Inside the hijacked car, it was silent. Tense. Partially because I was currently stepping on the gas pedal as if death was just a suggestion and accidents never happend.
Or maybe it was because Grover was pissed that I kept another secret, though this time I just blamed my father for telling me only after we had been there for a while. At the same time, Annabeth was pissed that she wasn't the only one talking to their godly parent.
I thought it best not to inform her that by technicality, I was constantly interacting with three of my godly parents, yes the fates might not actually appear and talk but I can feel their thoughts, feelings and intentions in every thread of destiny around us. This only became stronger after my recent nightmare.
We drove down the street to Santa Monica like a bloodhound that had found a cocain line saturated with blood. Needles to say, the drive of possibly five hours was reduced to 2,5 hours.
Why were we driving that fast? No particular reason. Actually we still had more time than Canon Percy had when he originally entered the casino.
It was just that I had somehow landed on a particularly blood pumping and fast paced Playlist. One that played over my still invisible headphones and I just had to drive fast.
Or maybe it was the feeling of certain death, of a cold blade pressed against my back that increased the moment I slowed down. Someone was impatient.
We reached the beach with no interruptions. No gods wanting favors or handing out side quests like they were candy. No monsters that needed slaying, partially because I had decided to send some of my own monsters, mostly the undead since they had infinite stamina, to kill any that could possibly come across us.
But sometimes, whenever one monster was killed, I felt something happening, something other than their dead bodies being added to my growing undead army. Something other than their parts being added to my resources in the forge.
Small vibrations, changes in fate happend. Quakes that traveled along the strings of fate like flies trapped in a spiders web. And with each small vibration, each small change in another's fate, I began to realize that those changes didn't just happen in fates' weave, but they began to influence my domain of Guidance as well. First it was just like someone ringing a doorbell. Just letting me know that there was someone to guide, but then, as I consciously thought about it, I felt and knew what I had to do. The monster I had sent got new orders, while the three of us were walking down the beach to the water. Whenever they found demigods, be they Roman or Greek, they were to guide them to their respective camps. They were to ensure their safety. I allowed them to draw upon my very own magic, just so they could call on more support form not only the sentient shadow of my hellish magics, but that they could also call on my familiars. Just so they could bolster their own ranks if needed.
"Percy, are you sure you want to go? We can't help you from here." said Grover once we had reached the water.
"He won't need our help. Remember he's the Waterguys son. He's going to be entirely save." Annabeth said. And then I felt the cold blade again. This time it was more "real"? Like it hadn't been a possibility before.
I turned around, but not fast enough to miss the other twos faces.
Annabeth looked at me like she knew I wasn't who I said I was.
Grover was the opposite. He looked at me, actually worried but still like he would trust me regardless of how insane my ideas would be.
I entered the water and began to swim further away from the land. The water around me felt like a new limb. One that I had never felt. I reached out with my consciousness, trying to connect with it. And then something felt like it had clicked into place. Like something had finally started the first explosion in an ignition engine. The water swallowed me whole as I dove down, deeper and deeper until I eventually hit the ocean floor. I was still in the light zone where daylight filled the water.
While I waited for my promised visitor, I began practicing my power, not the one of my own domain, one that I had unconsciously used instead of my demigod powers. The water around me listen, at first it was hesitant and distrusting. But the more I began to realize that just imposing my will would only lead to sub-par results and limit my use of the element, the more I began to just guide the water, letting it flow how it wanted and with what force it thought justified. Then I began to spread my emotions to it and the water reacted more. More intense, more violent or calm. It all depended on my emotion and intention.
"You're very talented. Even some of your other halfsiblings had difficulties connecting and realizing the way of the water as quickly as you." came a voice from behind me. She didn't suprise me. I had already sensed her arriving, just as her thread of fate had indicated.
" Hello Lady Amphridite. How can I help you?"
I asked this as I turned around, making eye contact with the most gorgeous blue sapphires one could imagine.
"It's not what you can help me with, but rather what I can do for you, son." she looked U sure as she hesitantly added the "son".
"That's good to hear. Not gonna lie, for a moment I thought you were going to give me a quest. Oh and by the way, if your going to call me" son" then I might as well call you "mother". I got no reason to deny myself more birthday presents. Or parental affection."
She gave me a small, nostalgic smile. Like I had reminded her of someone. Then she silently gave me the pearls. The very same that appeared in canon. There was no need for explanations and it didn't appear that she wanted to explain anything as she faded into the sea. I left the water soon after, rejoining the others. I relayed to them what had happend on canon and showed them the pearls I had gotten.
The cold steel pressed against my back intensified again, but this time there was a feeling of greed mixed into it.