I landed on the ground with a soft thud. My ankle landed flat on the ground. Pain shot up my leg when I stood up. Nobody looked at me, like a 14 year old girl jumping down seven stories was perfectly normal in San Francisco. More likely that weird force the horse dude I had met a few days ago was real. Yes 'horse dude'. By that I mean a centaur. If I explained everything, I would be here way too long.
Let's clear this up now. I'm a demigod—half Greek god, half human. If you think that is cool, think again. If there are demigods, there have to monsters… monsters that eat demigods. Ever heard those Greek myths about amazing heroes and heroines? Yeah, basically that, but way more confusing. I don't understand half of it myself. All I know, I'm the daughter of Poseidon, god of the sea. Cool? No. Annoying… yeah. Dangerous… obviously. Pain in the butt… defiantly something like that.
Anyway, I landed on the ground with a soft thud. I glanced upward. The harpy I had been fighting was nowhere to be seen, but that didn't mean it was gone. I rushed toward the bridge in the distance. The water looked nicer than usual, probably because it was about to save my life. I grabbed the railing as soon as I was close enough. That's when I noticed him. A tall young boy wielding a glittering gold rapier stood about five metres away, battling the harpy. Bad choice of weapon! Every demigod knows that a rapier puts you at a disadvantage. Armature. I sighed and pulled off my pearl bracelet. Confused? Well the pearl bracelet was a gift from a wood nymph, whose forest I saved by killing the fire breathing giant who used a cave near there as a hideout. It was filled with stolen stuff. Which I naturally stole for my own use.
I touched the softer spot on the turquoise star bead. Instantly, my Celestial Bronze sword was in my hand. It glinted in the bright sun. With careful accuracy, I broke into a sprint and pounced over the boy's head. I slashed at the harpy. Red monster dust exploded over me, and a single vermillion feather tangled in my plait.
I landed silently and brushed off my clothes. I turned to face the boy. He had a shock of blond hair and startling blue eyes. They were clear, sky blue. He frowned at me. His clothes were strait and clean, but he was obviously a demigod.
"What did you do that for!?" he asked indignantly. Is this a joke? I just saved his life and he's having a go at me. Boys!
"Humph!" I grunted back. I turned away from him and jumped over the railing and prepared to dive. Suddenly somebody gripped my arm. I didn't have to turn to know it was the boy. What is his problem? I wanted to pull away, but his nails dug into the scar I had from ages ago. Small droplets of blood formed where his fingers were placed. If he noticed, he didn't show it. I was too tired from sleepless nights to try to shake him off. Also too tired to explain. Instead I just ignored him. I opened my bag and dug out my old dagger. With it I ripped off the cotton bandage around my thigh. I stared at the claw marks for a second. They were much worse. I remembered the spinx who had done it. Silly creature. Theyd were still bleeding and the swelling had increased. The boy let go of my arm, staring at the scratches with anger. I grimaced as the pain in my arm doubled. The boy scrutinised my face.
"What's wrong?" He asked more gently. He finally noticed my arm and frowned. I couldn't take this! I spun on my heel and took off running, pain spiking up my leg. I didn't stop.
I came to a dark back alley. The sun was setting. I ran down the alley, reaching the end just in time. My leg buckled under me. I crashed to the floor, breathing hard. I looked down at my leg. I looked away almost as quickly. I took out my only spare top and wrapped it around the painful claw marks. Somebody cursed under their breath. I looked up, instantly fearful. What if it was a monster…? My fears were quickly tromped. The boy from the bridge came out of the shadows. He sat down beside me.
"Sorry. I shouldn't have shouted, or grabbed your arm, or anything. Forgive?" he said, panting. I leaned back against the wall and nodded. I closed my eyes.
"I'm Ben, son of Apollo. You are…?" I didn't even open my eyes at his question.
"Ria, daughter of Poseidon. Go ahead, run. That's what everybody else does!" I said acidly. I was fed up of everybody being afraid of me because of my parentage. People weren't afraid of Heracles and he was a son of Zeus! Sigh. Instead, Ben pulled me into a hug. I squirmed uncomfortably. Nobody had ever given me a hug except… I stopped that thought. It was no use to me.
I pulled away and lay down silently. Ben was nice. He stayed when nobody else would. He wouldn't hurt me, I think… I dozed off as I thought this.
About a month later, I woke up to find that Ben had covered me with a blanket. He was sitting a little way away, cooking something over a fire… FIRE!? Does he want to get us killed!? I rushed to sit up, but was greeted by a migraine that sent me back down. Erg, I can't just sit here, I thought to myself. I sat up slowly and stood up just as slow. My leg, which usually hurt every time I stood up, felt normal. I looked down in surprise.
Somebody—obviously Ben—had redressed the wounds with a white cloth. I couldn't believe it. I wobbled happily over to Ben, remembering his fire.
"Why did you light a fire? It's easier and safer to just use the coals." I said, quickly dousing the fire with some water from my pack. The coals were still hot as I lay the pan Ben was holding on to them. The sweet smell of roasted apples filled the air.
I smiled and dug into my bag, pulling out the cream rolls I had found in the giant's cave. They were still perfect. Ben eyed them uneasily.
"Where did you get them?" he asked. I laughed and explained about the giant in the forest. Ben grinned. I saw the apples were ready out of the corner of my eye. Grabbing hold of my rolls, I tossed the apples high in the air. Each one landed on a roll, leaving a trio of apples slices on every roll. I smiled.
"Four rolls, twelve apple slices… good work Ben!" I said, taking a bite. The apples added an extra sweet flavour to the otherwise bitter cream rolls. They tasted amazing. Ben devoured his in seconds. I smiled at the sight of his mucky face. Then I felt somebody watching me. I finished my rolls and stood up. In an instant my sword is in my hand. I glanced around. A man. Standing at the end of the alley there was a man. His eyes were red. Monster. He strode toward us. By his gait, I would guess he's a manticore. Oh great.
The only way I'd ever be able to defeat a manticore would be with help… from Nico. He was the only other demigod I trusted. I took my cell from my pocket. The number flickered on the screen. I hadn't used my phone since I'd met Nico. He said it could attract monsters. Now I was going to use it again. Sigh. I practically punched the call button and pressed the phone to my ear. He answered on the first ring.
"Ria! You finally called!" Nico sounded happy. When I met him, he was a skinny, scraggly 12 year old. Also depressed and angry. Now he's… 14? I wonder. Ben came over to me, rapier ready, I glared at the thing with obvious disdain. But I had to answer Nico.
"Yeah. I need help. Manticore… what do I do?" Nico fell silent at my answer.
"Wait there. I'm on my way." He said it with finality. But I still argued.
"Nico… but… but…" I trailed off. Nico had already hung up. I sighed and put my phone away. My head spun. Wow. This always happens at the worst times. Nico suddenly materialised from the shadows.
Weird thing about Nico, he cans teleport between shadows. That and… oh, he was born in the 1940s but got trapped in this hotel called Lotus Casino where people get trapped in time and can't leave because the hotel provides these 'lotus' foods that distract you so you don't ever want to leave. I have no idea how he escaped.
Nico looked better, and worse. He was wearing black jeans and a black leather jacket. He wore a small skull ring on his right hand. He pulled out his Stygian iron sword. It was pure black and still gave me the creeps. What do you expect from a sword cooled in water from the Styx? Nothing I guess. Nico's black hair was actually combed this time. It was still mess. His clothes hung from his almost skeletal frame. His face was paler than usual.
Ben glanced indignantly at Nico. Precisely why I didn't want Nico to come. Well he was there, so I had to get over it. I readied my sword and waited for the man(ticore) to reach us. He didn't seem startled by Nico's sudden appearance. Nico looked me over with a smile on his face before turning to the manticore. I grimaced as the beast closed in...
Bang! A spine hit the wall where my head had been only a second ago. I had ducked just in time. I breathed a sigh and tossed my sword high, it landed in my hand as a bracelet. I quickly touched a sequence of pearls. A wide shield spread before me. I strapped it to my arm and stepped in front of Ben and Nico. Then I turned to Ben.
