Heart of the Universe: Discovery

CHAPTER FOUR: EXPLANATION

Annabeth was freaking out. The last time Percy had gone missing without telling her, Annabeth's least favorite goddess had kidnapped him and placed him in an involuntary coma for six months. When Percy had asked her to go with him to New Jersey for Christmas, she had felt as light as air. It took everything she had to keep herself from jumping up and down. They had started college in the Autumn, they were swamped with homework and studies. All right, Percy had been swamped. It was a breeze for Annabeth, but Percy could hardly figure it out in time for tomorrows' classes. This was the first date they ever had together, even if it involved Percy's family. But when Annabeth arrived, he was distant all dinner and went missing that night.

It was two in the morning when he finally showed up, stumbling in the door and locking it behind him. "Annabeth," Percy said, gasping for breath."We need to talk." Annabeth listened quietly as Percy filled her in with a brief explanation. "And I summoned a wave to pull me up to the grate and ran for the house." He finished, a good five minutes later. "You shouldn't have done that," Annabeth snapped, unable to hide the fact she was upset he was spending alone time with another girl."Now they know you're a son of Poseidon." Percy had the nerve to laugh."I don't think they know about that,"he said."and besides, you sounded just like that when I hung around Rachel during the Titan War." 

Annabeth turned bright red and decided it was time to change the subject. "I want to know more about this;" She asked hastily."Do you think you could take me there?" Percy grinned."Way to change the subject. Anyway, I know you're a daughter of wisdom and you want to know everything, but are you sure? It was an entire city full of monsters. What happens if you get caught?"He asked. "Of course I want to go, Seaweed Brain! I'll be fine. Though you might not want to go. If they see me, I pretend too faint and they bring me back here. But if you get seen, they'll know you aren't just some lost teen."Annabeth exclaimed. Percy winced."Are you sure? One of them was so good at sword fighting I only won because I said something that really surprised it. I'm not sure it's safe." "C'mon, you did it, so I can do it too, and better, and that is just a fact."

                                                                     💠    💠    💠

It took a lot of arguing, but Percy finally agreed to let Annabeth go on her own. When she arrived, she was astonished. The place was beautiful! It gave her so many ideas for her Olympus diagrams! She wished she had to write this down, but that was a mission for tomorrow. As Annabeth skulked around, she found so many unchronicled types of monsters, she felt giddy. So much information! So many things that the world had yet to know about! She wanted to sit down right then and there and start memorizing it all, but if she didn't want to get caught, then Annabeth had to keep moving. When she finally found the correct cave, she was about to faint with joy. How did all of the crystals support each other? What was the giant orange crystal in the center that appeared to be powering the whole cavern?

The questions could wait. The cave held a table with a creature sitting up on it, surrounded by the teenager, woman, and  monster that Percy had described pretty well. They were talking, but surprisingly about what or who Percy was, like they really had no clue. "How do you think he did that?  Does he have a copy of the book of Ga-Huel? Is he a changeling?" The teen, Claire, was asking."No, he isn't a changeling, I don't recognize him. He has to be something else. Maybe he found a sword and thinks he's a superhero?"The woman asked. "No, that can't be it." The sitting one said."He held himself like he had pro training.""Then what is he?" The tall, four-armed one demanded. 

Annabeth had an inkling of an idea. A few months ago, she had met two siblings named Carter and Sadie... they were magicians. From Egypt. Another world that was separate from the one she knew. So if there was a world she didn't know about..... who was to say that there wasn't another? Percy had read the situation completely wrong. This wasn't a city of monsters... this was a secret civilization. And someone was covering it up. Who was it? The teenaged girl named Claire? The creature who looked more human than the others. Annabeth had to find out. She had to uncover all of this.