The Journey Begins
After saying goodbye to the campers, some wished them luck, like Luke, Daniel, Jean, and Lily. Others watched them with open mockery, clearly hoping they would come back missing a limb, or maybe not come back at all. Clarisse and her siblings from the Ares cabin stood firmly on that side. The rest, however, seemed to look at them with something closer to envy, watching them set off on not just one quest, but two at the same time.
Before the three of them left with the driver Chiron had arranged, Luke approached them quickly, wearing his usual easygoing smile.
"Good luck out there. And I thought this might help you," he said to Percy, handing him a box.
Percy opened it, revealing what looked like a completely ordinary pair of sneakers. Maybe too ordinary. He didn't even try to hide the disappointment on his face.
Luke smiled softly and said, "Maia."
From the heels of the shoes, what looked like two white wings sprang out, fluttering slightly as they began to lift into the air. Before they could float too high, Luke caught them and pushed them back into the box.
"Amazing," Grover said, staring at the shoes with open fascination.
Annabeth, like every time Luke got close, turned a little quieter, a faint blush creeping across her face. It wasn't exactly a crush. More like deep admiration and respect tangled together. Meanwhile, Harry examined the shoes with genuine interest. As someone who loved flying, something like that was bound to catch his attention.
"How fast can they go?" he asked.
Luke blinked slightly at the question. "Well… I never really measured it. Maybe around a hundred kilometers per hour. That's just a rough guess," he replied.
"So they're slower than a Nimbus," Harry muttered, already sounding less impressed.
Luke didn't understand the reference, so he simply turned back to Percy and handed him the box. "They were a gift from my dad. They've been pretty useful on quests. I hope they help you too."
Percy looked faintly embarrassed. "Well… thanks. Maybe next time I get another quest, you could come along," he said, meeting Luke's eyes directly.
Luke's eyes widened just a bit before he smiled again. "Yeah. I'd like that. It'd be like a quest between friends. For now, just be careful out there. And kill a few monsters for me, alright?" he added lightly.
At the word friends, Percy smiled. After all, he could count his friends on one hand.
Harry, however, frowned for just a fraction of a second when he heard it, his eyes resting on Luke. But seeing Luke's calm, easy expression, he shook his head slightly, as if brushing the feeling away. Percy gave Luke a firm handshake in farewell.
Luke nodded at Harry, gave Grover a small punch on the shoulder, and hugged Annabeth. She turned even redder, and for a moment looked like she might actually faint. Then Luke stepped back.
Percy glanced at Annabeth and couldn't help himself.
"You look like you're hyperventilating, you know," he said, clearly teasing.
Annabeth shot him an irritated look and was about to snap back, but she didn't get the chance.
Someone did it for her.
Or rather, someone pecked Percy on the ear while flying straight to Harry's shoulder.
"Ow," Percy complained, glaring at the offender. "Hedwig, were we sworn enemies in a past life or something?" he protested, looking at the owl, who now perched calmly on Harry's shoulder, staring at him with obvious disdain.
Harry gently stroked the owl's head.
"It's fine, Hedwig. You can stay. It's going to be a dangerous trip. And it seems like you've made a lot of friends here," he said, completely ignoring Percy's complaints, as if Percy weren't currently fighting a personal war against a bird.
Hedwig let out a small approving chirp. And before settling properly, she made sure to attempt one last wing slap at Percy, who barely dodged by ducking down.
"I'm telling you, Harry, your pet has something against me," Percy said quickly.
"You're imagining things," Harry replied calmly, despite the very obvious evidence.
"It's pretty obvious why," Annabeth cut in suddenly, stopping Percy's dramatic gestures and earning both boys' attention.
"Oh? And why is that?" Percy asked, his tone dry.
"Well… it's because you're Poseidon's son," Annabeth said seriously.
"Oh? And Poseidon's hated by birds because they try to eat him thinking he's a fish or something?" Percy shot back without missing a beat.
"No, idiot," she said, exasperated. "Specifically owls and birds connected to Athena. They're her sacred animals. My mom and your dad don't exactly get along. So Hedwig might, in some way, not have the best opinion of you because you're Poseidon's son."