"Apollo's son, right? Got any arrows?" he smiled like I had just asked his favourite question in the world. He opened his bag and took out a longbow with some golden tipped arrow. Then the shield shuddered. Again and again the shield vibrated at the impact of multiple spine projectiles. Eventually I began to lose my balance. Nico caught me before I fell. He steadied me and helped me hold the shield. It took both of us to keep it suspended.
"Hurry with that bow Ben! We're dying here!" I almost shrieked at him. He finally loaded an arrow and shot high into the air. By the roar of anger, I guess he hit his target. Then the shield toppled over. I pushed Nico out of the way as the shield fell. I lay angrily under the ruined shield. The metal was ripped in two. A shrapnel of metal forced its way into my shoulder. Ignoring the pain, I stood up and pulled my dagger out of my boot. The manticore laughed at the sight of it. I smiled at his incompetence. I lunged.
All that was left was some spines. A gust of wind got rid of all the dust.
I collapsed to the floor, my shoulder throbbing. I dropped my dagger. Nico stared at me in awe. He gently took my arm and pulled me to my feet. He easily supported me with one arm around my waist.
"Need to go…" I said weakly. I had to get out of there. Nico frowned.
"Don't do that again. Don't try to protect me." There was pain in his voice. I looked up at him confused. "If you hadn't tried to protect me, you'd be fine. Don't do that."
Wait, what? If I hadn't pushed him that shard of metal would have pierced his heart. And my shoulder. Is that what he wants? My head was too foggy to make sense of his words. Ben took me off Nico and sat me down, propped up against the back wall of the alley. He sat down in front of me, pulling out a pair of long, thin tweezers from his bag.
"You might want to close your eyes. This will hurt." He said sadly. I squeezed my eyes shut as he plunged the tweezers into my shoulder. I kept my eyes shut until Ben had finished bandaging my shoulder. I opened then gingerly. I flinched back immediately. Ben was too close. My heart pounded in my chest. I took a steadying breath and pushed him away from me. It reminded me too much of my brother.
Long blondish hair that tickled my cheek…
I couldn't stand that thought. It was more potent every time. I sighed and closed my eyes.
I don't know when I fell asleep, but I do know I had my worst nightmare yet.
I was in a long, cavernous hallway. It was dark, except a bright light at the end. It shone malevolently. Somebody tugged on my arm. It was Nico. He yelled for me to run, but I couldn't move… the scene changed. It was my brother. I recognised his golden eyes. His once long hair was cropped short and he had a scar running down his cheek. My brother, a son of Hermes, was sprinting away from something. He turned to face it, holding a white sword. Was that bone? Then I saw it. It was the manticore. The one I had killed. Or the one I had thought I killed. There was a bang and my brother fell back, a spine stuck in his arm.
I woke with a start. Ben was asleep beside me, having pulled my head on to his arm so I could use it as a pillow. Huh? This was confusing. I will never understand boys! I saw Nico's silhouette at the end of the alley, on guard. I stood up.
I sat down silently next to him. He looked at me, his face shrouded in the shadows.
"It's funny…" he said quietly, almost too low for me to hear.
"What's funny?" I ask earnestly, confused. He just stared at me and sighed.
"How—how much and how little you look like your brothers…" He said, changing his answer at the last second. But his words stopped me short. How did he know about my brother!? Or did he say brothers.
"Percy and Tyson would kill me if they found out about you." He continued, ignoring my confusion.
"Percy, Tyson… who are we talking about again?" As I asked, Nico looked like he only just realised I was actually paying attention. I laughed at his expression; he almost looked scared. He didn't answer.
"Don't worry. You should get some sleep. I'll keep watch." I said. Nico lay down beside me, relieved.
Nothing happened. All night, I kept my eyes on the end of the alley. Not so much as a cat passed. It was almost unsettling.
When Ben woke up, he started to make a fire. I had to stop him again. I lit a tiny fire for a few seconds. It died away quickly, leaving some hot coals, perfect for cooking on. I made some quick omelettes from the small stash of food I had made and collected on my travels. The spicy cheese (don't ask me, it's a strange story) made for a nice Spanish omelette. I awoke Nico up when they were done. We ate in silence.
I couldn't hold back any longer.
"Nico, who are Tyson and Percy?" When Nico opened his mouth I added, "And don't even think about playing dumb, or lying. You do not want me to get angry."
Nico sighed.
"Fine. They're your brothers. Sons of Poseidon. Happy!?" He wasn't happy. My lips, however, curved into an involuntary smile.
"Where are they!? Nico!" I was thrilled to find out I had kin. With my mother dead and my brother disowning me, to find out I had family that might accept me was the best thing in the world. Nico fell silent. Ben took my arm, gleeful.
"We've got to find them!" He said excitedly. I grinned at him. He grinned right back.
"No. We are not going to even look for them. End of." Nico said, crushing my feelings. My shoulders slumped. I'd never find them without him; he's the only one who knows what they looked like. I sighed and grabbed my bag.
"Nice seeing you again, Nico. Nice meeting you Ben." I said quietly, standing up. Ben looked somewhat confused. Nico looked furious. I turned away from both of them and walked off. I could hear them breaking camp to come after me. I set off running.
When I reached the coast, I hesitated. There was a chance I could find my brothers through the sea, but what about my dream? I'd learnt the hard way that demigod dreams are real. I couldn't leave Mark to suffer at the hands of that stupid manticore. I made my resolve and walked along the coast, feet in the sea foam. My bare feet were cleaned by the sweet waves of salt water. I smiled happily. A small stonefish swam at my feet, carefully avoiding my feet as I tried to elude the her toxic spines.
Mistress of the sea! You have returned! It whispered in my head. I sighed and gently nudged the creature. Return to the seal; I will return soon, I thought to the fish.
There was a sheer cliff up ahead. To the side there was a lush forest. Perfect. I hoped nobody would notice me as I slipped into the forest. Of course, somebody did.
I wound through the trees, hoping to chance across a dryad. Nico would find one in seconds, the ones who shrink away from him. I sighed quietly. Then I heard the footsteps following me. I spun round, pulling out my dagger.
A girl my age peeked through the trees, stunned. I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank the gods (I have to remember to do that actually). I tucked my dagger away, coming up with a quick explanation.
"What are you doing here!? Didn't you hear, there's some sort of bear roaming around these forests? You should get out of here." I said, an explanation forming immediately. That was my thing, keeping out of trouble. Most demigods couldn't do that. Take the first world war for example… demigod vs. demigod. Happens all the time.
The girl turned back and left. Good. I continued through the forest until I heard the girl talking to somebody.
"Yeah I saw her. She said there was a bear in here. What bull! There ain't any bears in these woods." She said in an annoyingly high voice.
"Which was did she go?" said a husky voice. Ben.
"Tell us now!" Came Nico's harsh voice. His eyes would flash as he asked this.
"That way. You should really work on your manners!" she said. Obviously that was meant for Nico. Instead of waiting for the boys, I scaled the nearest tree. I couldn't face them.
Their heavy footsteps echoed through the woods.
"It's your fault she left. If you had just agreed to help us find her brothers, we wouldn't be in this mess. We could have used her help in defeating that harpy." That was Ben. Nico didn't reply. I stayed still in my tree. Then Ben stopped, right underneath my tree. I swore under my breath. He looked up.
His jaw dropped.
Nico looked up just in time to see me disappear into the thick canopy. He tried to climb up after me. I heard a sudden shriek as a dryad appeared. She wielded a rather scary bludgeon in one hand. I looked more carefully at the dryad… no way! It was the same dryad who had given me the bracelet. So that's why I could climb the tree but the boys couldn't!
"Roway! Stop! I'm coming down!" I said, trying to stop my uncontrollable giggling. It didn't work. Roway was the spirit of the rowan tree I had climbed. She smiled at me.
"Ria! Where's your bracelet? Did one of these Nature-killers take it!?" she scowled at Nico and Ben. I laughed. Nature-killers was the common name for humans that Roway used for everyone but me. It was nice to be the exception.
"No. It broke. Manticore." I answered through my laughing. Thinking of my shield, I sobered. I frowned and readjusted my pack.
