Chapter 9: Thule Part I

                                    

                                          
Mount Forel, Greenland, Percy POV
                          
He  wore a large winter coat as he trecked through the snow, regret swelled  in his chest as he did not have the foresight of bringing ear muffs.  The sound of Hannah singing Christmas songs chipped away at his sanity  piece by piece.
                          
"For the love of Kronos, its July Hannah, not December! Stop it with the Christmas songs!" Alabaster yelled out, expressing the entire group's pent up annoyance.
                          
Hannah stopped her rendition of jingle bells, tilting her head at her half-brother, "But it is snowing, isn't it?"
                          
"What does that have to do with anything?" Alabaster protested.
                          
"Come  on Ale you're smarter than that, it snows during Christmas and its  snowing now." Hannah proclaimed as if she was some genius.
                          
Alabaster  looked as if he was ready to bury himself in the snow and never emerge.  Complete defeat crossed his face, he had been routed by his  half-sister's stupidity, or perhaps she was just messing with him. But  both of them were caught off surprise as Bianca, who had been quiet for  most of the journey spoke up.
                          
"What is Christmas?" She asked.
                          
"You dont know what Christmas is?" Hannah asked, her mouth dropping in shock.
                          
Bianca shyly nodded, her mouth covered by a black scarf.
                          
"It  is a day meant to celebrate the birth of Christ. In Rome the  celebrations were known as Saturnalia, a six-day feast in honor of  Saturn, the Roman version of Kronos," Alabaster said flexing his trivial  knowledge, an unexpected power that came with being a son of Hecate.
                          
Bianca looked even more confused, until Hannah offered a half-baked clarification.
                          
"He  doesn't know what he is talking about. Christmas is a day where a fat  red guy breaks into your house and puts presents under your tree."
                          
The Daughter of Hades' eyes went wide in horror at such an explanation.
                          
Alabaster rolled his eyes, "He is not just a fat red guy, he is Santa Claus. And he does not break into your house, he goes down your chimney."
                          
"What happens if you dont have a chimney?" Hannah asked.
                          
Alabaster paused, thinking of an answer. After awhile his face grew serious, "Magic, perhaps? Santa could be a magician."
                          
As the conversation was delving into Santa Claus being a secret magician, Percy finally had enough. He turned back, stonefaced.
                          
"Now  is not the time," Percy reprimanded, "We are approaching the territory  of the Thulean Giants if they dont smell us already they know we are  here because of how loud you two are being."
                          
Hannah pouted while  Alabaster bowed his head in apology. Bianca just looked innocently at  the two of them. Percy was still somewhat shocked that the Daughter of  Hades was here. Hecate seemed to have brainwashed her.
                          
They  continued on through the foot-long ice in relative silence. Nighttime  began to fall as they made it closer to their destination, Mount Forel.  Hecate had transported them on the Greenlandish coast, saying that she  could not teleport them any closer.
                          
Thule was a Kingdom of Giants.  They had a monarchy and even large claims of land, often leading them  to butt heads with the Hyperborean Giants. It was a history Alabaster  had explained to him on their walk. They did not like the fact that the  Hyperboreans joined Kronos.
                          
Desmos and Phobos, he did not know how  he would get them to cooperate. Perhaps a duel, they are children of  Ares after all. But the thought of torturing them ruthlessly was also at  the forefront of his mind.