Moonlace (PJO)

Chapter 2

It took me a few minutes to decide what to wear.

Eventually, I decided on a par of blue jeans and a tight-fitting T-shirt, which would not limit my mobility while at the same time not being to loose.

I then mist traveled to my destination. 

The Empire State Building.

With its clean exterior, impressive stature, and humongous height, it already looked impressive. But when you knew that it was the entrance to Mount Olympus, you would look at it in a whole different light.

I walked into the lobby, the automatic doors opening silently. Inside, it was as glamorous as a castle, with red carpet, couches upholstered with velvet, and paintings that looked like they were worth more than a few million dollars. 

And to guard all of this, there was a bored-looking, unimpressive adult who was in his early twenties, reading a book while his legs were resting on the desk, facing the lobby. He didn't seem to notice my entrance, but I knew better.

I walked up to the desk, and said, "The key to the 600th floor, please."

The guard didn't even spare me a glance. "There's no such thing, kid. Go and try fooling somebody else."

From experience, I knew there was no point in trying to get the key nicely. "First of all, I'm not a kid. Secondly, if you don't give me the key, I'll knock you unconscious and take it myself. I could've mist traveled straight into Olympus, but I was acting courteous," I growled.

This made him look up from his book, angry. But when he recognized it was me, he clumsily swung his feet of the desk like a scared kitten and scrambled to procure the key. In his haste, it took him a few minutes to find it, which was in his pocket all along.

"Here you go, Mr. Jackson," he said, handing me the red credit-card-looking key. His hand shook in fear like a sapling in a hurricane, and I was afraid he was going to drop it. "Have a nice day."

I took it from him and I calmly walked to the left-most elevator, pressing the button. The door opened and I stepped inside, putting the key into a slot which was as thin as paper. It swallowed the key, which then would mysteriously appear right back to the guard, something I had observed in my countless trips to Olympus.

The only warning I had that I was moving was the weird floaty feeling in my stomach and the starting of a horrid song sung by Lord Apollo himself. Even though he was the god of music, the song was probably painful enough to make a flower wilt. Again, from experience, I knew there was no way to shut it off, so instead I opted to plug my ears and promise myself I would either ask Lord Hephaestus to install a mute button or deck Apollo off of Olympus myself. 

Four minutes and five-hundred-and-ninety-three floors later, I was tempted to ram my head into the wall.

The few remaining seconds felt like an eternal punishment. Finally, the doors opened, and I dashed out of the elevator like an Olympic sprinter on steroids who was getting chased by a dog.

But when the elevator doors closed again, I stopped running and admired Olympus.

It was a dream city, with gold-streaked marble and tall, graceful buildings that reached up like hands. It was humongous—about the size of a state—and I had never explored all of it. There were many mythological types of creatures walking through the streets—minor gods, dryads, satyrs, and many more that I had no idea what they were.

Olympus had changed drastically for the better, but even before the renovation, it was an emperor's dream. I looked everywhere, admiring Annabeth's handiwork. Everywhere I looked, I could see Annabeth's brilliant mind at play, with arches, pillars, and windows. 

I started walking towards what I recognized as the Hall of the Gods, courtesy of its placement right smack dab in the center of the city. 

Once I reached there, I could see humongous palaces the size of small cities, which had their own personal touches to them. Almost all of the ones I could see had gardens. There were hundreds, making me feel confused and disorientated.

I started walking in randomly, trying to find Athena's palace. I didn't know what to look for, but I knew that I would recognize it when I saw it.

Ten minutes later, I found myself in a humongous garden, not knowing how to get out. The plants had a beautiful shine to them, making them look healthier than any plant I had ever seen. I took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of flowers.

"Enjoying my garden?" asked a beautiful female voice from behind me.

I quickly turned around, seeing a woman about my age. With high cheekbones, a curvy and fit body, and a sculpted face, she was easily the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her green eyes looked at me curiously and had a hidden emotion inside of them.

I bowed. "Lady Demeter."

She blushed, a light red dust appearing on her face. "There's no need for that." 

I straightened up and said, "Sorry if I'm intruding on your property, but I got lost looking for something and I just straight up wandered in here." I looked around again, marveling at the nature. "Your garden is beautiful."

Lady Demeter blushed again. "Why thank you," she said. "You are always welcome here. What were you looking for?"

"Athena's palace. I'm going to ask her for her blessing to marry Annabeth."

Demeter had an angry look on her face, but quickly hid it with a tight-lipped smile. "You're almost there." She pointed to a copper-colored castle which had beautiful engravings and designs. It screamed Athena and I felt foolish I had missed it.

"Thank you, Lady Demeter."

"My pleasure, Perseus." Her smile grew into a real one, making her face glow beautifully. "I hope to see you soon."

With that, I bowed to her again and walked to the palace.