Half-Blood Initiates: The Initiates You Never Knew
Highway to He - I mean Chicago
ANNABETH
After Chiron packed all our gear (but we weren't sure what to expect so who knows?) and placed it on the grass outside the mess hall. I organized it all by who's is who's and Piper's Aphrodite 'friends' incessantly tried to shove a shitload of makeup into her bag and throw her Converse for Mrs. O'Leary for an afternoon snack.
After the luggage was packed and considered done, we were faced with the predicament of how the seven of us would make it to Chicago. Percy, Hazel, and Jason offered to use their horses while Frank would transform into a bird to fly himself there. Me, though, I was thrown into the hands of Leo as he would steer Festus with Piper on board as well. It made me nervous with anxiety, but Leo flew us in the Argo II so I don't know why my instincts think he's a threat.
Frank left twenty minutes early to get a good head start and verify it was safe. Piper and I had the job of watching the luggage on Festus. Then, the three left on their horses. Piper, Leo, and I hung around to leave in ten minutes.
"I'll see you guys later!" Piper called to her campers. Drew herself was in a gorgeous flowing gown made of ocean blue silk. It reminded me of Percy's eye color and damn it just hit me I missed him. Just because of this morning's fiasco doesn't mean I'm entirely pissed at him. He just needs to get his priorities straight.
Leo attempted to flirt with Rachel to get a future reading about our Chicago adventure. Rachel slapped him and said she wasn't some drunk fortune teller at a palm reading. It gave the few campers strolling by a moment to laugh. Leo's fists lit up like a torch and Piper took her water bottle and poured it on his hands. I was laughing my butt off when Chiron told us it was time.
I wish I had some kind of sign to show us what will happen. The prophecies may be vague but I don't like being kept in the dark.
"Annabeth," Piper hesitated. "you ready?"
I wish.
~Le time skip brought to you by pita bread and katniss leaves~
It took HOURS. I practically fell asleep on Piper's shoulder. She was nice about it, until I nearly fell off Festus when Piper shoved me off herself.
"Leo," Piper spoke up. "how long will this take?"
"Why don't you ask Festus?" Leo replied.
"He can't talk." I interjected.
"DON'T TREAT MY BABY THAT WAY." Leo defended his mechanical dragon.
"Leo doesn't need a girfriend, he has Festus." Piper and I chuckled.
"Well, your girlfriend nearly killed me like when I was fourteen." I raised my eyebrow.
"She has temper issues."
"Sure, Leo, sure." Piper said.
We continued along, Leo making hilarious jokes and Piper laughing at his expense. Ah, it was funny. A part of me wanted to laugh and have a fun time while the other half dwelled on anxiety for this mission. What will we expect in Chicago? It can't be worse than anything we've ever faced (we've been in FAR worse things I'm surprised I'm still alive)
"Annabeth?" Piper suddenly interrupted my reverie.
"Hm?"
"CHICAGO!" Leo screamed. I could see a distinct group of horses running swiftly below us and I grinned. A giant fence about three hundred feet tall. Festus descended down and down and down. I stepped off and felt the Illinois grass.
We're here.
~Another Le time skip brought you by the last le time skip~
"There is guards in all black surrounding the wall barrier and they won't let us in." Jason told us as Piper, Leo, and I walked up to greet them.
"Oh hello to you too then, Grace." Leo scoffed.
"Quiet Valdez."
"Whatever," I sighed. "What do we do? We have to get in."
"I could like, spontaneously bring them cookies and 'oh can we just infiltrate your walls that would be swell'." Leo suggested.
"What do we do with him?" Percy sighed.
"We could run ahead while they beat him up." Hazel laughed. Leo's face became a little red tomato.
"Ooh, I could use charmspeak!" Piper beamed. Everyone agreed to that and then the seven of us split up into groups and formed an adequate plan that's bound to work.
Piper borrowed a black cardigan Hazel brought and changed into black tights and black blouse and black high heel boots. I looked away while she changed but I doubt the guys did. Pervs.
She had no weaponry but her voice was all we needed to penetrate the fence. It was three hundred feet tall and wowww it was astonishing. The architecture of the entire place was intricately done in a way I couldn't begin to describe.
Oh shit! I have to work on my Mount Olympus blueprints! Damn, I left them at camp. Oh well it would suck if I lost them anyway.
I trudged through piles of mud and mildew and other repugnant things like that. I was smart to bring combat boots and we eventually reached inside the fence. Piper told the guards we were a part of 'Dauntless'. Whatever the heck it meant.
Tired and exhausted, we wanted food. But I glanced around and noticed there was no restaurants or flashing lights of a McDonald's or anything. I was deep in thought when the other six stopped abruptly in their tracks. I nearly stumbled into mud thanks to them.
