Beyond the Shining Lights (Percy Jackson Barbie's Mariposa AU)

Chapter 8

Percy woke up to the scent of food being cooked. He stumbled into the kitchen and there he saw Thalia making breakfast and Grover and Tyson happily eating.

"Morning Sunshine!" Grover said jokingly as Percy sat down at the table.

"Morning." Percy said as Thalia made a plate for herself and Percy. "So what's the plan for today?"

"You and me are gonna go follow Luke around so that we can figure out what he put into your father's mouth." Thalia said quickly, bending down and producing a hat and sunglasses. "Grover and Tyson are gonna stay here and clean."

"And, you know, strategize on what to do if your little girlfriend doesn't come back in time with the ilios antidote." Grover teased.

"Annabeth is not my girlfriend. We've only talked twice!" Percy protested.

"But in the cage, you told me that you thought she was cute and that you were always watching her because she never went into the parties." Tyson said, confused.

"So my best friend caught a man by not going to a party to meet guys?" Thalia asked, starting to laugh as Percy put on the hat and sunglasses, his face becoming red. "First time that's ever happened."

"Can we just go stalk Luke?" Percy asked exhaustedly.

"I mean, you are the best person for the job."

"Grover!"

"Sorry dude!"

"Let's go!" Thalia said as she and Percy flew out of the house and started discreetly following Luke around.

For the first half of the day, Luke did absolutely nothing except talk with other fairies. At some point, Percy sighed, looking over at Thalia. "Are you sure it was Luke you saw in the throne room? I'm only asking because all we've seen him do today was eat good and talk to fairies."

"I know it was him." Thalia said quickly. "He's one of my closest friends. Why would I accuse him of something like this if I didn't have a good reason to?"

"I know, I know." Percy said, holding up his hand and watching as Luke flew away towards the edge of Halfling. "Wait, he's... Leaving Halfling?"

"Come on!" Thalia said as the two started following Luke once again down underneath Halfling and into a cave system.

"What is he doing here?" Percy whispered as he and Thalia hid behind a rock.

"No idea."

"Look, something's approaching him!" Percy said, taking off the sunglasses and squinting at the dark figures approaching. Once he realized what they were, Percy's eyes widened. "What is Luke doing associating with Titans?"

"You promised us butterfly fairies." One of the Titans said.

"I promise you, tomorrow night you will get all of the butterfly fairies your little hearts desire." Luke said, starting to pull something out of his bag.

"What's stopping us from eating you right now?" The other Titan asked as the two started approaching Luke.

Luke whipped out a bright ball of light and put it in the Titans's faces. He then said something, but Percy couldn't hear anything over the screaming.

"What was that light?" Thalia asked.

"No idea, but if we want to find out we have to wait for him to leave."

Thalia nodded and the two crouched behind the rock for what seemed like hours until Luke finally left the cave. I silence, Percy motioned for Thalia to follow as the two slowly crept further inside the cave, seeing a giant pot with a black liquid inside and bottles on small shelves.

Percy grabbed one of the balls of thistleburst and poured some of the black liquid on the thistleburst as it started to glow. He looked over at Thalia. "That ball must've been thistleburst combined with ilios!"

Thalia sighed, looking over at the Titans sleeping behind them. "Okay, but does this prove that he poisoned your father?"

"I think this more than proves it." Percy said, grabbing three bottles that were hidden and started to pour some of the poison inside. "If my father's lights get too weak, we can use this to fight against the Titans."

"Have you... Ever thought about what would happen if Annabeth doesn't come back before your father... You know, dies?" Thalia asked, grabbing some balls of thistleburst as they slowly started leaving the cave.

"She has to come back in time." Percy said, looking out at the sea beyond them. "Halfling is relying on her. If she doesn't come back in time to save my father, Halfling is as good as gone."