Chapter 13: A Failed Quest (Maybe)

I just want to let you know that I have permission from the author LostHeroGuide

go check out the story on

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11493775/1/Heroes-and-Ghosts

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You Guys have been so good to me with this story! I'm still writing, and to be honest its getting harder to find the time to, but I'm going to finish it. Shout out to LiveWireEagle (I think thats his username). He got straight to the point with telling me what he feels I've done wrong, and I want him to know that his advice is really influencing me to do better. Maybe not in this chapter per say... But srsly, thank you.

(PS: Jody Black, I wanted to tell you for sooooo long. His shadow and silhouette made him look seven feet. He's actually six foot in this story.)

I'm not Rick, I'm not Joss, and I'm no Stan.

Five Years Later:

Danny:

They'd been away for a week now.

Danny couldn't believe how quickly her life had changed. She still felt like that drifter, the girl that flew from town to town looking for absolutely nothing from no one. It wasn't a simple life, but it was hers. Not the mother she left in Virginia. Not the father that left her at the hospital.

And certainly not the father that was an Olympian god.

She wished she hadn't stopped in Armpit, Nevada. She should've kept running.

But then Andrew had found her, and she chose to follow him.

Now there was all this crap thrown on her shoulders. 'She's the chosen one', 'she's going to save us all'. That's what Hypnos had said in his sleep in Idaho. Why did all the pressure suddenly get put on her shoulders?

How was she supposed to tell them she'd failed?

"Where do you think we are?" Andrew asked from next to her. She didn't speak, choosing instead to keep putting one foot in front of the other. She kicked lightly at the dirt road as she walked. Instead Terry looked towards the sky, but it was covered in clouds. She didn't shoot an insult at the son of Apollo like she usually would've.

"I don't know." She sighed. She pointed the hunter's knife she'd been twirling towards the trees. "Hades was kind enough to bring us above ground, but he never told us where he was putting us."

"Go figure. Even when they're helpful they stink." Danny muttered.

Terry ignored her, as usual. "But judging by the trees, we're somewhere in the western half of the U.S." She said.

"That narrows it down." Danny said sarcastically. "So are we hitchhiking to Long Island, or are we hitchhiking to the Berkeley Highway?" She asked.

Terry sighed again. "I do not know. New Rome seems like the likely choice, seeing as it's closer, but Chiron and Lady Artemis want us back at Camp as soon as possible."

"Why are we on a dirt road?" Andrew suddenly asked, as if realizing it for the first time. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Because the lord of the dead said he'd transport us to a road." She said slowly. Terry shook her head, muttering curses about men.

"That's not what I meant. Why aren't we on a paved road, or close to one? Why couldn't he put us back at camp?" He asked.

Terry paused for a second. "The gods are fickle beings. Hades must've not thought anything of droppings us where we desired. Just the closest place he could think of." She reasoned.

"Okay, but why this dirt road?" Andrew asked.

"What're you trying to say, Drew?" Danny asked. She was getting sick of hearing his voice. Especially now that they'd be going home empty handed.

He thought about it for a second. "I- I don't know. Something just feels right about this. Déjà vu, I guess." He said. Danny frowned. Andrew's Déjà vu usually ended in explosions or a monster attack. She wondered if he even knew he could do that.

"You're right, though. We need to find somewhere to sleep tonight, and we aren't going to find anything walking along a dirt road." Terry said. Danny wasn't used to hearing Terry agree with Andrew.

"What happened to your box tent?" She asked, referring to the tent that they made Andrew sleep outside of for a week of hiking across country. Terry looked down at her shoes.

"Confiscated when we reached the doors to Euphris." She muttered. Danny flinched, remembering the burn that Terry must have on her arm from the whip the Fury had used on her.

"Sorry." She muttered.

They walked in silence for another few minutes before Terry stopped them. "Do you hear that?" She asked, immediately drawing her bow. Danny and Andrew tensed, now on high alert. Andrew pulled out his own bow, taking it off his back. Danny went for her sword, but only found the thigh bone she'd stolen from one of the guards in Hades palace.

