A/N: For the first couple of chapters, it'll mainly be in Percy and Annabeth's POV, but I'll also add some more later on in the story. Also, Percy, Annabeth, Shorai, and Furnöst can bond together with a mental link. Also, Eragon doesn't have his back injury.
I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, waking to the sound of Shorai's trilling squeak. I smiled at her, scratching her neck as she purred, almost cat-like. I stood up quietly so as not to wake Percy and exited our tent to see the pitch blackness of the cave. I sent a picture of fire lighting up the cave. After a few attempts, she managed a puff of smoke. She drooped her head, saddened and disappointed. I sat down and scooped her into my lap, comforting her that it was okay, and began telling her Percy and my stories, starting way at the beginning.
When Percy woke up 2 hours later, I was just recounting when I had to face Arachne. Percy kissed me good morning as Furnöst followed him out of the tent. Percy played with Furnöst, and they were clearly communicating mentally.
"Can he talk to you?" I asked, curious about their good communication, not that Shorai and I couldn't communicate well.
"No, he can only send pictures and images through our mental link. Same with you?" I nodded at Percy's question, and after a minute or so, we had a quick breakfast from the leftover deer, which tasted surprisingly good after we reheated it. I packed up our tent while having Shorai sit on my shoulder, as she was still the size of a small bird. Percy filled up our canteens, and we headed off to the north, ready to explore what this world held in store.
We spent the entire day traveling, encountering not a single soul except for some animals. Around like 4 PM, the forest transitioned into some plains, chock full of hills, making the sun a brutal nightmare.
However, we kept pushing on until we found a good campsite and settled down for the night.
"I'm so glad this quest is peaceful," Percy said as we lay in bed, the brown tent acting as our sky with Shorai and Furnöst sleeping peacefully at our feet.
I groaned at Percy's stupidity. "Now you've jynxed us, Seaweed brain!"
"Whoops," he replied sheepishly, taking off his shirt and sliding into bed, his band gleaming on his finger, mirroring my ring. I soon drifted off to sleep with his arms wrapped around me.
Dream:
"Welcome, Annabeth and Persus," a voice welcomed as my eyes adjusted to the dream before me.
"What the...?" I looked around in amazement at the room before me. We were in an open living room/office with only the pillars supporting the roof, which appeared to be made out of a gold semisphere(half a sphere). All the walls were open, showcasing a breathtaking view of a forest on one side, a mountain range on the other side, and the ocean lay out beneath the other two sides. I took in the intricate marble floor that matched the pillars, in awe of its flawless and open-air design that was still perfectly made to keep out most of the bad weather.
"This place is amazing!" I exclaimed, momentarily forgetting about the person who spoke earlier. I also didn't even realize that Percy was there with me, along with another being. I jumped back, dagger in hand, as I faced the orange dragon. I stared into its eyes, which were the color of the sun, its scales reflecting the sun, casting orange highlights along the building.
"Peace, Annabeth, I am his Rider," the figure said, introducing himself as the elf and rider Oromis, The Cripple Who is Whole. His dragon introduced himself as Glaedr, and something about him reminded me a lot of Artemis, even though his scales were of the sun's colors.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," he said, bowing low as a sign of respect, something that shocked me. "I have heard of your many feats in both wars and, of course, your hard childhood."
"Wait a second," Percy said, his hand in his pocket. "My momster sense is tingling right now. Only my enemies call me Persus."
"Well, then what shall I call you?" Oromis asked calmly, hands clasped behind his back in a teacher-like way.
"Percy," he replied. "But that still doesn't mean you're not a monster." I was just about to tell Percy that there's no way he's a monster, as he would've attacked us by now; however, he may have been waiting to get some information out of us.
"How about if I told you something no monster could've known?" This caught our attention, and I put aside my doubts for a second as he said, "I offer my congratulations on your marriage at Camp Half-Blood on the beach with your friends throwing you into the water, making it your second underwater kiss." Oromis and Glaedr took turns explaining how to get to them in order to start their training as Riders, so they could help defeat Galbatorix.
I startled awake to the sound of Shorai growling. Immediately, I was on my feet, momentarily forgetting about the vision/dream I had. I sighed in relief at the small mouse she was trying to catch and sat back on the bed, replaying the dream in my mind.
Percy also woke up then, shaking his head and grumbling about old people.
"Did you have the same wacko dream as I did?" He asked, throwing on a shirt and stretching.
"Yeah," I replied, mulling over our decisions. "Do you think we should go to Du Weldenvarden and train?"
