Harper POV:
After the incident, Mr. Chiron took me to my cabin to get some rest but I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t stop thinking about Percy. I quickly got up from my bed once I knew Mr. Chiron left and I grabbed my bag from under my bed.
I packed some clothes and my dagger, I didn’t have much. I swung my bag to my back and snuck out of my cabin making sure no one saw me, especially Mr. Chiron, I walked into the forest “Today, you tried to kill me. Now you want to defend me?” asked a familiar voice, I follow the voice to see Percy, Grover, and Annabeth. I decided to stay in the forest in the shadows “That wasn’t real. That was just training” said Annabeth “Yeah” Percy said not believing her “Percy, that’s all I’ve ever done is train and train. I’ve grown up here. I’ve only been in the outside world a couple of times. And I’ve never had the chance to go on an actual quest. Besides…you’ve won one battle, and I’ve won hundreds. You’re going to need my experience” Annabeth explains “Good point” Grover chuckles “You two really want to go?” asked Percy.
Before Annabeth and Grover could answer I walked out of the forest and out of the shadows to the light “I also want to go too” I said speaking up, Annabeth and Percy turned to me while Grover jumped from my sudden appearance “How long have you been there?! you almost gave me a heart attack!” Grover says making sure not to shout “Son of Harpocrates, God of Silence and Secret” I reminded Grover walking to them. “Are you sure you want to go?” asked Percy, his voice with worry, I nodded my head almost with determination “I may not have much experience in fighting like Annabeth or being a protector like Grover, but I still want to help as much as I can, I don’t want to stay stuck in the shadows anymore” I said.
Percy looked at me then at Annabeth and Grover “Okay. I guess we’re all going” said Percy a bit annoyed but tried to hold it in “So, who knows how to get to the underworld?” Grover asked “Did not think of that one” said Percy realizing it “I-I think I might know who can” I stuttered as I started to lead the group.
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We finally make it to Luke’s cabin walking inside, we walk to Luke to see him sitting on a chair playing a video game, I never knew what a TV or a video game was until Luke explained them to me once. “L-Luke?” I called “Hmm?” he asked before turning his head to us “Hey guys” Luke greeted us turning his head back to the game “Percy, figured you’d stop by sooner or later. Everybody does” said Luke “Get away from all that…Renaissance Fair stuff out there, you know?”Â
Luke paused his game, put his controller down, and got up turning to us “But, uh…welcome to the modern world” “Cool, new stuff” said Grover as we looked around his cabin at the strange things he had which I didn’t know what they were “What are you guys up to?” asked Luke noticing our backpacks “We’re going to get my mom back” Percy answers “Oh” said Luke walking toward us “Your dad is the messenger of the Gods, one of the only ones who’s gotten in and out of the Underworld. Do you have any idea how?” asked Annabeth.
“Mmm…my dad’s a jerk. I’ve never met him” said Luke “You, too?” Percy asked “Guess we all got daddy issues, huh?” said Luke with a smile “That’s because all Gods are the same: selfish. They only care about themselves” said Luke, he did have a point, I never met my dad, not even once, the dagger was the only thing he gave me when I was a baby before Mr. Chiron found me at the entrance of the camp. “But I once broke into my dad’s house. Got some cool stuff” said Luke making me lift my head as he went to the back of his cabin and grabbed a shoe box blowing the dust off them before handing them to Percy “For you” Percy looked at Luke confused brushing off any other dust before opening it.
Once he did a shoe with wings slowly flew out, I looked at the shoe in amazement “Flying shoes?!” asked Percy “Mm-hmm. They’re my dad’s. He has hundreds of these little guys” said Luke grabbing the shoe before it flew away “Won’t even miss ’em. Look underneath the other one” said Luke walking back to Percy. Percy did what he was told taking out a folded brown paper, Luke put the shoe back in before Percy closed the box in time before the shoe tried to fly away again, and handed the box to Annabeth.
“You see, people have gone to the Underworld before, without having to be dead. Hercules did it. Orpheus did it. My dad does it all the time. Getting in’s the easy part. Getting out–now, that’s tricky. This is a map to Persephone’s pearls” Luke explained before pointing at the map that Percy unfolded “Persephone? you mean Hade’s wife?” Percy asked as me, Annabeth, and Grover looked at the map “Y-y-yeah, he forced her to marry him. Keeps her prisoner” I explained “Needless to say, she hates it there. It’s hot. He’s a weirdo. So, she has, um…secret visitors. She keeps pearls hidden for them all over the world, and these pearls, they provide a quick escape from the Underworld. You could use them to get out” Luke explains “So, how do the pearls work?” Grover asked “Easy. You take a pearl, step on it, you crush it, visualize where you want to be taken. Right now, there’s four pearls in the United States” said Luke pointing at a location “Right here is your first location” The part of the map where Luke pointed glowed forming words before it stopped glowing.
” ‘Auntie Em’s Garden Emporium’ ” Grover reads out loud “Once you find the first pearl, the map will show you the next one and the next one, hopefully the fourth one will be closer to other ones, and then you’re off to Hades. Which, um…reminds me–you guys…might need some extra protection, so, uh…” said Luke as he turned to his desk with a shied that wasn’t fully a shield “My favorite shield. You might want to take a step back” said Luke as he gave Percy the shield. Me, Annabeth, and Grover stepped back away from Percy, Percy put on the shield and once he did, it turned into a full shield “Hey. Thanks, Luke” said Percy slapping Luke’s arm “Ah, don’t mention it. But, uh, you’re going to have to promise me one thing. If you see my dad on the highway to hell…” “Yeah?” “…kick his ass for me”
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