The Fates' Trusted

Power

Soon we came upon a river. It was small and swift, with a quick current gliding over pebbles and washing away anything that got thrown in its path. The ground around it was muddy and wet.

"There must have been a flash flood," Annabeth said. She raised a hand to cover the sun. "Probably came from those mountains.... mountains. Yeah, we are definitely not at camp anymore. What direction is that, Grover? South?"

Grover and I followed her pointed finger. Above the trees, I could see the slight outlines of mountaintops.

"East, actually," Grover said.

I looked back at the small river in front of us, and an idea popped into my head. I headed towards the river.

"Where are you going, Percy?" Grover asked.

"Well, if my idea works, I should be able to find out where we are," I answered.

"That's right!" Annabeth exclaimed. "Wow, seaweed brain, that's a good idea!"

"Gee, thanks," I said as I waded into the water. I felt the current swirl around me, and the water rejuvenating me with energy. It pushed against me playfully, changing its mood as soon as I got in. It felt alive. It was nothing I'd ever felt before. It wasn't uncomfortably different, but, in a strange, old, and foreign type of new, I felt its power. I focused on position. Where am I, I asked the water in my head. I got the strangest answer I have ever gotten. It was like a flood of water entered my mind. Suddenly, I was the river. I was so surprised; the current of the river almost took me away.

I was running down the Mountain, cool and newly formed. Even though I couldn't really see how I usually saw, as it was from the river's point of view, there were other ways of seeing. The river's senses were all bundled into one. As the water ran through pebbles and cut through earth, it felt where it was going making a mental image that was quite detailed and probably accurate. I felt the river going through the marsh that it had created. Annabeth was right: There was a flash flood recently.

The river edged around, making turns. At one point falling over a small waterfall. After a long while, I felt it pass where we were, going around my body, which was a really weird feeling. Right after us, another branch of water joined it, making it even faster. Its curves were wider and covered more land. It then took a sharp turn right before widening and emptying into the sea.

My eyes flickered open. My head cleared. Woah. That was... interesting. I was confused, though. I didn't really get a location. I just got a sort of 'You Are Here' with a map of the river. We were still lost. However, the river did have an internal compass, so I could confirm that the mountains were indeed in the east.

I climbed out of the river feeling reenergized. Annabeth and Grover looked at me expectantly. "I got nothing, except that the water flows from the mountains to the sea. I have no clue where we are."

Annabeth nodded. "Let's stop here for the night," she said, "We have no clue how long we are going to be here or when we will see anybody. So, hope for the best but prepare for the worst. I saw some berries while we walked here that could be a good place to start food-wise."

"I'll pick the berries," Grover piped up.

"No," Annabeth shot down. "I need you to see if you can figure out where we are. You said that you can hear the trees. Talk to them and find out what they know. After that, we can figure out the rest of our plan."

"Yeah, man," I said, "Go all Lord of the Wild on them."

Grover looked uncertain. "I'll try..."

"Great," Annabeth said, dragging me with her as she walked away. "We won't be far."