"I'll get you a new one!" she piped happily. She was so easy to appease. I nodded and walked off into the forest. Roway called out to the other dryads, but I didn't pay enough attention to understand her words. Something about pearls. I heard footsteps following me. I weaved into the trees and doubled back to Roway, scaling her rowan again. Nico and Ben's voices faded into the forest. Thank the gods. That reminds me...
I opened my bag and searched for what I needed. I found it in no time. The tiny clear vial held my most treasured item, Agualianian fire. It was fire that burned only under water. Perfect for a daughter of Poseidon. Attached to it by a leather cord, was a present form my first birthday, a sand dollar. I had found no use for it yet, but it could come in handy. Maybe I'll need it to pay for something from a water nymph. Roway pointed me in the direction of the nearest stream. Then I heard the boys. Sigh, they're back already. I ran off to the stream. I took out the vial when I heard an enraged voice.
"Just who do you think you are!? You are NOT using that here. Get away from my stream, now!" I silently thanked my dad for the sand dollar. I turned around. A water nymph looked at me with obvious disdain. She wore a short black dress and had beautiful blue skin. Dark blue. It looked sweet! I frowned at her. She noticed the sand dollar then.
"Wow! A sand dollar. You give me that and you can use your Agualianian fire here. Deal?" She said. I didn't want to give it to her for some reason.
Don't. Leave there and rejoin the boys. It's the only way you can find all your brothers. Said a voice in my head. My father. More often or not, he would give me small bits of advice. Some of them made no sense. Some of them did.
I turned back. I listened to my dad. He had a lot more experience than me. So I turned back and trekked back to Roway and the boys. They waited there with her, talking desperately. I approached with velvet feet.
"We have to find her, please Roway. Please." Ben said. His voice was so full of anguish, I wanted to reveal myself. But not yet.
"Yeah. Lover boy here is desperate." Nico's words brought me back to my senses. Lover boy? What was he talking about? Ben? Nico glared at Ben.
I had to intervene then. I could practically see how it would end. It wasn't a pretty picture.
"Whoa! I'm here, gods of Olympus! You two need to sort out your problems with each other. I can't travel with you like this." I said, stepping out in to the view. Roway looked relived. She handed me a new bracelet. It was exactly the same as my old one. I smiled.
"Good. Now can you get these Nature-killers out of my forest, please Ria?" She asked, exasperated. I felt the same.
"Let's go, guys. Please." I grabbed them both by the arm and pulled them along with me. They complained but I didn't let go. I dragged them out of the forest. We were at the base of Mount Diablo, the mountain where Atlas now stands, holding the sky. I backed up desperately. Ben walked forward, entranced, his eyes on the top of the mountain.
"Can we go up? It's so amazing…" he said. I stared at him in disbelief. Then realised the Mist must be covering his view. I snapped my fingers. Ben looked away from the mountain suddenly.
"Thanks. Let's get out of here. NOW!" he stared at me. I agreed with him and we walked off, away from the terrifying mountain and the luscious forest.
We followed a simple rout that Nico planned for us, headed east. I had no idea what he expected to find on Long Island, but I didn't object. As long as I got out of stupid San Francisco. We didn't speak as we made our way out of the cursed city. I suggested we got a train. I was only one who had any money so I quickly went into a newsagents and bought three train tickets. When I saw the man working the till, only one thing really registered in my mind—sideways slit pupil like a reptile. This guy was some sort of monster. No, he wasn't exactly a monster. He didn't want to hurt. I wonder…
"Excuse me, I'd like three tickets to Manhattan for the next train." I said, taking out my stash of golden drachma. The man nodded and winked at me. He gave me two ticket, hand written in silver ink. I handed him three drachma.
When I showed Nico the tickets he grinned.
"You are amazing, you know that, right? You got us Olympus Express tickets… how?" He stared at me in awe. I flushed and handed him one. Ben had apparently been on the Olympus Express before with his dad, so he led the way. We stopped at a run-down train station. As soon as I scanned my ticket in, a train pulled into the station. It was made of gold and had polished white doors. I raised an eyebrow as I got on, following Ben. He sat down in a small booth. A satyr ran up to us. He sat down next to Nico.
"Nico! What a coincidence meeting you here. Who are your friends? Demi—" the satyr cut off, staring at me in disbelief.
He was fairly short, for a satyr. He had full grown horns that stood out above his messy, curly brown hair. He held a half-eaten tin can in one hand.
"I smell the sea. Who… how…?" he still stared at me.
"Grover, this is Ben and Ria. Son of Apollo and daughter of Poseidon. Ria, Ben, this is Grover. A friend." Nico sounded strained. I gave him a quizzical look and waited for an explanation. It was Grover who answered me.
"Percy will be so happy! He's got a sister! A sister! Wait are you sure?" Grover practically jumped up and down in his seat. Nico nodded, still strained. "Nico, you look a lot better after that thing in Rome." Grover laughed. I stared at Nico. He laughed as well, it was short and cold. I raised an eyebrow in inquiry. But I never got an answer.
"You should go Grover. We are getting off soon. Headed for Camp." Nico looked at me. "Percy will finally have another demigod in Cabin Three."
Camp? Cabin Three? What?
Grover, looking somewhat dejected, got up and left. I glanced, still curious, at Nico. His face was a mask, so I didn't press.
Ben and I talked about various adventures we'd had. Nico stayed silent and just listened. Then Ben asked me how long I'd been on the streets.
"8 years." I answered honestly after a moment's hesitation. Ben stared at me sadly while Nico, in contrast, stayed indifferent. I frowned at their reactions and glanced at the scenery outside the window. Endless oceans spread out behind the glass. I sighed with appreciation. My own father has control over all of this. The mere thought was amazing. I stood up suddenly.
Ben wanted to come with me to see the view, but I insisted on going alone. I stepped out onto the narrow platform between the carriages. I was finally alone. I looked out at the blue sea as it shimmered, sparkling. White curls of water foam curved to create horse-like forms. I marvelled at the sight. Then a horse did appear. It whinnied at me.
Mistress! Lady of the Oceans! You have returned. I should tell Tyson! There was that name again. Tyson, Percy… I wondered absently who they were, what they were like. Two images appeared in my mind, courtesy of my horse friend. A roughly seventeen year old boy with wind-blown dark hair, sea green eyes—so much like my own—and a sweet, innocent face. Percy. Then another picture flashed before me. A young cyclops, with bad dental issues (that's common in cyclopses) and a single eye (dur) in the middle of his forehead. There was something cute about his childish face. I couldn't stop smiling. Tyson.
The images faded and I greeted by an overexcited hippocampus (half-horse, half-fish) splashing me with water.
You are nearly there. Go back to your friends now. Say hello to Tyson from Rainbow! I silently promised to do just that. I bided goodbye to my new aquatic friend and walked back to our booth.
I was greeted by Ben and Nico grinning like madmen. I sighed internally and made a mental note not to leave these two in the same room alone for more than twenty minutes. We got off the train together at another run down station somewhere in Manhattan. It made me sad, being back in my home city, where my mother died and my brother abandoned me. I suppressed my sadness and tried to enjoy Ben's stories. Right now he was talking about an experience with a maenad where he had successfully pretended to be Dionysus. I laughed, but it sounded off. I could only hope they didn't notice.
When we reached the Long Island Bridge, my feet ached and my mind swam, trying to remember the images Rainbow had shown me. They were barely visible in my mind.
When we came to a huge pine tree, Nico hesitated. Around the tree, there was a half-grown dragon. It was guarding a golden fleece. The Golden Fleece!? I walked on, curious. Ben lead in front of me. I stopped to wait for Nico. He caught up and walked with me.
"Will Ben have siblings here?" I asked. Nico nodded. "What about you?" no answer.
"My sister sometimes visits, but not much. That's why I was wandering around when you called me. I'm glad you did. Took my mind off things for a while." He said finally. I nodded, thinking about my own brother, along with my two new brothers, who I were excited to meet.