"That explains a lot," Harry said with an amused smile before patting Percy on the shoulder. "See? I told you it wasn't just Hedwig. Apparently all her cousins and siblings feel the same way."
With that, he started walking toward the car. Grover followed, offering Percy a sympathetic smile. Annabeth gave him one last teasing look before joining them.
"Great. Hated by an entire species because of my father. If I'm going to be hated by a whole community, I'd at least like it to be for something I actually did. Then it would make sense," Percy muttered as he hurried after them.
…
"Wouldn't it be a lot easier to just take a plane?" Percy asked while they rode in the car the camp driver was using to take them to the nearest bus station. Annabeth sat in the passenger seat; Percy, Harry, and Grover were in the back.
The driver, by the way, was Argus, the head of security at Camp Half-Blood. According to Grover, he had eyes all over his body, which made it practically impossible for anything to escape his notice. Right now, dressed like an ordinary driver, the only visible eyes were on his neck, face, and hands.
Which still made him a rather… interesting sight.
Maybe slightly unsettling.
But at this point, Harry and Percy were fairly used to… interesting people.
After all, their Aunt Mor had once been a medieval dark sorceress and now terrorized them if they touched her pudding. One of Percy's mentors was a goblin who managed a magical bank. The other was a cursed knight trapped on a sunken island that could only be reached through a fireplace.
And among their friends there was a half giant and a satyr.
So a few extra eyes were hardly the strangest thing they had seen.
Back to the point, Percy was genuinely asking about the plane because, according to Chiron, the Underworld was located in a rather peculiar place. Not because it was strange.
But because it was far too easy to reach.
Los Angeles, California.
"It's because you're Poseidon's son," Annabeth said, staring at him as if the answer were obvious.
"You know you use that excuse every time you want to explain something, and I'm not sure I like it very much. So what is it now? Does it mean I can only travel by boat or something?" Percy replied dryly.
"No, idiot. It's because Zeus would obviously attack you if a son of Poseidon stepped into his domain. He'd throw a lightning bolt without hesitating," she said with complete seriousness.
At that, Percy's teasing expression faded.
"Even if that meant killing hundreds of people on the plane with me?" he asked.
"Maybe we shouldn't get into that," Grover interrupted quickly. "But yes… for now, it's probably better if you don't try flying, Percy."
Harry thought for a moment before speaking.
"So that's why Aunt Mor said you weren't allowed to learn how to fly on a broom, or a lightning bolt would fall on you," he said, realizing that, as usual, their aunt had been leaving clues from the beginning.
"Well, at least now my trauma makes sense," Percy muttered, rolling his eyes at a particularly unfriendly uncle.
Argus dropped them off directly in front of the bus station and drove away without a word. It was his job. They couldn't exactly complain.
After buying their tickets, all they had to do was sit down on the bus and wait for it to leave.
"Well… I hope this is simple. We go to Los Angeles, enter the Underworld, have a nice little chat with our relatives, and come back. The world is saved. We've got fifteen days, but maybe it won't even take a week," Percy said confidently.
Harry looked at him, at the way he made it sound so easy.
He didn't smile.
But he didn't say anything either. No point discouraging him. It was only the beginning of the trip.
Grover sat quietly, still looking like he was processing the fact that he was about to be part of something extremely dangerous. Annabeth checked her belongings carefully, making sure nothing was missing. She slid a bronze dagger into her sleeve and tucked pieces of ambrosia into her pockets.
Harry, for his part, wasn't exactly worried yet.
But just in case, he kept scanning the surroundings, watching for anything even slightly out of place.
Everything seemed calm.
The only unusual thing nearby was three elderly women sitting in the front row of the bus. Every now and then, they would glance back at the group… and then nod to each other.
On its own, that didn't seem especially strange.
Maybe.
But when one of them turned around again, she opened her mouth in what looked like a stiff smile. For just a second, a row of sharp, yellowed teeth Flashed in the dim light. Another had eyes so dark they looked like pure shadow.
"Uh… guys," Harry said quietly, realizing they were definitely not normal.
At that exact moment, the bus started moving.