"Ugh - what is the problem -"
Then I saw it. I SAW what it as they were so pale white terrified of.
In front of our eyes was a Chicago cityscape, but the city was split in half. One side was a glittering utopia of sunshine while the right one was cloudy and clusters of peoples shoved into alike colors. One was the regular, modern day city. We weren't here for that one.
"I think we are supposedly to go, uh, right." I mumbled.
"Are you sure?" Frank finally uttered a sentence for once.
"Yeah. See, the left is the regular Chicago. Chiron mentioned to me - since I know how to punctually be on time thank you very much - that Hecate split the city in half for peace and shit reasons for the camps. Anyway, so if we don't fix this then both will collide instead of peacefully co-existing. We need the broken, tattered one. Go right." There I was, taking orders again.
No one objected to my assumption so we proceeded on into the right side. The two halfs were perfect parallels to one another. Maybe, if we complete this mission, Percy could take me on a date in real Chicago. I smile at the thought.
"What's with the outfits?" Leo blurted. "I think I'm going colorblind."
"No, Chiron mentioned factions. This society is split by groups of people." I pointed to a hall with mysterious insignias all over them. "Look at those."
ERUDITE THE INTELLIGENT
AMITY THE PEACEFUL
ABNEGATION THE SELFLESS
CANDOR THE HONEST
DAUNTLESS THE BRAVE
"Hey the 'Dauntless' wear black." Piper noticed. "The guards were wearing all black."
Representatives stood by all faction insignias. Men and women in specific colors regarding each faction. I soon figured it out. Erudite: blue. Dauntless: black. Amity: red and yellow. Candor: black and white. Abnegation: gray. I told the others and they all listened attentively as I rambled on. The six of them didn't seem to mind not having to figure all this confusing crap out.
"Hello there children. You don't look like you belong here." A blond woman approached us in all blue.
"Erudite." I murmured so she wouldn't hear.
"The future belongs to those who know where they belong." She retorted. A bunch of men in corresponding cerulean colors were by her side. They hoisted us up on our shoulders and began to drag us away. We struggled and screamed and fought, but they were much smarter.
The blond woman kept me while the others were dragged off.
"Where are you taking them?!" My voice was hoarse and desperate. I couldn't lose them. Not here not now.
"To their aptitude test of course, darling. But don't worry you'll take yours soon enough."
After Chiron packed all our gear (but we weren't sure what to expect so who knows?) and placed it on the grass outside the mess hall. I organized it all by who's is who's and Piper's Aphrodite 'friends' incessantly tried to shove a shitload of makeup into her bag and throw her Converse for Mrs. O'Leary for an afternoon snack.
After the luggage was packed and considered done, we were faced with the predicament of how the seven of us would make it to Chicago. Percy, Hazel, and Jason offered to use their horses while Frank would transform into a bird to fly himself there. Me, though, I was thrown into the hands of Leo as he would steer Festus with Piper on board as well. It made me nervous with anxiety, but Leo flew us in the Argo II so I don't know why my instincts think he's a threat.
Frank left twenty minutes early to get a good head start and verify it was safe. Piper and I had the job of watching the luggage on Festus. Then, the three left on their horses. Piper, Leo, and I hung around to leave in ten minutes.
"I'll see you guys later!" Piper called to her campers. Drew herself was in a gorgeous flowing gown made of ocean blue silk. It reminded me of Percy's eye color and damn it just hit me I missed him. Just because of this morning's fiasco doesn't mean I'm entirely pissed at him. He just needs to get his priorities straight.
Leo attempted to flirt with Rachel to get a future reading about our Chicago adventure. Rachel slapped him and said she wasn't some drunk fortune teller at a palm reading. It gave the few campers strolling by a moment to laugh. Leo's fists lit up like a torch and Piper took her water bottle and poured it on his hands. I was laughing my butt off when Chiron told us it was time.
I wish I had some kind of sign to show us what will happen. The prophecies may be vague but I don't like being kept in the dark.
"Annabeth," Piper hesitated. "you ready?"
I wish.
~Le time skip brought to you by pita bread and katniss leaves~
It took HOURS. I practically fell asleep on Piper's shoulder. She was nice about it, until I nearly fell off Festus when Piper shoved me off herself.
"Leo," Piper spoke up. "how long will this take?"
"Why don't you ask Festus?" Leo replied.
"He can't talk." I interjected.
"DON'T TREAT MY BABY THAT WAY." Leo defended his mechanical dragon.
"Leo doesn't need a girfriend, he has Festus." Piper and I chuckled.
"Well, your girlfriend nearly killed me like when I was fourteen." I raised my eyebrow.