Camp Half-Blood was amazing. It had huge strawberry fields and a beautiful canoe lake. The forest stretched over a vast area, it was apparently stocked with monsters. But we were safe here. Nico led me, showing me around. Ben had been carried off by his siblings nearly as soon as we got there. I still hadn't met my famed brothers.
I finally met Percy at the sword fighting arena. The first thing I noticed was the hell hound. She was huge, the size of a small car. She turned to me with a delighted expression. She came bounding up. Taking hold of the metal railing of the stands next to me, I swung out the way, grabbing Nico at the last second, pulling him with me. He dropped his sword. I landed softly on the stands. Nico landed ignominiously on his rear end next to me. The hound looked around confused. I smiled. She was obviously harmless.
"Now that is what you call style!" called a voice that sounded somewhat familiar. I turned around to see Percy striding towards us grinning. "I've never seen somebody dodge Mrs O' Leary before. Not like that anyway."
Nico stood up and faced the boy.
"Gods, it took ages to find you. I want you to meet Ria." He gestured to me, seeming shy. No, I didn't fight a manticore and deal with Nico and Ben's constant arguments for him to get cold feet at the last moment. No.
Percy looked me over with a appraising eye.
"Who's her parent?" he asked.
"Poseidon. You?" I answered for Nico. He looked at me strangely. Percy wore a taken back look. It was almost comical. It was a good thing I already knew he was my brother, or I would be confused for a while. I wanted to laugh, until I noticed Mrs O' Leary. She bounded towards us yet again. She was going to crash straight into Nico's sword. I grabbed hold of the railing yet again. I swung up and let go of the bar. Airborne, I grabbed Nico's sword. I grabbed the bars again, landing back in the exact same position as before, only holding the sword. I gave it to a bewildered Nico.
"Okay… She's defiantly my sister!" Percy choked out. I grinned. It was nice to have a brother who actually wanted me. My smile faded.
"Wait, have you told Chiron. Oh and Tyson!" He grinned suddenly. Chiron? Isn't that the centaur who trained Heracles? He's still alive? Wow...
Nico shook his head. Percy said we had to go tell him now. I followed him out of the arena, excited for an unfathomable reason.
I was led to a large remodelled blue barn-house; it now looked like an overly large cottage. An easy smile stretched across my face. On the porch, there was a man in a wheelchair playing a game of poker with a man in a leopard print shirt. I recognised the two immediately. Chiron and Dionysus. Hero trainer and god of wine. I didn't know how I recognised them so easily. But I did.
Chiron looked over at us. He smiled kindly. He was kind of fatherly. Dionysus glared at Percy.
"New recruit, Peter Johnson?" He asked, utterly disinterested. The story suddenly popped into my head. Dionysus had flirted with a nymph that Zeus liked, so, as punishment, Dionysus had to serve as leader of the camp for the next century. No idea how I remembered that. Why did he call Percy Peter though?
"Yep, Mr D. But my name's Percy Jackson. This is Ria." He sighed. "He never remembers anybody's name." Percy then whispered to me.
Chiron stood up. As I expected, the wheel chair disappeared, revealing the centaur's tRia form. From the waist down, he was a white stallion. That reminded me to say hello to Tyson from Rainbow. I did promise after all.
"Who's kid are you?" He asked me. Percy answered before I could.
"Poseidon. I guess my dad wasn't kidding about other kids when I saw him last summer." He laughed. I froze, confused.
Chiron looked me over.
"Have you shown her Cabin Three, or at least introduced her to Tyson?" He asked, turning back to Percy. He shook his head. Percy told Chiron he was going to do that now. He also mentioned Nico. I didn't hear exactly what he said, I only caught a little of the hushed convocation. Percy led me away from the Big House. At the bottom of the hill, there were some large houses. Each obviously represented a god. Some were sill in construction. I noticed three in particular. A gold and white one that I suspected belonged to Zeus. A polished marble one with seashells embedded in the walls; Poseidon. An obsidian one with a golden skull, that had blood red ruby eyes—Hades. I went up to the Poseidon one. I touched one of the shells, it felt warm and familiar. Filled with trepidation, I opened the door and walked in.
I didn't expect to ever see a cyclops sweeping in a 'kiss the cook' apron. I bit back a laugh. Percy walked in behind me and sighed sadly.
"Big guy, I've got a surprise for you… Come meet Ria, our sister." I flinched. The cyclops turned round, stunned at the word. Tyson's childlike face tromped my earlier fears. It was impossible to be afraid of him. His face lit up when he saw me. He ran forward, reminding me of Mrs O' Leary. I didn't move this time, knowing he'd crash into the wall if I did. He pulled me into a bear hug. I could barely breathe, but I made no comment.
"Hi Tyson." I said.
"YAY! She knows my name!" Tyson smiled.
He let go and I noticed how messy the room was.
"Erg. How can you live in this mess!? It's disgusting. Although that hippocampus decoration is really nice." I commented. There was a beautiful jade wind charm with carefully carved hippocampuses. Tyson blushed. Wait, did he build that? Wow.
I looked around the room making mental notes about cleaning the place up. Then I remembered a promise I'd made to a certain hippocampus.
"Oh, Tyson, Rainbow says hi!" I said. Tyson bounced happily.
"Rainbow! Nice fish-pony!" I laughed at his description. He was only young for a cyclops after all.
Then Percy looked at me.
"Room inspection is in an hour, do you think you can sort this place out. Best room gets shower privileges…" He grinned. Boys! I smiled back, then pursed my lips.
"I'll see what I can do. You haven't given me much to work with though." I grinned. Percy gave me a mock frown. I laughed. He turned to leave.
"Just where do you think you're going. I'm gonna need help." I called after him, but he was already gone. I sighed and turned around. Tyson looked excited. I smiled and told him to go. I could handle this. He left happily, talking about helping somebody called Leo.
When I was finished, the room was spotless. All of Percy's dirty clothes had been gathered and washed. I packed them into a drawer. I took out some coral I had found on various adventures. A bit of coral here, a bouquet of flowers there, and voila! A perfectly clean Poseidon cabin. I even polished the sea water fountain.
Then came the knock on the door.
"Percy, are you in there?" Called an unfamiliar voice.
"I'm over here," Percy answered somewhere outside. "I've got someone you might want to meet, Jason. Wait, are you doing room inspection!?" Percy laughed. The door opened just as I placed the last carnation.
I turned around at the sound of a gasp. Standing in the doorway, was a rather bewildered Percy and an astonished boy. He had cropped blond hair and stormy grey eyes. He was tall and lean, about sixteen. A son of Zeus… no Jupiter. There were Roman demigods too. I had only met a few, but I could tell the difference. Roman demigods had a stronger air of discipline. Defiantly a son of Jupiter.
I wiped my hands on my jeans. Percy came to his senses first.
"I knew that was a good idea!" he gasped. Then he punched the boy next to him in the arm. The boy shook his head and introduced himself.
"I'm Jason. Son of…" he trailed off.
"Jupiter?" he nodded numbly, not expecting me to realise he who he was. "I'm Ria, daughter of Poseidon."
I held out my hand. He reached out and shook it. Then he recovered his wits.
"You new here?" he asked. I raised an eyebrow. Kind of obvious. "Sorry, that's obvious, isn't it. Just surprised. Did you clean up this place? It looks way better!"
Percy punched Jason's arm.
"Our score is…?"
"10. I can't give you anything less when the cabin looks like this. I haven't seen half of these plants even in Demeter Cabin…" Jason answered. I laughed shortly and Percy grinned.
"How many 10s have you given out so far?" He asked.
"None… you're the first one. Wow, I never thought I'd ever give you a perfect score." Jason laughed. He seemed quite nice. He turned to me. "Are you playing Capture the Flag with us today?" he asked. I tilted my head in confusion.
"Of course she is! I played on my first day, so she can too." Percy exclaimed.
"No you never. It was at least a week later!" Jason argued. I sighed, reminded of Nico and Ben's constant arguments. I smiled again before the boys noticed.
"Do you think Nico will play, Perce?" Jason asked, inexplicably lifted out of the argument. Maybe he was just one of those people.
"Naw, he never plays. Not since his first days here." Percy answered, happy as well. Boys!
