Deep Diving with Sharks

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Happy New Year, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Come yell at me on tumblr: Percabeth4Life
Come chat with me on discord: https://discord.gg/3tGNJhu

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It was Annabeth's idea.

She loaded us into the back of a Vegas taxi as if we had enough money to go past the city limit and told the driver, "Los Angeles, please."

The cabbie chewed his cigar and sized us up. "That's three-hundred miles. For that you've gotta pay upfront."

Was that an actual policy? That they would drive three-hundred miles, but you have to pay first? Did you have to pay for a round trip drive?

"You accept casino debit cards?" Annabeth asked.

He shrugged. "Some of 'em. Same as credit cards. I've gotta swipe 'em through first."

Annabeth handed him her green LotusCash card (it still gave me that metallic taste, so the magic should still work).

He looked at it skeptically.

"Swipe it," Annabeth invited.

He did.

His meter machine started rattling. The lights flashed. Finally, an infinity symbol came up next to the dollar sign. I didn't even know that was possible.

The cigar fell out of the drivers mouth. He looked back at us (it definitely helped that we were all in fresh clothes; clothes that fit us perfectly and looked tailored) and swallowed hard, eyes wide.

"Where to in Los Angeles... uh... Your Highness?"

"The Santa Monica Pier," I said as Annabeth sat up a little straighter. She definitely liked the 'Your Highness' thing. "Get us there fast and you'll get fifty-thousand." That seemed like a good amount. It sounded like what a rich person might say right?

His eyes lit up and he turned to the front.

The cab's speedometer never dipped below ninety-five the whole way through the Mojave Desert.

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Once on the road I finally had the time to think properly about my dreams.

The Titan in the pit.

Gold eyes like the Hades child.

Appearance like Poseidon.

Sand like the Hotel where time was different.

The Titan in the pit, Kronos, the King of the Titans.

I remembered reading the myths about him. He was the brother of Okeanus (in most versions) and the Father of Poseidon so it was relevant to me.

There are a lot of versions of his myths. Some had him cruel from the start, but others had him become cruel when the prophecy became known. A few he kept the Kyklopes and Hundred-handed-ones locked in Tartarus, while others still had him release them and lock them up again when he went crazy.

The prophecy was usually the catalyst though.

He certainly didn't seem crazy now. Maybe getting chopped to tiny pieces helped put things into perspective for him.

Next time I dreamed of the pit... I'd ask him why he wanted Zeus' Master Bolt.

He said he needed power when talking to the other person there. Was he trying to use the Bolt to heal? That didn't seem bad...

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