"She has temper issues."
"Sure, Leo, sure." Piper said.
We continued along, Leo making hilarious jokes and Piper laughing at his expense. Ah, it was funny. A part of me wanted to laugh and have a fun time while the other half dwelled on anxiety for this mission. What will we expect in Chicago? It can't be worse than anything we've ever faced (we've been in FAR worse things I'm surprised I'm still alive)
"Annabeth?" Piper suddenly interrupted my reverie.
"Hm?"
"CHICAGO!" Leo screamed. I could see a distinct group of horses running swiftly below us and I grinned. A giant fence about three hundred feet tall. Festus descended down and down and down. I stepped off and felt the Illinois grass.
We're here.
~Another Le time skip brought you by the last le time skip~
"There is guards in all black surrounding the wall barrier and they won't let us in." Jason told us as Piper, Leo, and I walked up to greet them.
"Oh hello to you too then, Grace." Leo scoffed.
"Quiet Valdez."
"Whatever," I sighed. "What do we do? We have to get in."
"I could like, spontaneously bring them cookies and 'oh can we just infiltrate your walls that would be swell'." Leo suggested.
"What do we do with him?" Percy sighed.
"We could run ahead while they beat him up." Hazel laughed. Leo's face became a little red tomato.
"Ooh, I could use charmspeak!" Piper beamed. Everyone agreed to that and then the seven of us split up into groups and formed an adequate plan that's bound to work.
Piper borrowed a black cardigan Hazel brought and changed into black tights and black blouse and black high heel boots. I looked away while she changed but I doubt the guys did. Pervs.
She had no weaponry but her voice was all we needed to penetrate the fence. It was three hundred feet tall and wowww it was astonishing. The architecture of the entire place was intricately done in a way I couldn't begin to describe.
Oh shit! I have to work on my Mount Olympus blueprints! Damn, I left them at camp. Oh well it would suck if I lost them anyway.
I trudged through piles of mud and mildew and other repugnant things like that. I was smart to bring combat boots and we eventually reached inside the fence. Piper told the guards we were a part of 'Dauntless'. Whatever the heck it meant.
Tired and exhausted, we wanted food. But I glanced around and noticed there was no restaurants or flashing lights of a McDonald's or anything. I was deep in thought when the other six stopped abruptly in their tracks. I nearly stumbled into mud thanks to them.
"Ugh - what is the problem -"
Then I saw it. I SAW what it as they were so pale white terrified of.
In front of our eyes was a Chicago cityscape, but the city was split in half. One side was a glittering utopia of sunshine while the right one was cloudy and clusters of peoples shoved into alike colors. One was the regular, modern day city. We weren't here for that one.
"I think we are supposedly to go, uh, right." I mumbled.
"Are you sure?" Frank finally uttered a sentence for once.
"Yeah. See, the left is the regular Chicago. Chiron mentioned to me - since I know how to punctually be on time thank you very much - that Hecate split the city in half for peace and shit reasons for the camps. Anyway, so if we don't fix this then both will collide instead of peacefully co-existing. We need the broken, tattered one. Go right." There I was, taking orders again.
No one objected to my assumption so we proceeded on into the right side. The two halfs were perfect parallels to one another. Maybe, if we complete this mission, Percy could take me on a date in real Chicago. I smile at the thought.
"What's with the outfits?" Leo blurted. "I think I'm going colorblind."
"No, Chiron mentioned factions. This society is split by groups of people." I pointed to a hall with mysterious insignias all over them. "Look at those."
ERUDITE THE INTELLIGENT
AMITY THE PEACEFUL
ABNEGATION THE SELFLESS
CANDOR THE HONEST
DAUNTLESS THE BRAVE
"Hey the 'Dauntless' wear black." Piper noticed. "The guards were wearing all black."
Representatives stood by all faction insignias. Men and women in specific colors regarding each faction. I soon figured it out. Erudite: blue. Dauntless: black. Amity: red and yellow. Candor: black and white. Abnegation: gray. I told the others and they all listened attentively as I rambled on. The six of them didn't seem to mind not having to figure all this confusing crap out.
"Hello there children. You don't look like you belong here." A blond woman approached us in all blue.
"Erudite." I murmured so she wouldn't hear.
"The future belongs to those who know where they belong." She retorted. A bunch of men in corresponding cerulean colors were by her side. They hoisted us up on our shoulders and began to drag us away. We struggled and screamed and fought, but they were much smarter.
The blond woman kept me while the others were dragged off.
"Where are you taking them?!" My voice was hoarse and desperate. I couldn't lose them. Not here not now.
"To their aptitude test of course, darling. But don't worry you'll take yours soon enough."
Can't waiiiiiiit!
9/24/15