"Of course I'm playing. Sounds fun." Nico's voice startled me. And the others. I turned to see him, lounging casually on the door frame. He was smiling.
"Whoa! Nico's smiling, talk about a rare sight!" Percy and Jason laughed at Nico's expense . Nico, who had moved to stand with us, grimaced. I moved to stand next to him, folding my arms across my chest. Percy saw my expression and suddenly sobered. Jason followed his lead.
By nightfall, I had met everybody. Connor and Travis Stroll from Hermes cabin (they tried to steal my new bracelet). Piper from Aphrodite cabin (she didn't look like an Aphrodite kid, she really downplayed it; she was Jason's girlfriend). Leo from Hephaestus cabin (he was constantly fidgeting; he stood with a girl, Calypso, a daughter of Atlas, his girlfriend). Annabeth from Athena cabin (Percy's girlfriend; always called him 'Seaweed Brain'). Clarisse from Ares cabin (she hated Percy, but seemed to like me). Will from Apollo cabin (Ben really liked him). That's just mentioning a few.
The dining pavilion was in ruins at the moment, so we had a picnic in one if the strawberry fields. I sacrificed some of my food to all the gods who had helped me get there. Including Hades to Nico's extreme delight.
After dinner, we got ready for capture the flag. The two teams were Athena and Ares. Apparently Annabeth had traded a lot of privileges to get a good team. We had Apollo, Zeus, Aphrodite, Hephaestus and Demeter cabin on our side. Nico joined us as well. Ares had anybody else. We were allowed all magic items. I looked at my bracelet, trying to decide what to use. Percy came up to me.
"You're gonna need a weapon." He said, looking me over.
"Way ahead of you." I replied, finally deciding what weapon to use. I touched the gold pearl and held out my trident. Perfect weapon for a child of Poseidon. Percy grinned.
"Cool bracelet!" he said. Annabeth came over. She smiled, like I had just made a really tough decision for her.
"You. You are going to grab the flag. But you'll need help…" She said. Annabeth's mum was Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. Oh, I guess I had made a decision for her.
"Ben and Nico. I've fought with them before, so we know each other's weak points." I said immediately. She nodded with approval at my reasoning. She said she was happy that Poseidon finally had an heir who could formulate a proper strategy. I smiled.
We set up on the Western side of the stream that ran through the centre of the woods. This was going to be fun. Nico and Ben found me. They didn't know that I was the one who had paired them with me, but seemed happy that we were all together. A horn sounded, signalling the beginning of the game. Around our base, Hephaestus cabin had set up traps. Aphrodite and Apollo cabin stayed to defend. Everybody else made up the distraction.
We set off quickly, taking the route Annabeth had suggested. It was a long, uneventful journey. Eventually, I turned my bracelet back into just that, a bracelet. Then I heard voices. They boys hid, and I scaled a tree. It was two of the boys from Hermes cabin. They were whistling. It gave me an idea.
When the Hermes kids left, I followed Nico and Ben from the trees. I had already briefed them on the plan. We reached a clearing. A group of demigods guarded the flag. I took to a particularly high branch of a tree and cleared my throat. The guards looked around confused. Then I sang.
I sang a melody I remembered from when I was only a baby. My mother used to sing it to me. The words came easily. I watched as the guards, one by one, looked up at the tree I perched in. I sang louder. All at once, the guards collapsed to the floor, asleep. My magic song worked.
Nico and Ben slipped past the sleeping guards and grabbed the flag. I kept singing. When they cleared the trees, I jumped down, my voice never faltering. I kept singing until we were deep into the forest. We ran, Nico and Ben on either side of me, while I carried the flag. We nearly reached the river when I saw them. A group of Hermes kids, running with our flag. I began to sing. The campers stopped. They fell asleep faster than the guards. I kept singing as I crossed the stream. As soon as we did, the flag's colours changed, going from the ugly blood red to a calming sea-green. In the middle, a picture of a trident appeared. A horn blasted and I stopped singing. The Hermes kids woke up. I recognised two of them to be Conner and Travis.
Percy celebrated all evening. I couldn't stand the attention and went back to the cabin early. When Percy finally came back, I polishing the shield part of my bracelet. He grinned.
"You're not the only one with a cool weapon." He showed me his sword, Riptide, which looked like a normal pen until you uncapped it. Awesome.
I smiled and switched to spear mode.
"Wait… it's all the same bracelet, just different combinations?" Percy was amazed. He wanted to know where I got it. When I told him about Roway, he gaped. It was comical. I don't think I'd ever laughed so much in one day. It was the best day ever.
Tyson came back with a cute little statue of a pegasus. I placed it in a space between two bits of bright coral. It fitted perfectly. Then Percy assigned me a bed. I fell asleep immediately.
The next day, Ben showed me the larva wall. At night we gathered for the campfire. The night before, I had another dream. I woke Percy up as well. He listened to my dream and told me not to worry. But that was impossible. The dream went like this:
My brother was chained to a wall. The manticore stood next to him, talking to a male demigod. The demigod smiled evilly. I couldn't hear what they were saying. But I understood one thing, they were planning to hurt my brother. I couldn't let that happen. Ever. Then the boy took out a dagger. He turned to my brother, still smiling evilly. I called out, but my voice wouldn't work. I woke up there.
Ben noticed that something was on my mind. He tried all day to cheer me up. Nothing worked. Nico and Percy noticed as well. Nico came over to help Ben cheer me up. Percy went to talk to Chiron. I just sat there.
When we went back to Cabin Three, sleeping wasn't an option. That night, I waited for Percy and Tyson to fall asleep. I stood up and went to the fountain. I took out a drachma.
"O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering." I whispered, throwing my coin into the water spray. The water sparkled.
"Show me my brother, Mark, please." The water shimmered then cleared. I saw my brother, in the same position as yesterday. The male demigod came into view.
"Ah, you finally called. I was wondering if you even cared about your brother after he abandoned you. But now you called." He smiled sweetly. He was about 20. He had shoulder-length black hair and startling green eyes. His voice was pleasant enough, but something about it made me shiver. Whatever this guy looked like, he was cold. I felt myself trembling.
"Ria, you needn't be afraid of me, I'm your friend. Come meet me on the winter solstice. I promise you won't regret it." He smiled again.
"I'm not going anywhere." I said, a bit too loudly.
"Oh, that's a shame. I guess I have no choice but to hurt your brother then. All you would have to do to save him is come to me." He took out his dagger again. My trembling increased.
"You've got nerve, threatening my sister like that. I wouldn't do that if I were you." Percy said behind me. I flinched. I hadn't heard him get up.
The boy frowned.
"Oh, you're not alone. Good. I guess it'll be his fault when your brother dies, Ria." He still only spoke to me. Percy put his hand on my shoulder.
"You're not going!" Percy said, with such authority that I wanted to agree. But I didn't. I was frozen, my eyes locked on the unmoving image of my brother.
"Of course you are, Ria. Or your poor brother will have to pay…" I didn't get to hear anything else. Percy swiped his hand through the mist, destroying the image.
"You are not going." Percy repeated.
I didn't sleep at all. I couldn't stand the thought of that evil boy hurting my brother.
Next morning, Ben noticed my restlessness. The day before I wouldn't do anything. That day I did everything to keep my mind occupied. Nothing worked. I finally made up a plan. I'd call that boy again. I had to meet him. To save my brother.
I focused on sword fighting. I practised with Percy, who was apparently the best swordsman at camp. A group of campers gathered to watch our spar. I turned my bracelet into sword mode as Percy uncapped Riptide.
"Ready?" He asked. I nodded once. Percy made the first move. He tried a jab, changing his sword's path at the last second to swipe at my legs. I jumped over his sword and over his him, hitting him on the head with the butt of my sword. He groaned as he turned to face me. I permitted myself a brief smile before I moved, as quick as a striking cobra. The blade of my sword the hilt of Percy's. I twisted, sending his sword flying across the room. I smiled as I moved again, pushing him to the floor with the flat of my blade. I pressed my tip of my blade to his chest.
Percy laughed.
"Okay, I yield. I yield. You're good." He grinned. I chucked my sword in the air and held my arm up. My bracelet slipped back onto my wrist. I held my hand out to Percy.