They walked off the path, Terry switching her focus onto the other side of the road. A few moments later, Danny heard the thump. Then another. And another. The puddles from the rain they'd thankfully avoided trembled like a dinosaur was heading their way (her mother loved Jurassic Park).

"What do you think it is?" Danny asked, trusting Terry like she'd had to with the snake women. Terry gripped and un gripped her bow a few times.

"Big." She replied.

Then the Hyperborean burst from the trees.

Danny blinked a few times, not understanding what she was seeing. The guy was as big as the two story motel she'd snuck into in Tampa one time. It's skin was a deep, icy blue color, and his hair looked like it was glass, gelled down and growing icicles. It's face looked kindly, and he seemed to be looking around in confusion.

"What's he doing so far south in the summer?" Andrew whispered. "I thought they lived way north."

"They migrate, you idiot. From the arctic all the way to Alaska. It only happens every decade or so." Terry said. She frowned. "But never alone." She mumbled.

The blue boy was scratching his head, glancing around in growing annoyance. His breath came out in a huff of icy fresh breath and the nearest tree was deep freezed.

After a few minutes of waiting, the giant sat down, smack in the middle of the road. Terry cursed. "it could be hours until he moves." She whispered in exasperation.

Andrew frowned. "Can't we just go around him?" He asked.

Before Terry could call him an idiot, she paused, then turned. Danny heard it as well, a truck coming down the road. She cursed. "What're we going to do?"

"Wait it out." Andrew blurted before Terry could speak. Terry and Danny tried to protest, but he put his foot down. "I just... I have a feeling, guys, okay? Trust me."

Terry stomped her foot. "You are no Oracle!" She screeched loud enough for the blue giant to look towards them with a frown.

Then the truck appeared. Danny didn't know if it was ironic or tragic that the truck was nearly the same shade of blue as the hyperborean. She vaguely wondered if the giant would want the truck. Judging by how he was clapping, just a bit louder than artillery fire, she guessed he liked the color.

Terry was ready to intervene in case the mortal got himself into trouble, her bow steadied. Andrew just watched as the blue truck calmly parked in front of the giant. Danny guessed he saw a felled tree or a random rock slide.

"Hi there!" The guy yelled.

Now Danny had heard a bit about clear sighted mortals, including the camp oracle, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She'd never met one, though. She'd only been at camp a week before she'd had to leave, and Rachel had been taking college courses over the summer.

But it appeared to be the case for this guy. He was wearing a blue flannel shirt and black jeans. His dark hair was messily tucked under a baseball cap, and his eyes hidden by a pair of aviators. His demeanor screamed 'country boy'. "You lost, big guy?" He asked the giant, taking one step at a time towards him.

The giant followed his movements, then began to hum what Danny thought was 'it's a small world'. The boy chuckled. "Heading north, huh?" He asked, more so himself than the hyperborean. "It's that way." He said, pointing towards the mountains in the distance. The giant grunted, but otherwise stayed seated.

The guy sighed, then sat in front of the giant. "Big guy, any other time you'd have my full attention. But right now? Bad timing. I've got to get to New York ASAP." He said, as if explaining himself would help. The giant began picking stuff out of his teeth. He pulled out a whole branch and threw it aside after careful inspection.

The guy continued sitting there, and then suddenly let out a loud, taxicab whistle. It seemed to echo across the valley. "How about a playmate, huh? Just until you find your family." He said. There was a loud whiny and Terry gave her attention skyward. Danny looked up just in time to see a Pegasus fly over her.

The giant took interest into this. He stood quickly, putting his hands out carefully, like a child. He smiled when the Pegasus hovered cautiously over his hands.

Danny caught the guy saying something, but she couldn't hear it. The Pegasus suddenly took off and landed farther down the road. It whinnied urgently. "Guido needs some company, okay big guy? Would you mind keeping him occupied?" He asked. The giant didn't even acknowledge he'd spoken, instead chasing after the flying horse.

When the giant was out of sight, the guy stood and nodded in satisfaction. He stood quietly, then got back into his truck.

Andrew acted fast. He jumped out of the bushes and ran towards the idled truck. "Wait!" He called. Danny immediately face palmed, then ran after Andrew before he did something stupid. Terry remainder in the bushes, not trusting the man.

