Home Is Where The Heart(h) Is

Chapter 17: Twisted

Chapter 17: Twisted

"It's the twelfth already?" Annabeth flattened the crumpled sheet of newspaper on the gravel road to read it clearer. She made out a small number 12 written on the upper right corner, followed by 6 and 16. "That's..."

"8 days left." Hestia finished for her.

She knelt down next to Annabeth and looked at the headlines, which were written in Italian.

"City wide evacuation." She translated.

"That would explain why no one is here. Probably left from Vesuvius' behaviour." Annabeth looked around. When they'd arrived in the middle of a street, it looked completely deserted, with total silence and zero signs of activity apart from the volcano some miles away.

"You can speak Italian?" She looked at Hestia questioningly.

Hestia raised an eyebrow. "No, when did I speak Italian?"

"You just did."

Hestia was quiet for a while before replying, "That's strange...I don't remember it. Maybe some of my powers are coming back. Must be the fennel stalk."

Annabeth held said fennel stalk she had placed in her backpack out of instinct. It was the sole reason they could do that ritual to Alcyoneus, of course she would bring it along.

She shot a glance at the goddess, who looked deep in thought. Sometimes she forgot the 16 year old girl next to her was technically an omnipotent immortal.

A tremor shook the ground. The two stumbled. A roar from the distance followed it like thunder would follow lightning.

"We're too late," Hestia said, her face pale as a ghost.

Annabeth drew her dagger. "Let's go."

"There will be no need for that, demigod." A voice spoke. It sounded close by and from below her, like the earth itself was speaking.

Then the ground beside her shifted. Scrambling away in panic, Annabeth watched as the road fell into itself, a huge pit swallowing the gravel and dirt.

A huge figure of metal and fire leapt from the pit. Its battlehammer slammed onto the ground first, its wielder landing beside it and picking it up.

"Alcyoneus, bane of Hades. A pleasure to meet you." The Giant's fully black eyes met Annabeth's.

She drew her dagger, eliciting a laugh from him.

"And what challenge will your small twig pose?" He said. Then he looked at Hestia. To further crush Annabeth's hope that he would be intimidated by the goddess, he did not show any signs of fear.

"Ah, yes, Hestia, the oldest of Kronos' children, yet the most lowly in Olympus. Has centuries of such treatment not broken your soul?"

"I don't think so. I'll tell you if it does." Hestia's eyes became steely.

"Yes, mother did tell us attempts to bring you over were all but futile. To your credit, your spirit remains incorruptible, especially after that whole business with Aphrodite. A strange plan, but intelligent nonetheless."

"But it didn't work. I'm standing here now."

Alcyoneus tilted his head. "Did it?"

A brief silence passed over the conversation, before Annabeth spoke up. "So? Where's the part where you unfold your diabolical plan of destroying Olympus?"

"Ha! You think we are the Titans. You think wrong. Do you suppose we will divulge our schemes and information to your minds, so that you may tell the rest? We are better than them, born of Tartarus than Ouranous."