"Only good? I disarmed you in less than a minute!" I argued. Percy smiled wider.
"Okay, Miss Show-off. Amazing. Better?" he laughed
I nodded in approval. I spent the rest of the day sparing. Then Nico came by.
"Can I try?" he asked me. I smiled.
"Your funeral. She's beaten everybody, even Clarisse, in less than a minute." Nico grinned. "You did it again! You're smiling!" Percy punched Nico in the arm. Nico scowled and started to walk away. Throwing Percy a dark look, I ran after Nico.
I found him in one of the strawberry fields . He practically ignored me as I sat down next to him.
"You okay?" I asked. He turned to look at me. His eyes softened when I asked this.
"I'm fine. I'm the one who should be asking you if you're okay!" he laughed at himself. I raised my eyebrow, confused. "Your arm, don't tell me you never noticed you were bleeding." I looked down at my arms. Sure enough, my arm was bleeding pretty bad. The long gash had blood practically pouring from it. Oh! I blushed and took out a bandage, quickly wrapping the wound. Nico smiled.
"You really didn't notice." He shook his head. Something in his eyes reminded me of my brother, Mark. Mark…
A tear formed in my eye. I brushed it away with the back of my hand. Nico threw me a worried look.
"What's wrong?" he asked. I shook my head. I wouldn't tell him. I didn't want him following me out of camp. Ben would follow him. It was just silly. Nico moved closer to me.
"What's wrong?" he repeated. I didn't answer, but a tear rolled down my cheek, betraying me. I tried to smile, but ended up sobbing. What was wrong with me? Gods of Olympus!
I stood up then, and started walking, covering my face with my hands. I wiped away my tears and headed back to Cabin Three.
Nobody was there. Good. I took out another drachma. The spray from the fountain arched upwards, making a miniature rainbow.
"O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering. Show me my brother, Mark. Please." I said. The water shimmered as I tossed my drachma in. The same image appeared. The demigod came into view again.
"Ria! You're back. You're alone?" he asked in his somewhat chilling voice. Shivering, I nodded. "Good. I'm Jack. So have you decided to meet me?" I nodded again.
"Where?" I asked quietly.
"How about the Olympus Express? I'll send you a ticket. Get on in San Francisco. The first train of the day. Go to the third carriage, the last booth." I nodded numbly. "Good girl. I'll see you there." The image disappeared.
I sat down on my bed. There was a faint pop and a package landed next to me on the bed. I opened it. It was a ticket for the Olympus Express. It was for three days time. There was also a note.
Dear Ria,
Here's your ticket for the Olympus Express. Bring your sword and whatever else you'll need for the journey. Don't worry, your brother's fine. For now.
See you soon,
Jack
That was it. But it still made me tremble uncontrollably. I lay down for a while. I have no idea how long I lay there. But Percy eventually came to get me for dinner. I went with him and ate in silence. Ben tried to get me to talk all night. Nico, Annabeth and even Clarisse helped. Nothing worked at all. It was Piper who finally got my attention.
"It's about a boy." She said with a grin. Clarisse gave her a dirty look. Annabeth scrutinised my face.
"She's right! It is a boy!" She exclaimed. Nico, Ben and Percy all fell silent at the same time. All three girls turned to them in unison. They started talking all at once. I took the opportunity to finish my burger and run off, silent as usual.
I sat down on the beach, feet bare in the surf. Strength rushed through me. I sat there quietly, gazing out at the sunset on the horizon. This was the only place at camp I felt completely at ease. I barely noticed when somebody sat down next to me. I didn't look over to see who it was. We didn't speak, just looked at the setting sun, which sent orange and pink light across the sky.
"You should trust him. Nico, I mean." Said a surprisingly gentle voice. I turned to the speaker.
Annabeth stared at the sunset. In the light, her hair looked almost brown. I didn't reply to her comment.
"Piper was right, wasn't she. This is about a boy. But not in the way she and Clarisse thought." She hit the nail on the head. "What is it? Really?"
I hesitated. Then I told her.
"It's my brother." Is all I said. I didn't tell her anything else, I just handed her Jack's note. She read it and looked at me.
"You're going, aren't you. You shouldn't, but you have to." She reasoned. I just nodded. "At least take somebody with you."
Again I nodded. Annabeth got up. She grabbed my arm and pulled me away with her.
We went back to the picnic. Everybody was still there. I laughed as Annabeth pulled me along with her.
"You can let go! I'm coming! I'm coming!" I kept laughing. Annabeth kept dragging.
She grabbed Percy by the scruff of his neck and let go of me. She then grabbed Nico. It was hilarious, seeing two of the most powerful demigods I knew being dragged off. I couldn't stop laughing as I followed them. Ben came rushing after me.
"You're in a better mood! What did Annabeth say?" he smiled.
"Not much. She mostly dragged me back here. I was quite happy on the beach as I was!" I replied as I finally stopped laughing. When we were away from the light banter of the picnic, I sobered again.
Annabeth explained what I'd told her and the note. Percy explained the call I'd made to Jack. I explained today's call. Nico and Ben immediately spoke.
"I'm going with her!" they said in sync. I almost laughed again. But the thought of Mark worried me so much I couldn't. Once it was all decided, we went to see Chiron. He looked between me and Annabeth.
"You're right, we can't just leave him. I guess you'll have to go." He said. When we were outside, Percy turned on Nico and Ben.
"If you two so much as let Ria out of sight when she's with that creep, I will personally destroy you, clear?" I grimaced and grabbed his arm. Annabeth did the same, and together we pulled him away from the bewildered boys.
"Cut it out, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth glared at him.
"I'll be fine, Perce! I'm the one who beat you in under a minute, remember?" I said. Annabeth laughed. Percy pursed his lips and nodded, shooting a glare in Nico and Ben's direction.
We went back to our separate cabins. Annabeth promised to meet us in the morning before we went. I stepped inside Cabin Three and grabbed my bag. I stuffed some spare clothes in. What else would I need? I took some food and water out. Percy gave me some nectar and ambrosia. I packed them into my bag, along with some bandages. My dagger was in my boot. Then Tyson surprised me with a present. Apparently, Percy wasn't the only one who eavesdropped on my call to Jack.
It was a beautiful necklace with multiple charms that actually worked. There was a microphone that would broad cast straight back to camp; a whistle that called pegasi; a tiny pen that ran invisible ink. I choked up and nearly cried when he gave me this. I put it on. Tyson smiled.. In between each charm, there was a tiny heart. There were only two of them, but they actually ticked in a gentle, calming rhythm. He also gave me a tiny speaker so that I could listen to them at camp
The last gift was from Roway. She had somehow heard about the adventure, and sent me two extra tickets for the 'Nature-killers' to use. She only sent them so the boys could keep me alive. I put these in the side pocket of bag, along with my own ticket. I was ready.
I fell asleep quickly. Thankfully, I had no dream that night.
I woke up before dawn and got dressed. I was in an orange Camp Half-Blood top and black jeans. Bracelet and necklace on, I stepped outside the cabin.
I went to the beach. Nobody was there. I sat down and opened my bag. Digging deep, I took out the harpy feathers I had saved up. Gathering damp driftwood, I lit a fire with a drop of my Agualianian fire. The flames were blueish-green. I threw the feathers into the fire and made my prayer.
"Father, please give us a way to get to San Francisco quickly and safely. It's a lot to ask, but please… see what you can do." That was all, leaving the flame alight, I went back to the cabin in the faint light of the dawn.
Everybody gathered at the pine tree. When I say everybody, I mean everybody. From Percy and Annabeth, to Leo and Calypso, and Jason and Piper, to Clarisse, everybody gathered to wish us a good journey.
After a surprisingly large, teary goodbye, we set off into the city. I wanted to get a boat to San Francisco bay. But we couldn't. So instead we trekked through Manhattan.
All day we managed to avoid monsters. We saw so many, but through back alleys we kept out of their way. It was slow progress.
