioned it, I wonder how Annabeth was doing with coping with this. I was still slightly mad that Hera was there - I still had the nervous feeling that she was planning to do something with Annabeth. I decided to push the thought out of my mind and tried to focus on what Annabeth would look like now. I could see her blonde hair and her intense grey eyes; that small sly smile of hers (I wasn't the only one with a trademark smile); she wore a white blouse and light blue Levi's jeans and one of her hands was constantly on her stomach.

I dragged myself over the ledge and rolled over onto my back, the snow surprisingly cool on my back, somehow absorbing the sweat off my back. The others followed suit, but I was already getting back on my feet. No time for rest now, just keep going. I shouldered my bagpack.

"Going somewhere?" a new voice muttered behind me.

I turned around, as did the others and we were, I think, a bit surprised to see a well known mountain climber. 

Edmund Hillary was standing right in front of us.

He looked about thirty four, with short black wavy hair and a sort of crinkled face. His eyes were a shade of grey though it wasn't like Annabeth's eyes - his were the colour of grey marble. He wore an old fashioned mountain climbing suit and his black boots had spikes right underneath them.

He looked slightly annoyed.

I must admit, I was taken back - I knew that this wasn't THE Edmund Hillary; he died back in 2008 from a heart related topic. But this guy looked so like Edmund Hillary that it was starting to put me on edge.

"Who are you?" Jason demanded, his sword already outstretched. The sword sparked with live energy. "What are you doing here?"

Hillary cocked his head to the left, as if he was a curious dog. He even spoke in that New Zealand accent. "You know, you have a lot of nerves to be on my mountain. I must admit that it's been a while since children of the Big Three came here. If you must know who I am, my name is Everest - as in it's immortal spirit."