We arrived in Central Park, Mrs, O'Leary was pretty tired; she just limped her way to the pile of rocks. She started sniffing around, I was worried she might mark her territory.
"It's okay she just smells the way home." Nico said.
"Through the rocks?" I asked.
"There are two major entrances to the Underworld," Nico said, "You know one of them."
"Charon's ferry." Percy said, "in L.A."
Nico nodded, "the other is smaller and harder to find. The Door of Orpheus."
"The dude with the harp?" Percy asked.
"The dude with the lyre." Nico corrected, "but yeah him."
"His wife died, and he sang his way through the Underworld. He made a new path and used his music to charm the earth in order to make it to Hades. He almost got away with her soul. He looked back and she was dragged back to the Underworld." I said remembering the legend.
"So how does it open, this door." Percy asked, hitting the rocks.
"With music, how's your singing?" Nico asked.
"Oh Hades no. Elena?" Percy asked.
I sighed, "Okay fine but I need some sort of background...Grover!"
We waited for a long time. We were relying on Percy's empathy link but it wasn't working.
"It's no good." Nico said
Percy shook his head and concentrated more. Percy was in his thoughts until he started to fall over. I shot up and helped him stay up.
"Woah are you okay?"
"yeah...I got through. He's on his way.
A minute later Grover fell through a bunch of branches on his head, "Grover!" I yelled. I ran over and helped him up.
"You okay man?" Percy asked.
"Yeah the dryads had a great idea of passing me through trees from the other end of the park. They don't understand height very well." he grumbled.
"Good to see you G-man, you remember Nico." Percy said. Grover nodded at Nico before crushing Percy in a hug.
"Perrrcy," he yelled, "I missed you. I miss camp!"
"I've been worried about you. Where've you been the last two months?" Percy asked.
"Wait what? What month is it?" he started to freak out.
"August." I answered.
He went pale, "that's impossible. I just laid down to take a nap and," he grabbed Percy's arm, "I remember now! Percy, he knocked me out! We have to stop him!"
"Woah, woah slow down. Tell us what happened." I said to Grover trying to get him to breath.
"I was walking in the woods by Harlem Meer and I felt a tremble in the ground. Like something powerful was approaching."
"You can sense stuff like that?' Nico asked.
"Ever since Pan's death I can sense when something is wrong in nature. Anyway, I started following the scent. The man in a long black coat was walking through the park. I noticed he didn't cast a shadow, in the middle of a sunny day. He kind of shimmered when he moved."
"Like a mirage?" Nico asked.
"Yes," Grover said, "and whenever he passed humans they-"
"They would pass out," Nico said, "Curl up and sleep."
YOU ARE READING
The Last Olympian
Fanfiction"The war is here, the years we've been spent training. We're all about to find out if it was worth it. With Olympus defenseless, we half-bloods are left to defend our parents and our home. My nerves were high, my anxiety racing, but I kept it togeth...