The truck ended up stopping, and Andrew rushed to catch up. When he reached the truck the man rolled down the window and looked out as the two teens rushed to the edge of the truck. "Hi there." He said cautiously. "Can I help you?"

Andrew nodded his head vigorously, as Danny caught up and began shaking her head. "No! I'm sorry, sir. My friend here is just being stupid." She apologized, smiling winningly.

Andrew shook his head. "Danny, you saw what he just did. He's either one of us, or he can see them. He can help us." He insisted. Danny tried playing it off with another smile while smashing her heel into Andrew's foot. He cursed, jumping up and down like an idiot.

The guy raised an eyebrow, but ended up shrugging. "I can't really offer you much besides a ride East. That where you're headed?" He asked.

Before Danny could say otherwise Andrew nodded. "That'd be great." He said, jumping in the back. Danny tried to protest, but ended up sighing. They were heading East anyways.

"Fine. But you have to sit next to Terry." She told Andrew. The look of fear in his eyes made her feel a little better. With a little coaxing they got Terry into the truck and Danny took the seat beside the stranger. Then they were off.

The man didn't seem all that interested in talking, and the silence was killing her. She tried the radio, but there wasn't a single channel that wasn't Spanish. Finally, she just turned off the radio and tried to get to sleep. Sadly, she was restless. She hoped the... Whatever he was didn't start asking questions.

"How long have you guys been on your quest?"

So much for being a mortal.

Danny sat up straighter in her seat, casting him a sly glance. He kept his eyes on the road, almost as if he'd asked a question about the weather.

"Are you a demigod?" She asked. He simply nodded, as if his life had been nice and simple.

"Talking to Hyperboreans should've tipped you off." He said, turning off of the dirt road and into pavement. "But yeah, I am."

Danny was quiet for a second. "What's your name?" She asked.

"Liam. Now will you answer my question?" He asked, not sounding too annoyed.

Danny didn't understand why, but she trusted this guy. He seemed to be pretty upfront with people. Something Danny liked in people. "We've been gone for a week now..."

She started to describe the adventure she'd had, from meeting Andrew in Nevada and going to Camp Halfblood with him. The way people in Hermes hadn't exactly given her a warm welcoming, pranking her. He laughed when she told him she'd pranked the Stolls back.

How Poseidon had warned the camps of a new threat, one that would wipe all demigods away. Liam was quiet when she said that. How she was supposed to lead a quest with the newest huntress and the cocky and stupid son of Apollo. Her. The fourteen year old with no 'saving the world' experience.

Liam listened intently, not stopping her but letting her know he was listening. Suddenly she wasn't talking about the quest. Instead she was venting her mother and talking about her life of running since she was nine. Her tact for thievery and burglary.

Liam mentioned how she hadn't even him what the quest was, and she realized he was right. "We went into the Underworld, looking for someone." She explained. "He died a few years ago, but everyone kept telling us that he would be the one to help us."

She turned to him. "Have you ever heard of Percy Jackson?"

Liam didn't even flinch. "Yeah. A little bit, I guess. What about you?" He asked.

And there lies the problem.

No one would tell her. At the mere mention that Percy Jackson needed to be brought back to face some indescribable threat, everyone refused to speak. Even Clarisse, the tough senior camper for Ares cabin, paled and clammed up.

"I don't know. No one would tell us." She said.

Liam grunted, but didn't really respond. They hit a pothole and Danny could hear Terry curse in what she guessed was Latin.

"How much do you know about him?" She asked slyly. He raised an eyebrow in her direction, and she caught a glimpse of green under the shades. "Not to pry or anything. I mean, the counselors probably have a good reason they don't talk about him-"

"No no. It's fine. It's just a touchy subject. Did you at least know who his dad was?" He asked. She shook her head.

"Poseidon. One of the first children of the Big Three to be born in nearly half a century." He explained. "He was pretty strong. Controlled water and stuff." Liam shrugged off.

"Can you tell me anymore about him?" She asked tentatively.