"Probably, I mean, what else are we doing right now? Additionally, we may be able to find more information about how to win this war, where the resistance group Oromis was referring to, and how we can join them." I considered his words, and after a nice breakfast of rabbit and some vegetables, we packed up and started the trek to Du Weldenvarden.
Since we had already started upwards, at what we found was Carvahall, we were about as close as we could be to the elves' home. However, since we were trekking on foot, it would still take us close to a week.
I still enjoyed it, walking with my husband and my newfound dragon, honestly, what more could I ask for?
As we were walking, the air clung to my skin as we trekked northeast toward Du Weldenvarden. Dawn painted the rolling hills gold, the light reflecting on Shorai's gray scales as she scampered ahead, now bigger than any dog, her wings twitching like she was itching to fly. Furnöst, Percy's sea-blue dragon, bounded beside her, his tail swishing like a rogue wave, stomping and randomly hunting for field mice. He once tripped over a divot and, after an irritated huff, sent Percy a picture of the entire hill burning. Percy and I laughed at his extremes until he tried to open his mouth and turn the hill into a lava pool. He only succeeded in creating a few sparks, but Percy was sure to put those out.
"Furnöst is such a drama king," I teased, nudging Percy's arm as we walked up one of the many hills. His ring caught the light, matching mine, and he slung an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close.
"Says the girl whose dragon tried to destroy a tree because one leaf fell on her," he shot back, grinning. "Shorai's got that Athena stare—you know, the one trying to always find ways to humiliate me?" I elbowed him, but my heart did that stupid flutter. Gods, even in this weird world, Percy's dumb jokes kept me grounded.
Shorai's growth floored me. A week ago, she was a bird-sized bundle; now, her claws left gouges in the dirt, and her mental images—trees, streams, even my sketches—were sharper, laced with curiosity. Furnöst, too, had bulked up, his playful surges carrying a new edge of strength, like he could summon a storm if he tried. Yesterday, he'd sent Percy a vivid picture of a river, then dragged us to one for a swim. They had also said both of our names, which was quite shocking, but felt natural somehow.
After only another half hour of walking, I squinted, making out a line of trees far off in the distance. I was just checking to estimate its size when I tripped on a rock.
"Careful, Wise Girl. Can't have you face-planting before we save the world." I rolled my eyes but squeezed his hand back, our rings clicking softly. Shorai chirped, sending me an image of us holding hands, her approval warm in my mind, sending waves of comfort. Furnöst, not to be outdone, flopped against Percy's legs, nearly knocking him over. "Dude, you're getting heavy!" Percy laughed, scratching Furnöst's snout.
Only 10 minutes later, we had reached the forest's edge, and after a quick water break, much to Percy's excitement, we headed into the thick forests, its many trees greater than even the redwoods in California.
"Wow!" Percy said, spinning around and taking in the view of the green canopy with its many ancient trees. "How old do you th—"
"Do you hear that?" I asked, alert as a rustling of branches caught my ears. "There's someone else h—" Before I could continue, 3 elves dropped down from the trees, bows knocked with their arrows already loaded. I sent a thought over to Shorai to stay away for right now, as we didn't know if they were just territorial or if they would try to kill us.
"What do you want?" Percy said, pulling out Riptide from his pocket. They seemed taken aback for a moment before one of them responded.
"Who are you?" the leader asked, stepping forward. "And how is it so that you speak the Ancient Language?"
"I don't know any 'Ancient Language' ", Percy explained. "However, I do know that I am Percy and this is my wife Annabeth." They again seemed taken aback at this response, but recovered quickly.
"You said your names were Annabeth and Percy?" one of them asked. "What are your surnames?"
"Well, Jackson for the both of us," I answered, slightly confused by this change of topic. Before, I had figured we were going to have to fight our way out, but now it was looking less and less likely. "But before I got married, it was Chase. Why do you ask this?" I tried matching their level of speech, hoping it would ease them a bit.
"Then you must come with us, Islanzadí has requested your presence in Ellesméra," the companion whispered. "It is our capital," he replied to our confused expression.
"Your dragons may also come out now," the leader suggested, introducing himself as Vaníxvůr. (I just like spamming these random accents. LOL.)
I sent a thought to Shorai, and she emerged alongside Furnöst, walking with an air of dignity. I laughed a bit at their pompous attitude, and the elves stared at me incredulously.
"You laugh at your dragon?" Their faces stared attentively at mine, seeking an answer.
"I laugh with my dragon," I explained cautiously, knowing I was treading in deep water, "She normally doesn't act so pompous, so I find it quite funny when she does." I wondered why they were so adamant and so enraged at my laughter. Keeping it in mind, we followed the elves to their smaller city about 5 miles out of Ellesméra.
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