By night we were at the edge of Manhattan. We would have to get a ride there, somehow, if we wanted to be in San Francisco within two more days. I sighed as we walked. Then I noticed the train. It was huge, built for cars. Finally smiling, I ran over to it. It was departing in two minutes. Oh gods.
Ben found me and the train on his own. Nico followed him. They both agreed it was a good idea. We piled in. The train started moving as soon as we were on. I looked around. There were at least twenty cars in our carriage alone. Nico and Ben ran off, each choosing a car for themselves. I, however, walked slowly through the abundance of cars. Then I found her.
She had straight blonde hair, pulled back into a practical ponytail. She was in a student's outfit and was reading a book on something. Being a demigod, I had dyslexia and ADHD. I tried to decipher the words on the cover of the book, to no success. The woman looked up. Her grey eyes seemed too intelligent.
"Hello Ria." She said. Her voice sounded a bit like Annabeth's. Was this Athena? Yes, yes it was.
I bowed shortly. Athena nodded in approval.
"I think I agree with Annabeth, it is good that Poseidon has a child who has an actual brain!" She laughed. I thought for a second.
"Lady Athena, thank you." I said. It was obviously her who organised this train trip.
Athena nodded. Then she stood up.
"Well, that's my job done. If you'll excuse me, I have a biomechanics speech to attend." With that, the goddess of wisdom disappeared. I smiled slightly. I would have to thank her more later.
I went back to the boys, who were both sitting in tricked out sports cars. Rolling my eyes, I climbed into a black Ford Focus. I put an oldies station on the radio, turned the volume down until it was only background music and sat down in the driver's seat. I closed my eyes and leaned back. I didn't sleep though. I just listened to the calming rhythm of the heart charm ticking. Eventually Nico knocked on my window. Opening my eyes, I used the control panel next to me to unwind the passenger side window.
"Come on, we're gonna have dinner. Ben has a surprise." Nico said. He reached though the window and gabbed on to my arm. Short on patience, I rolled up the window. It hit Nico's arm and kept trying to force its way up.
"Ouch! Really!? Gods of Olympus!" Nico yelled. Somewhere to my right, I heard Ben cackling with laughter. I smiled and let the window open again. Nico pulled away, rubbing his arm resentfully. I laughed at his expression and got out the car.
"Remember that. Never grab a girl's arm through her car window." I said to him. He glared at me for a second, causing me to laugh harder. Then Nico started laughing too. We all laughed at the sheer stupidity of the moment. It was the last time I truly laughed on that trip.
We ate in Ben's M3 (BMW for those who don't speak Car and Driver). It turned out, Leo from Hephaestus cabin had given him a magic lunch box—with a unfortunate 'Leo is da best' design—that could spurt out any type of food you could imagine. After a second of thought, I took out some American Hot pizza, as a remembrance of my last day with my brother. We had ordered pizza and sat in and watched a movie. The next day, he shouted at me and stormed out the house. Then the monsters came…
Shoving that thought out of my mind, I started talking with Ben about camp. Nico joined in and told us more about the camp's history. About his past. The battle of the Labyrinth, the Battle for Olympus, the time Percy got 'lost', the story of the Argo II, Nico's time in Rome, the Battle of the Camps the final Battle against Gaia. Yeah, Gaia, Mother Nature, was evil. By then, it was morning. We kept talking for another hour. Then I noticed how close we were to San Francisco. With a grin, I went back to my Ford. It was the only car here that wouldn't stand out. I found out what else my new necklace was good for: picking locks. I ran my finger over the tiny heart, when they suddenly shone. They combined to create a key. I smiled and shoved it into the ignition. The engine purred. Nico and Ben were both anxious. When did I learn to drive? Easy, my brother. If I could drive a delivery truck, I could drive a car.
When we got to San Francisco, the train didn't stop, so I drove right off. We landed perfectly on the road. I sped down the motorway, wheels never moving so much as a centimetre from the centre of the road. Nico and Ben sat in the back seat, bickering about something. I listened in without them knowing.
"We can't let her go to meet him on her own." Nico said.
"I know, which is why I'm going with her." Ben replied.
"You?" Nico barked a cold laugh. "Like you could ever protect her! I'm going with her."
"Why should you go? What can you do that I can't?"
"HA! Is that even a question!?" Nico laughed again. It was short and dark.
"How about this, since I was the only one who trained at Camp Half-Blood, I go on my own and you two watch from a few booths away?" I suggested. They both shut up for a minute.
"Wait… how many tickets do you have?" They asked at the same time.
"Three. Roway sent me two extra."I told them matter of factly. Since they were quiet, I turned the radio on. MTV were playing the current chart, so turned that on. We sat in silence as I drove. I parked across the road from the station as the last song played. We sat in the car for a while. Then I got out. I walked across the empty road and found a nice spot next to the station. I opened my bag and took out some ham and cheese sandwiches. Then I retrieved the bottle of drink Percy gave me. I took a sip.
Cool cherry cola rushed out in a steady stream. I gulped down some. I opened the lid and looked at the liquid inside.
It was blue. Blue cherry cola. I smiled and took off my necklace.
I tapped the microphone as Nico and Ben came to join me.
"Whoa! Don't do that!" Percy shouted into the speaker. I flinched. Gods of Olympus, I didn't expect that. I took the speaker out of my ear and put it on the ground. It shone and disappeared, replaced by a phone. The necklace became a set of headphones with a microphone attached. Tyson!
I touched the speaker button on the phone so Nico and Ben could hear what was going on.
"Tyson's amazing! This is so cool." I said. Percy would have been smiling.
"It works? YAY!" Came Tyson's happy voice. Ben and Nico laughed.
"Yeah Big guy, it works. We're outside the San Francisco OE station." I reported, using the code for Olympus Express Annabeth had suggested we use in public.
"Good. I was getting worried when I heard nothing but music from your side." Percy said. He was listening!? I sighed.
"We were in a car and the silence was boring me." I explained. "Percy, why is the cherry cola you gave me blue? Not that I mind blue, it's just a bit weird." I could bet Percy was blushing.
"So that's where my blue cola is... don't worry about it, it's a… um, way to remember home." He said. I smiled.
"You're blushing." I stated. Percy laughed.
"How'd you guess?" he laughed again.
"I'll call back later. Bye." I said, pressing the end button on the phone. It turned back into a speaker and a necklace. I put them on and finished my sandwich. Ben told me to sleep, he'd take watch. Nico started to say he would but I shut him up by grabbing his arm. I pushed him to the ground and sat down a little way away from him.
"Wake me up in a few hours Ben. I'll take the next watch." I said, lying down. I fell asleep in a matter of seconds.
My dream was worse that night.
Jack was talking to the manticore on the Olympus Express.
'She will come. Trust me. If she thinks I'll hurt her brother, she will come. When she does, you need to shoot her with one of your spines.' He said. The manticore nodded.
'What if she comes with friends? Do I shoot them too?' It asked. Jack shook his head. He looked over his shoulder. My brother was there. He was slumped on the ground, unconscious. He had cuts running down his bare arms and the scar on his cheek was swollen and red.
I woke up. The grey light of dawn greeted me. Nico sat next to me, closer than I would have liked. He was awake, staring at the station. I sat up slowly, preparing to tell him off for not waking me.
"You needed rest." Nico said before I could say a word.
"Rest," I mused, "is that what that was? Anyway, where's Ben? Let's go or we'll miss the train."
Ben was awake as well. Remembering my dream, I put on my breastplate, under my top. It was barely noticeable, so it would hopefully work. We walked into the train station in silence. We boarded separately, as to not arise any suspicion from the demigod I was about to meet. I spotted Jack easily. Frowning, I walked to the booth at the very back of the carriage. I sat down silently.
"You came." Jack said, feigning surprise. I rolled my eyes.
"Okay, drop the act. Let's keep this nice and honest. There's no need for stupid lies." I said coldly. I wasn't going to deal with any funny business, not after my dream last night.
"Oh, is that so? Fine. Let's get on with it!" the last word was a signal to the manticore. I pulled my dagger out of my boot and turned. The spine hit my dagger and dropped to the floor.
"You thought you could surprise me? Really? Good luck with that!" I barked a laugh. I picked that up from Nico. It infuriated Jack.