He shook his head. "He had a nasty habit of getting into trouble. Supposedly the gods stripped him of his powers and killed him because they were scared of what would happen if he ever switched sides." He explained.

"Harsh."

"The gods usually are. Quick to punish, easy to forget."

Danny was silent for a few seconds. "Why would the gods ask for his help, then? Wouldn't he say no?" If she was dead and a few fourteen year olds showed up to tell him to suck up her pride and help, she would probably laugh at them and tell them to take a hike.

"I really can't say. But the way you spoke about your quest, I think it was a fool's errand." Liam said.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

He gave her a strange look. "The reason you failed was because the gods wanted you to. They don't want Percy Jackson back."

She contemplated what he'd said for a while in silence, then grit her teeth. He was right. Hades wouldn't cooperate. The storm in Utah that picked them up off the ground. The goddess Athena telling them it was necessary she not fail. All of it, a trick. "Then what was the point? To waste time?!" She yelled. "What do I do now?" She whispered to herself.

Liam answered her anyways. "You keep moving." He said, and when he spoke it reminded Danny of her mother's own words. "Besides, you've got a veteran Demigod with you now. I've got a trick or two hidden up my sleeve."

Danny found herself believing him.

...

They stayed in a motel that night.

It was modest, Danny guessed. One of those pay-by-the-hour places that Terry instantly refused to go into. Liam promised that she would live, to which the huntress scoffed. Still, she eventually went in anyway, refusing to share a room.

As she slammed the door Liam grunted and asked if he'd be able to sleep in the truck without worry about them doing anything. Blushing, Andrew and Danny stuttered through a response that just made Liam laugh. He told them goodnight and left them in their own room.

"Do you think we can trust him?" Andrew asked from the couch. Danny had just been thinking the same thing, trying to let the darkness clear her mind.

"I think we could. We just need... I don't know. We need a plan."

"How are we supposed to fight someone we don't know with someone who's dead?" Andrew asked. Danny smiled. He'd asked that question when they were first given the quest.

"Maybe we aren't supposed to. I don't know." She said.

They laid in silence long enough for Danny to hear the small snores coming from the couch. Then, after rolling her half shut eyes, she fell into a deep sleep.

...

Danny was back at camp.

Only it didn't look like camp. Something was off. The strawberry fields in the distance, the lake, the mess hall, the cabins-

They were missing.

Well, the huge, main god ones were there. But where was the Hypnos cabin? Hebe? Nike? Tyche? None of the minor god cabins were there.

She was sitting beside someone on Halfblood Hill, but she didn't know who. She felt a small, petite hand in her own, large, meaty...

Why did she have guy hands?

She didn't have control over her body, but she could tell that she was definitely in a guys body. How she knew, she didn't want to know. She watched as he lifted his arm and grabbed something off of his head.

"Here. I think you should keep the laurels this time around." Danny didn't say in a semi-pre-pubescent teenage boy voice. She watched as he turned his head and looked at who he was sitting next to.

Danny gasped. It was her. The woman that told her to be cautious when she met Percy. Younger, but still her. Annabeth Chase.

Young Annabeth grinned slightly as he placed a set of gold leaves, like a crown, crookedly on her head. She readjusted it, then leaned back against the tree- Thalia's tree -and gazed down at the camp with happiness. "As if you were going to take it." She mocked.

Danny felt not herself frown. "What're you talking about? I did most of the work!" He complained. Tiny Annabeth sat up straighter.

"As if! We would've crashed in the first few seconds if you'd been driving!" She argued.

"Yeah, but did you see how I handled that Greek fire? I mean, MVP move right there." He reasoned. She rolled her eyes.

"I nearly got sliced by Beckendorf." She deadpanned. "And the Greek Fire still would've gone off if you hadn't had your shield." She said.

He shrugged. "Whatever. I would've come up with something." He said. "Either way, thanks for racing with me on the chariots."

She leaned against the tree again, closing her eyes. "No problem. Thanks for nearly letting me get sliced up."

"You're welcome."

"Shut up, Seaweed Brain."

Guys, you rock. plz review and tell me if you like the new characters. Backstory will be filled in soon. To a point. I like making you guys think.

-LHG :)