o1 ♆ video

[kelpful]

[A messy-haired teenage boy is eyeing the computer with an expression somewhere between dubious, irritated, and relieved] One minute I’m falling to Tartarus, the next I’m stuck on a giant turtle and surrounded by water. I’m pretty sure that no one can blame me for thinking that sounds too good to be true.

We are on a giant turtle, right? Like, I didn’t hit my head and hallucinate that or anything, there’s definitely a turtle with a whole city happening on its back and everything? Has anyone tried talking to it yet? Because I could really use an answer that isn’t ‘ask the Emperor’ right now.

[He glances down at his hands and falls silent for a moment. One of them shows signs of the skin being ripped and torn, but it’s the other one he seems to be focussing on. He clenches his hand fruitlessly for a second, before glancing back up at the camera] Uh. I’m Percy, by the way. I’m looking for a girl called Annabeth Chase. She’s tall, has curly blonde hair, and a bad attitude. If you tell her I’m looking for her, she’ll probably start badmouthing me. Or – Frank, Hazel, Nico, Leo, Piper. Jason, even. If you’re here, get in touch.

Comments

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[sharpes]

Definitely a giant turtle. And yeah I'm guessing there's probably somebody here that can talk to animals, so 'probably'.

There's definitely a chick here that fits that description, so whatever. She your girl?

[He's not up to being a douchebag after the zombie issue, okay.]

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[kelpful]

[okay you said other things but apparently Annabeth is here so he's just going to focus on this for a while] She's - don't let her hear you say that, please. But she's here?

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[sharpes]

Pretty sure. It's not like we're BFFs or anything, so I can't exactly tell you where. Steph probably knows.

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[zerotoawesome]

I wondered the same thing! I want to get a group together to try and talk to it, but I don't think anybody speaks turtle, and I haven't heard about it being psychic or anything yet.

Anyway, that Annabeth girl must be pretty popular, since you're the second guy asking about her lately.

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[kelpful]

So no one's been able to try yet? Because speaking turtle is my kind of thing.

[He frowns] She's definitely here? Who else was asking?

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[zerotoawesome]

I figure you already realize this, since you're kind of in a city on his back, but the turtle is kind of a big dude. Getting on his head isn't that hard, but his face is a different matter... Wait, do you really speak turtle? Is that your power or something?

[He shrugs.] Some new guy named Lee or something [Intentionally messing it up, just because the guy had kind of an ego.]

voice; anonymous

[demon_brat]

There is nothing wrong with her attitude.

voice;

[kelpful]

It was just - nevermind, can you tell me where to find her?

voice; anonymous

[demon_brat]

No.

[... what. Percy started out by insulting her, he can't be somebody she wants to deal with. Right? (Also, Percy, check the attitude, it might make the initial response less confusing.)]

[Pause.]

What do you want from her?

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[sophos]

[There's a few long moments after she watches the post where she just... stares at her console. First Leo. And even though it was Leo, it was still a familiar face, from home, something she was missing more and more every day. But she never expected someone else, not so soon.]

[And not him.]

[But then she flicks it on, and she looks like if she could reach through the screen, she absolutely would.]

[Because it's been almost a year since she's seen him at this point, and she doesn't even care that he's talking about Tartarus right now. Doesn't even care about the bad attitude remark (even if she'll punch him for it later).]

[It's Percy. It's Perseus Jackson, and he's here, and she's five seconds away from teleporting. At least she keeps her voice from shaking when she finally speaks.]

Percy.

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[kelpful]

Annabeth! [He sees her on the screen and practically throws himself out of his chair before he realises that he actually has no idea where she is] Where are you? I'll be right there. [PERCY YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE ANYTHING IS]

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[sophos]

[She'd laugh, if she were a little less tense. But she's practically hovering above her own seat herself, ready to go. BECAUSE NO PERCY YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE ANYTHING IS.]

No, shut up, I'm coming to you - you're in water, which suite?

[Like he'd be in any other sector, okay.]

[video]

[littlecousin]

Looks like you already found Annabeth.

[Nita's obviously not human, with pointed Spock ears and strangely arched eyebrows--and tightly-shut gills on the side of her neck, if he's looking closely.]

She doesn't have a bad attitude, you jerk.

[It's a friendly insult, since she saw from their thread that they're friends.]

[video]

[kelpful]

[He's not looking closely right now, but he'll probably notice the gills at some point. He grins] Hey, I've known her since I was twelve. Trust me, she definitely has a bad attitude. [to him]

[video]

[littlecousin]

Well, maybe that's just you, pal.

[He is too new an acquaintance to tease remorselessly yet, so she she shifts gears.]

I'm Nita.

[notdreaming]

I keep hearing about Tartarus today. What is it?

[kelpful]

[He's found Annabeth at this point, but his smile fades at the question] It's, uh. Part of the Underworld.

[notdreaming]

[ She frowns. Is this a religious underworld, or...? ]

Under... ground?

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[fotia]

[ he almost doesn't respond, really, because it's one thing to talk to an annabeth who has yet to fall into tartarus than percy who already knows--and he realizes that percy probably doesn't know what he traded them for but that doesn't change the fact that it's his fault he even bothered listening to Nemesis, his fault that they fell.

But it's not as if he can keep running, and he told himself not to run from his problems again anyway. So he puts on a smile to mask away the guilt and puts in a response]

Hey, man! Welcome to the giant turtle! Is Annabeth done killing you yet?

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[kelpful]

Leo! I heard you'd been dragged here too. [He makes a bit of a face.] Uh. I'm not sure if she's decided either way yet.

[And then there's a pause because the memory of falling into Tartarus isn't one of his best, and his own guilt about what happened isn't something he enjoys revisiting. He scrubs a hand back through his hair, messing it up even more] What's the last thing you remember?

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[fotia]

[Whoops, Leo had been trying to avoid anything remotely related to that whole falling into Tartarus thing, but it's too late now and he guesses it was a stupid idea anyway, so he mans up and says:]

We were sailing the Argo II to Greece before I woke up here.

[and in a slightly more cheerful voice] Though I'd say trapping us on top of a giant turtle is a step up in Gaia's creativity department.

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[wintershepherd]

It sounds like you already have some friends here.

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[kelpful]

[Having met up with both of them, Percy is much more chipper] Yeah, guess I got lucky. What's your name?

[howherolls]

It's a turtle.

[ he looks a little pale ]

It dives and everything.

[kelpful]

Yeah, I heard. [He's trying not to look too excited about that. Not everyone loves water like you do, Percy]

...Hey man, are you okay? You're looking kinda sick.