"How!? How could you know? Unless, you aren't here alone…" What? How did he come to that conclusion. I raised an eyebrow.
"You really think I'd endanger my brother like that. I may not be a daughter of Athena, but it doesn't take that much IQ to realise that bringing company would be a bad idea." I laughed again. How dumb did this guy think I was?
Jack nodded. What did this guy want with me? I waited silently. I heard somebody get up behind me. Ben walked past me and went on to the deck. He wanted me to follow him.
"Excuse me for a second. I need some fresh air. " I told Jack. He nodded, somehow falling for it. I walked out of the carriage. The cool sea air felt great against my clammy skin. Ben waited for me. He walked through to the next cabin. I followed him, confused. Then I saw my brother. Nico was standing next to him, trying to rouse him. I gasped and ran over to him.
"Mark! Mark wake up please." Then I heard the singing, it was low, but I recognised it immediately. In Mark's right ear, there was a tiny speaker, much like my own, playing a loop of the sleeping song my mother used to sing. It was a replay of me singing it. I ripped it out of his ear and shoved it into the pocket of my jeans. Mark blinked a few times and looked up at me.
"Ria… run!" he struggled to stand up, seeing Nico and Ben. He staggered. Ben grabbed his arm at the same time I did. Between us, we supported him.
"We have to get out of here!" I said. I had an idea, "Come on!"
We walked out to the next carriage divider. I put the whistle charm to my lips and blew. A low screech emitted from the whistle. Suddenly a 'V' of animals appeared on the horizon.
Hey boss… yo, you're not Percy! Said the black pegasus in the front.
"I'm his sister! Please help! We need to get back to Camp Half-Blood." I called to the pegasus.
'kay then! I'm Blackjack, nice to meet you miss. We'll land one at a time. Do we have to take Death Breath as well? Porky Pie ain't over last time yet… Last time? I sighed and nodded. One at a time the pegasi nosedived to meet us. A white one I supposed was Porky Pie landed first, shying away from Nico. I told Ben to take this one. Porky Pie seemed glad.
Then a chocolate brown pegasus landed. It spoke in my mind.
I don't mind taking the boy. She said, inclining her head towards Nico. Smiling in appreciation, I watched Nico climb awkwardly onto the horse. Finally the black pegasus landed. Just then, there was a bang.
"You aren't going anywhere!" It was Jack. I quickly loaded the barely conscious Mark on to the pegasus.
I'll take this one back. Good luck! I'll go tell da boss! He said. I nodded.
"Go Blackjack! Strait to camp, clear?" The horse whinnied in indignation and flew off proudly. I turned to face Jack. He scowled.
"Thought you could escape me!? I knew you brought friends!" he shouted. He looked like a madman, released from his calm, collected mask. I smiled teasingly.
"I'd barely call Blackjack a friend. He is my brother's, after all." I said innocently. Jack completely lost it. He drew a sword. I took off my bracelet and put it in sword mode.
"You insolent child! You could have been my Queen!" he screamed.
"That explains why I don't want to help you. Your Queen, ew. You're like six years older than me!" It was actually quite fun.
"ERG!" He screeched and jabbed at me. I parried lazily. I yawned and swiped at him, knocking him back.
"Are you holding back? This is way too easy." I yawned again and he got up. He sliced and swiped furiously. I parried easily. I found myself enjoying it for some inexplicable reason.
"I would have conquered the gods! You would have had a palace!" He kept going. I sighed.
"But I'm guessing I wouldn't have my brothers, or friends, or monsters to fight. It'd be boring." I said.
"You would have anything you wanted!" HA! This was funny.
I was unfocused for a single second. My sword flew out of my hand into the sea. Jack pointed his sword at me. My sword shot out of the sea, held in an arm made of water. Wicked sweet. It worked. I smiled as the water arm fought for me. Then Jack sliced through the arm turning it back to a puddle of water. I took out my dagger. Jack tried a jab, but changed the direction of his sword at the last moment, swiping at my legs. Reminded of a moment at camp, I launched into the air, hitting him over the head. I landed on the other side of him. Moving closer as Jack turned, I knocked his sword into the sea. I pushed him over with the flat of my blade. Then I picked up my sword and pressed the edge against his exposed throat. Then somebody laughed above me.
"Okay, you are defiantly my sister!" Percy called. I looked up. He was riding Blackjack. I smiled. Percy tossed me a rope. I turned to Jack.
He was gone. I sighed. Rainbow appeared rather suddenly from the water, carrying Jack. Good hippocampus!
I jumped into the sea without hesitation. All my worries and exhaustion were washed away by the current. I swam over to Rainbow and tied Jack's hand behind his back. He struggled constantly. When I was done, another pegasus appeared. Porky Pie hovered low enough for me to tie Jack to his saddle. Jack pulled himself onto the pegasus resentfully. I pated Porky Pie's mane.
"Straight to camp, okay? Don't stop until you get there, and take him to Ben, the one who rode you. Thanks." I told him. He effortlessly swooped up and off. Rainbow nudged me.
Percy offered me a hand so I could ride on Blackjack.
"Umm… I'm scared of heights. I think I'll get a ride on Rainbow." As soon as I said this, I was lifted out of the water, on Rainbow's back. Percy laughed.
"See you at camp!" he called, flying off. I smiled as Rainbow started moving. She glided smoothly through the water. It was such a gently ride, that I barely noticed we were moving, especially with the unchanging scenery. It took hours, but eventually we came into view of land. We sped on, nearly at camp. Rainbow stopped about a mile off shore. I thanked him and climbed down. I swam the rest of the way. It came easily to me. I came up on the beach. The fire I lit two days ago was still alight, my only source of light in the dusk. I walked up to shore and found myself dry. It's a Poseidon thing. I looked at the fire. I suddenly remembered the uneaten food and speaker. I placed them gently in the fire, thanking my father, Athena, Hades and Hermes at the same time.
I walked onwards. Nobody was around. I guess I was late for dinner. I went to the sword training arena. After the battle, I needed to polish my skills.
Nico and Ben were already there, sparing. They were fighting hard. It took me a second to realise they were keeping their minds busy. I smiled, but then Ben pushed Nico to the ground. Taking the opportunity, I rushed in, sword out. As Ben swung to press his blade against Nico's throat, I came in, blocking the blow. I pushed Ben back, pulling my dagger out of my boot at the same time. I threw it back and pressed my blade to Ben's chest. My dagger landed in the sand next to Nico's throat as a warning.
"I win!" I announced with a bright smile. I turned to sound of clapping. Annabeth and Clarisse stood in the archway to the arena.
"So you can beat two enemies in less than a minute. What happened with that Jack moron?" Clarisse asked.
"I wanted to know his plan. So I stalled by taking my time beating him. Oh and insulting him and his plan." Annabeth and Clarisse smiled in approval. Annabeth thought it was good planning on my part. Clarisse was just happy I wasn't really the wimp Percy described me as. I smiled and helped Ben and Nico to their feet. They grinned. Then they both tried to hug me at the same time. It was awkward. I blushed as Piper came in to find Annabeth. She gaped at me and the boys.
"I knew it! I was right. That's twenty drachma from you Annie!" I looked to Annabeth for an explanation. She flushed as she explained.
"Me and Piper kind of made a bet whether or not you would… hook up with one of the boys." She said. I raised my eyebrows. "I said you wouldn't, Pipes said you would. I guess she was right."
"Well, Annabeth, as far as I'm aware, you're still the one who's right." I said pointedly. Annabeth snatched her money back from Piper. The boys let go of me. Finally.
Ben gave me the puppy dog eyes and Nico just turned away.
"Seriously, I think I'm gonna wait a few more years before I… hook up with either of you." I said. Nico turned back to me, looking happy. Ben's face lit up. "That came out wrong…" I sighed.
"It always will!" Piper, Annabeth and Clarisse said at the same time. I sighed again. They laughed.
"Come on, the campfire's about to start. I'll get you some marshmallows." Ben smiled, grabbing my arm. I laughed as he pulled me away, the same way Annabeth had what seemed like eons ago.
Little did I know, that was only my first adventure…